Slashdot Mirror
Inside View on Apple WWDC Rumors
AppleLurker writes "In a recent interview with DVD newsroom an Apple employee talks WWDC rumors including the iPhone, Blu-ray, MacPro and the Apple Tablet. More realistic about what not to expect next week when Steve Jobs hits the stage." Apple's next move is always a hotbed of debate leading up to a product release and with all the rumors flying this year all bets are off until we see the checkered flag, so take with the requisite grain of salt.
I'm an attendee and have noticed that the online schedule of sessions still has about 40% of the slots with "To Be Announced" as their descriptions. In the past Apple has done this when new technologies are to be announced; the session titles are filled in after the keynote is over.
So perhaps there's going to be quite a bit of new software this time.
Maybe if they announce Windows Vista at the WWDC it might actually materialise?
I think that the author should take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
I'd love an Apple tablet with the same approximate specs as a MacBook (you could lose the optical drive, drop the camera, and use a slower processor and I wouldn't miss it). I'd happily pay the price for a base MacBook with these features, and I think even a small $50-100 price difference would be sufficient to keep sales high. Using MacBook parts (except for the touch display and enclosure) could help offset the high cost of a tablet.
If you haven't bothered reading TFA, don't. It's sub-Mac-rumor-site rumors, complete with a (probably fictitious) phone conversation and cheesy backstory.
In Repressive Burma, it's not just your connection that dies. slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=314547&cid=20819199
It's interesting to see the hype and everyone excited about upcoming products lately. For Microsoft, I think it's because they're a de facto "standard" in the desktop and office products spaces. For Apple, it is more like they are known for coming out with very sexy, sleek products that are also easy to use. Too bad some of the free and open source projects don't benefit from this kind of free publicity. I guess you could almost count Firefox as being among the hype machines, but I would bet most of that is user-generated -- people who are fans of Firefox -- as opposed to pundits, industry people, etc.
Posted anonymously so I don't look like a karma whore...
Breaking: Inside Apple on Blu-ray, MacPro and Apple's media center strategy. What to expect, and not to expect, at WWDC
Posted 8/4/06 at 6:06am by Senor Spielbergo
AppleAlexander here. We're not in the Apple rumor mill business here at DVD Newsroom. Frankly, I don't care about the next gen iPods. I'm quite happy with my G3 iPod, thank you very much. Do I wanna squint and watch Lord of the Rings on a tiny iPod screen - while I have a Sony 50" Grand Wega? I guess it's nice for those still taking mass transit.
But when it comes to all things Blu-ray, we're interested. From content delivery to a media center, we gotta keep an eye on Apple's approach. Look what they did to MP3 players, having joined late in the game. If they change the delivery system of entertainment, how does this affect DVD and the future of hi-def? I mean, in looking at quality, Apple's music store successfully offers a far inferior product compared to music CDs. The trade off is instant gratification - choosing to download right now or driving over to Best Buy to pick up a CD, if they even have it in stock. When rumors of the iChat Mobile surfaced, our spy contacted his Apple Confidante to talk about that and Blu-ray rumors. The transcript of our spy's phone call, including talk of Powermacs and WWDC news, is below...
Updated: the spy on this story is a known source and the Apple Confidante's employment has been verified.
Greetings and Salutations! The world is a funny place, muchahcos. It's about connections. "In the know." I knew my Apple Confidante before she obtained that Apple badge of honor. Even in college she was my sweet, sweet confidante. Her polite ear listened patiently to my girl problems. I was never brave enough to be romantic. A confidante is a confidante. With phrases like Blu-ray and iPhone buzzing in my brain, I couldn't resist calling my confidante's hotline
Q. Before we talk about Blu-ray. One word: iPhone?
A. No. Of course, Apple is exploring wireless options, integrating cell and iPod technology. Don't expect anything soon.
Q. Why would Apple enter this arena?
A. Competition, really. As Motorola and Sony Ericsson continue to marry phones with music, it could make the iPod obsolete. Also, the ringtone business is massive. That's why the carriers can't stand us and iTunes songs at 99 cents. Everyone is working on their own music store with higher costs or subscriptions.
Q. Where do you stand on Blu-ray?
A. We're exceptionally committed to Blu-ray. A battleground issue in 07.
Q. Why Blu-ray?
A. Superior storage. Costs less.
Q. When will a Mac ship with a Blu-ray drive installed?
A. Some are hopeful with Oct/Nov. Doubt it. 100% Blu-ray will be built-to-order in January 07.
Q. Why the delay?
A. Consumers are very nervous and confused about these formats. Why do they need it? What are the benefits? Originally, Blu-ray was a slam-dunk. But HD-DVD gained traction. After the launch of the PS3, the general consensus is Blu-ray will be named the winner. The brand name 'Blu-ray' will be stronger. Better awareness for consumers. Currently, HD-DVD has the edge by name alone.
