hexonxonx
Mar 23, 11:15 AM
Do people seriously have that many songs?!!! seriously?!!!
220gb = 50,000 songs?!!!!! That is totally not necessary.
Apple discontinue that dinosaur! It makes you look bad to just have it on your website.
I have 12,972 songs. I am so happy that the Classic will stick around.
I have two classics, one filled with songs and music videos, the other filled with TV shows so I can take them on the road and watch them in the car on my cars Pioneer video screen. My deci works with my iPod 100%. Both classic are filled to capacity. I'll be buying a third soon.
220gb = 50,000 songs?!!!!! That is totally not necessary.
Apple discontinue that dinosaur! It makes you look bad to just have it on your website.
I have 12,972 songs. I am so happy that the Classic will stick around.
I have two classics, one filled with songs and music videos, the other filled with TV shows so I can take them on the road and watch them in the car on my cars Pioneer video screen. My deci works with my iPod 100%. Both classic are filled to capacity. I'll be buying a third soon.
hayesk
Mar 24, 02:00 PM
That's not clever at all. You'd still be stuck with the Intel GPU on the internal screen.
So what? Play your game on the external screen then. This will allow third displays on Macs that don't have slots. Imagine having three displays on your MacBook Pro. Or if you are a video editor, two displays and an SD or HDMI output.
So what? Play your game on the external screen then. This will allow third displays on Macs that don't have slots. Imagine having three displays on your MacBook Pro. Or if you are a video editor, two displays and an SD or HDMI output.
gkarris
Nov 29, 09:08 AM
you know, I'm trying to figure out why the Zune is so universally hated, and I can't.
I mean, yes it's Microsoft, but given the success of the xBox I would have thought some faith had been restored in them. I mean no one has even used the damn thing yet and their panning it as if it's the worse mp3 ever released. Yes, it's meant to go head to head with the iPod, and yes, it will probably fail, but why are we not giving credit where it's due?
The 3 days/3 plays thing is kinda bunk, but the wifi sharing in the first place is a pretty neat idea. How many of you use iTunes sharing at work or in the dorm? Wouldn't it be nice if your iPods could do the same?
And what's wrong with a larger screen that works in both landscape and portrait? I have a feeling that were the iPod to have gotten this functionality first everyone would be tripping over their credit cards to order one.
I dunno, just seems like everyone is getting overly excited on joining the "trash the zune" bandwagon that they aren't willing to give any credit where it's due.
I couldn't wait for Bungie's "Halo" (Bungie started out on Macs and made great games for them). But my fear was trying to update my PC and drivers again and again. Then, it was to come out for XBox! No more trying to get the hardware to work with the software, as it's designed for a game console. MS did great here with the XBox...
I looked at the Zune forum and the users are having problems putting vidoes into Zune. One user said this was the "easy" fix:
Posts: 27
harry potter wallpaper hd.
in Harry Potter 7 HD
harry potter and the deathly
wallpapers HD Harry Potter
harry potter and the deathly
Harry Potter
Harry Potter and the Deathly
Harry Potter And The Deathly
harry potter 7 part 1
harry potter 7 wallpaper for
Harry Potter 7 Wallpaper Hd |
Harry Potter and the Deathly
Harry Potter and the deathly
harry potter and the deathly
Harry-Potter
Harry Potter and the Deathly
I mean, yes it's Microsoft, but given the success of the xBox I would have thought some faith had been restored in them. I mean no one has even used the damn thing yet and their panning it as if it's the worse mp3 ever released. Yes, it's meant to go head to head with the iPod, and yes, it will probably fail, but why are we not giving credit where it's due?
The 3 days/3 plays thing is kinda bunk, but the wifi sharing in the first place is a pretty neat idea. How many of you use iTunes sharing at work or in the dorm? Wouldn't it be nice if your iPods could do the same?
And what's wrong with a larger screen that works in both landscape and portrait? I have a feeling that were the iPod to have gotten this functionality first everyone would be tripping over their credit cards to order one.
I dunno, just seems like everyone is getting overly excited on joining the "trash the zune" bandwagon that they aren't willing to give any credit where it's due.
I couldn't wait for Bungie's "Halo" (Bungie started out on Macs and made great games for them). But my fear was trying to update my PC and drivers again and again. Then, it was to come out for XBox! No more trying to get the hardware to work with the software, as it's designed for a game console. MS did great here with the XBox...
I looked at the Zune forum and the users are having problems putting vidoes into Zune. One user said this was the "easy" fix:
Posts: 27
lordonuthin
Dec 14, 06:26 PM
You are #103 cruncher for the hole project, whao!
And actually #1 and #2 are default user, not real...
