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1/17/2009 11:23:10 PM

The apple store is down. Speculation is they're refreshing the iMac, Mac Pro and Mac Minis today. I've been wanting to pick up an Apple desktop for a while now. I'll probably grab a new Mac Mini today.

3/3/2009 7:09:19 AM

100+ GB iTouch plz

keep getting cheaper SSD memory!

3/3/2009 7:21:14 AM

Obligatory "what's an iTouch?" post.

3/3/2009 7:27:11 AM

i'd like to see them drop prices on laptops, to boost sales in the shitty economy and all that.

3/3/2009 7:43:50 AM

New stuff is up on the store. I just placed my order for a new Mini.

3/3/2009 8:51:12 AM

^thanks for the update...I was hoping the new iMac would have more than 1 firewire800 port.

and lolz at



unless I missed a wireless keyboard update...what the heck is that mouse plugged into?

[Edited on March 3, 2009 at 9:14 AM. Reason : .]

3/3/2009 9:10:50 AM

The Mini's look great. I'm using one a year old for my entertainment computer, and I would love to have 5 USB ports.

.... The Mac Pro is starting to look a bit dated. Was expecting some kind of redesign.

3/3/2009 9:25:31 AM

cool, some good features here
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/03/03/apples_new_airport_time_capsule_add_dual_band_networking.html

Quote :

"The new Guest Network feature allows you to set up a secondary network for friends and visitors with Internet-only access so you don't have to hand out your WiFi password. Meanwhile, the new combined 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz mode allows your AirPort base stations to simultaneously support iPhones and other 802.11b/g devices operating at 2.4 GHz, while also broadcasting 802.11n wide signals in the 5GHz band to maximize throughput for notebooks and devices such as Apple TV. Previous-generation AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule models can only run in one mode or the other, providing either wide compatibility or the highest possible network performance, but not both"

they need to drop the price, though..... can't get away with charging $500 for a router+1TB, since you can get a normal router + 1TB for <$150, or the Airport Extreme + 1TB for $280

3/3/2009 9:32:30 AM

Unless I missed it, you'd think they'd add eSATA. It's weird how behind the curve apple is with certain things.

3/3/2009 10:04:14 AM

yeah, and how ahead they are on other things - has any other manufacturer embraced DDR3 as quickly or completely as Apple?

3/3/2009 10:17:21 AM

Bring back the Fat iPod Nano, son! I was checking out those stick nanos at the apple store over the weekend and the video is just kinda weak because the screen is too fucking thin.

3/3/2009 10:34:38 AM

IIRC, the screen is the exact same size..... just turned sideways

3/3/2009 11:37:47 AM

Quote :

"unless I missed a wireless keyboard update...what the heck is that mouse plugged into? "

looks like you did miss a couple things.
1) that is not a wireless keyboard - you can see the wire going around the left side of the base of the iMac
2) they introduced a new wired keyboard, without the keypad, so it looks just like the wireless keyboard
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB869LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDA1Mg&mco=NDE4NjI4Mg&p=1


btw - here's something I'd like to see Apple do next - clean up the Apple Store URLs!

3/3/2009 12:11:29 PM

^ it is still a 2-inch screen, but it's flipped on its side. So when you just holding your ipod straight up and down, it has an elongated look to it. If you want to watch a movie the way you would on the "fat" nano, you have to turn the damn thing on its side (see below), making the controls harder to use (at least imo).

Granted it isn't like it's that much harder to use, but it is inconvenient none the less.

And I don't see why they had to make the change to begin with. As far as I can tell, it didn't accomplish anything EXCEPT make the controls harder to use so that it might have a sleeker look. But lord knows Apple would never sacrifice function for form, right? *cough* macbook air *cough*

3/3/2009 12:12:32 PM

I purchased a 24" 3.06 GHz iMac last June. Besides a slightly better video card and an extra USB port, would there be any reason to upgrade to a new iMac? The new model seems almost exactly the same as the old one.

