[Messiahtosh]

Apple's homepage teaser is, in my mind, a hint at the release of a Mac that combines all of Apple's accumulated knowledge on interface and industrial design. It will be the Apple's fastest, lightest, most full featured and beautiful notebook computer ever. And it will ship with OS X Leopard, immediately. It will be a culmination of everything Apple knows how to do and it will be representative of what Apple is all about. One product that truly defines Apple, as a computer maker, and not The iPod company. I believe that the 'true' video iPod's day is yet to come, and that this event will focus mostly on OS X, the iSuites, and this new Mac notebook.

A product that really delivers on all of Apple's know-how from the past 30 year's of experience would justify that homepage banner/teaser.

iTV? Steve already let most of that cat out of the bag, the thing just needs a name and a few added hardware components...it would not make sense of the homepage banner, neither would an iPod. Apple hasn't been building iPods for 30 years. A phone? No. A Phone would just extend Apple's reach and while it would probably be very cool and include a great UI and design, it would not justify the revolutionary theme that the Apple homepage currently evokes.

That's my opinion, anyhow.

$999 for everything Apple has ever been about.

Give that Mac to me now, Steve.

[Brave Ulysses]

hmmm.....

No.

[Fahrenheit]

Originally Posted by Brave Ulysses hmmm..... No.

Oh, but the 20th Anniversary Mac was such a success.

[psmith2.0]

I'm torn.

The sane, rational part of me just says "it's just Apple's way of saying Happy New Year...it's 2007! Stop reading too much into it..."

The goofier daydreamer in me thinks "maybe there was a reason they didn't really acknowledge their 30th anniversary last year...they were wanting to make it a full year and then lay something cool on us when we least expect it".

Sadly, the former argument seems to win the most. I just can't imagine that front page teaser being anything more than a general, overall greeting and rallying cry to the faithful (as opposed to actually meaning "new, specific product").

I don't know.

But it's only five or so short days away, so we'll all know soon enough.

[Messiahtosh]

Originally Posted by Brave Ulysses hmmm..... No.

Well, why not?

Would you argue that the MacBook is already such a product? I'm thinking super light, thin, maybe a Blu-Ray drive, a wildly nice display, huge capacity, handwriting capabilities, a built-in high quality camera, some kind of tie-in with the iTV, etc.

[psmith2.0]

There was that rumor a few weeks ago about a smaller MacBook Pro, but I'm not sure I ever bought into that much. The current MacBook - except for the graphics issue - trumps the 12" PowerBook in every other way, so I don't know what you could do to a 12-13" MacBook Pro to make it truly "pro" (FireWire 800, dedicated graphics, card slot, etc.?).

[Brave Ulysses]

You are getting your hopes up.

Change comes gradually. Especially with today's Apple. Look how long it has taken the iPod to become what it is. And in that time it is pretty much the exact same product except smaller and lighter.

Every mac should be an example of what Apple is about. And now is not the time to implement another niche product to celebrate some anniversary Apple barely even cares about themself other than when it presents a unique marketing oppurtunity/teaser.

[spotcatbug]

One thing to keep in mind is that the number 30 is divisble by both 2 and 15. Think about that.

[psmith2.0]

...which I take to mean "2.0GHz and a 15" display".

Holy crap, we've cracked it!

[Messiahtosh]

I guess I just don't think this expo is going to be as simple as:

1) Leopard review, release date given, price announced
2) iLife/iWork
3) iTV review, release date given, price/hardware announced
4) iPhone

[psmith2.0]

If they drag it out enough, all that can kill two hours.

Roz Ho alone will probably eat up 40 minutes, talking about stuff in Excel most people don't give two damns about.

They'll have to demo iLife and iWork 07. Skywalker Sound's new "FartKnocker v1.0" sound effects in iMovie will get some extra play.

Phil Schiller will show up and do his "bumbling, lovable schmo" schtick for 10-15 minutes.