Q. Who will win, Blu-ray or HD-DVD?
A. (laughs) Blu-ray, of course. Reasons? Apple, Sony, Dell, HP, Disney, Fox. Better content and the PS3. If your computer and PS3 support Blu-ray, you're obviously going to buy Blu-ray movies.
Q. Will new Powermacs, or Mac Pro's, ship with Blu-ray?
A. M
with obscure Simpsons references in them!
Monstar L
- Introduction of the Core 2 Duo to the iNtel Mac lineup;
- Conroe will be featured in the iMac and the new PowerMac; Quad capability may or may not be present...
- Merom will be featured in the MacMini, the MacBook, and the MacBook Pro [evidence of meromac]
- Woodcrest MAY be present in the next revision of the XServe and XServe RAID
- Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
- Point releases are traditionally announced at WWDC.
- Point releases usually accompany upgrades.
- Conroe, Merom, and Woodcrest bring x86_64 (EM64T) support, 10.5 should take advantage of it fully.
- A bigger shift to the iMac line.
- A shift to the iPod nano line (they've been killing off stock by giving the freaking things away with new Mac purchases).
- Something less useless than the iPod Hi-Fi.
Everything else is gravy. Don't count on an iPhone, Apple's not ready for that market. I think Motorola may be on hand to announce a sister to the ROKR and SLVR, something akin to the RAZR with a better capacity. And it will synch with iTunes via Bluetooth. We may also see a Bluetooth-enabled iPod. Stock TV Tuner support for the Mac Mini would also be expected, as would SLi/Crossfire for the MacPro.Informatus Technologicus
- "Apple's next move is always a hotbed of debate leading up to a product release and with all the rumors flying this year all bets are off until we see the checkered flag, so take with the requisite grain of salt."
Meanwhile, it's full speed ahead for mixed metaphors!Awesome! I'm all greased up and ready to go.
If Apple is going to grow as a computer company, they're going to have to stop worrying about products competeing with each other and realize that every sale is a good one.
Give a man fire, and you warm him for the night. Set a man on fire, and you warm him for the rest of his life.
The NeXT Version of Windows(TM) has been announced at WWDC several times in history. Most recently, Longhorn was announced at WWDC 2005. The result in that instance was a name change and schedule slip.
If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
Q. Should we read the article? A. No. Sub-Mac-rumor-site rumours. Probably fictitious phone conversation. Cheesy backstory.
Send email from the afterlife! Write your e-will at Dead Man's Switch.
Uhm.. 10 bucks'll get you that: http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?InvtId=IW-06&cm_v en=Froogle&cm_cat=Shopping&cm_ite=total
Videos > Video Settings > TV Out, Signal, and Widescreen
Why don't the big boys -- the New York Times and its brethren -- break business stories tapping "anonymous sources", and hide behind the banner of the First Amendment when they're sued? Are they just whores for "access" through the front door and the executive suite? Why not the same kind of hard-hitting coverage that the mainstream media applies to, for example, the Bush Administration?
"We're a silo. Apple employees find out about new products when they're being announced. Or online. Nobody knows anything."
Frankly, I'd be concerned if I had a CEO that said "we will do this and that" and only then ask the developers who in the end will end up making them, if it is possible, how much it'll cost, etc.
Also, just for a "side-comment", this is a common tactic in politics. They give a false informant to the press who leaks something out saying it's coming from a reliable source near the point of origin. Only part of it is usually true, and it's usually manipulated. I would bet that if Apple's empployees are in a silo and know nothing of what is being anounced, then how does this source know? Is she at the source? Is she making it up? Is she a plant by the marketing team to cause a stirr? I think this is the case. But that's just IMHO.
because only there would someone say something as incoherent as this.
Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
oh well. with a broken mp3 player and a dying phone, it looks like i have to buy two seperate items. but ive always wanted one item that costs much more than the two items combined. ive always wanted an extrordinarily short battery life. ive always wanted an iphone. ho hum.
Why are you greased up? Do you wrestle?
Got MILF? It does a body good!
But this aritcle presents something very different. A $599 target price point suggests that what they've been prototyping is less laptop and more PDA.
Unless it's a typo and they meant $1599? That would make sense, why they would assume everyone would choose a macbook over it. Otherwise, I guess they think people would want the full functionality of a laptop, which they aren't planning in their current prototype tablet. Hm.
Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
Nah.
For some reason I wouldn't expect a Mac tablet. Cool as it may seem, I'm placing my bets firmly on an Intel Mac Desktop.
Which Apple is sorely lacking.