Impressive.
Can't wait for Gulftown Mac Pros and SMP2 (maybe 60k PPD with one machine?).
Thanks!
The Gulftowns, SMP2 and GPU3 will make for an impressive bump in PPD I hope. It will be interesting to see, I'm hoping some overhead will get cleaned up as well.
I wonder what companies besides Apple will get their software ported for Grand Central/OpenCL in the next year? Lots of potential there.
And actually #1 and #2 are default user, not real...
Impressive.
Can't wait for Gulftown Mac Pros and SMP2 (maybe 60k PPD with one machine?).
Thanks!
The Gulftowns, SMP2 and GPU3 will make for an impressive bump in PPD I hope. It will be interesting to see, I'm hoping some overhead will get cleaned up as well.
I wonder what companies besides Apple will get their software ported for Grand Central/OpenCL in the next year? Lots of potential there.
Robot-Rock
May 2, 04:32 PM
This concept might seem alien to a lot of MacRumours users, but being a 'switcher', the method of deleting any app on OS X currently seems very ad hoc. I've been a mac user now for about 4 years and yet the idea of having to delete an app by dragging it to the trash seems very... strange. You never know if you've deleted ALL of that program.
Microsoft have managed to get one thing right in Windows. A specific tool (Add/Remove Programs) to delete a program. That's something that I genuinely feel is lacking in OS X and this idea of clicking and holding in LaunchPad makes sense. It's imple enough: most users who own an iPhone will have no trouble in adopting this method. And what's more, it makes it instantly accessible to anyone who uses a mac. In addition, it goes a step further than Microsoft. It avoids making more novice users from having to delve in to a complex window of settings. A step in the right direction? I think so!
So personally, I think this is a very simple yet very effective change to make to OS X and should be a welcome sign of the things to come in Lion!
Microsoft have managed to get one thing right in Windows. A specific tool (Add/Remove Programs) to delete a program. That's something that I genuinely feel is lacking in OS X and this idea of clicking and holding in LaunchPad makes sense. It's imple enough: most users who own an iPhone will have no trouble in adopting this method. And what's more, it makes it instantly accessible to anyone who uses a mac. In addition, it goes a step further than Microsoft. It avoids making more novice users from having to delve in to a complex window of settings. A step in the right direction? I think so!
So personally, I think this is a very simple yet very effective change to make to OS X and should be a welcome sign of the things to come in Lion!
Spyriadon
Apr 19, 12:10 PM
Wow....a MAC rumor.
My money is sat here waiting to be spent.
Next week looks good to me =].
My money is sat here waiting to be spent.
Next week looks good to me =].
KadMac
Feb 18, 12:10 AM
My new traveling set up. Just picked up my 13" MBP while I'm away at a military school in Utah because my 16GB iPhone/iPad combo just wasn't cutting it for long periods of time.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5099/5455441070_4133d8690e_b.jpg
Nice, I find my MBP is the perfect size for traveling too. I am curious though, what limitations did you have with the iPad?
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5099/5455441070_4133d8690e_b.jpg
Nice, I find my MBP is the perfect size for traveling too. I am curious though, what limitations did you have with the iPad?
HecubusPro
Aug 29, 12:47 PM
A "FEW" weeks!!!!!!!
That too for a Core Duo and not even a Core 2 Duo!
Thats disappointing!!!
And what about the MBP?
It seems that if this rumor is correct, then why now? Why not 2 months ago? Have mini sales been all that great to warrant holding off on a simple update? Or could they possibly have been waiting for other products to move to merom so the mini doesn't infringe? I just don't understand why this has taken so long.
I would assume they're going to update everything at once to make a grander impression with all of the new upgrades. Sure, they could probably easily update the mini now and make it available for purchase, but why not wait until the C2D hits the other machines at the same time? That way Apple can say their entire computer product line has been updated. I think it makes more of an impression to casual computer and mac users.
That too for a Core Duo and not even a Core 2 Duo!
Thats disappointing!!!
And what about the MBP?
It seems that if this rumor is correct, then why now? Why not 2 months ago? Have mini sales been all that great to warrant holding off on a simple update? Or could they possibly have been waiting for other products to move to merom so the mini doesn't infringe? I just don't understand why this has taken so long.
