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New Apples Next Week
Vicissidude writes "CNN/Money reports: 'Apple may be gearing up to unveil a new slate of mini-Macs and may also release updated versions of its popular iBook laptop computers as early as next Tuesday, according to unconfirmed reports on a Web site that tracks Apple.' The Web site Think Secret reported three new Mac mini and two new iBook part numbers have appeared in Apple's retail database, indicating that new models are imminent. Apple would neither confirm nor deny the reports. The new mini models will be priced at $499, $599 and $699, with new iBooks priced at $999 and $1,299, according to the original story at Think Secret."
Unless these are Intel machines, I won't buy. Sorry, I don't want to invest in a dying platform. I'm no Intel fan (more an AMD fan, and I loved the PowerPC), but buying a Gx Mac now is thrown away money. Whatever Steve says, I don't believe that binaries will stay Intel/PowerPC for very long.
Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
I thought the same thing, but it does seem far to soon for that (I doubt they would go sooner than the 2006 estimation, besides the fact that they want ample time for software developers to adapt).
That being said, there was much speculation that the mini would be the first to change, and the ibook would also be a good candidate.
If they're smart, they'll put eSATA ports on the new Mac Minis for attaching external storage. Yes, you can put attach external storage thru the usb2 and firewire ports but requiring usb and firewire bridgeboards on the external drives ups the cost of external storage considerably. What would be really cool is some kind of modular external storage device that the Mac Mini would connect directly to and get rid of the inboard disk drive and replace it with flash memory instead.
Is what Fox-style journalism has done to the news world? CNN no longer does its own reporting and relies on rumors posted on the web site of a university student? Granted, Think Secret has been amazing accurate, so much so that Apple has sued them, but it is after all a rumor site run by a university student. CNN pays reporters to investigate stories, they shouldn't be reporting them from rumor sites without additional facts to corroborate them.
Apple should be pushing the minimal spec upwards, not stripping everything off so that it can get it's headlines saying *Mac's are now affordable*
I would like to offer a descenting opinion. I feel that Apple does a great job of specing out systems with standard features that make them relevant years from now. Making a 512MB RAM standard across the line, except the mini, is one example. Standard USB 2, Firewire, Bluetooth, etc are others.
But if every Mac came optioned up with Superdrives and the like, there would be no 'entry level' model. My iMac G5 has Bluetooth and Airport Express standard. I don't use those at all. but I paid for them. It also has a Superdrive I didn't need but have used twice for fun so I'm glad I have it. Still, it would have been nice to save $200, or nearly 15%, and not gotten those options.
Just like people think Apple is the BMW of computers, BMW still has options for their luxury cars.
Where Apple does falter in my opinion is in the video cards. If they are going to make eMacs, iMacs, and Mac minis (as well as iBooks and PBs) without upgradable video chipsets, then they need to put in something that is above par for he rest of the system. How sad to have otherwise snappy system performance slowed down by a poor graphics card. I would gladly trade the forementioned wireless access innards for a better graphics chipset.
I only came here to do two things; kick some ass, and drink some beer...looks like we're almost out of beer.
If you consider that Doom 3 is single threaded and it seems silly to require SMP.
HOW'S MY POSTING? CALL 1-800-POSTING
I have different complaints. The bluetooth upgrades aren't readily available, the easiest way to upgrade a bluetooth capable Mac after it has shipped is to buy a USB dongle. I think this is unfortunate, given that there is a socket in the computer. I know there is a wireless upgrade kit for mini, getting such a kit for iMac and PowerMac seems impossible.
I decided not to go the DVD writer route, I have other computers with a DVD writer and I don't use that feature very often.
I do agree that Apple should re-figure their pricing. A $1000 laptop in an age of $500 laptops is simply not competitive.
Some of the pricing is justifiable, the mini is basically a laptop, all their desktop computers short of eMac have a lot of custom aluminum extrusion, 1 lb of the mini's 3lbs is the aluminum shell, the iMac stand is a heavy chunk of aluminum, and Powermac has 1/8" / 3mm thick side plates.
I opted for a good 3rd party TFT display from elsewhere (19" TFT for £179), as Apple seem to think that plonking down £550 for their entry level display is fine for everyone.
I don't think they really think that. They probably felt that it isn't worth competing in the 15"-19" range with an aluminum-shelled desktop display. It would be nice if they did offer a differently-styled option. Apple was very clear that buyers can get third party displays, keyboards and mice, hence the BYODKM theme during its announcement.
How do you like them Apples?
While things like wireless and DVD burning are options that will bring the price up for the ibooks, there still are distinct differences between the lines. It doesn't seem as obvious looking at the quick run-downs on Apple.com, but a good look at the tech specs for the individual lines does reveal more than just cosmetic differences that don't affect the user's experience much.
However, I do think it's a travesty that wireless works better on iBooks than powerbooks. And that iBooks don't have covers that warp and bend over time, causing them to not close.
I have a machine I purchased in early 2002. It replaced a machine I bought in 1997. That machine from 1997 continued to run until I sold it 3rd party in 2004, and I am sure it is still running today. If you wanted to you could run OS X on it, however it requires a 3rd party hack. But OS 9 for someone who hasn't had need to upgrade their software (much like you haven't had need of upgrading your OS) still works just fine. In fact I often wished that I still had that machine for a certain software that I still haven't found a real replacement for yet (and will not work in classic).
As a matter of fact I purchased one of the first PPC machines back in 1995, and it is still in use by the person I sold it to. That is definitely 10 years old, but no it does not run OS X, but the tools that person uses were not upgraded enough for X for it to make sense for him to upgrade.
The only reason I dream of upgrading today is simply for portability. I would love to have a laptop, and while newer machines can do tasks with a bit more spunk than my current machine, it certainly does handle what I need it to do.
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