X-mas for MacHeads

[mr. sparkle]

Anyone else lookin' forward to MacWorld on Jan. 10-14? Can't wait to see the shiny new stuff!

I couldn't wait and got an Airport Extreme. Nice to have wireless here at the pad. Merry Xmas to me!


To the Extreme baby!

[vince]

At Macworld I'm used to seeing all kinds of electric wheelchairs and high-tech disabled rigs - there was this tiny little woman who used to go to *all* the shows at Moscone - I saw her at Macworld and then again when we were doing the book show hawking videotapes and Mr. T walked by and so forth...

But a few years ago I saw this cart type rig with like, a breathing apparatus underneath and a little bed on top with this *full-size human head with a tiny little baby body* wearing this black nylon outfit with velcro tabs and so forth hooked up to the breathing tube - the head didn't seem to be focused on anything - just lying there staring - really bizarre...

Anybody else ever witnessed this phenomenon?

[Caustic Saint]

I'm hoping the Page 2 rumor about Powerbooks over at MacRumors pans out:

12" - upgrade to 1.5 Ghz G4, BT/AE built in (like the new iBooks), 80 GB HD, Mobility Radeon 9700 (64 MB)
Price $1399

Yeah, I know my iBook G4 is only a year old, but I'd trade up for that price.

[GridReaper]

I'll be there and I bought my ticket to the KEYNOTE SPEECH! Oh yeah, mac geeks, bow before my glory!

I wonder if I'll get a Flash iPod as my surprise gift underneath my chair this year?

[GuyJean]

I wonder if I'll get a Flash iPod as my surprise gift underneath my chair this year?

Yeah. What'll it be this time?

FlashPod
VideoPod
Cell Phone
3 Mghz+ PMac
iStroke (pocked pussy)

GJ

[evilpongi]

There he is again, Sparkle flame boy, playing with apples and oranges and all kinds FRUITY THINGS Betcha like Big Bannanas too don't you flamey?! Yeah, you and that washed up idiot Rob Pongi: L-O-S-E-R !!!. Yeah, and I know your type too. San Francisco right? Yup, I know. Betcha' you like those handsome football players in their tight shorts too don't you?! Just like your pretty pal Vince right?! Well, you two run along holding hands and have fun at the little toy show. I'll be down opening in Vegas playing with my chorus line of REAL WOMEN WITH REAL TALENT! And I'm talking REAL WOMEN that know their place in the world - MY WORLD!

MY NAME IS EVIL! AND IT'S AN EVIL WORLD AND THE WORLD IS MINE! THE WORLD IS MINE!!!

God, I'm so handsome:

[kotatsuneko]

you have to pay to hear some geezer waffle - wtf?

went past the apple store on regent st the other day, its huge, wonder how long they can keep it open as the rent for a location like that surely cannot justify the footfall.. even so the layout looked excellent. but on the open day they scrimped by not putting any ipods into the "bargain" bags, unlike the states or nihon mean bastads..

[mr. sparkle]

FlashPod
VideoPod
Cell Phone
3 Mghz+ PMac
iStroke (pocked pussy)

GJ

Here's the inside scoop: it'll be the iBrator.


The iBrator

I actually know the guy that did the spoof. Those are real prototypes, not 3D. The first one cost over $3000 to make. Believe it or don't.

[kotatsuneko]

apart from the (yawn) flashpod, i`d really like to see an ipod with removable battery and a price reduction in powerbooks and final cut pro

[Charles]

Believe it or don't.

I don't.

1. Anyone who spent $3000 on a plastic prototype doesn't know how to make prototypes. Even a stereolithography prototype from a CAD system wouldn't cost $3k.
2. Nobody's ever seen the physical prototype, just the rendered animation. <Dr. Strangelove voice> What is the point of making such a device if you don't tell anyone about it?!?</strangelove>

Anyway, what I predict you'll see at MacWorld
1. Speed bumps
2. Tiger demos until you're so sick of Tiger you never want to see it again.
3. A tech demo of iTunes/AAC running on the Motorola Razor phone
4. Just one more thing...