I would assume they're going to update everything at once to make a grander impression with all of the new upgrades. Sure, they could probably easily update the mini now and make it available for purchase, but why not wait until the C2D hits the other machines at the same time? That way Apple can say their entire computer product line has been updated. I think it makes more of an impression to casual computer and mac users.
twoodcc
Dec 27, 09:26 AM
It worked...
just enough points to take 4th place back (at least temporarily)
;)
nice. glad it worked for you!
and congrats to mc68k for 9 million points!
and congrats to whiterabbit for 5 million points!
just enough points to take 4th place back (at least temporarily)
;)
nice. glad it worked for you!
and congrats to mc68k for 9 million points!
and congrats to whiterabbit for 5 million points!
aquajet
Aug 31, 04:03 PM
Acording the story in the link I posted above, it's happened to at least one person so far. That may be what they're going for with the Mini's. Would they do the same thing with C2D and MBP's, MB's, etc.?
I can't recall Apple ever doing this on any machine besides the mini. I hope it's just an oversight of some sort. Regardless, I can already feel the pressure mounting in my brain...
I can't recall Apple ever doing this on any machine besides the mini. I hope it's just an oversight of some sort. Regardless, I can already feel the pressure mounting in my brain...
Mac'Mo
Jan 1, 10:46 PM
i thought the iPhone rumor was laid to rest?
jdl8422
Aug 24, 07:53 PM
why is the guy who first posted this rumor buying a bunch of mac minis for a server?
MacFly123
Mar 25, 05:03 PM
I recall some of the naysayers around here not even a year ago stating that such a device would never be suitable for gaming. And here we are. With HD output to your TV.
Vision, people. Vision.
Playing that game with the HDMI dongle thingy hanging off an iPad looks, um, not ideal. Now, if it could stream it using AirPlay.
The Future of video games? This looks awesome, and works great with a racing game that can show you the course on the iPad. Just wish I could run this on my Original Ipad :(
Will this work over Airplay with the Apple TV, obviously in 720p?
Once they enable the use of other iOS devices as wireless controllers then i'll be interested.
And just like that, Apple has snuck itself into the living room game console biz.
AMEN! :D Get this on all iOS devices with the A5 and integrated with the new Apple TV with the A5 and AirPlay and WOW!!! Not just games either, I think apps on the AppleTV will be some sort of hybrid between devices and you will be able to AirPlay the apps to your TV!
This is going to change everything, AGAIN! :cool:
Vision, people. Vision.
Playing that game with the HDMI dongle thingy hanging off an iPad looks, um, not ideal. Now, if it could stream it using AirPlay.
The Future of video games? This looks awesome, and works great with a racing game that can show you the course on the iPad. Just wish I could run this on my Original Ipad :(
Will this work over Airplay with the Apple TV, obviously in 720p?
Once they enable the use of other iOS devices as wireless controllers then i'll be interested.
And just like that, Apple has snuck itself into the living room game console biz.
AMEN! :D Get this on all iOS devices with the A5 and integrated with the new Apple TV with the A5 and AirPlay and WOW!!! Not just games either, I think apps on the AppleTV will be some sort of hybrid between devices and you will be able to AirPlay the apps to your TV!
This is going to change everything, AGAIN! :cool:
ten-oak-druid
Apr 26, 05:31 PM
People on this board claim "app store" is generic and so the trademark is invalid. Yet the trademark application process proceeded to the point that Apple was approved to begin using it.
If the people claiming "app store" cannot be trademarked for the same reasons they claim "pet store" cannot be trademarked were to be believed, then this is a cut and dry case. Yet if it were as simple as they claim, apple's application process would not have made it this far.
So take their words with a grain of salt.
In the end, Apple may lose the trademark. But considering the fact that placing the word "the" in front of a seemingly generic name appears to make a difference, perhaps apple should apply for "the app store" now.
As for Amazon, I don't think Apple will win this case. The name of Amazon's store is "Amazon Appstore".
If the people claiming "app store" cannot be trademarked for the same reasons they claim "pet store" cannot be trademarked were to be believed, then this is a cut and dry case. Yet if it were as simple as they claim, apple's application process would not have made it this far.
So take their words with a grain of salt.
In the end, Apple may lose the trademark. But considering the fact that placing the word "the" in front of a seemingly generic name appears to make a difference, perhaps apple should apply for "the app store" now.
As for Amazon, I don't think Apple will win this case. The name of Amazon's store is "Amazon Appstore".
DaveN
Mar 4, 08:12 PM
From the first article "A diesel Cruze would be about 12 percent more fuel efficient than the ECO, but diesel is about 9 percent more expensive than gasoline, eliminating the majority of the benefit." Also from the article, the ECO costs $19,000. In England, GM charges an extra $2700 for the diesel version. So it looks like you have to drive a lot of miles before you break even.
Am I anti diesel? Hardly, I bought a diesel Dodge Ram back in 1999 and still have it. At the time the initial cost was several thousand more than a gas model. Diesel fuel at that time was significantly less expensive than gasoline and the fuel economy was a lot better. I still have that truck though for my daily commute, I drive my Chevy Lumina as it gets 20 mpg in town (much better than my truck). If fuel prices keep going up, a may commute by bicycle this summer... I may do that anyway for health reasons though not if it gets too hot.
