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CNET Accuses Apple of Over-Hyping Launch
An anonymous reader writes "A columnist at CNET is questioning whether Apple over-hyped last week's launch. From the article: 'Jobs' announcement of a new leather case for the iPod was especially ridiculous. Like the queen announcing a new toaster in Buckingham Palace. It seemed odd that Jobs was troubling himself to introduce fashion accessories to Apple's products.' Is Apple a victim of its own success? Can it hold a low-profile product launch anymore -- or do we inevitably expect too much?"
I didn't see much Apple hype actually. They held the event in a tiny little auditorium at One Infinite Loop, they didn't invite many people, and they didn't hold it at a major conference.
The hype I saw was coming from media outlets like CNN, CNET, and all the Mac news sites; not from Apple.
There was no web cast, no mention on Apple's page until the products were introduced, how is that hyping? They weren't hyping the press event, they were hyping the products they put out which makes sense. As for the items they sold. First we have the iPod hi fi, pretty big announcement as far as Apple's concerned. It'll either be huge or a massive flop... for once I kind of hope Apple has a flop because from what I've heard the specs on the thing are not exceptional and the design is weak in my opinion. The new Mac mini is a pretty big announcement for a whole lot of people. And the leather case, well why not intro it with other products. Don't imagine Jobs spent forever on that bit, it's kind of like the successor to the iPod sock, which for the record I actually own, seems like a strange idea but they work very well. They don't keep the iPod from getting scratched a lil but they keep the big ones off, and they protect it from falls pretty well. Have you ever tried to find a good case for your iPod? I bought a DLO one that actually scratched my screen! I welcome an Apple branded one.
1. Gigabit ethernet (*usually* unheard of on a product of this size and price - yes, yes, yes, I'm sure you'll come up with examples of other computers that have GigE, but none will be that size *and* price category)
2. The Apple Remote can't be used without IR, which the old mini didn't have (nor did it have Front Row, and yes, that's just software, but still, Front Row can't be "officially" added to a computer without it without hacking it, and even then, technically "pirating" it - and you still have no way to control it via IR without adding third party products like an IR receiver)
3. The ability to play 1080-line HD (which the previous mini didn't have the horsepower to do), which is a huge step toward, oh, I don't know, using it as an HD media center
4. Optical S/PDIF audio input and output (huge addition - previous mini did not have)
5. The ability to actually do sharing with Front Row of music, photos, and video from other computers on the local network (a big functional improvement and almost a necessity for a "media center")
6. Less important: the fact that it has a dual core processor in a 6.5"x6.5"x2" form factor, the addition or 802.11a, and Intel HD Audio
So yes, it's a mini with amazing features, by most estimations. If *you* don't like it (and I'm not saying you do or don't), fine - don't get one. But that doesn't change the fact that it has an array of new features that make it dramatically more useful as a media center than it was before).
Funny how that you can look at the "specs", yet if you go HEAR it, it sounds great.
PC Magazine gave it 4.5 stars. I guess they were not snickering huh?
It's either on the beat or off the beat, it's that easy.
I moderate therefore I rule!
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I just looked up the word, and it said: "inspiring awe or admiration or wonder"
Basically the new features are "we added some new but scarcely amazing features but most importantly, still managed to get it in the same size box".
Then again, another definition was 'overused as a hyperbole for "good."'
P.
As far as I know, every Macintosh tower from the Blue and White G3's on has shipped with ZIF socketed processors - pop one out, pop another in. The iBook/Powerbooks don't work that way and the iMacs are one-piece units, but in the professional desktop series, they've been expandable since the late 90's.
Not saying you're wrong from a consumer perspective (most neophyte mac users just chuck the old and buy the new) but it's not the only option available.
The grandparent post said "Macs have not traditionally had upgradeable processors". I'm assuming he meant the ability to simply pop out the CPU and put a faster one in wasn't an option. If that's the case, then he's right. All the CPU upgrades I remember are 3rd party add-in cards that are more of a hack than an upgrade.
The processors may have been socketed or slotted, but buying a new one was usually expensive because there is no significant market for such chips. There are many vendors that sell intel chips competing to supply chips for white box vendors and enthusiasts. Because these markets are very price sensiteve, intel chips can be found fairly inexpensively compared to PowerPC chips that are sold at premium prices as upgrade solutions for macs.