mum
Aug 7, 06:05 AM
Introducing Vista 2.0
No offense to Apple, but seriously. Is that the wittiest tag-line they can come up with for WWDC 2006? Gernot Poetsch shows that Apple has a lost its creative touch in his photoblog. To this, I just say, eh.
Heh, not only is that tag-line funny, but it's funny 'cause it's true. "Hasta la vista, vista"? That's great too. Paul's obviously irritated by it, and also annoyed by the fact that Apple marketshare is in fact growing, despite his disbelief in its ability ever to do so.
No offense to Apple, but seriously. Is that the wittiest tag-line they can come up with for WWDC 2006? Gernot Poetsch shows that Apple has a lost its creative touch in his photoblog. To this, I just say, eh.
Heh, not only is that tag-line funny, but it's funny 'cause it's true. "Hasta la vista, vista"? That's great too. Paul's obviously irritated by it, and also annoyed by the fact that Apple marketshare is in fact growing, despite his disbelief in its ability ever to do so.
kiljoy616
Jun 22, 04:34 PM
Has anyone else here used touchscreen computers? They're a pain! Verging on useless. When I had one I thought it was fun for a few minutes, then I went back to keyboard and mouse.
I hope this isn't the start of OSX being replaced by iOS. I like my compatibility and "free" OS (not being limited to a store, being able to do things without voiding the warranty, etc).
desktop are a pain with this, but laptops can have some functional reasons, could mean widgets on OSX will be going away and ipad iphone apps will come into play. I can only dream :(
I hope this isn't the start of OSX being replaced by iOS. I like my compatibility and "free" OS (not being limited to a store, being able to do things without voiding the warranty, etc).
desktop are a pain with this, but laptops can have some functional reasons, could mean widgets on OSX will be going away and ipad iphone apps will come into play. I can only dream :(
-aggie-
Sep 14, 09:21 AM
Consumer Reports says "we still think the same thing" for the third time and that's first page news? Sounds more like they're fishing for free publicity.
Anyway, when a reviewing organization "doesn't recommend" what I consider the best phone I've ever owned, it sounds more like I shouldn't bother paying attention to that reviewing organization. Their taste just isn't relevant to mine.
This is exactly what I thought when I read the OP. They stated they couldn't recommend the iPhone 4, even if it had bumpers, and now without bumpers they can't recommend it, because it won't have bumpers.
Anyway, when a reviewing organization "doesn't recommend" what I consider the best phone I've ever owned, it sounds more like I shouldn't bother paying attention to that reviewing organization. Their taste just isn't relevant to mine.
This is exactly what I thought when I read the OP. They stated they couldn't recommend the iPhone 4, even if it had bumpers, and now without bumpers they can't recommend it, because it won't have bumpers.
ahuman7341
Jul 19, 04:29 PM
Most critical applications to be out in september? wouldnt adobe fall into this category???
I was thinking the same things and didn't adobe say that their stuff would be out in md 2007?
I was thinking the same things and didn't adobe say that their stuff would be out in md 2007?
(marc)
Mar 18, 08:09 AM
How very humanitarian (and dramatic) of you.
Can you please provide a chart of how many "slaughtered" we are required to acknowledge before we take military action? I would like to know what the threshold is.
...Because I have a hard time believing this is the only aggressive dictator in existence at this moment. If I have to choose between Libyans being slaughtered/not slaughtered, I want you to choose which atrocities in the world to respond to, and which to ignore. Be prepared to to explain why you did not depose Dictator "X" who was violating human rights as opposed to Libya's Dictator "Y." Or, in the odd chance you would choose to involve the USA in every single non-democratic nation with an unloved and power-hungry misanthropic leader, you may demonstrate how such a widespread show of American force might affect world opinions of our foreign policy, particularly in regions of the world where we may already be viewed as imperialist heathens.
For extra credit, you may describe in 100 words or less how either selective or across-the-board military responses benefit economic or social problems within the United States itself.
In Libya, there's a massive peace movement against Gaddafi. You don't have that in country "X".
Can you please provide a chart of how many "slaughtered" we are required to acknowledge before we take military action? I would like to know what the threshold is.
...Because I have a hard time believing this is the only aggressive dictator in existence at this moment. If I have to choose between Libyans being slaughtered/not slaughtered, I want you to choose which atrocities in the world to respond to, and which to ignore. Be prepared to to explain why you did not depose Dictator "X" who was violating human rights as opposed to Libya's Dictator "Y." Or, in the odd chance you would choose to involve the USA in every single non-democratic nation with an unloved and power-hungry misanthropic leader, you may demonstrate how such a widespread show of American force might affect world opinions of our foreign policy, particularly in regions of the world where we may already be viewed as imperialist heathens.
For extra credit, you may describe in 100 words or less how either selective or across-the-board military responses benefit economic or social problems within the United States itself.