"I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
-Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
In a recent interview with DVD newsroom an ex-Apple employee talks WWDC rumors.
More likely is that we'll see updated powermacs and xserves, such that apple completes the intel changeover (promised a year ago), and Leopard. Maybe a "one more thing", say 64-bit support. It's a /developer/ conference, not a consumer show, so expect new stuff that will directly impact developers rather than consumers.
Of course, things like a tablet and iPhone would be nice, but I really doubt it (at least, not yet).
Drop the optical drive? How will you install the OS?
Use a slower processor? Who would buy it?
The whole reason that Windows-based tablets are starting to sell better is that they are now more comparable in performance and features to regular laptops. They have the pen functionality as a bonus. You will notice that there are no major manufacturers making slate-type Tablet PCs anymore, because they were too expensive and lacked the performance capabilities of a convertible-type tablet. The niche is just too small for a very application specific device; similar to the one you describe. Plus, how many tablets have sold to date? I went looking and from what I could find the 1 millionth one was sold in February of 2005, and we may be up to 3 million by now. That's not a lot of machines when you consider Apple sold over a million Macs in the last quarter.
So, to answer your question, it will compete for sales because it will need to be just as capable a device with the added pen functionality. If the numbers (sales and dollars) won't support the product in the mix, there won't be a product from Apple.
That's 99% a given. I usually disdain rumor reporting, but this article was pretty realistic in terms of what we'll see on Monday, what we'll see in January, and the more iffy skunkworks stuff that might or might not ever see the light of day.
Very little was said about software. Front row, iChat, a movie store (if you want to count that as software). Hard to tell if we'll see anything earth-shattering in these or other areas.
Wifi for the iPod? Will Taco finally get his wish? I know lots of people want this, but is any functionality it offers going to be worth the hit on battery life? Maybe wifi in the dock? But then, why?
The most interesting thing about the blu ray discussion was the line up of blu ray allies. This isn't secret info being divulged for the first time, but I always find it fascinating the alliances that get built up over certain technologies among companies that are sworn enemies (or at least competitors) in other areas. And you have to wonder about the over all give and take between these companies. Does Sony give up anything in any other areas to get support from Apple for blu ray? Or is this all about fighting MS? Oh, to be a zipper on the wall at some of these meetings.
It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
I'd like to transfer them to the video iPod
Try plugging your iPod into your USB port. It happens automagically.
watch it during a rail-commute
Place your iPod in your hand. Get on trin. Sit. Turn on iPod. Select show. Watch.
or plug it into a friends tv for playback.
Attach small end of video cable to headphone jack. Attach other end to friend's TV. Set iPod TV output option to "on." Select video. Press play.
Either you're the dumbest electronics customer in history, or you don't have an iPod and you're just trolling.
-- I'm old enough to have lived through six different meanings of the word "hacker."
Personally, I'm waiting for an iPod with a digital camera built in. I like my phone to make phone calls, I'll have my iPod do everything else :-)
Opinionated Law Student Strikes Again!
I'd love to use a tablet pc. I'm waiting for the prices to go down.
Spam: Any activity on internet to gain popularity without paying to advertising companies like Google.
If you have an video capable iPod iTunes will sync videos to your iPod when you connect it.
Review the FAQ for more information.
> i'm buying a macbook pro though
:)
How exactly does that "fuck Apple". Let me let you in on a little secret -- when you buy a MacBook Pro, you're HELPING Apple
My other car is first.
"I guess it's nice for those still taking mass transit." (emphasis mine)
As if stopping the use of mass transit to use a car was an evolution. Hello! Kyoto!
Fuckin' ape.
perception is reality
I just bought one of Dual 2.16 GHz Inetl Core Duo units.
Must say I like it and using it full time now.
Cheers,
Dee
I doubt they're worried about products competing with each other, they're worried about cheaper products competing with more expensive products. Just as they can't push the Mac Mini too much, because then it'd be competing with the iMac which costs considerably more.
The NeXT Version of Windows(TM) has been announced at WWDC, only to be *delivered* at a MacWorld several times in history.
-Peter
. Penguins Surely Ca
Just got a new Macbook. I tried to install X11 from the tiger DVDs, but all it did was populate /usr/X11R6/lib, man, and include. No bin directory whatsoever. Yes, I can install XFree86 from source, but I shouldn't have to. What was the point of having an installer for libraries and headers if I can't actually run any X clients??
Q: What does the "B." in Benoit B. Mandelbrot stand for? A: Benoit B. Mandelbrot
Drop the optical drive? How will you install the OS?
Use a prot replicator (for extra cash) or firewire - they key for me is portability; a jump drive would allow file transfer and conencting camera memory as needed.
Use a slower processor? Who would buy it?