Sting might come out and play his lute (or is it a lyre?) and sing something droning and unintelligible for 11-14 minutes, and kiss Steve's butt afterward (figuratively, of course).

Steve will talk to Bono or Paul McCartney via satellite. Probably the latter, because one of the announcements will be the Beatles being made available on iTunes. You heard it here first, folks

Add all the above to your list, Chris, and that's a two hour show, no problem.

[Messiahtosh]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 If they drag it out enough, all that can kill two hours. Roz Ho alone will probably eat up 40 minutes, talking about stuff in Excel most people don't give two damns about. They'll have to demo iLife and iWork 07. Skywalker Sounds new "FartKnocker v1.0" sound effects in iMovie will get some extra play. Phil Schiller will show up and do his "bumbling, lovable schmo" schtick for 10-15 minutes. Sting might come out and play his lute (or is it a lyre?) and sing something unintelligible and kiss Steve's butt (figuratively, of course). Steve will talk to Bono or Paul McCartney via satellite. Probably the latter, because one of the announcements will be the Beatles being made available on iTunes. you heard it here first, folks Add all the above to your list, Chris, and that's a two hour show, no problem.

[Brave Ulysses]

Originally Posted by Messiahtosh I guess I just don't think this expo is going to be as simple as: 1) Leopard review, release date given, price announced 2) iLife/iWork 3) iTV review, release date given, price/hardware announced 4) iPhone

HAHA

"as simple"?

1. Leopard is a long time in the making and will pretty much define whether Apple is successful for the next 3-4 years. This is Apple's answer to Vista. It should be the most significant upgrade to Mac OS X since 10.0. 10.0 set us up for 10.1/10.2/10.3/10.4. Leopard should be a rather large leap setting us up for 10.6/10.7/etc. This alone is more important than any other announcement. And the fact that Apple has publicly stated that they have not revealed its truly unique features yet should make you more than just a little intrigued and excited.
2. iLife/iWork is what seperates Apple apart from everyone else in the consumer segment. They provide an out of box software experience that can't be matched. Any improvements to these suites is important. And right now iWork is not a viable alternative to Office for a consumer... and it should be. Office is still a significant purchase that switchers have to tack on to the purchase of a Mac. It's inconvenient, expensive, and missed revenue for Apple.
3.) iTV? That's simple? We don't even know anything about it yet! We saw an early preview that simply showed enough to understand their intentions. This is big, and this is Apple planning for the future. If you want your example of Apple in the future just look at this product. Not an imaginary 30th anniversary mac.
4.) How many people do you know without a cell phone? How many without an iPod? You can't possibly think Apple's entry into the cell phone market is a boring simple announcement. It could means millions more marketshare for Apple. It's kind of a big deal.

[spikeh]

Originally Posted by Messiahtosh Apple's homepage teaser is, in my mind, a hint at the release of a Mac that combines all of Apple's accumulated knowledge on interface and industrial design. It will be the Apple's fastest, lightest, most full featured and beautiful notebook computer ever. And it will ship with OS X Leopard, immediately. It will be a culmination of everything Apple knows how to do and it will be representative of what Apple is all about. One product that truly defines Apple, as a computer maker, and not The iPod company. I believe that the 'true' video iPod's day is yet to come, and that this event will focus mostly on OS X, the iSuites, and this new Mac notebook. A product that really delivers on all of Apple's know-how from the past 30 year's of experience would justify that homepage banner/teaser. iTV? Steve already let most of that cat out of the bag, the thing just needs a name and a few added hardware components...it would not make sense of the homepage banner, neither would an iPod. Apple hasn't been building iPods for 30 years. A phone? No. A Phone would just extend Apple's reach and while it would probably be very cool and include a great UI and design, it would not justify the revolutionary theme that the Apple homepage currently evokes. That's my opinion, anyhow. $999 for everything Apple has ever been about. Give that Mac to me now, Steve.