In Libya, there's a massive peace movement against Gaddafi. You don't have that in country "X".
Surely
Nov 24, 11:09 AM
A new case for my iPhone:
http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/b/0/0/13/3/AAAACw-9PVcAAAAAABM2qA.jpg?v=1228421860000
;)
http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/b/0/0/13/3/AAAACw-9PVcAAAAAABM2qA.jpg?v=1228421860000
;)
bmw3wags
Oct 1, 07:26 AM
Its been almost a month now how come their aren't more cases now now?
.jpg "tribal cross with wings.")
Porchland
Sep 8, 04:16 PM
And one other thing. The iTMS would keep track of what you've rented, and if you decide you'd like to own that movie later, you can purchase it by paying the difference in price between the rental and purchase. So, for a movie that was $4.99 rental and $14.99 puchase, you'd pay $10. Now THAT would be sweet!
I've actually submitted feedback to Apple before suggesting that you should get a $1 discount on an album if you've already bought a single track. I can think of a number of times that I've thought about buying a whole album but feeling like it was a bad value because I would be spending more money on it than if I had just bought the album in the first place. But with even a $1 discount, I probably would have rolled the dice on more albums.
I like your idea for the same reasons.
I've actually submitted feedback to Apple before suggesting that you should get a $1 discount on an album if you've already bought a single track. I can think of a number of times that I've thought about buying a whole album but feeling like it was a bad value because I would be spending more money on it than if I had just bought the album in the first place. But with even a $1 discount, I probably would have rolled the dice on more albums.
I like your idea for the same reasons.
dguisinger
Aug 7, 07:55 AM
You ordered a Macbook pro on the eve of WWDC. ARe you mad?
Don't taunt him too much, he might kill you once he finds out they are now 64-bit and higher speed!
Don't taunt him too much, he might kill you once he finds out they are now 64-bit and higher speed!
Blasphemic
Jan 7, 05:26 AM
Yes, it's a Vauxhall Corsa. Brilliant car to start in, never broken down either. Except I did brake the hand-break once :D Pulled it to hard I think, had to park the car in gear over night.
yea starts everytime =)
The electronics on the other hand is acting abit up so when i brake or use the indicators the fog lights come on in the dashboard, but its those little things that make it so special :P
yea starts everytime =)
The electronics on the other hand is acting abit up so when i brake or use the indicators the fog lights come on in the dashboard, but its those little things that make it so special :P
digitalbiker
Sep 6, 08:21 PM
Ironically I've been a longtime reader myself and just registered because of this article, though for exactly the opposite reason as you. :D
And yes I realize my complaints about a mid-range tower probably seem pointless to most. But the iMac just doesn't seem to meet my needs. I'm happy with my current dual monitors (which match in size and resolution) and I'd prefer more than a 128mb graphics card.
Moreover, I've been a Mac user since 1993 and never owned a single LCD-based Mac which didn't have a dead pixel. That's about seven Macs, including my current MacBook. Bad luck, I realize but I'm just not buying an all-in-one desktop from Apple. :p
You are not alone. I think there are a lot of Apple users right now who would love to see Apple release a mac-mini pro.
It would fill the niche between the all in one iMac and the MacPro.
It would be slightly larger than a mini. It would be Conroe based with socketed CPU for future upgrades. Include a graphics card slot with a choice of built to order high-end GPU options.It would have the output connections of the MacPro. It would also have room enough for a 300 GB HDD and DL Super-Drive.
The price would range 1199 - 1899 depending on the built to order options.
All in all, a sweet mini-mini tower with power enough for most, and the elegance to act as a HD video, audio , game machine, etc mult purpose machine.
And yes I realize my complaints about a mid-range tower probably seem pointless to most. But the iMac just doesn't seem to meet my needs. I'm happy with my current dual monitors (which match in size and resolution) and I'd prefer more than a 128mb graphics card.
Moreover, I've been a Mac user since 1993 and never owned a single LCD-based Mac which didn't have a dead pixel. That's about seven Macs, including my current MacBook. Bad luck, I realize but I'm just not buying an all-in-one desktop from Apple. :p
You are not alone. I think there are a lot of Apple users right now who would love to see Apple release a mac-mini pro.
It would fill the niche between the all in one iMac and the MacPro.
It would be slightly larger than a mini. It would be Conroe based with socketed CPU for future upgrades. Include a graphics card slot with a choice of built to order high-end GPU options.It would have the output connections of the MacPro. It would also have room enough for a 300 GB HDD and DL Super-Drive.
The price would range 1199 - 1899 depending on the built to order options.