Depends - I would not buy one to try to do video editing but would use one to run Office while I travel - battery life, weight and price are more important than raw speed; so a slower but low power intel chip would be fine. Add in wifi and and a PC-Card slot and I'd be good to go.
A $500 tablet would in many ways be a natural follow-on to the Newton - use it as a mobile tool and then transfer the files to a Mac or PC if you need to do heavy lifting. MacOS would give access to enough software that I'd ditch my PC laptop.
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
Dear aunt, let's set so double the killer delete select all.
Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
"As if stopping the use of mass transit to use a car was an evolution."
It is in most cases. There are places for mass transit and there are a lot more places where it doesn't work.
"Hello! Kyoto!"
Kyoto's dead. And let me say that Bush and company are thieving idiots, but Kyoto is dead. It was DOA. It never could have worked. The premise is flawed. Assuming cars releasing carbon is a significant cause of global warming, we lack the ability to do anything about it. Let me repeat that... assuming man's use of fossil fuel has an impact on the environment, we lack the ability to fix that problem. And Kyoto doesn't do anything more than make good political points with middle-class people in the west; it won't actually solve any problem. Kyoto failed not because the U.S. didn't ratify, it failed because the way it was worded it wouldn't actually assist in global warming.
"Fuckin' ape."
That's it. Spread the love. Avoid the addressing the real issue.
And be honest. The reason you don't commute in a car is because you don't have any money. As soon as you get a job that pays a decent amount, you'll be first in line at the car dealer.
Now for the good bets.
1. A new tower system. Apple needs to move the high end/high profit systems to Intel. My guess is that the G5 towers are not selling well.
2. New XServer see above.
Okay now the higher risk guesses.
1. Media center. Everyone is still waiting for this one.
2. Virtualization in the kernel. Yes run Windows in a window.
3. Games. Apple has been trying to get game makers to support the Mac. Now they will announce some of them have.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
This is informative? He can't figure out how to use an iPod, for fuck's sake...
Since I can't tell them apart, I treat all ACs as the same person.
Sorry, that was rude of me. Please forget my previous post.
It is just a matter of plugging your iPod into your computer - iTunes does all the rest. If it doesn't do it automatically, check your preferences - make it sync video and music.
Since I can't tell them apart, I treat all ACs as the same person.
Either you're new here or ... euh, you MUST be new here!
I really want to see a remake of the Apple Newton with a more modern stylish design.
Some notable feaures could be;
Today's standard pda features.
Wireless VOIP builtin.
Map software with optional GPS.
iTunes for PDA
Bluetooth enabled.
Built on OSX Kernel.
\
Use a prot replicator (for extra cash) or firewire - they key for me is portability; a jump drive would allow file transfer and conencting camera memory as needed.
... we'll have to wait and see. I don't think Apple will get into the tablet market. It would be nice if they did, given the niche markets they thrive in, but I don't think it's going to happen. I am human. I've been wrong before, but seems highly unlikely given the current general landscape and the specific product focus of Apple.
Wasn't the point of not putting an optical drive in the machine to save money, in the original poster's estimation? Why not just buy a tablet with an optical drive in it? Of course, I know you can attach an external device, but that's not the point. If you spent more money the tablet could be another device altogether now couldn't it?
And yes, something more Newton-ish (I owned one) would definitely be more of what the $599 price point would get you. But, PDAs (even souped up tablet-esque ones) that aren't cell phones these days are slowly dying out.
Bottom line
I'm a non-Mac person and I'd buy an Apple tablet in an instant. I'm quite happy with a Windows notebook, but the TabletPCs are somewhat clunky and I'd hope Apple would create something with a far more elegant form-factor and better usability. I know a couple of people in the finance industry who use tablets extensively (for note taking, meeting minutes, mind mapping, etc) and they do seem more productive with them.
The only Apple products I own are an iPod and a Newton. With any future Apple tablet, I'm hoping the Apple team will apply the same usability innovations that went into the Newton.
The conclusion that this is nothing more than hopeful thinking. More and more any upcoming "secret" enhancement/update/upgrade in Apple is an step closer to resembling a PC. The enticing motivation for somebody to become a Mac fan is to stay away from the PC herd, not to do computing better, so now they are all facing a dilema... How to compensate the fact that their individuality-providing computer is morphing into just another species in the PC fauna.
Just a glowing bitten apple on the lid of a PC will not make the trick for many.
How do you feel about your bit too... canned, short. Sentences. To be. Real?
does anyone think it'll come out of beta in leopard
I'd love an Apple tablet
Trouble is, you're rare enough that it's not worth doing. You can be sure that Apple is intensely aware of how the Tablet PCs are selling, and there just isn't that much demand for that form factor. It would take something compellingly different to make it fly, beyond just being a Mac without a keyboard. Now, if Samsung came up with a 300 DPI display or something to go with it, that might do the trick, but I'm not holding my breath for that.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
Use a port replicator (for extra cash) or firewire - they key for me is portability; a jump drive would allow file transfer and connecting camera memory as needed.