This made me laugh so hard. I do hope you're joking.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Brave Ulysses And the fact that Apple has publicly stated that they have not revealed its truly unique features yet should make you more than just a little intrigued and excited.

Honestly, I see the "secrets" as little more than the "100 new features" that every iteration of Mac OS X has had. I'm not holding my breath for 10.5 to be an earth-shattering revolution in the Mac OS.

[Brave Ulysses]

Originally Posted by Brad Honestly, I see the "secrets" as little more than the "100 new features" that every iteration of Mac OS X has had. I'm not holding my breath for 10.5 to be an earth-shattering revolution in the Mac OS.

We'll find out. It certainly has been a dissapointing development cycle so far for this release. The pre-release builds leave a lot to be desired.

Optimism never killed anyone though

[zippy]

Originally Posted by Brave Ulysses HAHA "as simple"? 1. Leopard is a long time in the making and will pretty much define whether Apple is successful for the next 3-4 years. This is Apple's answer to Vista. It should be the most significant upgrade to Mac OS X since 10.0. 10.0 set us up for 10.1/10.2/10.3/10.4. Leopard should be a rather large leap setting us up for 10.6/10.7/etc. This alone is more important than any other announcement. And the fact that Apple has publicly stated that they have not revealed its truly unique features yet should make you more than just a little intrigued and excited. 2. iLife/iWork is what seperates Apple apart from everyone else in the consumer segment. They provide an out of box software experience that can't be matched. Any improvements to these suites is important. And right now iWork is not a viable alternative to Office for a consumer... and it should be. Office is still a significant purchase that switchers have to tack on to the purchase of a Mac. It's inconvenient, expensive, and missed revenue for Apple. 3.) iTV? That's simple? We don't even know anything about it yet! We saw an early preview that simply showed enough to understand their intentions. This is big, and this is Apple planning for the future. If you want your example of Apple in the future just look at this product. Not an imaginary 30th anniversary mac. 4.) How many people do you know without a cell phone? How many without an iPod? You can't possibly think Apple's entry into the cell phone market is a boring simple announcement. It could means millions more marketshare for Apple. It's kind of a big deal.

I though Tiger was Apple's answer to Vista????

[Buffalo]

I thought Vista was Microsoft's answer to Tiger.

[psmith2.0]

If anything, Vista is Microsoft's answer to Jaguar.



A day late and a dollar short. That's where I want to go today!

[Robo]

Oh, Paul.

Since everybody else seems to be doing it, here's my Wild and Baseless Dream Announcement:

The Apple Fuji.

Yup. A "third pillar," between the Mac and the iPod. It'd be Apple's version of the UMPC, but it would run an OS designed for the form factor, rather than some shoehorned version of Windows. It would be a small, media-centric tablet, and it would be designed, in part, for Japan - where game consoles and electronic dictionaries are more popular than traditional PCs.

I've even designed a logo for it. Apple's product logos are, of course, very subtle - for example, the "nano" in iPod nano is a narrower version of Myriad - and the Fuji logo would be no exception: the dots above the "j" and "i" would actually be "Japanese-style" brushstrokes; and together they would make a simple image of Mt. Fuji. (The brushstrokes themselves, when heavily magnified, could be used as the logo for the platform, similar to the oversized "X" for MacOS X.)

[Fahrenheit]

Hang on Roboman; isn't Fiji there as a response to Leapord?

[Messiahtosh]

honestly, i dont think i'm too far off.

Add in all that stuff that pscates (AppleNova Superhero) said in the tablet topic (http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=21661), and we have something...