All in all, a sweet mini-mini tower with power enough for most, and the elegance to act as a HD video, audio , game machine, etc mult purpose machine.
econgeek
Apr 12, 08:46 PM
I just finished reading the old thread, only to discover that there was a new story on MacRumors and a new thread... so here's my comments:
For context, I started cutting film back when I had two reels and a viewer in the middle... and I had to hand crank it to preview. Cutting involved a nice razor embedded in plastic and a splice was a fancy piece of tape with sprocket holes in it. I am a software developer and I've long lamented how early editing software has always been based on just replicating the film process electronically.
Then I started to meet the Video People. Video People are much of the industry- the editors for TV news, the editors for TV programs, the wedding photographers. Just about everbody but filmmakers, but also including a lot of the lower end film production support (eg: editing houses.) The Video People have been taught rules of thumb. They are not very technical. They know how it is "supposed" to work because that's what they learned in colllege or at their first jobs. They are all stuck in specific workflows and specific ways of doing things.
They output to tape because they cannot grasp the concept that tape became obsolete a decade ago (and the ones who can grasp it are stuck dealing with others who demand delivery and archive on tape.)
These are the same people who think that iMovie was a joke when it was reworked. I loved it. I was happy to see a tiny, little step forward in working with video. Apple thought just a smidgen different and people went crazy. Sure it had less features than the previous one-- but creativity was so unleashed that the minor hassle of working around those features not being built in was no big deal.
I think Apple is skating to where the puck is. Apple is going to release a Final Cut focused on the direction the industry is heading. If Apple does its job right, the Video People will be screaming their heads off. But the 20 year olds who don't know anything but "want to make movies" (and are more serious than those willing to limit themselves to iMovie) will take it and start cutting the next generation of indie features.
Maybe Apple will provide all the features the Video People are threatening to switch to Avid if they don't get (as if it is some sort of a hostage demand -- "I'm going to post to macrumors forums and threaten to switch to Avid! That will teach them!". I've met many people in many industries but the Video People are the most rigid, the least genuinely understanding of technology and the most fixated on rules of thumb and rigid perspectives about How Things Should Work. Seriously, computer illiterate grease monkies are more flexible and open to new technology, in my experience. The Video People think they are Pros (because hey earn a salary) and therefore, anything that causes them to stretch or adjust or re-think the processes they use is "bad". The idea that something might be more efficient or produce a better quality result seems unfathomable.
If Apple has spent the last several years working on something signficant (which is the implication of the claims Apple has "abandoned their pro products") then the Video People are going to be screaming bloody murder in a couple hours. I look forward to it.
(PS- I didn't call anyone in this thread a Video People. You can choose to take offense if you wish, but I'm talking about people I've met and had to work with in the industry, not posters to this thread whom I do not know personally.)
For context, I started cutting film back when I had two reels and a viewer in the middle... and I had to hand crank it to preview. Cutting involved a nice razor embedded in plastic and a splice was a fancy piece of tape with sprocket holes in it. I am a software developer and I've long lamented how early editing software has always been based on just replicating the film process electronically.
Then I started to meet the Video People. Video People are much of the industry- the editors for TV news, the editors for TV programs, the wedding photographers. Just about everbody but filmmakers, but also including a lot of the lower end film production support (eg: editing houses.) The Video People have been taught rules of thumb. They are not very technical. They know how it is "supposed" to work because that's what they learned in colllege or at their first jobs. They are all stuck in specific workflows and specific ways of doing things.
They output to tape because they cannot grasp the concept that tape became obsolete a decade ago (and the ones who can grasp it are stuck dealing with others who demand delivery and archive on tape.)
These are the same people who think that iMovie was a joke when it was reworked. I loved it. I was happy to see a tiny, little step forward in working with video. Apple thought just a smidgen different and people went crazy. Sure it had less features than the previous one-- but creativity was so unleashed that the minor hassle of working around those features not being built in was no big deal.
I think Apple is skating to where the puck is. Apple is going to release a Final Cut focused on the direction the industry is heading. If Apple does its job right, the Video People will be screaming their heads off. But the 20 year olds who don't know anything but "want to make movies" (and are more serious than those willing to limit themselves to iMovie) will take it and start cutting the next generation of indie features.
Maybe Apple will provide all the features the Video People are threatening to switch to Avid if they don't get (as if it is some sort of a hostage demand -- "I'm going to post to macrumors forums and threaten to switch to Avid! That will teach them!". I've met many people in many industries but the Video People are the most rigid, the least genuinely understanding of technology and the most fixated on rules of thumb and rigid perspectives about How Things Should Work. Seriously, computer illiterate grease monkies are more flexible and open to new technology, in my experience. The Video People think they are Pros (because hey earn a salary) and therefore, anything that causes them to stretch or adjust or re-think the processes they use is "bad". The idea that something might be more efficient or produce a better quality result seems unfathomable.
If Apple has spent the last several years working on something signficant (which is the implication of the claims Apple has "abandoned their pro products") then the Video People are going to be screaming bloody murder in a couple hours. I look forward to it.
