6 things I'd do if I were in charge

T

tde632

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1) Marketing slogan - "If you like your iPod, you'll love your iMac" ... the irony, of course, that people don't just like their iPods... very directly making a case to the potential switchers

2) ITMS song buyback - its annoying that you buy a song to test an album, like it, buy another off the album and so on until you have about 4 and then decide to buy the whole album. At which point you realize you wasted 4 dollars. That $3.96 should be applied to the cost of the new album. A marginally good move from a business perspective because it would probably get people buying more albums.

3) Tivo-like capabilities - I don't think a "set top box" is the answer. I would expect more like an Airport Intense or something that streams to and from your TV to your computer (digital hub) and carves out a piece of your hard drive for the storage. Then lets you edit the shows and burn in iMovie. I am among the I suspect many people who want to use Apple's movie editing capabilties but have neither a camcorder or anything to shoot. My Tivo is great (except for that Tivo-to-go spurned Apple) and there are rumors of Apple buying them but I think that even at a cheap $400mm market cap, this is the kind of thing Apple could do on its own in an even better and more integrated manner than buying someone else's technology. My understanding is that the next generation of 802.11g will have fast enough throughput for HD.

4) Lines at Apple retail stores - those who have been to the Soho or Magnificent Mile store can relate... what better way to show off the portability and power of powerbooks than wheeling a couple out on carts when the line gets too long and setting up impromptu temporary cash registers?

5) Dot Mac for free - Maybe sell enhancements (larger storage space, etc.) The .mac email address is good advertising for Apple, the storage space just can't cost them that much to provide. Help keep the faithful happy.

6) Podcasting - Team up with more TV shows/concerts to get things on the Web immediately. When Anwar Robinson killed on What a Wonderful World (an Apple Macworld favorite) on American Idol last week, me and thousands of others would have gladly immediately gone to ITMS to plunk down our 99 cents to download it. Or Jaime Foxx's acceptance speech at the Oscars. Or the Presidential debates (oh, wait, they did do that... for free). Or Jay Leno's Johnny Carson rememberance monologue. Or Jack Johnson last Saturday on SNL. Or Steve Jobs at Macworld. You get the idea. I understand there are copyright issues to get through, but they made it happen with online music when no one thought they would. In addition to incremental revenue, I just think this would go a long way to further engrain the iPod at the center of pop culture.

Thanks for reading... your thoughts welcomed
 
Dot Mac for free is an interesting thought (reverting somewhere back to iTools).

I think there is some money to be made by using dot Mac more effectively. Firstly, let people have a free mac.com e-mail address when they register their copy of OS X. Even better, let every version of OS X have up to five e-mail addresses assigned to it (one per user). That encourages registering your software (useful, from a sales perspective), and doesn't give away MUCH for free.

You might also get a 50 MB iDisk, leaving you with just enough space to store that one file you need everywhere you go, without carrying anything.

Then, for a payment, you could get an iDisk of a more respectable size, .Mac sync, Virex, Backup, Webspace, etc, etc.


I also think Apple should allow us to use any WebDAV server for things like iPhoto album uploading (so that people who set up their OWN websites can easily upload what they want to it. Don't cripple iPhoto for the sake of more sales of .Mac)
 
Fully behind the "Apple getting more behind podcasting" idea. I'd take it even further, to get Apple to build more support for podcasting and audiobooks into iTunes and the iPod line (with labelled chapters, etc).

Other things that I'd do:
  • Newton 2 - kickass phone/pda/PMP
  • Better color choices for the iPod/iPod mini (esp. black)
  • 23" dual G5 iMac
  • Build a new online store for downloadable video content, accessible through iTunes
  • Two button Apple mouse with clickable scrollwheel (three buttons total)
  • Make the Chess on OS X playable over the internet. Maybe even make it
    multiplayer chess. Do the same with Bridge.
  • Bring Dungeon of Doom to OS X
  • Add a bookmarks bar to Safari

Kap
 
i think i don't just speak for myself when i say 'what's the point of me paying for .mac? what is the real benefit? i get emails at the moment. i don't get virus'. what's the idisk for?'
 
Lt Major Burns said:
i think i don't just speak for myself when i say 'what's the point of me paying for .mac? what is the real benefit? i get emails at the moment. i don't get virus'. what's the idisk for?'
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Yeah, .Mac always felt to me like Apple gouging it's best customers - they should be able to offer a much better service and/or a much better price than they currently do.