Am I anti diesel? Hardly, I bought a diesel Dodge Ram back in 1999 and still have it. At the time the initial cost was several thousand more than a gas model. Diesel fuel at that time was significantly less expensive than gasoline and the fuel economy was a lot better. I still have that truck though for my daily commute, I drive my Chevy Lumina as it gets 20 mpg in town (much better than my truck). If fuel prices keep going up, a may commute by bicycle this summer... I may do that anyway for health reasons though not if it gets too hot.
sc00byr00
Mar 23, 03:22 PM
Yippeee!
andrew050703
Nov 15, 08:04 AM
Gosh, I'll be able to email and type Word docs SO much faster!! :p
yup, and my webpages will load in the blink of an eye... definitely worth whatever apple will charge. ;)
seriously though, how hard is it to get a program to multi-thread? (if thats the right term; being a complete programming novice, i've no idea)
yup, and my webpages will load in the blink of an eye... definitely worth whatever apple will charge. ;)
seriously though, how hard is it to get a program to multi-thread? (if thats the right term; being a complete programming novice, i've no idea)
inkswamp
Apr 3, 03:27 AM
Contrast that ad to this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxZ6NQnIPkU
... and the message Apple is sending becomes very clear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxZ6NQnIPkU
... and the message Apple is sending becomes very clear.
stcanard
Nov 30, 10:47 AM
Another way to ask this question: If Apple decided to compete head-to-head with this feature, what should they do differently?
Here's the funny thing, I can tell you a feature is poorly thought out, even if I can't necessarily tell you how to solve it :) The fact that we don't have an answer is probably a good start on why the iPod doesn't already do it.
First thing I can say is this: Dump the idea of restrictions on non-DRM'd songs. If "the guy with guitar" wants to beam you his own song he should be allowed to decide that you can keep it as long as you want and send it to as many people as you want.
This goes back to the root of the problem with these devices and online stores: The record labels aren't worried about piracy, they're worried about all the guys on the street being able to bypass them by advertising virally then selling their own burned CDs. Sure it's only one or two now people now, but then it starts to grow, and some band ends up hitting it big and getting radio play, then everybody starts doing it, and then gradually the RIAA loses their money train.
Here's the funny thing, I can tell you a feature is poorly thought out, even if I can't necessarily tell you how to solve it :) The fact that we don't have an answer is probably a good start on why the iPod doesn't already do it.
First thing I can say is this: Dump the idea of restrictions on non-DRM'd songs. If "the guy with guitar" wants to beam you his own song he should be allowed to decide that you can keep it as long as you want and send it to as many people as you want.
This goes back to the root of the problem with these devices and online stores: The record labels aren't worried about piracy, they're worried about all the guys on the street being able to bypass them by advertising virally then selling their own burned CDs. Sure it's only one or two now people now, but then it starts to grow, and some band ends up hitting it big and getting radio play, then everybody starts doing it, and then gradually the RIAA loses their money train.
Blue Velvet
Jan 1, 05:22 PM
The Apple Product Cycle
An obscure component manufacturer somewhere in the Pacific Rim announces a major order for some bleeding-edge piece of technology that could conceivably become part of an expensive, digital-lifestyle-enhancing nerd toy.
Some hardware geek, the sort who actually reads press releases from obscure Pacific Rim component manufacturers, posts a link to the press release in a Mac Internet forum.
The Mac rumor sites spring into action. Liberally quoting �reliable� sources inside Cupertino, irrelevant �experts,� and each other, they quickly transform baseless speculation into widely accepted fact.
Eager Mac-heads fan the flames by flooding the Mac discussion forums with more groundless conjecture. Threads pop up around feature wish lists, favorite colors, and likely retail price points. In a matter of days, a third-hand, unsubstantiated rumor blossoms into a hand-held device that can do everything except find a girlfriend for a fat, smelly nerd.
Apple issues it customary �we don�t comment on possible future products� statement in response to inquiries about the hypothetical new product. Mac fanatics are convinced that they're onto something.
The haters enter the fray to introduce fear, uncertainty and doubt. How expensive will the product be? Will it support Windows file formats? Will it work with my ten-year-old Quadra 840AV running Mac OS 8.1?
As Macworld or the Worldwide Developer�s Conference draws near, the chatter builds to a fever pitch. Rumor sites jockey for position, posting a new unverifiable, contradictory rumor every hour or so. eBay is flooded with six-month-old, slightly used gadgets as college students, underemployed web designers and independent musicians struggle to clear credit card space.
