Speculations are very strong just a few days before the Tuesday Steve Jobs keynote. Take the poll and choose from some of the most talked-about rumors around, or leave a comment if you have another opinion as to what Apple has in store for us.Note: This poll requires javascript to vote or even view.
Jobs said so ^_~
New Mac Mini.
Whatever happends, I am sure it will be jaw dropping… it always is.
Jaw droppingly stupid you mean. Like the iPod Shuffle, or the Mighty Mouse?
It’s quite funny really. When Apple does something they either rock to nth degree, or suck just as much. There’s no unhappy middle ground like the commodity pc market where everything is sub par sucky. It’s absolutely rotten to the core, or it’s the best thing since sliced bread.
My .02USD
The problem is the userbase creating too much hype for nonevents (not saying this one is a nonevent – just saying it could be). Then people complain because they don’t think the already out products aren’t amazing enough…
I do enjoy my stocks going up though
While an x86 laptop with OSX would be cool and all it really would not be that big a deal.
I voted for the Ipod WiFi VIOP thing because that would really be new. And the repercussions and publicity would be huge. A mobile device with voice communication over wireless TCP/IP directly threatens the cell phone industry and would likely produce a storm of publicity 10X what ITMS created.
But what I really want would be classified as “other” – I want Apple to sponsor WINE development. If Apple is going to x86 why not go all the way and include a nice transitioning strategy by supporting legacy Windows applications? Of course I want the improved WINE to run on Linux myself 😉
I blogged about it here:
http://slashdot.org/~Eugenia%20Loli/journal/125773
Yes, but sadly there’s not really anything in it for Apple. They want developers to wrtie for them. Apple certainly certainly don’t want to be seen sending out the message that there’s no need to write Mac software, just run Windows software under emulation.
It looks like x86 laptops are ahead by a long shot right now. I’m curious why people voted on laptops instead of desktops?
Personally I’m looking forward to seeing if an Intel powered Mac Mini will cost less and be more powerful than the current model, next job I get I’m probably going to save up for one. As far as laptops go they are also good, but in my case I simply like desktops better. I’d still have a laptop though, in fact I’ve got one now, they are convenient when your family moves as often as mine (don’t have to wait for the desktop to arrive), or when the power goes out.
It looks like x86 laptops are ahead by a long shot right now. I’m curious why people voted on laptops instead of desktops?
Because the tradition is that the best value in the Mac lineup is in its lowend laptops. So thats what nerds buy.
Worst value is the Powerbooks line right now. Thats why Apple cripples the outputs on the iBooks. Of course that does not stop the nerds from fixing this problem and getting the best value in Macland.
Never pay Apple more than you have too.
“Thats why Apple cripples the outputs on the iBooks. Of course that does not stop the nerds from fixing this problem”
I have never heard of that before, can you explain what Apple does and how people fix it? You’ve really made me curious now 🙂 .
Apple disables the spanning ability of iBooks, and limits external screens to mirroring.
PowerBooks are able to do both, a firmware hack allows iBooks to do it as well … until a new OS version usually.
Anyway, I’m excited as all hell, and I’m sure I’ll be pissed when my dream PowerBook is shown after just getting this 12″ last March or May or whenenver it was I got it
Apple disables the spanning ability of iBooks, and limits external screens to mirroring.
PowerBooks are able to do both, a firmware hack allows iBooks to do it as well … until a new OS version usually.
Exactly. I just want to add that the hack proves that the only reason Apple does this is to prevent iBook sales from eating Powerbook sales. Its not a hardware problem- its an Apple problem.
A good lesson for those who believe Apple is an organization of angels.
I use the iBook with the hack and it works very well (applied the hack a year ago and never had to touch anything, not even after OS upgrades).
While I agree this limitation is certainly here to protect sales of the powerbook there might be another reason. With the low-end GPU in the ibook exposé is not as smooth on a 1280×1024+1024×768 screen as it would be on the original screen. Same is true for a lot of graphic intensive effects on my 12″ ibook (eg. screensavers, games).
That certainly doesn’t bother me while working but I can understand Apple would prefer to see the machine always acting in a smooth way and this required a GPU capable of handling multiple high-res monitors.
That certainly doesn’t bother me while working but I can understand Apple would prefer to see the machine always acting in a smooth way and this required a GPU capable of handling multiple high-res monitors.
That rationalization doesn’t really fly: the 9550 on the current iBooks is better than the fx5200 in most 12″ PBs. And AFAIK even on the 867mhz 12″ PB with the Geforce4 screen spanning was enabled.
Because most people prefer laptops. Not much perf disadvantage to having a laptop these days and you can take your work anywhere. I’m sitting out on my deck right now
I would guess most devs work on laptops. Most shops I see buy all the devs laptops and have for several years.
Personally, I’m hoping too see both Macintels and iWork’06 with Numbers. A good spreadsheet i s a must for Apple if they want to steal office suite sales from Microsoft.