Kap
 
23" dual G5 iMac
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right. and the next Powermacs will also have solar panels built into them so they don't require an AC outlet. they will also operate at 5 times the current speed and with no fans, plus absolutely zero hard drive noise: all storage will be in RAM. they will come standard with 256 Gb RAM. It will of couse be EEC, Quad-Channel DDR3 (up to 1.06Gbps!) and utilise an Xserve cache backup battery technology to ensure data is not lost. (a "CMOS" battery can only do so much..)

That has more chance than a DP imac.
 
Ceroc Addict: Bookmarks bar already exists in safari - it was one of the main features on release.

before downloadable music content, apple needs to cater for people existing video libraries - quicktime sucks, when you consider how well organised your music and phot's are in itunes and iphoto etc - iLife needs the equivalent for video - iMovie is a bit of a moot point if you don't have a video camera, even less an HD video camera (£2500)

they will never do a two button mouse - it's an apple quirk. i do however believe a scroll ability is something it lacks distinctly - they could make it cool like the ipod scroll pad.

PDA won't be done, as the market for PDA's is getting smaller and smaller with smartphones encroaching on that space. plus, PDA's have always struggled to be useful outside of the high-end business/geek level. and steve jobs hates 'em, and it's his company, so he's got a point.

and as pengu said - a dual processor iMac? what's the point? please explain to me the point of a dual processor iMac, because i know other people want it - dp is only used by high-end pro-apps, in which point, you have a pro computer - PowerMac. iMac is very much home user - they don't even need G5, let alone dual-G5. it's just silly, and there needs to be a line drawn between the two. which is why powerbooks are failing - the iBooks are getting to good and too cheap. new, completely revolutionary, power books (NOT G5) need to be created. remember when the G3 powerbooks came out? the curves, the innovation - it was amazing at set the standard for years, and laptops, to come. the G4 powerbooks - revolutionary is their size - so thin! so smooth, and light! now however, wintel laptops are smaler, thinner, lighter, faster and better. something needs to be done.
 
Burnsy has the right idea. im not against a g5 imac (and with 1/3 CPU speed bandwidth and slower RAM it's by no means in the same class as a PM) but don't expect it all from the machine. it won't have dual CPUs. it won't have RAID. it won't have FireWire800 (although this could be good for HD Video cams if and when they support it, and/or external storage)it won't have dual-link DVI out, i don't even see a 23" screen soon. That would be a VERY big imac.
 
Lt Major Burns said:
Ceroc Addict: Bookmarks bar already exists in safari - it was one of the main features on release.
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Whoops. I meant to say "Bookmarks sidebar".

Lt Major Burns said:
before downloadable music content, apple needs to cater for people existing video libraries - quicktime sucks, when you consider how well organised your music and phot's are in itunes and iphoto etc - iLife needs the equivalent for video - iMovie is a bit of a moot point if you don't have a video camera, even less an HD video camera (£2500)
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Completely agree.

Lt Major Burns said:
they will never do a two button mouse
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Ironically, there have been reports on a few rumour sites that Apple is preparing to do just that. I'd happily donate a kidney if these rumours turned out to be true (plus, I hope the new mouse has a cool red glow, like The Mouse from MacMice :)).

LT Major Burns said:
and as pengu said - a dual processor iMac? what's the point? please explain to me the point of a dual processor iMac, because i know other people want it - dp is only used by high-end pro-apps, in which point, you have a pro computer - PowerMac.
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Only one real point - apparently you need a dual G5 to watch HD TV.

i.e. Change "23 inch dual G5 iMac" into "an iMac with the resolution and power to display HD TV".

Pengu said:
i don't even see a 23" screen soon. That would be a VERY big imac.
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They've already got a 30" cinema display. I don't see how a 23" iMac would be that difficult.