... we'll have to wait and see. I don't think Apple will get into the tablet market. It would be nice if they did, given the niche markets they thrive in, but I don't think it's going to happen. I am human. I've been wrong before, but seems highly unlikely given the current general landscape and the specific product focus of Apple.
Wasn't the point of not putting an optical drive in the machine to save money, in the original poster's estimation? Why not just buy a tablet with an optical drive in it? Of course, I know you can attach an external device, but that's not the point. If you spent more money the tablet could be another device altogether now couldn't it?
And yes, something more Newton-ish (I owned one) would definitely be more of what the $599 price point would get you. But, PDAs (even souped up tablet-esque ones) that aren't cell phones these days are slowly dying out.
Bottom line
By making an optical drive (and other options) separate items they can keep the cost of the device low while still allowing for expansion if desired; plus users could use existing optical drives / USB devices if they want.
The Newton was a great device (I also owned one and played with a 2k for a few months) and a MacOS tablet with HWR and the ability to run mac programs would be a worthy successor; especially if it was slimmer and lighter than most notebooks. Add in the ability to boot to a video / music player on instantly on power up instead of MacOS and decent battery life and you'd have a great tool for travelers.
I agree that we probably won't see anything like it soon...
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
I'm still waiting for "elevator photos". The keynote hype is not complete until then.
(Anyone who follows these things will know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.)
Does it make you happy you're so strange?
this is not rocket science:
1. Power Mac replacement with Intel core 2 inside
2. iPod with wireless access to iTunes via a new service
(1) is expected but still exciting, (2) is for massive holday profits.
It's too damn bad she didn't confide in the TPM control panel that's MIA from ALL of the Intel Macs blessed so far. I guess that remote ownership is OK for Mac people seeing as most of them don't properly understand computers anyway. By dumbing down America (and elsewhere) they further entrench their 'superiority' all the while selling remotely owned machines. It makes me laugh how complacent people have become with DRM. Defective by Design INCLUDES Treacherous Computing too.
if I claimed I was emperor just because some watery tart lobbed a scimitar at me they'd put me away!
I saw the first Tablet that would be compelling to me last week - one of the little Fujitsu units at ~$2k. If it had built-in (or internal accessory) EDGE/HSCD capability, I would seriously consider it. If it was a Mac, I'd buy it for fun.
As the smart phones get more expensive and more (crippled) features, the market for an ultraportable tablet grows. WinCE just doesn't do it for my needs-- intrinsic limitations of battery, screen, and processor keep it from being a "laptop replacement."
I won't hold my breath, though. It has taken a long time for the tablet market to mature to this point, and I don't think Apple is ready to jump in any time soon.
No, actually the point was to save space and weight. I'd actually prefer a sliding keyboard to a clamshell notebook design, and Apple just might be the only company willing to go there.
I still see no particular reason why Apple couldn't make a tablet AND the MacBook and have both sell well. The main issue is minimizing the "unique" parts of the tablet--by using as much stock componetry as possible from the MacBook, except for the unique display and case, and possibly a very slim Motorola RAZR style low-profile keyboard (with less tactile resistance on the keys, of course, to facilitate normal typing speeds and a Mighty Mouse-style audible click for user feedback, since the keys wouldn't feel like they've moved much). By keeping the price just slightly below that of the MacBook, it wouldn't cannibalize sales--Apple would make money with either purchase.
I don't expect the $599 price that TFA seems to suggest Apple wants. I want the "typical" notebook reinvented. I'm willing to accept a 3-400MHz slower processor to help offset the higher cost of the touch interface and to lower power requirements. I'm willing to lose the integrated optical drive because it's as useless to me as a 56k modem (which has become a USB accessory itself)--an external unit for the one time a year most people use it would work fine...or even no optical drive at all in favor of remote installation software, like used with a PDA. If I can push OS updates to the tablet from my other Macs or PCs, I'm set.
Ultimately, the tablet wouldn't compete with the MacBook any more than the Mac mini does. They're for different markets all around (mini for the budget-minded person who doesn't care about road use; MacBook for the thrifty road warrior/student; tablet for the technophile/professional/multimedia junkie who wants a full-powered, big screened PDA). I'll never buy a MacBook (I already have a PowerBook), but I'd immediately hand over close to the same amount of money for a thoughtfully-designed tablet without a clamshell hinge.
