How does everyone feel about the Macless Macworld?

rubaiyat

rubaiyat

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Whilst I liked the new iPhone and to a lesser extent the AppleTV, neither will do anything for me for at least a year.

I'm left feeling very frustrated by the lack of any Mac announcements at this Macworld.

My son has $3000 burning in his pocket that he earned over the last year. He is just starting High School and desperately wants to buy a computer. So far he has followed my advice and is aiming for an iMac 24" but with the lack of news both he and I are left in limbo.

If he buys now he faces a hefty upgrade bill when Leopard comes out and iWorks '07 eventually appears. The iMacs are also overdue for an upgrade as well, so a purchase would be bad timing all round.

Don't know how long I can hold my son off and given the uncertainty it may not be a Mac.
 
I think the wise thing to do is to wait until Macworld is over. Nevertheless, if it is important you get a Mac there is no harm in buying now, and setting aside $200 for the iWork and Leopard upgrade. New models of computers get released all the time on the PC side, and there is much less ruckus about it. I don't see why there should be so much fuss about Apple potentially upgrading their line of machines.

There is no point in waiting for new hardware. Otherwise you will constantly be waiting and never purchase anything.
 
I feel for you, it is a bad position to be in. I've heard some experts talking about this on various podcasts/blogs and some have suggested Jobs didn't mention leopard/Mac hardware because it would have gotten lost amongst all the iPhone excitement. If leopard is going to be the Vista killer Apple is hoping, they would want to give it the attention it deserves. I think this theory makes a lot of sense, but it doesn't really help you in your current situation :(

My instinct tells me they will have the "real" keynote in February, once iPhone buzz has died down a little. But my instinct is very often wrong.

I agree with Viro though, there is always going to be a bigger, faster computer around the corner, and you could circle the block forever.

btw, you would have to pay for iWork anyway. that isn't free with new Macs, only iLife.
 
Wow! I wish I had 3 grand burning a whole in my pocket when I was 13...

How about instilling at an early age the value of compounding interest and savings, thereby helping to insure a lifetime of fancy Macs?

I would recommend the Apple refurb page and a 20" Core 2 Duo for a little over a grand, then save the rest. Chasing the latest and greatest is the surest way to churn through the cash.
 
I believe when 10.5 comes out this spring Apple will put new Intel processors in all it's Macs. This is only a guess.
 
Thank The Cheese said:
I've heard some experts talking about this on various podcasts/blogs and some have suggested Jobs didn't mention leopard/Mac hardware because it would have gotten lost amongst all the iPhone excitement.
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I think it has more to do with their announced name change than anything else. Going from Apple Computer, Inc. to just Apple, Inc. Let the non-computer products reinforce the decision to do this.
 
mdnky said:
I think it has more to do with their announced name change than anything else. Going from Apple Computer, Inc. to just Apple, Inc. Let the non-computer products reinforce the decision to do this.
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I think it's sad that they changed the name from Apple Computer Inc. to just Apple Inc., since, if they would have done it properly, would have done it in 2001 with the announcement of the iPod. I mean, everybody knows it like that, and that has been the name since, the very beginning. But ok, time changes.

And I mean you gotta realize! A few years ago they had the G3 iBooks, the great new G4 iMac Flat screen, the iPod came out, you know, and now they sell mobiles, set-top-boxes and that stuff. Apple is turning more and more over to something what Sony is now. Not a computer manufacturer, but a Electronics Manufacturer. Soon they'll start with photo cameras like they tried some years ago, then they'll maybe go back to printers like the LaserWriters and everything. Many years ago they tried to get away from only computers, but it failed miserably. Then they went back to making exclusively computers, now they're giving it a shot again. Will it work? At the latest at the next MacWorld 2008 we will see...

But you also gotta have faith in Apple - I like 99 % of all their products were bestsellers (think iPod, iBook). I mean they know what they're doing.
You just gotta wait...
 
Ferdinand said:
I think it's sad that they changed the name from Apple Computer Inc. to just Apple Inc., since, if they would have done it properly, would have done it in 2001 with the announcement of the iPod. I mean, everybody knows it like that, and that has been the name since, the very beginning. But ok, time changes.