(PS- I didn't call anyone in this thread a Video People. You can choose to take offense if you wish, but I'm talking about people I've met and had to work with in the industry, not posters to this thread whom I do not know personally.)
puckhead193
Apr 12, 10:23 PM
Would like to see a demo as well as new Mac pros to go with it
firestarter
Apr 12, 09:39 PM
Yeah BETA sounds like we won't be getting it for a while :(
Ground up rewrite = a whole load of bugs.
It'll be interesting to see how many shops use this for production work when it's finally released.
Ground up rewrite = a whole load of bugs.
It'll be interesting to see how many shops use this for production work when it's finally released.
MacBoobsPro
Jan 11, 05:38 PM
Every Keynote people look WAY too much into Apple's advertising and come up with all these crazy ideas. MacBook Air :eek: Wow its made out of 100% oxygen and is invisible, has 16 cores, 4 BluRay drives, 2 HD drives and Windows Vista Pre-installed on a Bootcamp partition.
Every time people come away disappointed because they overhyped it themselves.
Apples advertising is done by a marketing company like anyone elses. Some of the adverts are good, some are not. There are no super secret cryptic clues. Its always quite obvious but no one sees it. There may be a little lateral thinking involved but if no one gets what they are promoting then no one will buy the products.
"There's something in the air" clearly means there's something in the air. It's either a PowerBook G5 that runs on unleaded fuel or something to do with wireless content streaming.
Every time people come away disappointed because they overhyped it themselves.
Apples advertising is done by a marketing company like anyone elses. Some of the adverts are good, some are not. There are no super secret cryptic clues. Its always quite obvious but no one sees it. There may be a little lateral thinking involved but if no one gets what they are promoting then no one will buy the products.
"There's something in the air" clearly means there's something in the air. It's either a PowerBook G5 that runs on unleaded fuel or something to do with wireless content streaming.
Edge100
Jan 2, 09:42 AM
Sorry if someone else has mentioned this already, but I also expect Apple to announce (if not release) a new version of Logic, either at MWSF or at NAMM, which starts about a week later.
The latter is more likely, since its a music industry event, but one way or another, Logic is due for an upgrade. Seriously!
Perhaps not of interest to everyone, but important for the musicians here...
The latter is more likely, since its a music industry event, but one way or another, Logic is due for an upgrade. Seriously!
Perhaps not of interest to everyone, but important for the musicians here...
Clive At Five
Nov 28, 10:15 AM
He has a point about the XBox... It did start out slower but now is surely considered a predominant player in the market (no pun intended;) ).
The only difference is that the XBox actually works...
...and Zune...
...Squirts?
So, yeah. I mean, I'd never buy an XBox, but it's still a viable option, nonetheless.
-Clive
The only difference is that the XBox actually works...
...and Zune...
...Squirts?
So, yeah. I mean, I'd never buy an XBox, but it's still a viable option, nonetheless.
-Clive
mdntcallr
Aug 24, 11:48 PM
lets hope they do more than just put in a new CPU.
ie a bigger better macmini
Also, i echo the thoughts of looking forward towards a new MBP (hopefully in new design also)
People also believe the iMac is due for a refresh, even new form.
To be honest, I hope Apple does over all those units and announces some killer new ipods.
basically to launch an entire new line of consumer products for the fall winter season. Would love that!!
ie a bigger better macmini
Also, i echo the thoughts of looking forward towards a new MBP (hopefully in new design also)
People also believe the iMac is due for a refresh, even new form.
To be honest, I hope Apple does over all those units and announces some killer new ipods.
basically to launch an entire new line of consumer products for the fall winter season. Would love that!!
Willis
Aug 6, 09:08 PM
Haha, I love the digs at Vista. Vista's been getting so much bad press recently this is fantastic. They should simply have this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QdGt3ix2CQ) video on repeat on screens throughout the event!!
hahah i was just watching that. but it was the shorter version.
hahah i was just watching that. but it was the shorter version.
SuperCachetes
Mar 22, 12:48 PM
Gays freak out over the considered "normal" person rights...
Probably because they are "normal" persons. :rolleyes:
Agreed!
You fell into the "no emoticons" trap as well. LOL. There's sarcasm in the post you just agreed to.
Probably because they are "normal" persons. :rolleyes:
Agreed!
You fell into the "no emoticons" trap as well. LOL. There's sarcasm in the post you just agreed to.
Azathoth
May 3, 03:38 AM
This concept might seem alien to a lot of MacRumours users, but being a 'switcher', the method of deleting any app on OS X currently seems very ad hoc. I've been a mac user now for about 4 years and yet the idea of having to delete an app by dragging it to the trash seems very... strange. You never know if you've deleted ALL of that program.
