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Reactions to the New MacBook and Apple Watch
As the dust settles from Apple's press conference yesterday, there have been a broad variety of reactions around the web. Robinson Meyer at The Atlantic says Apple's $10,000 watch demonstrates the company has lost its soul. "The prices grate. And they grate not because they’re so expensive, but because they’re gratuitously expensive. ... To many commentators, this is unsurprising. It’s good business sense, really. Apple has made its world-devouring profits by ratcheting up profit margins on iPhones. There is no better target for these massive margins than the super-rich. But high margins do not a luxury brand make." Others suspect the high-end watches are targeted more at rich people in China.
As for the less expensive watches, perhaps they're around not so much to become a new major sales category for Apple, but rather to drive more iPhone sales. Meanwhile, the redesigned MacBook may signify a bigger change for the laptop industry than people realize: "We don’t need all those other ports, Apple says. We are living in a wireless world now, where we can connect most of our peripherals without cords." The new MacBook has also fueled speculation that Apple could be working on a more powerful tablet, something that could compete with Microsoft's Surface Pro line.
As for the less expensive watches, perhaps they're around not so much to become a new major sales category for Apple, but rather to drive more iPhone sales. Meanwhile, the redesigned MacBook may signify a bigger change for the laptop industry than people realize: "We don’t need all those other ports, Apple says. We are living in a wireless world now, where we can connect most of our peripherals without cords." The new MacBook has also fueled speculation that Apple could be working on a more powerful tablet, something that could compete with Microsoft's Surface Pro line.
"the 18k gold used costs over $8,000"
Whatever you're smoking, I want some. Gold spot price is currently a bit below $1,200. Are you suggesting there's nearly 7 ounces of gold in these watches???
Oh, and spot price is for 24-karat gold, each ounce of which makes 1-1/3rd an ounce of 18-karat gold. So... does one of these watches weigh 10 ounces?
Tom Geller
USB-C is electrically doing DisplayPort for video (a USB-C to HDMI adapter is sending out DisplayPort and converting it to HDMI). The 1080p limitation comes from the adapter using HDMI 1.x, not any limitation in the notebook or connector itself. Technically USB-C is capable of carrying anything DisplayPort 1.3 supports, which is something like two 4K monitors at 60Hz or even an 8K monitor at 30Hz.
That said, there is probably some maximum resolution supported by the laptop, but I've no idea what it would be. Probably not 1080p.
Rolex, Piaget, Cartier, Breitling, Panerai, Hublot, Armand Nicolet, Audemars, Tag Heuer, Zenith, IWC, Jaeger LeCoultre, Ulysse Nardin, Salvatore Ferragamo, Corum, Patek Phillipe, Omega, Blancpain, Gerard Perregaux, and Montblanc all sell watches that cost more than $20,000 according to Amazon -- the most expensive one is over $75,000 -- no that is not a typo.
Clearly, plenty of people spend a LOT of money on high-end watches. However, that does not mean they are a mass-market item: they are status symbols for the rich, and that is where Apple is aiming with this device. And you can be sure that there are more than a few celebrities and other status-conscious people who will buy one just because they're new.
For most people who want a watch, the $350-750 range is where they'll buy. And I expect Apple will probably sell a fair number in that range. What the "ultra-expensive" version is for is the people who have stupid amounts of money to spend and who aren't afraid to spend stupid amounts of money on a status symbol.
The people cunting on about the price are missing the point, because they think EVERYTHING Apple sells is intended to be a "status symbol" of sorts. THIS WATCH is a status symbol. The slightly pricier but much thinner/lighter/etc. laptops they sell? Those are just high-end computers... and the only people who ascribe "status" to a laptop are neckbeards who are most certainly not in Apple's target demographic.
Oh, and spot price is for 24-karat gold, each ounce of which makes 1-1/3rd an ounce of 18-karat gold. So... does one of these watches weigh 10 ounces?
Even better, the speculation is that Apple's gold watch is only technically 18-karat.
Why technically? Because the definition for 18-karat is that gold must make up 75% of the alloy's mass.
Apple patented a... not-alloy... that uses ceramic instead of metal. (PDF)
Since ceramic is significantly lighter by volume, Apple can use less gold and still meet the 75% gold-by-mass standard.
TLDR: Not all gold is created equal.
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
The typical .11g wireless, the sort found in the vast majority of offices can, under ideal circumstances and at close range, without interference and with only one device connected, just about reach half the capacity of a 100mbit ethernet connection. Or about 5% that of gig-eth.
for hd video, wifi is NO SUBSTITUTE for wired enet.
try an mkv file; oftentimes it takes 2 or even 3 minutes before vlc (on win7 ultimate) begins to play, and that is with the very latest media bridge of ac to ac wireless (2 asus routers). this is as good as wireless gets for consumers and yet I have a several minute wait time.
why? I think the protocol sucks and there is a lot of seeking or indexing on some mkv's and with wifi latency, small packets take forever (when there are lots of them needed). plug into wired enet and the video plays almost instantly.
do a backup over the net? not likely! yes, I can. but its painful.
wireless also is quite insecure. a lot of people think its ok. many of us don't trust it.
so, anyone saying 'wired is dead for end stations' knows nothing about the vast number of use-cases where wifi falls flat on its arse.
(and try running nfs over wifi. good luck with that!)
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"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
Bigger issue: You can't drive an external display and charge at the same time. Eventually you'll run out of power and have to unplug your monitor to recharge.
Why not? Apple's HDMI adapter has another USB-C jack that lets you charge the laptop.
This adapter should have been in the box instead of as an $80 addon, IMO.
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USB-C to DisplayPort adapters will be very cheap, because they're almost entirely passive. USB-C supports video by just giving a variable number of pins over to electrical displayport. The only active electronics is for the sideband channels.
Expect Monoprice to be selling one on the cheap soon.
I can easily afford even the most expensive Apple watch, no problem. I still think it's a near-useless waste of money...
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... for me. So I won't buy one. If you want one, buy one. I might think it's a waste of money for you too, but then it's not my money, so why should I care?
The real litigious bastards...