Kap
 
30" is massive, and actually is two 20" displays stuck together. really. thats why it needs two cables going in to the back of it.

i do see the appeal of an HDiMac, i sort of agree with you now - it would be a marketable thing. but it would need something massive stopping it from encroaching on PMac territory

and yes, rumours of a two button mouse do seem to be true... but if it is a two button mouse, then it's only at the standard of mice from 10 years ago - scrolling is something definatly needed. and more buttons too. expose on mouse buttons is just incredible. so fast, so fluid - a much faster way of working
 
Lt Major Burns said:
30" is massive, and actually is two 20" displays stuck together. really. thats why it needs two cables going in to the back of it.

i do see the appeal of an HDiMac, i sort of agree with you now - it would be a marketable thing. but it would need something massive stopping it from encroaching on PMac territory
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I think there are already enough factors keeping the PM ahead for professionals:
  • Bus speed, video card, etc. is superior
  • FW800
  • More expandible
  • Since the computer and screen are separate, it's easier to upgrade either
  • Can get the 30" display
but in any case, does it really matter if the high end iMac takes market share away from the lower end PMs? - all the money's going to Apple either way.

Lt Major Burns said:
and yes, rumours of a two button mouse do seem to be true... but if it is a two button mouse, then it's only at the standard of mice from 10 years ago - scrolling is something definatly needed. and more buttons too. expose on mouse buttons is just incredible. so fast, so fluid - a much faster way of working
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Agreed - I think Apple should produce something way better than just a standard two button mouse, if they are indeed going this way (fingers crossed).

Some things I'd like to see:
  • A cross strip for scrolling, instead of a scrollwheel. Like the new scrollpad technology in Powerbooks, which can scroll vertically or horizontally. Maybe located in the thumb area.
  • Very nice tactile buttons, like the Play button on the iPod shuffle
  • Something to make it beautiful - e.g. A red or blue glow from under the mouse (The Mouse from MacMice does this and it's absolutely mesmerizing :) )
  • A retractible USB cord? When connected to the USB port, it recharges the mouse's battery and allows you to use the mouse even if you don't have BT.
Kap
 
The Things I would do.

1. Buy Tivo and integrate with a Mac.
2. QuickTime Movie Store (if the MPAA agrees)
3. Much better inventory management and sales forecasting
4. Much better advertising the Mac and OS X capabilities, especially the xServe products.
5. Strengthen the sync capabilities of iSync (buy off the Missing Sync software developers)
6. Two button plus scroll wheel mouse with every Mac.
 
but as Ceroc Addict already stated:
they really SHOULD bring Dungeon of Doom to OSX (and have the courage to keep it monochrome). the only problem would be to keep up with demand producing all those CDs for the stores. And all the switchers such a move would create would make it hard for apple to build enough computers.
 
.mac for free sounds like a good idea, maybe a free account but with small space and if you want more space then pay for it.

But completely free, that's a stretch. You at least have to have some money rolling in to pay for the actual hardware, bandwidth and money for salaries to pay men/women to run it. sysadmins. office people, etc.

Cost you about 1 million dollars a year or more to run a facility like that. Not exactly pocket change. That's not alot of money for apple but still it's not something they can write off and no one likes throwing money away.
 
1. Give myself a raise
2. Hire all the lads/ladies at macosx.com
3. Give above big salary and stock options
4. Buy out Manchester United
5. Sell Manchester Utd. to Manchester City F.C. for €1
6. Launch "Dell is crap" ad campaign with Ellen Feiss as central character.
 
lilbandit said:
1. Give myself a raise
2. Hire all the lads/ladies at macosx.com
3. Give above big salary and stock options
4. Buy out Manchester United
5. Sell Manchester Utd. to Manchester City F.C. for €1
6. Launch "Dell is crap" ad campaign with Ellen Feiss as central character.
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Brilliant!
might I, as future employee, come with a few sugestions?

7. Do a Broadway musical called "Stupid is what stupid does" about Bill Gates life.
8. Become the number one computer brand in the third world by, at a loss, cutting all the prices and striking deals with their goverments about total endorsment in the future for the trouble.
 
It's all good but first you'll need to hire a staff to assist you. How about a team of around 50? You decide on wages and things. In fact I'll just give you one of those stamps that authorise cheques. I like the whole third world thing so lets go with that. First world markets are too competitive anyway. I think that Apple also needs to complicate things. More models, more options, more colours, different names for the same products, that kind of thing. Maybe we could head hunt some Microsoft executives to help us gouge customers for more cash?
 
The first thing I would do is create a new section of Apple dedicated to creating new games and porting PC games to the Mac. If enough money was offered then there could be an OS X version of Counter Strike which would be enough to bring more people to the Mac. The lack of Counter Strike/Half-Life is the only reason my PC friends don't own a Mac. They are so envious of my computer.
 
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