[Edited on March 3, 2009 at 12:35 PM. Reason : a]

3/3/2009 12:34:45 PM

agreed, it would be stupid to replace your imac.

wow the new Mini is quite badass, well, kinda not. but still cool.f

[Edited on March 3, 2009 at 1:22 PM. Reason : fdf]

3/3/2009 1:20:00 PM

^^^ it looks more like a zune now.

3/3/2009 1:27:18 PM

you watch your tongue

3/3/2009 1:31:40 PM

Quote :

"looks like you did miss a couple things. 1) that is not a wireless keyboard - you can see the wire going around the left side of the base of the iMac 2) they introduced a new wired keyboard, without the keypad, so it looks just like the wireless keyboard"

oh, heh...i see that now in the pic. I guess I did miss that update. I currently have 1 wireless keyboard and 1 wired but with keypad keyboard. I thought i'd like the wired one better but I actually like the wireless one a lot better.

Quote :

"Also new to Time Capsule -- and oddly omitted from any of Apple's press-releases -- is that MobileMe subscribers using Mac OS X 10.5.x Leopard can now now access all of their files on their Time Capsule drive over the Internet. You need only to register their Time Capsule with your MobileMe account. The Time Capsule drive will then appear in the Finder sidebar of your Mac just like any other attached drive. "

this makes me want to buy a Time Capsule. Been needing a new drive anyway because my 1TB drive that I use for media + time machine only has 8gb free and thats because I have to keep deleting old back-ups to free up space for more media. This could free up my 1TB drive just for media.

[Edited on March 3, 2009 at 1:37 PM. Reason : .]

3/3/2009 1:33:24 PM

The Apple fanboys are getting restless.
I don't think there is anything in this post I disagree with

Quote :

"In my look at the various rumors, one thing I stated was that the price was out of line. I based this on the value of the machine, not the usual ramblings from pundits about the economy. In my view, the mini is overpriced and the upgrades — which only make the machine more modern after nearly a year of stagnation — wouldn’t be enough. Oh, and thanks Apple for pulling the remote from the package, I’d probably just lose it anyway. Unfortunately, there was no price change, and Apple did nothing beyond the updates to bridge the value gap. The base mini comes with 1GB of memory and a 120GB hard drive. That’s laughable. In a day when even the old, white plastic MacBook comes with 2GB, the base mini is still left stuck at one. Apple has all but admitted that 1GB isn’t enough and yet, there’s the mini, sitting there under-performing. A desktop, machine no less. It’s probably just as well, since the base mini only has a 120GB hard drive. Geez, Apple, mini or not this is a desktop machine, save the 120GB drives for your base laptop, but a desktop machine deserves more. Thanks for including FireWire, so I can fill up the drive in about 10 minutes. So, six hundred bucks gets me a 1GB machine that won’t hold much data. Six. Hundred. Dollars. Want a great keyboard or mouse? When you buy an iMac these are included (albeit now without a keypad), so moving to the wireless version of both is only $50. For the mini? Well, they’ll set you back $100, and that’s not even wireless; kick in another $30 for that. Apple, did it never occur to you that even though this is a BYODKM (bring your own display, keyboard, and mouse) system, you might have, you know, encouraged people to buy your keyboard and mouse? A hundred bucks? Are you drunk? The potential new Mac user sucked in by the supposed low price of the mini, perhaps even thinking Apple’s not so expensive after all, is going to get a shock. I’m not suggesting a wholesale lowering of prices, but rather simply selling a bundle dirt cheap for new mini buyers at the time of purchase. Finally, yes, you can get the 2GB of memory the machine deserves, and a decent hard drive (320GB), and it’ll only set you back another $200. Eight hundred bucks and you now have a desktop machine that’s at least in the ballpark. Of course, at that price the 2.0GHz processor seems a bit weak but, hey, only another $150 is needed to bump it up to 2.26GHz! Woo hoo! I have a decent machine now, and it’s only $950, though I still have to dig a keyboard and mouse out of the garage. Apple, barring a reduction in price on machines that do not compete at all, you should have at least tossed in some things to increase the value proposition. The cheap keyboard/mouse bundle as mentioned above, a remote, and maybe a copy of iWork, perhaps. Oh, and that second GB of memory. At $600 I might feel better about that baseline machine. As it is, it’s difficult to recommend the mini to anyone. I’d push the MacBook, but then maybe that’s what you wanted. It’s hard to think that Apple looks at the potential mini buyer with anything but a bit of disdain. How else would you describe taking a year to update a machine that wasn’t competitive, and replacing it with something even less so? I get the feeling mini sales are just brisk enough that Apple can’t kill the thing, though that would probably be their preference. It appears they’d sooner run Windows Vista on their corporate machines than make the mini a good value."