[mr. sparkle]

There he is again, Sparkle flame boy, playing with apples and oranges and all kinds FRUITY THINGS Betcha like Big Bannanas too don't you flamey?!

Fruit is very good for you Evil. With your vodka, cigar and beef tallow diet, I don't see you livin' too long. You should try a big banana buddy -- they's goooood!

Yeah, you and that washed up idiot Rob Pongi: L-O-S-E-R !!!.

You're just jealous 'cause Rob has a better computer than you. That's right....it's a Mac! He's also smarter, funnier and better lookin' than the likes of you!

Yeah, and I know your type too. San Francisco right? Yup, I know.

Yep. Probably the most beautiful, liveable city in the world...
So how is Pyong Yang these days?

Betcha' you like those handsome football players in their tight shorts too don't you?!

That's right, I'm a 49er faithful, even when they suck.

Just like your pretty pal Vince right?! Well, you two run along holding hands and have fun at the little toy show.

Thanks Evil. It's going to be awesome. Since you are obviously a PC user, I don't expect to see you there.

I'll be down opening in Vegas playing with my chorus line of REAL WOMEN WITH REAL TALENT! And I'm talking REAL WOMEN

We've all seen your type of women before....

So now you're headed to Vegas and you call those real women? With them fake titties? Uh, I don't think so!

That know their place in the world - MY WORLD!

Your world sounds pretty pathetic Ol' Evil. Vegas is for LOSERS, just like you.

MY NAME IS EVIL! AND IT'S AN EVIL WORLD AND THE WORLD IS MINE! THE WORLD IS MINE!!!

Yeah, yeah. We all know your name. Run along now and play dodge ball with Soviet Supreme.

God, I'm so handsome:

[mr. sparkle]

Believe it or don't.

I don't.

1. Anyone who spent $3000 on a plastic prototype doesn't know how to make prototypes. Even a stereolithography prototype from a CAD system wouldn't cost $3k.
2. Nobody's ever seen the physical prototype, just the rendered animation. <Dr. Strangelove voice> What is the point of making such a device if you don't tell anyone about it?!?</strangelove>

hmm...I'm fairly sure that that's what he told me. I'll get clarification as the guy will be at MacWorld. For sure, though, it's not 3D. It's a real plastic piece.

[mr. sparkle]

Anyway, what I predict you'll see at MacWorld
1. Speed bumps
2. Tiger demos until you're so sick of Tiger you never want to see it again.
3. A tech demo of iTunes/AAC running on the Motorola Razor phone

So, you think they are going to announce Tiger?
I hear ya on the speed bumps though, I hope they're good ones.
Ya think the "phone" is going to be the big announcement this year?

4. Just one more thing...

Which is???

Looking forward to hearing more predictions!
We've seen hardware predictions--any software ones?

My knowledge is too dangerous, so my mouth is gonna have to be locked down for the next two weeks.

[Charles]

So, you think they are going to announce Tiger?
I hear ya on the speed bumps though, I hope they're good ones.
Ya think the "phone" is going to be the big announcement this year?

Tiger's not ready to ship, but even the last MacWorld had plenty of Tiger tech demos. I heard that more unannounced features will be demoed for the first time. Speed bumps are never as big as we'd like, but as long as they bump something at the low end that I can afford, I'll be happy (my Pismo 500 died and I need a replacement). And the big buzz over the phone thing mystifies me. I'm sure I heard official announcements many months ago about Apple & Moto working on putting iTunes on phones. But the buzz is big now and the time is ripe for a demo.

4. Just one more thing...

Which is???

Well jeez, I don't know, but there's always One More Thing. Personally, I'm not optimistic for any earthshaking announcements, due to Jobs' recent brush with mortality. My best guess is that Jobs used the downtime to take a long hard look at the industry as a whole, and now has something REALLY big in development behind the scenes, a big shot at changing the computing landscape forever, his testament to the ages. But that is not something you can push out on a quarterly schedule.

Looking forward to hearing more predictions!
We've seen hardware predictions--any software ones?

My knowledge is too dangerous, so my mouth is gonna have to be locked down for the next two weeks.