Since trying Mac the past 12 months, the biggest problem I have is that the "drag to trash" is inconsistent, just like the install process!
Half the apps require me to drag to Applications (and drag to trash to uninstall), the other half require me to run the installer, and find the custom uninstaller to remove them.
This is hard to explain to my mother (though thankfully she seldom really needs to install / uninstall apps).
Since trying Mac the past 12 months, the biggest problem I have is that the "drag to trash" is inconsistent, just like the install process!
Half the apps require me to drag to Applications (and drag to trash to uninstall), the other half require me to run the installer, and find the custom uninstaller to remove them.
This is hard to explain to my mother (though thankfully she seldom really needs to install / uninstall apps).
Giaguara
Apr 15, 10:30 AM
What people don't understand is that Apple is dying....
Yes, I don't really understand WHY according to ... you ?? apple would be dieing.
If you want a Mac that costs 500 $, buy a second had iMac / eMac.
I have NEVER seen a petition that has anything to do with computer or software industry, that I could believe would make _really_ any difference. All the petitions I've seen seem rant - like. If you have an idea, just present it in a more constructive manner, bring / ship it to Cupertino.
Besides - I find it really weird that you don't have more than 500 $ to spend for a computer ... when you are living in Japan. Quit drinking gallons of milk a day there, and you can get a computer in a week. ;)
Yes, I don't really understand WHY according to ... you ?? apple would be dieing.
If you want a Mac that costs 500 $, buy a second had iMac / eMac.
I have NEVER seen a petition that has anything to do with computer or software industry, that I could believe would make _really_ any difference. All the petitions I've seen seem rant - like. If you have an idea, just present it in a more constructive manner, bring / ship it to Cupertino.
Besides - I find it really weird that you don't have more than 500 $ to spend for a computer ... when you are living in Japan. Quit drinking gallons of milk a day there, and you can get a computer in a week. ;)
dakwar
Apr 2, 08:26 PM
My backlight bleeds
You have a backlight?!
You have a backlight?!
Blue Velvet
Jan 1, 05:22 PM
The Apple Product Cycle
An obscure component manufacturer somewhere in the Pacific Rim announces a major order for some bleeding-edge piece of technology that could conceivably become part of an expensive, digital-lifestyle-enhancing nerd toy.
Some hardware geek, the sort who actually reads press releases from obscure Pacific Rim component manufacturers, posts a link to the press release in a Mac Internet forum.
The Mac rumor sites spring into action. Liberally quoting �reliable� sources inside Cupertino, irrelevant �experts,� and each other, they quickly transform baseless speculation into widely accepted fact.
Eager Mac-heads fan the flames by flooding the Mac discussion forums with more groundless conjecture. Threads pop up around feature wish lists, favorite colors, and likely retail price points. In a matter of days, a third-hand, unsubstantiated rumor blossoms into a hand-held device that can do everything except find a girlfriend for a fat, smelly nerd.
Apple issues it customary �we don�t comment on possible future products� statement in response to inquiries about the hypothetical new product. Mac fanatics are convinced that they're onto something.
The haters enter the fray to introduce fear, uncertainty and doubt. How expensive will the product be? Will it support Windows file formats? Will it work with my ten-year-old Quadra 840AV running Mac OS 8.1?
As Macworld or the Worldwide Developer�s Conference draws near, the chatter builds to a fever pitch. Rumor sites jockey for position, posting a new unverifiable, contradictory rumor every hour or so. eBay is flooded with six-month-old, slightly used gadgets as college students, underemployed web designers and independent musicians struggle to clear credit card space.
On the morning of Steve Jobs�s keynote presentation, the online Apple store grinds to a halt as Mac-heads set their browsers to refresh every 15 seconds.
Steve Jobs spends the first half-hour of his keynote crowing about how many iPods shipped during the previous six months and how many �native applications� have been developed for OS X. Attempting to appear as though it�s just an afterthought, he finally introduces the new Apple product. The product has sleek, clean lines, a diminutive form factor, and less than half of the useful features that everyone was expecting. Jobs announces that the product is available �immediately.�
Five minutes later, the new product appears on the online Apple store. Orders have an estimated ship date that is four weeks away.
The online Apple store takes 50,000 orders in the first 24 hours.
Apple�s stock surges as Wall Street analysts proclaim the new device will be �Apple�s savior� and the key to turning around the decades-long decline in Apple�s share of the global PC market.
The haters offer their assessment. The forums are ablaze with vitriolic rage. Haters pan the device for being less powerful than a Cray X1 while zealots counter that it is both smaller and lighter than a Buick Regal. The virtual slap-fight goes on and on, until obscure technical nuances like, �Will it play multiplexed Ogg Vorbis streams?� become matters of life and death.