What was the mp3 player market like before the iPod? What was the SFF PC market like (in the mainstream population) before the Mac mini? Apple's the company that can make these things work. I'm tired of traditional notebooks, with their weak hinges and oversized cases to allow for the keyboard, touchpad, and optical drive.
My phone is the T-Mobile MDA. I would just about kill for a 10-12" display with a sliding keyboard--a notebook-scale MDA. The MDA is a great product, but it runs Windows Mobile, not "real" Windows, and the keyboard, while useful, is not for writing papers and proposals or compiling data. I always envisioned the tablet as a super-PDA and a high tech replacement for the common clipboard.
http://paulstamatiou.com/2006/03/02/intel-mac-mini -is-upgradable/
I don't actually keep track, but I think the only things that aren't socketed are the laptops.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
I don't think there'd be a heat problem. Yes, Conroe uses more power. But Merom does too.
I think the iMac won't get Conroe for cost reasons. Even if the chips cost the same, there is a quantifiable cost to adding more traces to the motherboard, and since the iMac isn't a top-performer, they don't need to spend that extra money.
Although when Intel's G965 and Q965 express chipsets come out, I think they'll revise the iMac to use those, because the integrated graphics is a lot better than the current 850 stuff. Yes, I think that means they'll dump the ATI in there to save money. C'est la vie.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
Apple's the company that can make these things work.
They tried. Remember the Newton?
The thing is, anytime Apple launches a new product they gamble not only the development money, but a large portion of their reputation. iPod paid off, Newton didn't, and so forth. When Apple introduced the iPod, there was clearly a market for music players, and they were able to do it far better than the competion. When it comes to making a tablet, the decision must include at least the following considerations: 1) how many people want it: Thousands or millions? 2) Can Apple completely blow the other players away, and make a major technical leap? Apple's handwriting recognition is good, but is it that much better than any of the others? 3) How does it play with the Mac, and enhance the market position of their core products?
You may want such a device, but until millions of people want it, Apple may well be better off working on whatever it is they've already got in the pipeline for the next year and a half.
Heck, I'd love to see Apple sell a true 1080p HD portable projector, but if only five thousand people want it they'd lose money doing it.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
Despite the low numbers, Apple could be very interseted in who the tablets are sold to rather than the quantities. Tablets are an expensive luxury form of portable craved by doctors, lawyers, and salesmen. Anyone who likes the "walk softly and carry mean clipboard" look as a form of function or authority will want a tablet just because of the form factor.
A gynecologist friend of mine has a Windows Tablet PC and hates it because of the crashing and small resolution, but he carries it because he doesn't look like a "troll or jeweler hunched over a laptop". He'll write on paper before he'll use a conventional laptop when he's with a patient. Apple is very good at making form factors everyone drools over. Even if the Mac Tablet is only a doctor's "data entry" PC it could be quite a lucrative market that would inspire many more sales.
The development side is risky, but Apple already has much IP that a tablet could benefit from. They've been pushing alternate input for a while in Mac OS X: Inkwell hand recognition, Voice recognition, Universal Access, and other technologies are already there. Apple has patents on areas of parallax compensation, handwriting recognition, and a whole lot more left over from the Newton. The rumored "resolution independence" for Quartz could solve one of the biggest problems of other PC tablets. As far as the hardware goes, it would require a new production process but only a few parts that aren't already bought in bulk for other Apple items. Again, it all seems to come down to the form factor.
If Apple gets into this area, my bet is that they will live or die on the form factor much more than on the OS features or even price. This is a very lucrative audience and Apple has lots of experience making, pricing, and selling machines to these audiences.
At the end of the article
AFAIC, this article is a made-up bunch of dog crap. When the other party hangs up on a land-line you don't get a dial-tone afterwards, just a black line. The dial-tone only comes after you've hung-up and picked up the phone again. That's my experience on all phones I've ever used.Good. Cheap. Fast. Pick Two.
Comparing a Newton to the kind of tablet I'm talking about is like saying a scooter is a Nissan Altima. The Newton was very simply a PDA, and a good one, but it came to the market too early and without some critical developments that made PDAs practical.
The thing is that the kind of tablet I'm talking about isn't appreciably different from a notebook except in form factor. There's a proven demand for portable computers, and any number of polls about a "dream" Apple product put a tablet at or near the top. Of course I want Apple to make the device I feel I can't buy anywhere--that's the whole point of desire. Waiting for "millions" of people to want the same thing isn't the mark of a good company, and it isn't what they did with the iPod or the Mac mini or the iSight camera or several other major Apple products. Real progress is made when a company produces something people never thought about. Marketing is about making people realize they can't live without it.
A realistic-looking accounting system. Enough to convince the SEC.
Apple's strategy is not to do what the competition does.