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 It is hard to believe - and fun to think about - that the company that invented the handheld PDA type of thing seems to have no interest or role in that anymore. I look at these things out there and I can't help but think that they were just a decade or so ahead of their time. With the technology available now, with OS X being what it is, with things like Ink Well, AirPort, etc. being so tied to the system, with Apple's brilliance in design and ease-of-use, the existence of the Internet and .Mac, etc....they could release "Newton 2.0" and it would mop the floor with anything out there; especially if you're a Mac user. Part of me always assumes they'll come roaring back with some sort of offering in that area. I just expect it. Now, more than ever. Call it a tablet, call it a PDA. Whatever. But something that makes a Palm look like a Lite Brite or broken Etch-A-Sketch in comparison. The PDA/mini tablet "done right" (just like how no mp3 players or digital music apps seemed to exist before the iPod revolution). Just because "it's being done by others, and isn't that popular or done well" isn't a reason not too. Like the digital music thing above, if anything it's a reason to do it. It won't surprise me a bit if this comes to be. In fact, I'll be stunned if 2008 comes and goes and there isn't something like this from Apple. The Internet, digital music and photography, communication, chatting and e-mail, wireless hotspots, etc. aren't going away, or going to get any less popular or used. If anything, it's only becoming more standard and popular, with everyone. And in all sorts of places. It's wide open, IMO. When you frame all the above into the context of that teaser currently on their home page, it hangs together a bit. The first 30 years - Apple and everyone - was "only the beginning". Palm, Handspring, Newton and all this other stuff were mere "trials" or "rough sketches"... You say "tablet" or "handheld" and half the people here - and elsewhere - cringe and turn up their nose, roll their eyes or outright poo-poo the notion. I'm of the opinion that stuff was 5-10 years ago. Now, taking into account all the above, is when it all starts to make a bit more sense and has some true use. And being completely serious, who's the one company that has the ability - software, hardware, design, OS, marketing, etc. - to do it truly right? (hint: it sure as shit ain't Microsoft or Sony or anyone else like that...rhymes with "Snapple").

[ShadowOfGed]

Originally Posted by zippy I though Tiger was Apple's answer to Vista????

Tiger was originally slated to be their answer to Vista.

Then Microsoft slipped up (big surprise), and Vista ran even further behind schedule. So now, Leopard will be another answer to Vista. That's why WWDC 2006 posters included such snarky remarks as "Introducing Vista 2.0."

I hope the "unannounced" features are absolutely killer.

[zippy]

That was my point. Tiger beats Vista, and it's been out for over a year now. So Apple answered the challenge before the challenge even came. Leopard is just Apple OWNING Microsoft.

[tupacinla]

Do you think they will release video footage of the expo on the apple site for download like they did the last one?

[spikeh]

I'd expect the Stevenote to be downloadable, yep. They seem to have dropped live streaming altogether.

[Moogs]

Originally Posted by Messiahtosh And it will ship with OS X Leopard, immediately.

Bzzzzt. Wrong answer. Taking the totality of your pipe dream into account, this part is by far the least likely. But in general a 30th Anniversary Mac will most like be all about industrial design. It's not going to be remarkably more powerful or capable than any other Mac... especially since they all have dual cores now.

[Messiahtosh]

Originally Posted by Moogs Bzzzzt. Wrong answer. Taking the totality of your pipe dream into account, this part is by far the least likely. But in general a 30th Anniversary Mac will most like be all about industrial design. It's not going to be remarkably more powerful or capable than any other Mac... especially since they all have dual cores now.

BZZZT...fuck you.

Anyway, my point should be simple to understand: 30th Anniversary Mac = an all-around awesome Mac, which comprises great industrial design (probably a portable), a really fast chip, versatile functions (maybe tablet-esque), and an affordable 'every man' price.

[PKIDelirium]

Originally Posted by spikeh I'd expect the Stevenote to be downloadable, yep. They seem to have dropped live streaming altogether.

THANK GOD. That streaming was a pain in the ass.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by Messiahtosh BZZZT...fuck you. Anyway, my point should be simple to understand: 30th Anniversary Mac = an all-around awesome Mac, which comprises great industrial design (probably a portable), a really fast chip, versatile functions (maybe tablet-esque), and an affordable 'every man' price.

That sounds kinda...impossible.