I’d like to see how Apple handles making the spreadsheet program intuitive for novice users. I learned most of what I know about spreadsheets in school using Excel, when I first started using OO.o Calc instead I found switching to be more difficult than I had expected because the features weren’t where I was used to them being and some of them had different names.
To this day I still think spreadsheet programs could be made easier for users, and with Apple’s reputation of achieving that I’d like to see how they put together such an application.
Umm… and THAT folks is why it is important to not teach the application, but rather teach the concepts.
That way you’ll end up equally ineffective on every app. But at least you’ll know exactly what is you’re not able to do.
ummm… no.
Conceptual understanding means that you can LEARN to use a specific app, but have an easier time transitioning to another app that does things differently.
But what do I know, I just teach this crap.
I would definitely buy and use this for my own needs if only apple would save the files in OpenDocument format (natively). OpenOffice is heavy, especially on mac and still a X11 version. But I just don’t want to save my documents in yet-another proprietary format.
Note that Pages already uses an XML based format so it’s not that proprietary but since nobody else is able to read it ooDoc would be so much better. This would allow you to exchange files with people on PC without using shitty MSOffice exportation.
“Note that Pages already uses an XML based format so it’s not that proprietary but since nobody else is able to read it ooDoc would be so much better. This would allow you to exchange files with people on PC without using shitty MSOffice exportation.”
…given that they use an office suite capable of reading ODF. I’m all for open standards and I really, really hope that ODF gets adopted and that Massachutes pulls off the ODF standardisation. That, if anything, could create enough momentum for Apple and Microsoft to adopt ODF, if not as standrad, at least as supported file formats.
Microsoft, true to its nature, would be likely to try to Embrace, Extend, and Extingusih ODF, but what else is new when you deal with the devil of cyberspace?
I think that Apple will jump into the all you can easy subscription service that many companies have as optional services to their purchase system. I think that it would do nothing but bolster their offerings and take away any excuse to use a WMA based site.
(plus then My wife can get all her top 40 music any time she wants and not have to keep buying the new stuff she hears so she can exercise to it for 3 months and never touch it again)
I think that Apple will jump into the all you can easy subscription service that many companies have as optional services to their purchase system.
Of course, this has been available for quite sometime on non-Apple platforms (so much for Apple innovations, eh?), and people have critized it, thinking that just because you can ‘rent’ music, that means you’ll no longer be able to buy it. HOWEVER, as soon as all-perfect Apple comes out with it, they’ll drink it up like Kool-Aid.
I think that it would do nothing but bolster their offerings and take away any excuse to use a WMA based site.
Well, except for WMA files work on pretty much every single portable device that supports online music, except iPods. Of course, I prefer Apple’s AAC codec over WMA because I think it sounds better when ripped to mp3, so I don’t use the WMA sites anyway. I *do* use a WMA-capable portable device, because it is much better at handling audiobooks ripped from tape & CD than the iPod.
Edited 2006-01-08 20:50
As much as I love new hardware – its not in my budget. So I’m stuck between the spread sheet app and iWeb. Kinda have a weird ‘fetish’ of Apple software
Most of the time (if not always) different rumor sites put people’s expectations so high, that when Apple introduces something that’s not the “4Ghz PowerMac CONFIRMED!11!11” – people tend to get dissapointed. And Apple sales suffer. It’s a small part of the market, but when you have a small niche, every customer is important.
Now, speculating on things like this is very normal, and not at all harmful to the company or the people actually expecting these things to be true (or semi-true…), but please remember to put things into perspective. They will most likely update something and/or introduce a new product – possibly with Yonah, but let’s try not to get our hopes too high, because, in the end, this is Apple, whose style and image is that of a very liberal and open company, but whose management and business procedures and strategies are that of the staunchest conservative.
I would like Apple to release a version of MAC os x that runs on any i386 platform.
Keep dreaming, that’s never going to happen. Apple relies on hardware sales for a nice fat profit margin. Think of OSX as ‘loss leader’ aimed at attracting people to the MAc world and buying their other expensive shit.
First, Skype phones…
Them, Windows Live Messenger Phones…
maybe them, iChat Phones…
(maybe again a Google Talk Phone soon…)
How can them be really useful if they don’t work as a standard? I mean, how many years do we have standard telephones?! And you can still use a decade-old phone to make your calls… you can use them with any phone company… what about now? we’ll throw them away in 3-4 years? throw them away when changing the carrier? (like content you buy today in cell phones?!!
It’s depressing…
I’d like it if they’d release a “Newton 2006” large-form-factor PDA (or Tablet PC-like device running a customized OS X) with Inkwell handwriting recognition, Address Book/iCal synchronization (via bluetooth), 802.11g, and NO PHONE COMPONENT. Not that it’ll ever happen…
I will be excited to here what it is. And I don’t even use Apple products.
Love em or hate em, those folks are slick….
I voted about Apple Symbian-based iSmartphone. In fact I think its not gonna happen just now, but it’s nice to dream about 😉
A quantum microchip-based iPod that runs on Linux, does all thinking for you, and gives you a hug once in a while.
