What's left for WWDC?

texanpenguin

texanpenguin

Registered Penguin
With these two new announcements out of the blue so close to WWDC (when people are expecting announcements of 3GHz G5s, iMac G5s, a new line of displays etc, etc), does it strike anyone ELSE as odd that Apple would opt not to wait until the big show to unleash things like the Airport Express or 2.5GHz G5s?

To me, these mean one of the following:

- WWDC will suck from a product line p.o.v.

or

- WWDC will see something BIG coming. VERY big.


I'm going to go with number 2, and my predictions are as follows:

- With the new Airport Express newly unleashed, I see a focus on Wireless, at least in part, consisting of:

-- Airport Extreme cards standard in all iMacs, an option on sale for PowerMacs. Standard in all notebooks.

-- A new iPod, 60GB with a colour screen, wireless, an inbuilt microphone (similar to that in the PowerBooks) and perhaps a slightly different button layout (gotta be distinguishable if you're spending tonnes on it). Basically an iPod that noone can resist. This comes as (in Australia) Pepsi is giving away an iPod an hour and Streets Ice Creams (or perhaps it's Cadbury's or Peter's) is giving away an iPod a day; that's a huge quantity of iPods getting cleared out of stock...

-- Some form of wireless remote device (either 802.1x based or Bluetooth based) to control your wireless enabled device (such as for presentations). Could also be a new feature in the wireless iPod (VERY simple control functions) similar to Salling Clicker.


- With the new Powermac G5 range bumped up to 2.5GHz, I see Steve announcing a 3GHz G5 for late-2004 shipping; the 2.5Ghz models are to ship quickly, to tide anyone in a mad rush over until the 3GHz model.


- Of course there's going to be Tiger, which I foresee to be not really worth the upgrade (for once), but I'm sincerely hoping to be proven wrong.



Agree/Disagree?

Discuss.
 
Agree (for the most part. Probably announce new iPod, but of different functionality).
I also feel he'll announce new iMacs.
 
Let's just hope that they are saying this to spur people to buy before making the real announcement. However, I feel this is accurate.
However, I still feel they may pull a fast one on us regarding the G5 powerbook. Using a scaled down G5 90nm processor running at 1.6Ghz seems to be viable to me...
 
No 3.0GHz, no G5 iMac, no G5 PowerBook. Straight from Apple's mouth:

http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/06/09/HNnewg5s_1.html

They also admitted that the 90nm process was tougher than anyone had planned, and that contributes to the lack of 3.0GHz chips.

diablojota: If you've seen the heatsink for a G5 processor, even one running at 1.6GHz, you'd know that if they crammed that into a PowerBook we'd all be carrying around briefcase-sized PowerBooks. It ain't gonna happen. :(
 
"Certainly not before the end of the year" on PBs. That does mean it could be out by then, or announced and released early in '05, say February.
 
I agree, I was referring to the WWDC announcements. I'm voting "definitely not" for a G5 PowerBook @ WWDC.

I think we'll hear an announcement of some sort around this time next year. I doubt we'll hear anything about a G5 PowerBook by the end of this year.
 
Maybe they're dropping this stuff because they think Tiger, and whatever other software offerings, are going to be really spectacular...
 
There will be NO big thing announced at WWDC.

The recent announcements were done prior to WWDC because they're just not that impressive.

I think Tiger will be the priority and I'm actually more excited about that than any more product announcements. The OS changes how I work. The box just makes it happen faster (which is also very good).
 
Zammy-Sam said:
but headless please! And also less than 1000Euro :D
Click to expand...


I don't EVER see the iMac going headless - it defeats the purpose. The iMac is supposed to make the computer into an appliance - something in your house that serves a purpose. Your Toaster toasts, your fridge refridgerates, your microwaves waves at you a little, your iMac connects you to the internet. People who buy iMacs are the people who don't want to have to think about the whole cable situation. I work at a PC-repair shop, and I get called out on location ALL the time by people who want me to plug their computers IN. It's not that it's difficult, it's just complex to these people. The iMac is power, keyboard, phoneline. Speakers perhaps. You look at the back of an iMac as an old person, and you're not thinking anything complex. You're seeing holes with neat labels.

Look at the back of a tower. The PC I'm working on right now has the following ports on the back:

- Power
- Male Power jack for monitor
- ATX Keyboard port
- PS/2 Mouse port
- 2x USB
- Serial port
- Parallel port
- Display port 1 (onboard)
- Joystick port
- Speaker port
- Line in port
- Microphone port
- VGA Port 2 (AGP Video Card)
- S-Video Out
- Composite Video out
- Phone line in
- Phone line out
- 4-pin Firewire port
- 2x 6-pin Firewire ports
- Ethernet port
- 2x USB.


Tell me that wouldn't bewilder you if you didn't know what you were doing.



If ANYTHING is to be headless, it'd be the eMac, and Apple could sell the current 17" Apple Studio Displays cheaper for education when the new G5-displays are released.
 
ElDiabloConCaca said:
No 3.0GHz, no G5 iMac, no G5 PowerBook. Straight from Apple's mouth:

http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/06/09/HNnewg5s_1.html

They also admitted that the 90nm process was tougher than anyone had planned, and that contributes to the lack of 3.0GHz chips.
Click to expand...

They only "admit" such things when they want to surprise us later. It's just a marketing trick, to shock everyone when they do release the 3 GHz G5 in late August.
I don't see how the 90 nm process could've been so difficult, when they already started manufacturing those several months ago
 
ksv said:
They only "admit" such things when they want to surprise us later. It's just a marketing trick, to shock everyone when they do release the 3 GHz G5 in late August.
I don't see how the 90 nm process could've been so difficult, when they already started manufacturing those several months ago
Click to expand...

They started processing them several months ago, but with a below 15% yield because of cracking, etc. These are not easy chips to make as Intel, AMD, and IBM found out.
It has been in the recent past month and a half that yields were reaching 80% which is horrible, considering yields for the 130nm processors were stable at around 95%.
 
Zammy-Sam said:
why Athlon64 when you have a great G5? ;)
Click to expand...

easy. PC users are emulating the MacOSX look as is, but still have to deal with the virii and trojans and security issues (oh my) that come with windows. Just imagine if they were to pop out a version of the OS that promises them freedom from all of that?

upgrade path... G5. but I know... wishful thinking, the whole PC market is too segmented in not only users, but parts and chipsets, yadda, yadda, yadda... but just saying something out of the ordinary. sorta.

headless macs with G4's would be nice. SFF, et al... finally I could invest into getting my mother a new mac. she already has everything else, including a new LCD monitor.
 
Zammy-Sam said:
why Athlon64 when you have a great G5? ;)
Click to expand...


Some people can't afford a G5/Apple. Unfortunatley most people want OS X on other platforms, theres not a IT person i know that doesn't or wouldn't seriously consider OS X for entire enterprise rollouts/solutions, they may come in droves.

The current problem IT profesionals see as bright as the sun. It corners them only to Apple only, imagine how many company's may go bust? and then apple will turn into M$.

If you really look at it, it's accually not a bad idea. But the real question is, "how could you make a considerable difference in reason for a customer to buy apple hardware?". There already is: Quality, service, attractiveness, and the community but what else. Software? Proprietry graphics algorythms?, High end film editing software.

I think it would be amazing if OS X was released for AMD 64 or the like. But i dont feel it happening at WWDC 2004, even though its never been a better time than now, with the longhorn and its current standing etc.
 
Lets wait for the iMac G5. That should be cheaper and a better alternative to the Athlon64s.. I wish it could be WWDC 04...
 
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