PowerLogix, XLR8, Sonnet, etc. are all working on circumventing the firmware. Ever since the 'PowerPC Upgradeable' fiasco with the Quadras, Apple has gone to great lengths to *not* promise that any machine is processor upgradeable, and yet the Mac upgrade market continues to thrive.
Never underestimate the ingenuity of third party vendors: G3 cards in the L2 cache slot, G3 PDS upgrades for 5-yr old PM 6100s, 'mezzanine' slot cards. Odds are you'll be able to upgrade to a G4 before the Sawtooth machines even ship.
1) The $6500 price includes the G4 computer. The 'stand alone' price is $3999. For now you have to buy it bundled.
2) Apple has no illusions that these are for the average consumer. That's why they were announced at Seybold. For graphic designers who have to stare at a screen all day, 22 inches of non-flicker is a Godsend, and they have both the inclination and money to pay.
3) Considering that a 24" CRT from Sun will cost you $2500, you'll have to wait quite awhile for a 22" flat panel (same viewable area) to go for less than a grand.
4) Why should flat panels have to be cheaper than a CRT to sell? People pay extra for miniaturization all the time.
Well, considering how hot the PIII runs, you could use it to keep your ass warm on a cold night. Might as well do something with that waste heat.
This opens up a whole realm of dual-use technology. How about a PIII bug zapper? Nothin' like firing up the machine for a little Q3 on a warm summer night -- gib'in and crispin' at the same time...yeehaw!;)
All this time I thought they wanted to produce an alternative to Apple products for multimedia content creation. Maybe they just want to be an alternative to Apple in the "corporate soap opera" arena. With things pretty stable in Cupertino, they must see an opening. Of course, they're gonna need to lose a whole lot more money first.
Maybe they should hire Gil Amelio. He can hire on an original Amiga founder, get dumped, and the other fella can take over as iCEO...
I'm sure people are going to get in a huff about this, but it does make sense in light of trademark law. (We'll leave out the whole intellectual property debate for now.) Apple has already sued Future Power under 'trade dress' for what is most decidely an iMac ripoff.
Yeah, I don't think the eOne is a blatant ripoff, but it walks up to the line. Further, I think an eMachines spokesman told a reporter they were looking to trade on the brand name of the iMac (don't have the exact quote), which surely sent their legal department into conniption fits.
Since you *have* to defend your trademarks to keep them valid, I think Apple feels compelled to at least go through the motions regarding the eOne. Otherwise, Future Power can say "Hey, eMachines has a translucent blue all-in-one but they didn't get sued!"
My prediction: eOne gets settled out of court, while the Future Power never sees a store shelf.
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PowerLogix, XLR8, Sonnet, etc. are all working on circumventing the firmware. Ever since the 'PowerPC Upgradeable' fiasco with the Quadras, Apple has gone to great lengths to *not* promise that any machine is processor upgradeable, and yet the Mac upgrade market continues to thrive.
Never underestimate the ingenuity of third party vendors: G3 cards in the L2 cache slot, G3 PDS upgrades for 5-yr old PM 6100s, 'mezzanine' slot cards. Odds are you'll be able to upgrade to a G4 before the Sawtooth machines even ship.
1) The $6500 price includes the G4 computer. The 'stand alone' price is $3999. For now you have to buy it bundled.
2) Apple has no illusions that these are for the average consumer. That's why they were announced at Seybold. For graphic designers who have to stare at a screen all day, 22 inches of non-flicker is a Godsend, and they have both the inclination and money to pay.
3) Considering that a 24" CRT from Sun will cost you $2500, you'll have to wait quite awhile for a 22" flat panel (same viewable area) to go for less than a grand.
4) Why should flat panels have to be cheaper than a CRT to sell? People pay extra for miniaturization all the time.
G3/400: 4-7 watts G4/450: 5-8 watts PIII/600: 34.5 watts Well, I suppose it's not unusually hot for Intel.
Well, considering how hot the PIII runs, you could use it to keep your ass warm on a cold night. Might as well do something with that waste heat.
;)
This opens up a whole realm of dual-use technology. How about a PIII bug zapper? Nothin' like firing up the machine for a little Q3 on a warm summer night -- gib'in and crispin' at the same time...yeehaw!
All this time I thought they wanted to produce an alternative to Apple products for multimedia content creation. Maybe they just want to be an alternative to Apple in the "corporate soap opera" arena. With things pretty stable in Cupertino, they must see an opening. Of course, they're gonna need to lose a whole lot more money first.
Maybe they should hire Gil Amelio. He can hire on an original Amiga founder, get dumped, and the other fella can take over as iCEO...
I'm sure people are going to get in a huff about this, but it does make sense in light of trademark law. (We'll leave out the whole intellectual property debate for now.) Apple has already sued Future Power under 'trade dress' for what is most decidely an iMac ripoff.
Yeah, I don't think the eOne is a blatant ripoff, but it walks up to the line. Further, I think an eMachines spokesman told a reporter they were looking to trade on the brand name of the iMac (don't have the exact quote), which surely sent their legal department into conniption fits.
Since you *have* to defend your trademarks to keep them valid, I think Apple feels compelled to at least go through the motions regarding the eOne. Otherwise, Future Power can say "Hey, eMachines has a translucent blue all-in-one but they didn't get sued!"
My prediction: eOne gets settled out of court, while the Future Power never sees a store shelf.