On the morning of Steve Jobs�s keynote presentation, the online Apple store grinds to a halt as Mac-heads set their browsers to refresh every 15 seconds.
Steve Jobs spends the first half-hour of his keynote crowing about how many iPods shipped during the previous six months and how many �native applications� have been developed for OS X. Attempting to appear as though it�s just an afterthought, he finally introduces the new Apple product. The product has sleek, clean lines, a diminutive form factor, and less than half of the useful features that everyone was expecting. Jobs announces that the product is available �immediately.�
Five minutes later, the new product appears on the online Apple store. Orders have an estimated ship date that is four weeks away.
The online Apple store takes 50,000 orders in the first 24 hours.
Apple�s stock surges as Wall Street analysts proclaim the new device will be �Apple�s savior� and the key to turning around the decades-long decline in Apple�s share of the global PC market.
The haters offer their assessment. The forums are ablaze with vitriolic rage. Haters pan the device for being less powerful than a Cray X1 while zealots counter that it is both smaller and lighter than a Buick Regal. The virtual slap-fight goes on and on, until obscure technical nuances like, �Will it play multiplexed Ogg Vorbis streams?� become matters of life and death.
The editors of popular Mac magazines hail the new device as the next great step toward our utopian digital future. Wired News runs exclusive interviews with the Apple design team. Fortune publishes another glowing fluff piece about Steve Jobs, proclaiming him to be the great visionary behind all technological innovation. Newsweek declares the device the new �must have� item for any self-respecting urban technophile. All of this is written before anybody outside of Cupertino has held the new device in his or her hand.
Business Week publishes an article stating that unless Apple immediately releases a Windows version of the new product its market share will continue to shrink and Apple will be out of business within six months. Mac zealots howl with fury and crash Business Week�s email server with their angry rebuttals.
In the wee hours of the morning on the initial ship date, as the Mac heads lay snug in their beds or take MDMA and dance to bad music, Apple delays everybody�s ship date by four weeks.
Rage reigns in the Mac forums. Lifelong Mac users who would never consider purchasing anything made by Microsoft or Dell, regardless of how shabbily Apple treats them, vent their anguish and frustration. Failing utterly to see the irony of the situation, they prattle on until their panties are twisted in knots.
The rumor sites abound with half-baked theories blaming the shipping delay on everything from heat dissipation problems to SARS. The most obvious explanation, that Apple lied about the initial shipment dates, is ignored in favor of more elaborate and unlikely scenarios.
Apple�s stock plummets as Wall Street analysts fret about the company�s supply chain problems. The same analysts who were raising their targets on Apple three weeks earlier appear on CNBC and predict that Apple could file for bankruptcy as soon as the week after next.
A week before the revised ship date rolls around, small quantities of the new product begin to appear in Apple�s retail stores. Chaos ensues as crazed Mac-heads queue up hours before the stores open, hoping to get their hands on one of the prized gizmos. The bedwetting in Mac Internet forums reaches tidal proportions as people post empty threats to cancel their online orders. The devices begin to appear on eBay and get bid up to absurd premiums over MSRP.
Pointless outrage slowly turns to pointless optimism. Driven insane by the lack of instant gratification, would-be customers profess their willingness to gun down the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny if it would hasten the arrival of the FedEx delivery person.
Nerd porn threads appear in the Mac forums. Some lunatic with too much time and money on his hands disassembles the new device down to the bare, soldered components and posts pictures.
The obligatory �I�m waiting for Rev. B� discussion appears in the Mac forums. People who�ve been burned by first-generation Apple products open up their old wounds and bleed their tales of woe. Unsympathetic technophiles fire back with, �if you can�t handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen. *****.� Everyone has this stupid argument for the twenty-third time.
Apple issues a press release to announce that they have now taken orders for over 100,000 of the new devices and shipped at least eight or nine dozen. Backorders and waiting lists stretch into months.
Movie stars, professional athletes and rappers begin accessorizing with Apple�s new gadget. Shaquille O�Neal appears on the cover of ESPN The Magazine using one. Mac fans unconditionally forgive him for Kazaam.
Wall Street analysts appear on CNBC wearing big smiles and bright spring colors to announce that Apple's new device will drive Apple's sales to unprecedented levels and might be the key to turning around the decades-long decline in Apple�s share of the global PC market. Apple's share price surges. People who understand the root cause of the dot com bubble shake their heads in silent disgust.
Trade publications and business magazines begin to refer to the market for Apple's new product as a "space."