The editors of popular Mac magazines hail the new device as the next great step toward our utopian digital future. Wired News runs exclusive interviews with the Apple design team. Fortune publishes another glowing fluff piece about Steve Jobs, proclaiming him to be the great visionary behind all technological innovation. Newsweek declares the device the new �must have� item for any self-respecting urban technophile. All of this is written before anybody outside of Cupertino has held the new device in his or her hand.
Business Week publishes an article stating that unless Apple immediately releases a Windows version of the new product its market share will continue to shrink and Apple will be out of business within six months. Mac zealots howl with fury and crash Business Week�s email server with their angry rebuttals.
In the wee hours of the morning on the initial ship date, as the Mac heads lay snug in their beds or take MDMA and dance to bad music, Apple delays everybody�s ship date by four weeks.
Rage reigns in the Mac forums. Lifelong Mac users who would never consider purchasing anything made by Microsoft or Dell, regardless of how shabbily Apple treats them, vent their anguish and frustration. Failing utterly to see the irony of the situation, they prattle on until their panties are twisted in knots.
The rumor sites abound with half-baked theories blaming the shipping delay on everything from heat dissipation problems to SARS. The most obvious explanation, that Apple lied about the initial shipment dates, is ignored in favor of more elaborate and unlikely scenarios.
Apple�s stock plummets as Wall Street analysts fret about the company�s supply chain problems. The same analysts who were raising their targets on Apple three weeks earlier appear on CNBC and predict that Apple could file for bankruptcy as soon as the week after next.
A week before the revised ship date rolls around, small quantities of the new product begin to appear in Apple�s retail stores. Chaos ensues as crazed Mac-heads queue up hours before the stores open, hoping to get their hands on one of the prized gizmos. The bedwetting in Mac Internet forums reaches tidal proportions as people post empty threats to cancel their online orders. The devices begin to appear on eBay and get bid up to absurd premiums over MSRP.
Pointless outrage slowly turns to pointless optimism. Driven insane by the lack of instant gratification, would-be customers profess their willingness to gun down the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny if it would hasten the arrival of the FedEx delivery person.
Nerd porn threads appear in the Mac forums. Some lunatic with too much time and money on his hands disassembles the new device down to the bare, soldered components and posts pictures.
The obligatory �I�m waiting for Rev. B� discussion appears in the Mac forums. People who�ve been burned by first-generation Apple products open up their old wounds and bleed their tales of woe. Unsympathetic technophiles fire back with, �if you can�t handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen. *****.� Everyone has this stupid argument for the twenty-third time.
Apple issues a press release to announce that they have now taken orders for over 100,000 of the new devices and shipped at least eight or nine dozen. Backorders and waiting lists stretch into months.
Movie stars, professional athletes and rappers begin accessorizing with Apple�s new gadget. Shaquille O�Neal appears on the cover of ESPN The Magazine using one. Mac fans unconditionally forgive him for Kazaam.
Wall Street analysts appear on CNBC wearing big smiles and bright spring colors to announce that Apple's new device will drive Apple's sales to unprecedented levels and might be the key to turning around the decades-long decline in Apple�s share of the global PC market. Apple's share price surges. People who understand the root cause of the dot com bubble shake their heads in silent disgust.
Trade publications and business magazines begin to refer to the market for Apple's new product as a "space."
A minor, rarely occurring flaw in the device begins to be discussed in the Apple support forums. Whiny, artistic types post lengthy diatribes about how this terrible design flaw has made the device unusable and scarred them emotionally. Electronic petitions are created demanding that Apple replace the devices for free, plus pay for counseling to help traumatized users overcome their emotional distress.
Taken completely by surprise at the success of Apple's new gadget, executives from Dell or Sony or Microsoft appear on CNBC and offer vague suggestions that they are beginning development of a new product to compete with Apple. In its next issue, PC Week magazine publishes an article declaring that Apple's dominance of the [insert gadget here] space is in jeopardy.
Weeks before most users are able to hold Apple's new gadget in their hands, "What features would you like in the next version?" discussions take place on Mac mailing lists. Mac-heads cook up droves of far-fetched, often bizarre ideas. A cursory reading makes it readily apparent why Apple executives pay no attention to their fanatical customers.
Apple releases the first software update for the new device through its Software Update control panel. Several hours later, it pulls the updater. A small number of people who applied the update experience crashes, data loss, headaches and ennui. The Apple support forums are filled with outraged posts. A day or so later, Apple releases a revised installer without comment, then quietly removes the angry posts from its support forums.
Somebody starts a thread on a Mac chat board that asks whether anyone knows of a way to use the new device with some other nerd toy in a way that makes no sense whatsoever. Out of the blue, somebody writes a hack that facilitates the unholy combination and offers it as $39 shareware. Seven of the nine people who actually try to use the hack download it off of BitTorrent and use a pirate serial number. Advocates point to this as an example of how independent Mac software development is thriving.