And I mean you gotta realize! A few years ago they had the G3 iBooks, the great new G4 iMac Flat screen, the iPod came out, you know, and now they sell mobiles, set-top-boxes and that stuff. Apple is turning more and more over to something what Sony is now. Not a computer manufacturer, but a Electronics Manufacturer. Soon they'll start with photo cameras like they tried some years ago, then they'll maybe go back to printers like the LaserWriters and everything. Many years ago they tried to get away from only computers, but it failed miserably. Then they went back to making exclusively computers, now they're giving it a shot again. Will it work? At the latest at the next MacWorld 2008 we will see...

But you also gotta have faith in Apple - I like 99 % of all their products were bestsellers (think iPod, iBook). I mean they know what they're doing.
You just gotta wait...
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I agree with you completely. Slowly i come across over all these none computer products apple released that never worked and now they are doing it all again (with jobs) and everything they released looks so great.

I have a tiny feeling (thats slowly growing) in the bottom of my stomach that tells me June is going to be a huge month for apple. To me it just feels like the last year or so apple have been building up to a climax of some sort. I bet my money that the whole mac computer line up will be significantly re-designed (appearance and hardware), iPhone will be out with a few surprises, Leopard will be amazing, more amazing than anything we have seen so far and it will change the way we use a computer.

June is the perfect time for apple to do something really amazing with their computers (although they are already pretty amazing compared to the competition). They will have a huge spot light on them from the iPhone release and i know that they know that if they pull off something that changed phones and computers forever one after the other, they will be sitting pretty.

Its an opportunity I cant see jobs missing to be honest.
 
The fact that Apple did not release new Macs and Mac software at the keynote does not mean there aren't announcements very near. We all know Leopard should come out in "Spring '07", so that's probably _not_ going to be the first week of February, and no it _doesn't_ depend on when the first flowers bloom. ;)

Whether or not the _iMac_ is getting a quick update in the near future: Who knows. But I'd mainly think about the software here - and from what you write, it seems like you already do. Personally, I _would_ wait for Leopard and iLife and iWork versions to appear now.

The important thing to discern here is: Is it, right now, a definite *need* for a new computer or rather a *wish*. If it's more on the wish-side, the wait will be worth it.
 
My son is definitely going to do the right thing. He worked very hard for over a year and has invested his money so it is getting him a good return.

But despite all that maturity he is still just a kid and he had his heart set on getting the iMac by Easter at the latest. Now he just doesn't know where he stands. His school has gone back to Macs after fooling around with Dells for 3 years, so there maybe some possibility of getting a special deal along with the school, when he starts in February.

That "cheap" Leopard and iWorks is not cheap when you are paying hundreds of dollars just because the release date slips and you may have to pay for upgrades.

Apple I feel is sitting on its laurels again when it really can't afford to. People aren't necessarily going to reject Vista out of hand. In fact they probably will grumble a bit then get to like it, because they have no choice. Leopard was supposed to beat Vista out of the gate but is still not even visible.

The iMacs and Mac mini really are due for upgrades as well, particularly with better graphics and room for extra ports and drives in the 24" model. We planned on this being the time we could make definite plans, instead we just feel let down.

I know this feeling very well having been with the Mac for 23 years now!
 
Well: Leopard ain't finished. You don't want an unfinished beta version on your machine, really, when it's new. They've announced that it'd ship in Spring '07 some time ago. "Leopard was supposed to beat Vista out of the gate"...? Nope. Steve addressed the developers and called it "Vista 2.0". Nothing about beating release dates. I'm sorry, but you feel let down not by Apple, but by heightened expectations that come from _some_ source maybe - but not Apple.
That said, I _did_ expect them to release iWork and iLife '07 at MWSF.
 
I'm not going by Apple's recent statements. Leopard's release date has slipped steadily in the last couple of years. Apple covered this by going on the offensive re Vista's delays.

No I wouldn't enjoy a buggy Leopard, anymore than I enjoyed the bugs that were in Panther and those that remain in Tiger after 8 revisions.

Shall we refer back to this conversation after Leopard is finally released and we get something like the Firewire bug in Panther?

I hope not, but suspect something will still show up. It generally does and the delays don't prevent them, just delay the inevitable.

btw The use of seasons to indicate time is very sloppy. The whole world does not share the same seasons, nor season starts, and having to presume the frame of reference is an American one is to diminish the value of everyone else's perspectives.
 
apple only ever said that leopard would be released 'to compete with vista'. that's what they said when they first even mentioned it. vista's being released Feb 07 (well, jan 30th), Leopard, around march/april time. rleasing it the same time would be a bit silly. never market or release something at the same time as a direct competitor. everybody loses in the confusion.
 