http://theappleblog.com/2009/03/03/apple-updates-the-mac-mini-more-modern-even-worse-value/

[Edited on March 3, 2009 at 4:03 PM. Reason : .]

3/3/2009 4:02:50 PM

So in theory, if I had good bandwidth for my upstream.... with this new mobileme feature. can you actually use your time capsule to perform scheduled back-ups anywhere you have an internet connection? Or is it just for retrieval purposes?

3/3/2009 4:03:06 PM

How about finally putting MMS and copy/paste on my $200 "cutting edge" phone?

3/3/2009 5:18:12 PM

^read the article about the 'success' of the iPhone in Japan...then you will retract your statement about it being 'cutting edge'

[Edited on March 3, 2009 at 5:20 PM. Reason : .]

3/3/2009 5:19:47 PM

Quote :

"^read the article about the 'success' of the iPhone in Japan...then you will retract your statement about it being 'cutting edge'"

I didn't say it was cutting edge, hence the quotes, hell it doesn't even have some of the basic features standard on phones that are given away for free. I was just pointing out that since that's how Apple tries to portray it they could at least put MMS and copy/paste on the thing.

3/3/2009 5:31:30 PM

^^ what article are you referring to?

I've read a few articles in the past couple days that documented that the hysteria caused in the media about how the iPhone is and will fail in Japan is bunk, and it's doing quite well and has high user approval ratings. A quote from one Japanese man, responding to the common western claim that Japanese phones are 5 year in advance of American phones, said something to the effect that the Japanese phones are chock full of features that are slow or don't work, whereas the iPhone doesn't have all the features, but at least they all work well and are fast.

(i'm not defending the lack of MMS - i think that's ridiculous. but just the apparent misconception about Japan and the iPhone)

[Edited on March 3, 2009 at 5:32 PM. Reason : .]

3/3/2009 5:31:37 PM

Quote :

"The Apple fanboys are getting restless. I don't think there is anything in this post I disagree with"

Ironic, because it's the same stuff that people have been bitching about with Apple forever.

For too much for far too little.

3/3/2009 6:57:48 PM

^it's the Apple cycle.

Every time they have become profitable, they slowly start creeping up their prices while stagnating on innovations. This is the problem with proprietary hardware companies with no ODM/OEM ties. I think they'll be fine, but this is going to be a really painful year for Mac sales.

3/3/2009 8:14:45 PM

Quote :

"I think they'll be fine, but this is going to be a really painful year for Mac sales"

maybe, but I still see them outperforming the PC industry in general. i.e. Mac sales may fall, but probably not at the 12% rate that PC sales might

http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2009/03/2009-to-be-a-nightmare-for-pc-industry-says-analyst.ars

Quote :

"Gartner believes that the PC industry will collectively ship 257 million systems in 2009, down 11.9 percent from 2008. That's the worst drop in the market's history; it dwarfs the previous record of a 3.2 percent industry contraction in 2001."

3/3/2009 8:51:03 PM

Quote :

"I think they'll be fine, but this is going to be a really painful year for Mac sales."

are you f'ing serious? wow.... what a dumbass obvious thing to say. we're in the worst recession since god knows when, perhaps the great depression and you predict... "its going to be a painful year for [insert company here] sales"

jesus christ.