A minor, rarely occurring flaw in the device begins to be discussed in the Apple support forums. Whiny, artistic types post lengthy diatribes about how this terrible design flaw has made the device unusable and scarred them emotionally. Electronic petitions are created demanding that Apple replace the devices for free, plus pay for counseling to help traumatized users overcome their emotional distress.
Taken completely by surprise at the success of Apple's new gadget, executives from Dell or Sony or Microsoft appear on CNBC and offer vague suggestions that they are beginning development of a new product to compete with Apple. In its next issue, PC Week magazine publishes an article declaring that Apple's dominance of the [insert gadget here] space is in jeopardy.
Weeks before most users are able to hold Apple's new gadget in their hands, "What features would you like in the next version?" discussions take place on Mac mailing lists. Mac-heads cook up droves of far-fetched, often bizarre ideas. A cursory reading makes it readily apparent why Apple executives pay no attention to their fanatical customers.
Apple releases the first software update for the new device through its Software Update control panel. Several hours later, it pulls the updater. A small number of people who applied the update experience crashes, data loss, headaches and ennui. The Apple support forums are filled with outraged posts. A day or so later, Apple releases a revised installer without comment, then quietly removes the angry posts from its support forums.
Somebody starts a thread on a Mac chat board that asks whether anyone knows of a way to use the new device with some other nerd toy in a way that makes no sense whatsoever. Out of the blue, somebody writes a hack that facilitates the unholy combination and offers it as $39 shareware. Seven of the nine people who actually try to use the hack download it off of BitTorrent and use a pirate serial number. Advocates point to this as an example of how independent Mac software development is thriving.
Dell or Sony or Microsoft releases a competing device which costs $100 less and is based on completely incompatible, Windows-only technology. Business Week declares Apple's dominance of the [insert gadget here] space over. Angry Mac zealots make plans to surround Business Week's corporate offices with torches and pitchforks until someone points out that fire and garden tools are so un-digital.
Wall Street analysts appear on CNBC to explain that Apple's device will never be able to compete with the onslaught of cheaper Windows-based competitors. Apple's stock plummets. Idiot technology investors experience a brief moment of deja vu before they return to masturbating to photos of Maria Bartiromo.
Consumers discover that the Windows-based competitor to Apple's device contains a proprietary digital rights management technology that prevents them from using the device to do anything expect except look at family photographs taken in the last 20 minutes.
An obscure component manufacturer somewhere in the Pacific Rim announces a major order for some new bleeding-edge piece of technology that could conceivably become part of some expensive, digital-lifestyle-enhancing nerd toy. The fun begins again...
http://www.misterbg.org/AppleProductCycle/
:D
An obscure component manufacturer somewhere in the Pacific Rim announces a major order for some bleeding-edge piece of technology that could conceivably become part of an expensive, digital-lifestyle-enhancing nerd toy.
Some hardware geek, the sort who actually reads press releases from obscure Pacific Rim component manufacturers, posts a link to the press release in a Mac Internet forum.
The Mac rumor sites spring into action. Liberally quoting �reliable� sources inside Cupertino, irrelevant �experts,� and each other, they quickly transform baseless speculation into widely accepted fact.
Eager Mac-heads fan the flames by flooding the Mac discussion forums with more groundless conjecture. Threads pop up around feature wish lists, favorite colors, and likely retail price points. In a matter of days, a third-hand, unsubstantiated rumor blossoms into a hand-held device that can do everything except find a girlfriend for a fat, smelly nerd.
Apple issues it customary �we don�t comment on possible future products� statement in response to inquiries about the hypothetical new product. Mac fanatics are convinced that they're onto something.
The haters enter the fray to introduce fear, uncertainty and doubt. How expensive will the product be? Will it support Windows file formats? Will it work with my ten-year-old Quadra 840AV running Mac OS 8.1?
As Macworld or the Worldwide Developer�s Conference draws near, the chatter builds to a fever pitch. Rumor sites jockey for position, posting a new unverifiable, contradictory rumor every hour or so. eBay is flooded with six-month-old, slightly used gadgets as college students, underemployed web designers and independent musicians struggle to clear credit card space.
On the morning of Steve Jobs�s keynote presentation, the online Apple store grinds to a halt as Mac-heads set their browsers to refresh every 15 seconds.
Steve Jobs spends the first half-hour of his keynote crowing about how many iPods shipped during the previous six months and how many �native applications� have been developed for OS X. Attempting to appear as though it�s just an afterthought, he finally introduces the new Apple product. The product has sleek, clean lines, a diminutive form factor, and less than half of the useful features that everyone was expecting. Jobs announces that the product is available �immediately.�
Five minutes later, the new product appears on the online Apple store. Orders have an estimated ship date that is four weeks away.
The online Apple store takes 50,000 orders in the first 24 hours.