Apple drifted from a regular annual update of OSX (which Steve used to deride Microsoft) to saying Leopard might take 18 months to release, to now taking over 2 years.

If Apple's effort is as superior to Vista as claimed I would think a well timed near same time release of Leopard would steal Vista's show.

Personally I am still waiting on an OS to match the Classic's smooth fast and consistent GUI and the elimination of the bugs and gotchas that still riddle OSX.
 
i think the analogy i heard was that the first releases of OSX were 'picking the low-hanging fruit'. as the areas needed for upgrade get less obvious, and changes become more fundamental as the 'fully modern OS' gets older, the scale of the updates increases. Panther -> Tiger was 18 months, and a lot of the underlying core of the OS changed, without the top layer looking much different. i also to remember people objecting to forking out $120 every 12 months for a point release.

i think if Leopard turns out to be the Vista killer they want it to be, the wait will be worth it. also, i think Tiger was released too soon, but apple prefer to ship than wait. i think you may be a very small minority of people displeased with the release schedule.

Apple should wait to see people deflated reaction to Vista, before sailing in and stealing all disappointed soon-to-be-ex microsoft customers in the hangover.
 
You're never stuck; just get a computer you can easily upgrade like a G5 Tower.

I'm also, personally, getting very annoyed with upgrade fever that seems to permeate the apple realm. Though it is getting better since OS X updates are coming out every year and a half now instead of every six months. Wait till all the diehard razor's edge mac fanatics suffer though the bugs and THEN buy Leopard, maybe 6 months later, after the update/fix comes out.

This will sound old fashioned, but why not actually be satisfied for a few years with a machine that you've bought?! Obsolesence happens daily but it's like trying to 'Keep Up With the Joneses'--it's just not worth it. Unless you're chewing through hi res video files or running ten in-line plug-ins in Cakewalk while recording live, you're not going to see a huge speed increase over 12 months.
 
rubaiyat said:
Apple drifted from a regular annual update of OSX (which Steve used to deride Microsoft) to saying Leopard might take 18 months to release, to now taking over 2 years.
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It's not 2 years just yet. IIRC, Tiger was released in late April '05. When Apple first previewed Leopard at WWDC, they said it would be released in "early" 2007 (were they as specific as "Q1 2007"?).

There was a lot of "reasonable" assumptions that it would be released in late '06, but I think it was all just speculation based on their previous release frequency.

That said, I am seriously bummed that there was no word at all on Leopard at Macworld. I wasn't expecting it to be released, but the thought that we wouldn't have any new info at all honestly hadn't even crossed my mind. No release date, no expanded preview...nothing. I'm a month or two away from raiding Cupertino with pithfork and torch in hand. ;)
 
I am going on the anticipated schedule. It will be over 2 years by the time we see it.

As for picking the low hanging fruit, seems to me they can't quite figure out whether that fruit is a pear, peach or grapefruit. Definitely not Apple as I knew it.

I saw a fairly measured and level headed assessment of Vista on a recent site, where the writer said whilst Vista may not have quite the flash of OSX at least it has a more consistent look. None of OSX's various flavors of Aqua, brushed metal and other oddments.

Aesthetics aside I'd like Apple to take a long hard look at polishing the functional details in OSX. Productivity is where a truely great OS wins out. Even when Classic Mac OS lacked stability it shone in transparency, consistency and speed.

I'm tired of pointing out on Apple's feedback site, the inconsistencies, failed GUI and bugs that never get eliminated.
 
rubaiyat said:
I saw a fairly measured and level headed assessment of Vista on a recent site, where the writer said whilst Vista may not have quite the flash of OSX at least it has a more consistent look. None of OSX's various flavors of Aqua, brushed metal and other oddments.
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Woah - what? Have you used Windows lately? Sure, the system may look good, but practically every application has it's own appearance and UI. In OS X, you get the same general feel for every application.

That aside, I think that they're just building pressure for the release - showing half-baked features in Leopard would just make everyone want it sooner, or turn people off about it. By keeping it secret (as Apple is so good at), they make it's release more dramatic and - ultimately - profitable.
 
As has slowly occured with graphic design software (see InDesign vs. Quark) the incumbent platform can be ursurped by the upstart/underdog very quickly if it makes a serious misstep.

Unfortunately, Apple's shooting itself in the foot in the service department (I see great comments all the time on this site that we are quicker and better than Apple's Customer Support!) and so it 5% share of the pc market could be much bigger by now.
 
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