Apple shipped two Yonahs in desktop systems. No other major player (including Dell) did that.
Apple pretty much does what they feel like. For example, they already make an iMac with integrated graphics. It was released a couple weeks ago.
Merom is the same price as Yonah for any MHz rate, at least in the markets we see (who knows what Apple pays). I can't see how Conroe would be cheaper.
Your idea of a 60W thermal envelope is odd. First of all the iMac G5 started with the 90+W G5. Second of all, Apple completely revamped the cooling zones inside the iMac when it went Intel. So any thermal envelope that existed before is invalid now. It could be higher, it could be lower.
Whether Conroe will work in there or not, I think Apple will use Merom.
I think Apple will make an iMac Merom in the study with an X3000 graphics solution. Heck, they'll probably make one with the 3000 graphics too, to replace the current low-end education iMac. I think Apple will at least extend the iMac to a lower-end market, but perhaps not shift it down there completely. Even if customers prefer a tower+display solution, Apple doesn't have a tower that is affordable right now, nor one that fits under most desks.
We're both just guessing though, as the GP pointed out.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
There's a proven demand for portable computers
A demand which has proven to be a rather small niche.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
Oops, hit the submit button before I was done.
The demand for portable computers isn't the same as the demand for tablet computers, which has proven to be a rather small niche.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
It's no fun watching the other leading brand. They never ship.
September 2011: Looking for Cocoa/iOS work in Boston area Cocoa Programmer Quincy, MA
OK for Mac people seeing as most of them don't properly understand computers anyway
br OK, it's an obvious troll, but I'll bite. "PC people" DO properly understand computers? No, by definition, they don't. In fact I would bet that as a percentage of the user base, more Mac people are technically literate than PC users.
Because of comparatively high prices and low performance, not because of the fact that they're tablets. Again, I'll point to the iPod and Mac mini--both niche products before Apple got in the game. A tablet with a MacBook price (or slightly below) with similar performance solves the problems that kept sales down.
Where is the URL that points toward the Steve Jobs' live webcast?
Searching Apple's website and Googling the web turns up nothing.
Is the reson the subatomic particle that carries thought?
Slashdot - where whining about luck is the new way to make the world you want.
I saw in a few places this weekend that VMWare may make an appearance at WWDC. I hope, hope, hope it's to announce:
1. VMWare for Mac OS X Tiger and Jaguar.
2. That they'll be behind the rumor virtualization technologies inside Leopard.
As much as I applaud Parallels' efforts in this area, it's very clear that VMWare has loads more experience. I am waiting with basted breasts that they'll jump in and simply have a product that can do more and better.
m
If Nalgene water bottles are outlawed, only outlaws will have Nalgene water bottles.
Alright....
why are you bashing the mac? And why are you comparing a 8600 to a Pentium Pro 200? sounds like you have problems to me, not the computers. I mean really, 300MHz... Go and check out the new intels at a Apple Store and we will talk. Wait a day or two and you will see some cool "Mac Pros"
TheMacGuy12
If Apple really wants to go head to head with the Vista release they would need something huge to to get on top of the MS marketing power, the only thing i can think of in this magnitude is making osX available for PC's with a similar construction like the Intel Mac. Hobbyists do it already with relative ease so this is more a management decision than a technical one. The biggest reason for this step is -what else- iTunes, Apple wants to control the complete iLife experience and the only way to really accomplish this is to make sure osX can run on all personal computers.
:)
If Apple doesn't want to free osX they better release it before Vista, something like nov 2007 is a-ok.
TO START
PRESS ANY KEY
Where's the 'ANY' key? I see Esk, Kitarl, and Pig-Up...
Hmmmmn, the tablet market now looks similar to the portable music market in 2000. Small, crowded with bit players, making... ugly, half finished products.
The world isn't crying out for a good tablet in much the same way the world wasn't crying out for a good portable music player - but if Apple can improve a standard tablet as much as the ipod was an improvement over other mp3 players (vastly [physically] smaller hdd, much simpler UI, not-ugly form-factor), then I suspect they could take the tablet space, then vastly inflate it - just like they did with the mp3 player market.
As someone else in the thread pointed out, its about doctors, lawyers, etc. Not your standard corporate types, so its space thats not (completely) ms dominated.
Heck, I'd love to see Apple sell a true 1080p HD portable projector, but if only five thousand people want it they'd lose money doing it.
Pretty different market, not a fair comparison.
There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
One problem with tablets for Apple is that a lot of their customer base are using Photoshop and are familiar with the graphics pen-and-tablet. A professional graphics tablet has much higher resolution and accuracy and sensitivity than a typical business tablet PC. A tablet Mac would be looked at with suspicion by many in the Mac community if you couldn't paint with it in Photoshop, so maybe Apple would have to build either a really good tablet or not at all. Wacom has a combo tablet and display with professional specs that would be a tablet Mac if their was a MacBook built into it.
