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If you look at Apple's current Mac matrix, it's obvious where the blanks are:
Laptops*:
Consumer/Low: $1,099 MacBook
Consumer/High: $1,299 MacBook
Prosumer/Low: $1,499 MacBook
Prosumer/High: $1,999 15" MacBook Pro
Professional/Low: $2,499 15" MacBook Pro
Professional/High: $2,799 17" MacBook Pro
Desktop AIOs:
Consumer/Low: --**
Consumer/High: 20" iMac $1,199
Prosumer: 20" iMac $1,499
Professional/Low: 24" iMac $1,799
Professional/High: n/a
Desktops:
Consumer/Low: $599 Mac mini***
Consumer/High: $799 Mac mini***
Prosumer//Low: -- ($1,000 - $1,500)
Prosumer/High: -- ($1,500 - $2,000)
Professional/Low: $2,199 Mac Pro
Professional/High: $2,499+ Mac Pro
*(Personally, I think it'd be great if the laptop pricing was more of an even spread like $899 / $1,199 / $1,499 / $1,799 / $2,099 / $2,399, but that's just me--obviously their sales are through the roof at the higher pricing, so who am I to judge?)
**(obviously this became empty when the 17" iMac was dropped, which I think is a shame; it'd be awesome if they could've kept it around at, say, $899)
***(I still think they should've reduced the mini down to a single model, with DVD-RW, for $599, but that's just me...)
So basically, I think they oughta bring back the 17" iMac at $899, drop the DVD-RW mini down to $599, drop the CD-RW mini completely, and bring in 2 models of a Shuttle SFF-style version of the Cube for, say, $1,199 and $1,599.
Qsilver--I have the MiniStack from OWC:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ministackv3
There's a bunch of these, primarily designed for the Mac mini, but they work perfectly with any system (basically they're an external HD + FW & USB 2 hub).
A couple of years ago, just before I bought my iMac G5, I pondered the possibility of attaching one of those MiniStack units (FW hard drive + USB/FW hub that were primarily designed for the Mac mini) onto the back of it. The conclusion was that I technically could do so, but heat dissipation would be too much of an issue.
Instead, I discovered that the MiniStack fits nicely on top of the iMac's metal stand (as long as you turn it sideways for the cables).
Seems to me that if Apple is going to make the new iMac's hard drive so difficult to replace, they should at least have offered some way of plugging a second drive in easily--if there wasn't room for an entier second drive bay, perhaps at least a "cool spot" on the back with mounting pegs or whatever? There might be one exposed cable, but it'd still be extremely compact.
I'd call it more like 4 min. of raw video per Gigabyte to be safe (perhaps 4.5 min)
I know it's roughly 230 Megabytes per minute.
Yofal--the smart move would have been to *add* the new features/interface to the existing iMovie HD as a "clip mode" option (or whatever), while keeping iMovie HD pretty much the same otherwise.
This would have been enough to justify calling it iMovie 8 and still would have included the functionality of both apps, without the confusion/bad PR of having two separate apps, one considered "old" and the other one "new".
The other option would have been to add a few minor enhancements onto iMovie HD (like they apparently did with iDVD), but include the new application as a 7th title in the iLife suite, but with a different name (iClip or iShort or whatever).
Tex--my problem with Jobs' hardware design obsession isn't that he "thinks different", it's that he too often sticks with an idea that's bound for failure for too long, without having a backup plan.
Sometimes sticking it out on hardware has proven successful (best example: USB-only on the original iMac), but many times it leaves the user holding the bag.
The 1-button mouse was no big deal because there were hundreds of other mice available for a nominal fee.
I'm talking about things like the ADC connector (the 3-in-one cable that Apple's cinema displays used for several years, which combined DVI, power and FireWire into a single cable). It was a great idea, but never caught on in the industry (I remember exactly 1 3rd-party display vendor offering it), which required a $100 adapter to make it work with a DVI system. The problem wasn't that Apple offered it, it was that for a time, PowerMac owners were essentially locked into it ($100 for the adapter was pretty damned unreasonable). Then they discontinued it a couple of years later, leaving many PowerMac owners somewhat screwed.
As Fi note, the MagSafe may be an excellent innovation, but there really oughta be some way of switching to a standard power cable if they end up having to abandon MagSafe, for instance.
The thing I remember from the flowerpower/dalmation keynote was how orgasmic Jobs was over the injection-molding technique they used to embed the design into the casing.
Yes, it was an impressive technique--so why the f*** did they use it to make such butt-ugly designs?
Bootz--my wife bought me one of the standalone iSights for my birthday last summer, and I got one for my mom's birthday last fall...just before it was discontinued, so we were lucky. Very handy device.
Next year I'll likely upgrade my Rev B iMac G5 to the new 24" model, at which point I'll probably sell the iSight off on eBay since there'll be one integrated into the new machine (I hate selling something that was a gift from my wife, but what else am I gonna do with it?)
Bootz--this may help:
24" iMac: $1,800
- $160 repair on G4 iMac
- $80 iLife '08
- $150 iSight (I know you can't get the standalone version, but still...)