[Edited on March 3, 2009 at 9:09 PM. Reason : hey do you have any more predictions??]

3/3/2009 9:09:10 PM

^hey retard, way to complete whiff on the intent. Feel free to listen to the intelligent conversation between agentlion and I, and feel as stupid as your attempt to call me out was.

^^we'll see, I have serious doubts about that.

Their sales dropped 6% YoY in January, which was worse than the big guns like Dell and HP. link

I think they'll be fine because of ridiculous iPhone/iPod sales growth, but their Mac products are going to take a bruising.

They've also had a 2% drop in market share link in the last month, while Windows has gained ground. Interesting note: the Win7 beta has snagged about .2% market share, which is a little funny when compared to the .88% linux garners (in the consumer space).

Dell has finally caught on. They are pushing GOOD mobile products, with great styling and build quality. And they have a competitive product to every Apple offering now, at significantly reduced pricing. HP is still a little behind the curve in terms of their presence, but their design and pricing has caught up as well.

I would be very surprised if Apple made it out of the fiscal year (June) better than 10% down from last year in Mac sales, while the PC OEM's will probably keep hovering at 5-6% down.

3/4/2009 1:50:39 AM

@Socks I sympathize with your comments regarding the fat nano screen. The horizontal orientation is better for watching videos, no doubt. However, the UI for the new Nano is MUCH better. Really well designed.

3/4/2009 3:23:22 AM

today was a good day.

3/7/2009 1:05:53 PM

those are pretty shitty servers. good luck with support

3/7/2009 8:21:32 PM

i really have no idea what you're talking about

we have tons of these and i've never had a problem with one

3/7/2009 8:42:46 PM

well, uhh... didn't see this one coming (although there have been some blogs, like Daring Fireball, talking about voice control in the past week)

http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/03/11/apple_unveils_redesigned_ipod_shuffle_with_speech_technology.html

It's "half the size of the previous iPod shuffle". thats good, because, you know.... i have been complaining about how bulky the old Shuffle was.

Are there 3rd part headphones/earbuds that include the on-wire controls?

3/11/2009 9:13:54 AM

Quote :

"thats good, because, you know.... i have been complaining about how bulky the old Shuffle was"

hahha.

3/11/2009 9:18:37 AM

any word on if/when the price of the iPod Classic will drop?

3/11/2009 9:24:11 AM

agent,

Quote :

"thats good, because, you know.... i have been complaining about how bulky the old Shuffle was. "

lol

Your comment and John Smith's @ Wired.com sum up my feeling.

Quote :

"This high design thing that Apple is on is getting a bit stupid."

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/03/tiny-new-ipod-s.html

3/11/2009 11:05:49 AM

They really need to just put a tiny, one line screen on that thing already.

3/11/2009 11:42:17 AM

why?

most people who have one use it just for working out, running, etc. and really have no need to look at a screen. If you want a screen, just get a nano.

3/11/2009 11:47:38 AM

Quote :

"those are pretty shitty servers. good luck with support"

agreed. We had 3 in our data center at my last job and we ended up selling them on eBay and just picking up another Blade from IBM.

3/11/2009 11:57:17 AM

Quote :

"why? most people who have one use it just for working out, running, etc. and really have no need to look at a screen. If you want a screen, just get a nano."

Because I misunderstood what the VoiceOver thing actually did

I thought it was going to read off tracks for you to pick through, rather than just playlists.

[Edited on March 11, 2009 at 11:58 AM. Reason : .]

3/11/2009 11:58:03 AM

There are a lot of rumors going around it seems that Apple might be coming out with a touch screen netbook. I personally have my doubts, but thinking about it, I wonder why the heck Apple wasn't the first to do netbooks. It seems to fit right with Steve Jobs vision going right back to when he first came back to Apple. I mean, giving people an easy way to get on the internet was what the iMac was all about.