A plus for Apple is that you can navigate Mac OS X with a stylus and no buttons and not be lacking anything. My airbrush has a button but I have it set to double-click (a tap with the stylus is a single click). There's no need to use the context menus for anything because the menu bar is a huge context menu and it's easy to hit with a tablet because it's sitting across the top of the tablet surface at all times. And Exposé is fucking awesome with a tablet, dragging and dropping between all kinds of windows and stuff flying out of the way of the Desktop in an instant.
I don't think anyone would want their gynecologist drooling at work ;)
That's an interesting thought.
I've been working part time at the Japanese equivalent of UPS, at the center that handles one quadrant of Osaka Prefecture. (So, about a quarter of Osaka, none of Kobe, none of any of the neighboring prefectures.)
I've personally seen about five to ten G5s on their way through about every two shifts I've been working. I'm not going to try to extrapolate, because maybe my shift sees all the traffic due to timing from Apple Japan, or maybe only the entertainment sector is interested in G5s and I'm seeing the entire sum of G5 shipment in Japan. Or maybe this is an average sample and there are an average of thirty times three shifts G5s going through every week in every center in Kansai, which would be a thousand or so a week for Kansai.
I see fewer towers from other manufacturers going through, for what that's worth. (The boxes aren't as flashy, but they're just as heavy.)
Notebooks? I don't think I've seen a single iNTEL notebook Mac go through, so there must be other channels in use, and the sample I'm giving must not be representative. But I see about the same number of notebooks total (ergo, non-Mac) as I see Mac G5s, I think.
Desktops? Don't recall any iMacs, but I have seen a small number of Dells, NECs, etc.
Anyway, I can say that G5s are selling. Whether well or not, I can't say.
The phrase is "take the bull by the horns" :P
The iMac has a very good built in screen.
Stupidity is like nuclear power, it can be used for good or evil. And you don't want to get any on you.
Um not sure why a touchscreen would need to pressure sentitive. After all current screen are touch sensitive to fake the effects of the brush or pen on the screen.
If apple use a multi touch screen that can see (via pixel elements) then it could see the shape of the pen or brush used, no need to fake it with pressure readings. Even better for painting via the screen, as natural as real media. Then again i don't think the device needs to be as good as high end product, but it does have to be better than what's on the market now to turn the people who would consider a Mac tablet into people who would buy a mac tablet.
I think there is a big market who would consider the device that would just laugh and walk away from everything on offer at the moment. Yet again the same could be said of MP3 players the week before the iPod was released.
Hey i'd love to see a mac tablet, i think Apple will do one once their technology check list all sorted out.
Personnelly i think it close, but there is a few technologies that need to mature.
"Call us when the New age is old enough to drink" Beck
"Barring getting the smaller screen version" Means - I don't want to watch postage stamp video. Go shove a troll - or garden gnome up your ass Diggfucker.
Jeezus fucking Christ this place has gotten retarded.
Current video iPod is a piece of shit. I want a larger screen if I'm going to watch mobile video - like other portable media viewers. Thanks for the obvious remarkes that I addressed IN THE FIRST FUCKING SENTANCE.
Goddamn - did DIGG barf it's user base into Slashdot all at once?
Current video iPod sucks shit. See first sentence for details.
Conroe in lowest end model @ $1500
Woodcrest in mid-range and quad model
1 gig of RAM across the board
@ macrumors
Hey, it's better than having the patients drool ...
We do not live in the 21st century. We live in the 20 second century.
Aside from price and minor cosmetics, how is the MacMini not the PowerMac G4 Cube?
And don't say "quantifiable success".
---k--
</stupid>
Oh I''m sorry - I forgot - I'm supposed to orgasm at everything Apple produces. OMG THE VIDEO iPod is GREAT. OH yes! Yes! YES!
*Splooge*
Happy now? Mod me insightful and get me a tissue.
There's many windows full-screen media players that -don't- look like shit and are out of date and impractical to watch. Except for Apple of course - they're fucking perfect. Never mind anything I said and go back to your usual worshiping. We don't need a large-screen video iPod. What the fuck was I thinking.
In 2006 the Apple claims of invulnerability were destroyed by two computer security specialists. Watch this video and see David Maynor gain control of a Macbook in less than 60 seconds- through WIRELESS see http://www.kaneva.com/channel/channelPage.aspx?com munityId=12834&pageId=13576
Aside from price and minor cosmetics, how is the MacMini not the PowerMac G4 Cube?
They're similar in many ways, but the Mini is a great deal more powerful, which is to be expected for a machine that was designed several years later.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."