Apple�s stock surges as Wall Street analysts proclaim the new device will be �Apple�s savior� and the key to turning around the decades-long decline in Apple�s share of the global PC market.
The haters offer their assessment. The forums are ablaze with vitriolic rage. Haters pan the device for being less powerful than a Cray X1 while zealots counter that it is both smaller and lighter than a Buick Regal. The virtual slap-fight goes on and on, until obscure technical nuances like, �Will it play multiplexed Ogg Vorbis streams?� become matters of life and death.
The editors of popular Mac magazines hail the new device as the next great step toward our utopian digital future. Wired News runs exclusive interviews with the Apple design team. Fortune publishes another glowing fluff piece about Steve Jobs, proclaiming him to be the great visionary behind all technological innovation. Newsweek declares the device the new �must have� item for any self-respecting urban technophile. All of this is written before anybody outside of Cupertino has held the new device in his or her hand.
Business Week publishes an article stating that unless Apple immediately releases a Windows version of the new product its market share will continue to shrink and Apple will be out of business within six months. Mac zealots howl with fury and crash Business Week�s email server with their angry rebuttals.
In the wee hours of the morning on the initial ship date, as the Mac heads lay snug in their beds or take MDMA and dance to bad music, Apple delays everybody�s ship date by four weeks.
Rage reigns in the Mac forums. Lifelong Mac users who would never consider purchasing anything made by Microsoft or Dell, regardless of how shabbily Apple treats them, vent their anguish and frustration. Failing utterly to see the irony of the situation, they prattle on until their panties are twisted in knots.
The rumor sites abound with half-baked theories blaming the shipping delay on everything from heat dissipation problems to SARS. The most obvious explanation, that Apple lied about the initial shipment dates, is ignored in favor of more elaborate and unlikely scenarios.
Apple�s stock plummets as Wall Street analysts fret about the company�s supply chain problems. The same analysts who were raising their targets on Apple three weeks earlier appear on CNBC and predict that Apple could file for bankruptcy as soon as the week after next.
A week before the revised ship date rolls around, small quantities of the new product begin to appear in Apple�s retail stores. Chaos ensues as crazed Mac-heads queue up hours before the stores open, hoping to get their hands on one of the prized gizmos. The bedwetting in Mac Internet forums reaches tidal proportions as people post empty threats to cancel their online orders. The devices begin to appear on eBay and get bid up to absurd premiums over MSRP.
Pointless outrage slowly turns to pointless optimism. Driven insane by the lack of instant gratification, would-be customers profess their willingness to gun down the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny if it would hasten the arrival of the FedEx delivery person.
Nerd porn threads appear in the Mac forums. Some lunatic with too much time and money on his hands disassembles the new device down to the bare, soldered components and posts pictures.
The obligatory �I�m waiting for Rev. B� discussion appears in the Mac forums. People who�ve been burned by first-generation Apple products open up their old wounds and bleed their tales of woe. Unsympathetic technophiles fire back with, �if you can�t handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen. *****.� Everyone has this stupid argument for the twenty-third time.
Apple issues a press release to announce that they have now taken orders for over 100,000 of the new devices and shipped at least eight or nine dozen. Backorders and waiting lists stretch into months.
Movie stars, professional athletes and rappers begin accessorizing with Apple�s new gadget. Shaquille O�Neal appears on the cover of ESPN The Magazine using one. Mac fans unconditionally forgive him for Kazaam.
Wall Street analysts appear on CNBC wearing big smiles and bright spring colors to announce that Apple's new device will drive Apple's sales to unprecedented levels and might be the key to turning around the decades-long decline in Apple�s share of the global PC market. Apple's share price surges. People who understand the root cause of the dot com bubble shake their heads in silent disgust.
Trade publications and business magazines begin to refer to the market for Apple's new product as a "space."
A minor, rarely occurring flaw in the device begins to be discussed in the Apple support forums. Whiny, artistic types post lengthy diatribes about how this terrible design flaw has made the device unusable and scarred them emotionally. Electronic petitions are created demanding that Apple replace the devices for free, plus pay for counseling to help traumatized users overcome their emotional distress.
Taken completely by surprise at the success of Apple's new gadget, executives from Dell or Sony or Microsoft appear on CNBC and offer vague suggestions that they are beginning development of a new product to compete with Apple. In its next issue, PC Week magazine publishes an article declaring that Apple's dominance of the [insert gadget here] space is in jeopardy.
Weeks before most users are able to hold Apple's new gadget in their hands, "What features would you like in the next version?" discussions take place on Mac mailing lists. Mac-heads cook up droves of far-fetched, often bizarre ideas. A cursory reading makes it readily apparent why Apple executives pay no attention to their fanatical customers.