You're down to $1,410 in justifications...
Lango--another point is that with 1.3 BILLION Chinese, even if 90% of them buy knock-offs, that still leaves a "real thing" market of 130 million that could be tapped...
Apropos of nothing: Included among the folks I met at the yKos convention last week was Jon Stokes of Ars Technica (aka "Hannibal"), who was covering the event from a purely technical POV. We ended up having dinner together (along with a couple of other bloggers). Seems like a good guy.
delete
Tex--the *only* MSFT title I still have any need for anymore is Entourage.
As great as the meta/data integration between OS X Mail/Address Book/iCal is, I absolutely despise the interface (especially Address Book), particularly the separate-app nature. I want Entourage 2008 badly, but I want it to integrate 100% with iChat, iSync, .Mac and so forth. Whaddya think the odds are of that?
Dilleet--exactly. I really think that if they aren't gonna offer a model like the one I suggested, they should at least start bundling their own "MacMate" or whatever the combo external hard drive/USB/FW hub things are called alongside the mini.
Bootz--glad to hear it on both counts, especially the screen, since photographers are such a huge Mac market. Bonus about the good keyboard reviews--I was really worried about that, as it looked a bit chintzy to me.
KCMW--yup; as you'll note on the new Shootouts, I had to go with $700 instead of $600 for the new mini shootout simply because the Shuttle system starts at $690 (with shipping, which is free from Apple).
I made up the $100 diff by adding a keyboard & mouse to the Mac mini, which is reasonable considering that the Shuttles all include them.
I should also note that as I type this, I'm simultaneously importing video footage into iMovie, burning a DVD with Toast, checking my email and chatting with my wife via iChat.
Mac + Broadband = Amazing things we can do these days...
FWIW, I just re-activated my .Mac account after letting it lapse over 3 years ago.
The 10 GB of storage did the trick more than anything else--I've been storing my personal photos on one of my business server accounts, now I can move 'em to the .Mac account and free up a ton of space.
(While I realize that others here have been griping about the "anemic" upgrades to .Mac over the past few years, to me even those are excellent simply because I haven't used it in so long, so *any* new feature since around 2003-2004 will be brand-new to me)
Something along the lines of this is what I had in mind:
It's basically like a Shuttle system, but not nearly as ugly:
http://us.shuttle.com/G2_3200.aspx
Yofal--not sure (I usually stick with the stock models when I run the comparisons), but it sounds about right to me. The additional $500 savings appears to be a combination of the hard drive (going from 320 to 500 instead of 250 to 500 GB), cheaper RAM, and the video card upgrade. Not sure what the amounts are.
Shootouts site updated:
--All-new $700* Small Form Factor Desktop Shootout
--Updated $1,200 Slimline** Desktop Shootout
--Updated $1,800 Slimline** Desktop Shootout
--Updated Apple Desktop Lineup
http://www.systemshootouts.org/
*(the lowest-priced Shuttle SFF system runs $700 with shipping, so I bumped the price point up $100)
**(Slimline = the "thin tower" design for the Dell system)
Lango--thanks (I can't do private messages anymore, let my paid account lapse)
interesting--the official tech specs for the iMac no longer list it, but it *is* on the store specs for the iMac...
Um, geez Bootz, thanks for mentioning it.
Something else noteworthy about the new iMac software bundle:
Mac OS X v10.4.10 Tiger (includes Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Xcode Developer Tools); iLife ’08 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand); iWork ’08 (30-day trial); Front Row; Photo Booth
Notice anything missing?
Absolutely ZERO third-party software. None. Zilch.
No Quicken. No Big Bang Games. Hell, even Comic Life isn't included anymore--and, most notable, no more "test drive" version of MSFT Office.
Given the release of the new iWork with "Numbers", this is a very interesting omission, no?
WAY OT: Whatever else you may say about the yKos convention, I did at least get to have my pic taken with Bill Richardson, which was pretty cool, even if I'm not necessarily planning on voting for him:
Sign of the apocalypse: the new ultrathin Apple keyboard also FINALLY includes...
USB 2.0 ports!
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=162919D6&nplm=MB110...
"And two USB 2.0 ports provide high-speed connectivity for your iPod, Mighty Mouse, digital camera, and other USB-based electronic devices."
Sheesh. Only took 'em what, 3 years to finally tack 2.0 onto the keyboard?
Yeah, I know that mice don't work any faster with 2.0, but flash drives and digital camera transfers do, so this is a long-overdue update.
Plus, it'll make the "USB Ports" field listing a lot less cluttered in the new shootouts!
ROFL, YOFL! :)
Interesting tidbits about iWork/iLife '08:
--iLife no longer includes iTunes??? I guess they figure that since iTunes is free anyway, is bundled & marketed with iPods and has a Windows version, it was time to sort of separate it out from the rest of iLife marketing-wise. The "sixth slot" is now filled with the .Mac web gallery, though it's really only 5 actual applications.
--Meanwhile, iWork has expanded from 2 to 3 official apps, but is effectively 4 of them (Pages is now both a Word Processor and Page Layout program). I'm surprised they didn't "split" it into "Pages" and "Documents" (or whatever) for marketing purposes.