Personally, I'm hoping for a minor rev of Motion, maybe a 1.5. That would be really useful, but I don't really expect a 2.0 until Tiger ships. I expect demos of the new revs of Logic 7, but that's been out for a while so it won't be any big surprise. Come to think of it, I expect the shipping of the rumored audio breakout box, maybe that's the One More Thing. I could sure use a digital audio in box, I'd rather buy an Apple labeled box than a 3rd party one like Roland or whoever.
Longshot guesses: Keynote 2.0, a revised iPhoto with integration into the photo iPod. There should be some new stuff in the Pro markets (aside from new Logic) but I can't figure what it would be, I'm so happy with the current state of the art, I don't know how they could improve it much. XSan should be ready to announce, if not ship, but that sort of product usually doesn't take the stage at a MacWorld, it's more of a WWDC product.

[vince]

It looked kind of like this.

[Charles]

At Macworld I'm used to seeing all kinds of electric wheelchairs and high-tech disabled rigs...
...anybody else ever witnessed this phenomenon?

Yes. Apple has a devoted following amongst the disabled. Apple was the first personal computer company to have a division specifically for developing disability support (although that was disbanded a while ago, unfortunately). Back in the days of the Apple][, the company used to donate a considerable amount of hardware to disablity support groups. Some people still prefer the old Apple][ hardware for some disability scenarios. Today, MacOS X is the only major OS with standard support for visual, hearing, and mobility handicaps.

[mr. sparkle]

Check out the macrumor sites, an interesting new development in hardware.

[Caustic Saint]

Check out the macrumor sites, an interesting new development in hardware.

I take it you're referring to the possible (and exceedingly overdue) release of a headless iMac? How many years have people been asking for one of these things? And how long has Apple ignored them?

"But we know what consumers want," says the all-knowing Steve.

No, Steve, you don't. But I'm sure you'll make this out to be another of your "insanely great" ideas that only you could've come up with if it is actually announced at MWSF.

[Charles]

I take it you're referring to the possible (and exceedingly overdue) release of a headless iMac? How many years have people been asking for one of these things? And how long has Apple ignored them?

You forgot about the Cube. Everyone asked for it, but nobody bought it. Next time you ask for something, you better buy it, or nobody will listen to you the next time.

Yes, Steve knows what you want. But it is tricky getting it into your hands when BillG doesn't want you to have it.

[Kuang_Grade]

I take it you're referring to the possible (and exceedingly overdue) release of a headless iMac? How many years have people been asking for one of these things? And how long has Apple ignored them?

You forgot about the Cube. Everyone asked for it, but nobody bought it. Next time you ask for something, you better buy it, or nobody will listen to you the next time.

In retrospect, it is pretty obvious that the power user market wasn't asking for a very pretty unit with limited upgradeability that cost about the same low end G4 towers with more upgradeability options and the casual market wasn't throw down $1800 just for a box without a monitor when you could get a slower fruit Imac with a monitor for considerably less. Apple seriously overestimated the value of desktop real estate and how much extra people would pay for a mid-powered item with a small footprint (answer: maybe a couple bucks).

However, the key issue is not necessarily the headless-ness, it is the price point you get with being headless (rumors of a $500 price point). It makes for a cheaper unit and lowers the switching costs for current PC users who can continue to use their current monitor with their new Apple.

[Caustic Saint]

I take it you're referring to the possible (and exceedingly overdue) release of a headless iMac? How many years have people been asking for one of these things? And how long has Apple ignored them?

You forgot about the Cube. Everyone asked for it, but nobody bought it. Next time you ask for something, you better buy it, or nobody will listen to you the next time.

No, I didn't. The Cube wasn't a "headless iMac" and KG nailed exactly why it didn't sell.

[Charles]

No, I didn't. The Cube wasn't a "headless iMac" and KG nailed exactly why it didn't sell.

No he didn't. The speculated hardware config of the headless iMac is pretty similar to the old Cube (aside from clock speed). But we shall see..