Apple releases the first software update for the new device through its Software Update control panel. Several hours later, it pulls the updater. A small number of people who applied the update experience crashes, data loss, headaches and ennui. The Apple support forums are filled with outraged posts. A day or so later, Apple releases a revised installer without comment, then quietly removes the angry posts from its support forums.
Somebody starts a thread on a Mac chat board that asks whether anyone knows of a way to use the new device with some other nerd toy in a way that makes no sense whatsoever. Out of the blue, somebody writes a hack that facilitates the unholy combination and offers it as $39 shareware. Seven of the nine people who actually try to use the hack download it off of BitTorrent and use a pirate serial number. Advocates point to this as an example of how independent Mac software development is thriving.
Dell or Sony or Microsoft releases a competing device which costs $100 less and is based on completely incompatible, Windows-only technology. Business Week declares Apple's dominance of the [insert gadget here] space over. Angry Mac zealots make plans to surround Business Week's corporate offices with torches and pitchforks until someone points out that fire and garden tools are so un-digital.
Wall Street analysts appear on CNBC to explain that Apple's device will never be able to compete with the onslaught of cheaper Windows-based competitors. Apple's stock plummets. Idiot technology investors experience a brief moment of deja vu before they return to masturbating to photos of Maria Bartiromo.
Consumers discover that the Windows-based competitor to Apple's device contains a proprietary digital rights management technology that prevents them from using the device to do anything expect except look at family photographs taken in the last 20 minutes.
An obscure component manufacturer somewhere in the Pacific Rim announces a major order for some new bleeding-edge piece of technology that could conceivably become part of some expensive, digital-lifestyle-enhancing nerd toy. The fun begins again...
http://www.misterbg.org/AppleProductCycle/
:D
Schizoid
Mar 24, 06:57 PM
This is potentially great news...
I had a stock ATI 5850 in the Mac Pro for a while, OS X didn't like it but Windows ran it perfectly... in the end bit the bullet and bought a 5870 Mac edition for about twice the market value of a standard PC card!
Great decision though, the Mac now runs about 20 times faster... not just games either... the whole UI is great now (I guess thanks to OpenCL et al)
...and whoever decided the GT120 was a good card for a Mac Pro needs to be shot!
I had a stock ATI 5850 in the Mac Pro for a while, OS X didn't like it but Windows ran it perfectly... in the end bit the bullet and bought a 5870 Mac edition for about twice the market value of a standard PC card!
Great decision though, the Mac now runs about 20 times faster... not just games either... the whole UI is great now (I guess thanks to OpenCL et al)
...and whoever decided the GT120 was a good card for a Mac Pro needs to be shot!
KnightWRX
Apr 17, 08:46 AM
It's my age, in comparison.
I still love driving. :D
Ah, great to see another person in their 30s who still very much enjoys the freedom and pleasures of the road. :D
I still love driving. :D
Ah, great to see another person in their 30s who still very much enjoys the freedom and pleasures of the road. :D
foo*
Nov 24, 11:38 PM
It's also gonna be the most expensive Mac ever sold and I'm sure they want to give their customers their money's worth while at the same time giving their competition headaches. ;) :D
Certainly not the most expensive mac ever sold. The 40 Mhz II fx was shipping while the II ci sported an MSRP of over $8,000 at 25Mhz. Cheapest the ci sold for even at developer discount at the end of its amazingly long 4+ year run was over $3,300, and those were late 80's dollars.
So to my mind, a few grand on a new machine these days is dirt cheap.
Certainly not the most expensive mac ever sold. The 40 Mhz II fx was shipping while the II ci sported an MSRP of over $8,000 at 25Mhz. Cheapest the ci sold for even at developer discount at the end of its amazingly long 4+ year run was over $3,300, and those were late 80's dollars.
So to my mind, a few grand on a new machine these days is dirt cheap.
Doenertier
Sep 1, 11:54 AM
No more than $2,499/ �1,799. With the amount of internal room you would get behind a 23" monitor, Apple would have no problem putting in 4 RAM slots and a fast GPU (but I doubt Apple would do a fast GPU anyway).
My guess: 17" dropping to $1,099, 20" to $1,499
$1,999 with more hd, a gig of ram and, hopefully, (i do doubt it though as well) a nice gpu (at least as bto, unlikely though for the imac).
I'd order one right away! :cool:
My guess: 17" dropping to $1,099, 20" to $1,499
$1,999 with more hd, a gig of ram and, hopefully, (i do doubt it though as well) a nice gpu (at least as bto, unlikely though for the imac).
I'd order one right away! :cool:
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