Dell or Sony or Microsoft releases a competing device which costs $100 less and is based on completely incompatible, Windows-only technology. Business Week declares Apple's dominance of the [insert gadget here] space over. Angry Mac zealots make plans to surround Business Week's corporate offices with torches and pitchforks until someone points out that fire and garden tools are so un-digital.
Wall Street analysts appear on CNBC to explain that Apple's device will never be able to compete with the onslaught of cheaper Windows-based competitors. Apple's stock plummets. Idiot technology investors experience a brief moment of deja vu before they return to masturbating to photos of Maria Bartiromo.
Consumers discover that the Windows-based competitor to Apple's device contains a proprietary digital rights management technology that prevents them from using the device to do anything expect except look at family photographs taken in the last 20 minutes.
An obscure component manufacturer somewhere in the Pacific Rim announces a major order for some new bleeding-edge piece of technology that could conceivably become part of some expensive, digital-lifestyle-enhancing nerd toy. The fun begins again...
http://www.misterbg.org/AppleProductCycle/
:D
An obscure component manufacturer somewhere in the Pacific Rim announces a major order for some bleeding-edge piece of technology that could conceivably become part of an expensive, digital-lifestyle-enhancing nerd toy.
Some hardware geek, the sort who actually reads press releases from obscure Pacific Rim component manufacturers, posts a link to the press release in a Mac Internet forum.
The Mac rumor sites spring into action. Liberally quoting �reliable� sources inside Cupertino, irrelevant �experts,� and each other, they quickly transform baseless speculation into widely accepted fact.
Eager Mac-heads fan the flames by flooding the Mac discussion forums with more groundless conjecture. Threads pop up around feature wish lists, favorite colors, and likely retail price points. In a matter of days, a third-hand, unsubstantiated rumor blossoms into a hand-held device that can do everything except find a girlfriend for a fat, smelly nerd.
Apple issues it customary �we don�t comment on possible future products� statement in response to inquiries about the hypothetical new product. Mac fanatics are convinced that they're onto something.
The haters enter the fray to introduce fear, uncertainty and doubt. How expensive will the product be? Will it support Windows file formats? Will it work with my ten-year-old Quadra 840AV running Mac OS 8.1?
As Macworld or the Worldwide Developer�s Conference draws near, the chatter builds to a fever pitch. Rumor sites jockey for position, posting a new unverifiable, contradictory rumor every hour or so. eBay is flooded with six-month-old, slightly used gadgets as college students, underemployed web designers and independent musicians struggle to clear credit card space.
On the morning of Steve Jobs�s keynote presentation, the online Apple store grinds to a halt as Mac-heads set their browsers to refresh every 15 seconds.
Steve Jobs spends the first half-hour of his keynote crowing about how many iPods shipped during the previous six months and how many �native applications� have been developed for OS X. Attempting to appear as though it�s just an afterthought, he finally introduces the new Apple product. The product has sleek, clean lines, a diminutive form factor, and less than half of the useful features that everyone was expecting. Jobs announces that the product is available �immediately.�
Five minutes later, the new product appears on the online Apple store. Orders have an estimated ship date that is four weeks away.
The online Apple store takes 50,000 orders in the first 24 hours.
Apple�s stock surges as Wall Street analysts proclaim the new device will be �Apple�s savior� and the key to turning around the decades-long decline in Apple�s share of the global PC market.
The haters offer their assessment. The forums are ablaze with vitriolic rage. Haters pan the device for being less powerful than a Cray X1 while zealots counter that it is both smaller and lighter than a Buick Regal. The virtual slap-fight goes on and on, until obscure technical nuances like, �Will it play multiplexed Ogg Vorbis streams?� become matters of life and death.
The editors of popular Mac magazines hail the new device as the next great step toward our utopian digital future. Wired News runs exclusive interviews with the Apple design team. Fortune publishes another glowing fluff piece about Steve Jobs, proclaiming him to be the great visionary behind all technological innovation. Newsweek declares the device the new �must have� item for any self-respecting urban technophile. All of this is written before anybody outside of Cupertino has held the new device in his or her hand.
Business Week publishes an article stating that unless Apple immediately releases a Windows version of the new product its market share will continue to shrink and Apple will be out of business within six months. Mac zealots howl with fury and crash Business Week�s email server with their angry rebuttals.
In the wee hours of the morning on the initial ship date, as the Mac heads lay snug in their beds or take MDMA and dance to bad music, Apple delays everybody�s ship date by four weeks.
Rage reigns in the Mac forums. Lifelong Mac users who would never consider purchasing anything made by Microsoft or Dell, regardless of how shabbily Apple treats them, vent their anguish and frustration. Failing utterly to see the irony of the situation, they prattle on until their panties are twisted in knots.