The reason the Cube didn't sell was because it was promoted as a package with the new LCD screens, which were very expensive and did not come down in price as fast as Apple projected, due the the "Asian Flu" economic crisis. Apple invested in Samsung to get favorable pricing on LCD panels, but it just didn't work out like they hoped. Cube configurations with Apple's CRT monitors were price competitive, but nobody pushed them since Apple wanted to phase out CRTs completely.

[mr. sparkle]

Regardless of the timing of the product, I think it'll be way cool. Like....I'd love to have a Mac at the other end of the pad!

I'm already jonsin' for an Airport Express to control every household stereo speaker from El Centro Lap-top-o.

[Caustic Saint]

No, I didn't. The Cube wasn't a "headless iMac" and KG nailed exactly why it didn't sell.

No he didn't. The speculated hardware config of the headless iMac is pretty similar to the old Cube (aside from clock speed). But we shall see..

Sure he did - price.

The rumored price for the headless iMac is over $1,000 less than what the Cube went for. The hardware may be similar, but the price is what'll make it sell. People weren't willing to spend the kind of cash on a pretty much un-upgradable machine that Apple was asking for with the Cube. Bundled monitors or not, the Cube was still overpriced.

[Charles]

Nah, he said cubes cost $1800 which is way wrong, that's what a unit bundled with a big LCD cost. Cubes started at $995, which is probably around $600 in 2005 dollars (the estimated price of the headless iMac). But we shall see.

[Caustic Saint]

The Cube shipped to retail markets with a 450 Mhz G4 processor, a 20 GB hard drive, a 56 kbps modem, 64 MB of RAM, and Apple s Pro Mouse, for $1799.

My source - Apple History.com

No mention of any bundled displays. Do you have a source for your $995 Cube price?

The lowest price the Cube ever retailed at was $1299, and that was for the low-end model after the last revisions before it was dropped. (Also according to Apple History.com.)

[yakinoumiso]

The Cube shipped to retail markets with a 450 Mhz G4 processor, a 20 GB hard drive, a 56 kbps modem, 64 MB of RAM, and Apple s Pro Mouse, for $1799.

My source - Apple History.com

No mention of any bundled displays. Do you have a source for your $995 Cube price?

The lowest price the Cube ever retailed at was $1299, and that was for the low-end model after the last revisions before it was dropped. (Also according to Apple History.com.)

Yeah, that sounds right. We bought a mid-range cube after their 1st revision, maybe Dec '00..., the price with Apple's 17" CRT display was just shy of $1900. It was a nice machine, but at the time was too costly. Of course there was the fact that the power switch had to be replaced twice...

A headless iMac, will be a nice addition. And I personally don't think it'll canabalize iMac sales too much, unless it is bundled with a LCD display...I kinda' expect that if Apple does launch this, and it turns out not to be a media player, it'll herald a new Apple push into the enterprise market.

We'll see in a few days though...

[Charles]

Do you have a source for your $995 Cube price?

I shopped for one late in the product cycle, I was astonished to find the low end units dropped under $1000, but only if you sacrificed the distinctive Cube features like DVD drive and just got a plain CD drive (not even a CDR). As I recall, you had to do a build-to-order to get the $995 price, it wasn't an advertised configuration. Of course, without a time machine to go back to the Apple Store in the days of the Cube, I won't be able to convince you. But I recall it vividly because I used to always show the config to people who said the Cube was too expensive.

[Caustic Saint]

I shopped for one late in the product cycle, I was astonished to find the low end units dropped under $1000, but only if you sacrificed the distinctive Cube features like DVD drive and just got a plain CD drive (not even a CDR)

Late in the product cycle and with stripped down features? That's not really the same thing as "Cubes started at $995," now, is it?

They may have gone for that low of a price when they were being phased out, but they were introduced at much higher prices than that.

[Charles]

Late in the product cycle and with stripped down features? That's not really the same thing as "Cubes started at $995," now, is it?

Ah, I see the confusion here. I didn't mean to imply that the product was introduced at $995. I meant the range of prices started as low as $995. But this wasn't a closeout price or anything, the only price advantage came from new configurations that weren't previously offered. Otherwise, the regular configs cost the same as always, even as the $995 Cube became available.