I even found an interview in Wired from 1996 when Jobs was still at Next that seems to indicate he was already thinking about something along the lines of a netbook even back then.

Quote :

"Q: Is the desktop metaphor going to continue to dominate how we relate to computers, or is there some other metaphor you like better? To have a new metaphor, you really need new issues. The desktop metaphor was invented because one, you were a stand-alone device, and two, you had to manage your own storage. That's a very big thing in a desktop world. And that may go away. You may not have to manage your own storage. You may not store much before too long. I don't store anything anymore, really. I use a lot of e-mail and the Web, and with both of those I don't have to ever manage storage. As a matter of fact, my favorite way of reminding myself to do something is to send myself e-mail. That's my storage. The minute that I don't have to manage my own storage, and the minute I live primarily in a connected versus a stand-alone world, there are new options for metaphors. "

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.02/jobs_pr.html

Else where in the interview, Jobs hints that the Web might be used for word processing. What took them so long to reach this point?

[Edited on March 14, 2009 at 4:17 PM. Reason : ``]

3/14/2009 4:14:30 PM

^ I think because Apple tries (maybe doesn't always succeed, but tries) to not be the first one to do something, but the first one to do it right. Look at the iPhone, it wasn't the first smart phone, nor the first touch screen phone, nor the first with internet capabilities or really the first with any of its major features. But it was the first to put it all together into a package and a system that works. The touch screen on the iPhone really works well. The software works well, it's not miniaturized bastardized versions of desktop programs, they're new ideas and designs.

The same with using the internet for storage and word processing and such. Sure, everyone might have thought to do it in 96, but you had to get to a point where everyone* had an always on connection, with high speeds down, and up as well.

Time capsule is another great example. Apple isn't the first to have auto-backups, nor incremental backups, nor network storage. But the way that time machine and a time capsule work together is nearly seamless and invisible to the user after the initial setup. It's all about solving the last problem of getting people to want to use it in the first place.

3/14/2009 5:50:26 PM

I really wish the Ipod would be able to link up to itunes and the serial number be located to a certain IP

that way if it gets stolen, as mine was yesterday...itunes would automatically log the IP that it came from and be able to help recover stolen items.

granted i guess then they wouldnt be able to sell as many units due to theft.

but it would be nice and seemingly easy.

5/1/2009 3:25:59 PM

i know you said ipod but

http://www.apple.com/iphone/enterprise/integration.html

Quote :

"IT administrators can securely manage any iPhone that contains confidential company information using remote wipe and enforced security and password policies."

5/1/2009 3:39:05 PM

^huh? lol


although the iPhone with 3.0 and MobileMe has a similar capability where you can log into MobileMe and locate your lost or stolen phone via GPS. You can also (or so i'm told) initiate a full restore through MobileMe so whoever stole your phone won't get any of your data etc.

5/1/2009 3:39:58 PM

I'd like to see a laptop with 17" display for less than $2800. I'd just like to see less expensive laptops overall. It's always been a complaint of mine... I'm surprised it took microsoft so long to point this out as a marketing strategy.

5/3/2009 4:02:04 PM

Quote :

"that way if it gets stolen, as mine was yesterday...itunes would automatically log the IP that it came from and be able to help recover stolen items. granted i guess then they wouldnt be able to sell as many units due to theft. but it would be nice and seemingly easy."

if that happened, the interwebs would be up in arms about Big Brother logging all your activity and how Apple is really just trying to steal all your information.
and that's pretty cynical to claim Apple (or any other company that doesn't do something similar) is trying to "sell more units" because of theft.


^ One of the problems with the latest MS ads, many of which compare or complain about the Mac screen sizes, is that the laptops the "customers" end up with often have far worse quality screens or lower resolution than comparable MacBooks. In one of the ads, IIRC, they complain about the 13" MacBook, but then they end up getting an HP or Dell 15 or 16" that has lower resolution than the 13" Mac.

5/3/2009 4:25:49 PM