The rumor sites abound with half-baked theories blaming the shipping delay on everything from heat dissipation problems to SARS. The most obvious explanation, that Apple lied about the initial shipment dates, is ignored in favor of more elaborate and unlikely scenarios.
Apple�s stock plummets as Wall Street analysts fret about the company�s supply chain problems. The same analysts who were raising their targets on Apple three weeks earlier appear on CNBC and predict that Apple could file for bankruptcy as soon as the week after next.
A week before the revised ship date rolls around, small quantities of the new product begin to appear in Apple�s retail stores. Chaos ensues as crazed Mac-heads queue up hours before the stores open, hoping to get their hands on one of the prized gizmos. The bedwetting in Mac Internet forums reaches tidal proportions as people post empty threats to cancel their online orders. The devices begin to appear on eBay and get bid up to absurd premiums over MSRP.
Pointless outrage slowly turns to pointless optimism. Driven insane by the lack of instant gratification, would-be customers profess their willingness to gun down the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny if it would hasten the arrival of the FedEx delivery person.
Nerd porn threads appear in the Mac forums. Some lunatic with too much time and money on his hands disassembles the new device down to the bare, soldered components and posts pictures.
The obligatory �I�m waiting for Rev. B� discussion appears in the Mac forums. People who�ve been burned by first-generation Apple products open up their old wounds and bleed their tales of woe. Unsympathetic technophiles fire back with, �if you can�t handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen. *****.� Everyone has this stupid argument for the twenty-third time.
Apple issues a press release to announce that they have now taken orders for over 100,000 of the new devices and shipped at least eight or nine dozen. Backorders and waiting lists stretch into months.
Movie stars, professional athletes and rappers begin accessorizing with Apple�s new gadget. Shaquille O�Neal appears on the cover of ESPN The Magazine using one. Mac fans unconditionally forgive him for Kazaam.
Wall Street analysts appear on CNBC wearing big smiles and bright spring colors to announce that Apple's new device will drive Apple's sales to unprecedented levels and might be the key to turning around the decades-long decline in Apple�s share of the global PC market. Apple's share price surges. People who understand the root cause of the dot com bubble shake their heads in silent disgust.
Trade publications and business magazines begin to refer to the market for Apple's new product as a "space."
A minor, rarely occurring flaw in the device begins to be discussed in the Apple support forums. Whiny, artistic types post lengthy diatribes about how this terrible design flaw has made the device unusable and scarred them emotionally. Electronic petitions are created demanding that Apple replace the devices for free, plus pay for counseling to help traumatized users overcome their emotional distress.
Taken completely by surprise at the success of Apple's new gadget, executives from Dell or Sony or Microsoft appear on CNBC and offer vague suggestions that they are beginning development of a new product to compete with Apple. In its next issue, PC Week magazine publishes an article declaring that Apple's dominance of the [insert gadget here] space is in jeopardy.
Weeks before most users are able to hold Apple's new gadget in their hands, "What features would you like in the next version?" discussions take place on Mac mailing lists. Mac-heads cook up droves of far-fetched, often bizarre ideas. A cursory reading makes it readily apparent why Apple executives pay no attention to their fanatical customers.
Apple releases the first software update for the new device through its Software Update control panel. Several hours later, it pulls the updater. A small number of people who applied the update experience crashes, data loss, headaches and ennui. The Apple support forums are filled with outraged posts. A day or so later, Apple releases a revised installer without comment, then quietly removes the angry posts from its support forums.
Somebody starts a thread on a Mac chat board that asks whether anyone knows of a way to use the new device with some other nerd toy in a way that makes no sense whatsoever. Out of the blue, somebody writes a hack that facilitates the unholy combination and offers it as $39 shareware. Seven of the nine people who actually try to use the hack download it off of BitTorrent and use a pirate serial number. Advocates point to this as an example of how independent Mac software development is thriving.
Dell or Sony or Microsoft releases a competing device which costs $100 less and is based on completely incompatible, Windows-only technology. Business Week declares Apple's dominance of the [insert gadget here] space over. Angry Mac zealots make plans to surround Business Week's corporate offices with torches and pitchforks until someone points out that fire and garden tools are so un-digital.
Wall Street analysts appear on CNBC to explain that Apple's device will never be able to compete with the onslaught of cheaper Windows-based competitors. Apple's stock plummets. Idiot technology investors experience a brief moment of deja vu before they return to masturbating to photos of Maria Bartiromo.
Consumers discover that the Windows-based competitor to Apple's device contains a proprietary digital rights management technology that prevents them from using the device to do anything expect except look at family photographs taken in the last 20 minutes.
An obscure component manufacturer somewhere in the Pacific Rim announces a major order for some new bleeding-edge piece of technology that could conceivably become part of some expensive, digital-lifestyle-enhancing nerd toy. The fun begins again...
http://www.misterbg.org/AppleProductCycle/
:D