Hm...ok, so the mini survives but it's an "ultraquiet" refresh (same price, same positioning, slightly bumped specs). Fair enough, I suppose.
Of course, this means I gotta get cracking on the Shootouts site updates...
The mini survives!!
"Didn't mention Mac mini today, how is it doing?"
Tim: "We're refreshing the Mac mini today."
(no other details yet)
Yofal--good catch! Yeah, now that I'm looking for it it does look like they just added a thin black matte around the LCD. Not a bad idea, actually--gives the impression of thinner bevels and better for "cinema presenation" effect, I suppose...
Agreed here re. 2nd drive bay as well. The only useful reason for making it any thinner would be if the *stand* was somehow as the actual iMac, and obviously it isn't (and I wouldn't want it to be--center of gravity and all).
Yeah, it's nice if it's a bit lighter (though I'd imagine the switch to glass counters that?), but it's not like it's being moved around the desktop a whole lot.
Still, I do like the thinner bevels, and the beefed up specs are nice...
OK, evolutionary, not revolutionary, which is fine really...the only gripes I have so far:
--again, $1,200 for the entry-level is fine, but only if they're also beefing up the Mac mini; god help us if they're back to a $1,200 entry-level for a desktop Mac.
--again, WTF is up with so few USB/FW ports? tack 2 more USB and 1 more FW400 on and I'll be happy (and are the keyboards' USB ports still 1.1 or 2.0 at last?)
Lango:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-....
It's actually a 4:3 ratio, not a widescreen; my mistake. $469 is the price listed (the $399 model you mentioned is actually the widescreen UltraSharp 2007WFP).
Now that's interesting--it suggests that widescreen displays have become the default, and are therefore cheaper to produce than "standard" ratio displays.
Annie--I believe GWB uses a Mac, as does Rush Limbaugh.
Remember, even Adolph Hitler probably ate a banana now and then; that doesn't make them evil.
/Godwinned in record time...
KCMW--agreed re. the monitor; I forgot to include that in my lineup--it looks like they're committed to dropping the 17" completely, so they oughta drop the 20" price down to $499 (or at least offer a $100 discount when bundled with a Mac, for instance).
I know you can get some 20" LCDs for as little as $200, but even Dell's own UltraSharp 2007FP 20" widescreen LCD is listed at $469--granted, you can knock some off of that with coupon codes, but the point is that $499 is not terribly unreasonable for Apple (though $599 really is).
Bundle a 20" lcd, keyboard & mouse with a mini for an even $999; that's the best I'd realistically expect to see from Apple.
Latest rumors continue to claim that the 17" iMac will be dropped completely (with the mini surviving one more revision):
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/08/06/last_minute_imac_and_mac_mini_rumors.html
I can understand dropping the 17" iMac, but ONLY if they KEEP the mini around (especially if the 20" iMac is gonna start at $1,200!)
Here's what I'd ideally like the changes to the desktop lineup to look like tomorrow:
$499 - Mac mini (minor update, but with a $100 price cut)
$899 - Mac (all-new "minitower" design--basically just a larger version of the mini, with enough room for 2 3.5" hard drives and a single slot with a real video card (ie, replacable). Essentially a cross between the Cube and the mini.
$1,199 - 20" iMac
$1,499 - 20" iMac (beefed up)
$1,799 - 24" iMac
Note that the all-new model would be called, simply, "The Mac".
Not the Mac mini. Not the iMac. Not the Mac Pro. Not the MacBook. Not the MacBook Pro.
Just the Mac.
Back from Chicago...
Just returned from the YearlyKos convention in Chicago (and yes, I can hear Lango and some others rolling their eyes in disgust; whatever).
Don't worry, I'm not gonna fire up another off-topic political thread; the only reason I mentioned it is because I noticed one very interesting thing while I was there:
Macs. I mean LOTS of Macs--MacBooks, MacBook Pros, iBooks, PowerBooks...there were Apple laptops EVERYWHERE.
Over 1,500 attendees this year, nearly all of them progressive political bloggers of some sort, just about every one of us carrying a laptop around, and I swear that a *minimum* of 50% of them were Macs.
Oh, saw several iPods as well, of course, but that's not as noteworthy. I did see 2 iPhones, for what it's worth.
Speaking of Mac laptops being everywhere, if you happened to watch ABC World News Tonight last evening (Saturday), during the YearlyKos convention piece, you may very well have seen my white MacBook--a friend of mine was checking his email on it when an ABC reporter approached and took him (and my MacBook) away to be interviewed. So, my laptop is now more famous than I am (sigh).
Oh, as a side note: On Friday night I ended up having dinner with one of the reporters from ArsTechnica, of all sites--he was attending the convention to write up a story from the purely technical side of things, of course (use of Web 2.0 tech as a political tool, blogging, YouTube, etc). Interesting conversation, unfortunately for the life of me I can't recall his name at the moment...
roni--thanks for the IV credit ;)
(didn't realize it was you; i put the originals back, though I actually still need to add some of the milestones to the updated versions)