Honestly, who is voting for a *new* ipod shuffle?? KILL IT JOBS, KILL IT!!!
“Honestly, who is voting for a *new* ipod shuffle?? KILL IT JOBS, KILL IT!!!”
why? great for running. do you ever leave your chair?
1. No x86 at all this time around. The announcement was made that x86 would hit in June ’06. Unless Steve has a ton of software as a hidden card I really doubt that we will be seeing x86 hardware “prematurely”
2. “Numbers” seems more plausible. iWork has a page layout/word processor and a presentation app. If you factor in that Filemaker inc is wholly owned by apple, they also have a good, robust DBMS app. ALl they need now to have an office productivity pack (that is not horribly outdated like AppleWorks) is a good spreadsheet
3. iWeb could work…maybe integration with .Mac and blogging, but I am not holding my breath.
4. I doubt that Apple will go into the cell phone market. Nokia, SonyEricsson, LG, Motorola and Samsung rule the industry. It will be REALLY difficult to get onboard with providers to sell their phones. THe only thing that *might* work is if they make GSM/UMTS as a feature they just happened to add on, use it if you want. The problem is that it will have to be QUadband GSM and Triband UMTS in order to have only one SKU to sell globally (so they wont have warehousing issues)
5. Wireless BT headset – yeah – it could happen – but hardly anything groundbreaking and hardly anything to be center stage
6. iPod with WiFi and VoIP – again – big whoop 🙂 This is not gonna happen.
PERSONAL PREDICTION
Maybe not right now, but within the next year I think apple will introduce a more robust Front Row media center environment. Apple has long said that it wants to be the hub of our media lives. Certainly with the iPod, compatibility with PDAs and cellphones, and the iTMS for music and video they are certainly pretty well on their way – but – what about over the air broadcasts?
The FCC has said that they will pull the plug on analog TV broadcasts (NTSC) in February 2008 and we will just be left with ATSC. I think Japan and the UK (and maybe even other european nations) have pulled the switch already. I predict some sort of TV tuner that is capable of doing ATSC and DVB-T integrated with new macs and have front row interface with that.
Now of course we have Digital Cable in the US and DVB-H, DVB-C and DVB-S for other standards – maybe PCMCIA and PCI card will be developed to support those *additionally* for cable/satellite subscribers who wish to view/record on their mac.
“4. I doubt that Apple will go into the cell phone market. Nokia, SonyEricsson, LG, Motorola and Samsung rule the industry. It will be REALLY difficult to get onboard with providers to sell their phones.”
I hope they do it. They could do a private label for Sprint’s wireless service (like Disney is doing) with their own hardware. NO ONE has done mobile phones right yet. They all suck IMO. The interfaces suck, the phones are ugly. They don’t integrate with a PC well…. everytime i buy a new phone I have to reenter my contacts. You use Spint’s EDVO network and you can do some real cool stuff, like automatically sync contacts to an online contact manager. Automatically upload pics taken (from a 4 megapixel camera). Full itunes integration.
Another way to do it, they could also buy T-Mobile outright, but that would have a lot of baggage associated…
Jobs said that there would be Intel-powered hardware by June 2006, not in June 2006, which leaves the possibility open for new hardware to be revealed at the show.
My guesses/predictions, in order of probability:
1. iLife ’06, including iWeb – a blogging/web site creation program.
2. iWork ’06, including Numbers – a spreadsheet.
3. New iPod shuffle, a bit smaller than before and possibly with a tiny screen and/or different capacities.
4. Intel-powered Mac Mini, with Front Row and (maybe) a remote.
5. Intel-powered iBook, probably only single core.
6. Intel-powered Powerbook, dual core.
Not too sure about #5 – Apple may decide it’s worth taking the hit on Powerbooks and only introduce iBooks, until there are more universal binaries around.
I would seriously consider buying a Mac Mini when/if they are released next week. Assuming the price stays the same, it’s not too big a risk if I try switching (in part) but decide that Mac OS isn’t for me.
I agree with most of what you say. Apple has never come out with something earlier that when Steve said it would. So I also doubt there will be Intel machines at this event. I also agree that Apple will/should fill out the home media solution. My hope is that they offer greatly expanded movies on demand over the web combined with live feeds from cable and satellite shows such as CNN or Discovery. I also really thing that they should offer a DVD jukebox player of some sort. They have everyone making their own DVDs now. Many people have family DVDs and a large DVD movie collection. What we need is a way to catalog all of this and have a video play list that works like playlists in iTunes.
However, I do not agree that an iPod with WiFi VoIP would be a sarcastic “big whoop”. If they did it right (and were compatible with Skype) I think that it would be a big hit. It could also be integrated will with their other media offereings on the web (.Mac, iTunes, etc.). Such a device would be a really battery hog, but if Apple were to use one of the new fuel cells, it could be a great device! Sadly, I do agree with you that it probably will not happen (though for reasons that we may not be aware of).