[chris v]

Not that this is my attitude, especially-- just wanted to get it out of the way:


iPod Shuffle= No screen!

Mac mini= crap video card!

What?? No Powerbook update?

iLife= $79.00?? That's a price increase!11one!

iWork= no spreadsheet??

iPod mini= no 5 GB??

AUUGGHH!

What am I missing?

Edit: Duh! No two-button mouse?? No FM tuner?!?

[kiwibabe]

Wheres my G5 powerbook?

Whining over

Don't feel much better tho

[gumby5647]

actually, I'm kinda peeved that the iPod Shuffle is USB 2.0 only.

Seriously, why couldn't they have put a 4 pin firewire port on there? Isn't that a smaller port anyways?

I have a perfectly good 600Mhz iMac G3 with TWO perfectly good firewire ports....but no USB 2.0

no iPod Shuffle for me

[andretan]

I think the iPod shuffle is great! I WANT ONE!

[Earth Mk. II]

Originally posted by gumby5647:
actually, I'm kinda peeved that the iPod Shuffle is USB 2.0 only.

Nope

iPod Shuffle TechSpecs:
USB 1.1 and 2.0 through integrated USB connector

What I'm confused about is why there appears to be no hold switch on the iPod Shuffle. Seems easy to accidently hit a button while fishing for stuff in your pockets.

[andretan]

Originally posted by gumby5647:
actually, I'm kinda peeved that the iPod Shuffle is USB 2.0 only.

Seriously, why couldn't they have put a 4 pin firewire port on there? Isn't that a smaller port anyways?

I have a perfectly good 600Mhz iMac G3 with TWO perfectly good firewire ports....but no USB 2.0

no iPod Shuffle for me

They went with USB because most PC users don't have Firewire. I doubt many of them even have any Firewire peripheral at home.

It's good because the iPod shuffle doubles up as a flash drive, and for that purpose, USB is sufficient.

Maybe you might wanna consider getting an iPod mini instead?

[VxWolfxV]

From the look of the new Tiger Tour the blue menubar caps are gone (or can be chosen to be gone...). So that's good news, i guess...

[gumby5647]

Originally posted by Earth Mk. II:
Nope


What I'm confused about is why there appears to be no hold switch on the iPod Shuffle. Seems easy to accidently hit a button while fishing for stuff in your pockets.

I missed that. Thanks

Mmmmm...1GB sync over USB 1.1 lol...might as well settle in the chair and watch an episode of Stargate SG1

[Wiskedjak]

I don't mind the video card for the iMac ... for its size, what else could they put into it? However, having said that, I doubt I'd buy one. Sure, it's nice and tiny, but does it really need to be that small? I mean, they�re using laptop components, which drive costs up.

I can see some niche uses where a PC that small would come in handy, but for most people I would think that this size is small enough, and allows the use of desktop hard drives, regular video cards and expansion (keeping prices down)

[macintologist]

32MB Radeon in the Mac mini

[iLikebeer]

Not sure if it's new, but that white text on light gray background for different categories at the apple store hurts my eyes. I'd like to see that changed.

No apple remote control integrated into Mac mini or sold separately, although that wasn't a realistic thing to hope for.

[mitchell_pgh]

I'm actually rather happy with the products Apple came out with. The iPod shuffle is interesting... and no, it didn't need a screen. Mac mini looks solid on the low end. Can't wait to have mine.

[itai195]

I'd be a lot more interested in iWork if it had a spreadsheet app, but as it is I may buy a copy for my girlfriend anyway. She recently started her own business and just needs a word processing app that can easily produce nice looking brochures and flyers. She's been using Word but it hasn't been a perfect solution and it offers very few cookie cutter templates, so Pages might be perfect for her.

[roberto blanco]

is there a pic of the motorolla itunes phone?

i like the looks of the mini mac, but i think i would have rather seen a g5 (yeah yeah, i know...competition for the powermac) i might consider it as a media center...with an external hd.

the itampon is exactly what i've been looking for. okay, not having a display sucks, but i usually only have 20 to 60 songs on my ipod anyway...and i mostly use it for running, and walking to work.

is it actually possible to take a powerpoint file produced on a pc, open it in iwork, work on it, save it, and then open it in powerpoint on a pc again? because that would be just awesome...it would spare me from having to buy "office"!

[chris v]

Oh, and where is that Firewire Garage Band Dongle? I thought that one was CONF3IRMEDD!1!

[Millennium]

My only real complaint is that iWork doesn't have a spreadsheet. It replaces the Word Processing, Presentation, and (partly) Drawing capabilities of AppleWorks just fine, but misses out on Painting, Spreadsheet, and Database.

You can certainly argue the usefulness of the Paint, Database, and Draw modules, though I find it interesting that Apple preserved the more complex elements of Draw while throwing out the basics. But the utility of a spreadsheet -even a basic one- cannot be denied. You can't compete with Office unless you can compete with Excel.

[Skip Breakfast]

Most prospective customers are concerned with Word compatibility, not Excel. Otherwise, it would have been in there.


I have no problem with the price of iLife. It's still a bargain.

The PowerBooks will come, don't worry.

[wiffmaster]

Errrmmm....Steve forgot something, the little matter of bringing the Powerbook into 2005!!!!

Since it's Apple's top spec notebook, it needs way more than a 1.5 G4. If Apple isn't careful, the ibook will overtake it! Seriously, for the price, I can't see anyone getting a Powerbook - as far as I can see from the Apple store, there were absolutely no changes at all. What is Apple playing at?

Maybe the G5 is incredibly close, but they couldn't get it done for MWSF, so they decided to do nothing for a while. Surely if the G5 was still way off, they would have at least upgraded the G4 a bit????

[Drakino]

Originally posted by Wiskedjak:
[B]I don't mind the video card for the iMac ... for its size, what else could they put into it? However, having said that, I doubt I'd buy one. Sure, it's nice and tiny, but does it really need to be that small? I mean, they�re using laptop components, which drive costs up.

It's using desktop memory, so it does avoid one of the most expensive components in laptops. The hard drive, kinda a shame it is a 2.5 inch drive, but it also keeps it very quiet. Video wise, it's likely this solution is cheeper then going with a "desktop card", since the 9200 mobile chips can even have memory on board, so one chip is all that has to be added. Processor is a G4, no special mobile variants there. The slot load drive is also in the iMac and every laptop they ship, I doubt it is costing them much. And the slot design just fits in better then a cheeper tray load device.

I was more hoping for a updated cube like design, with the size shrunk down from a reduction in the heatsink needed for the newer G4 processors compared to the earlier hotter ones.

[Mafia]

ipod shuffle has no screen so i won't get it. mac mini.. meh whatever, ilife + iwork = too expensive, and SHINS on the hd support for all the video apps, and final cut express coming with livetype and soundtrack. i'm done but i wasn't gonna make any purchases so whatever.

[cjrivera]

My question about the mini Mac is the expandability.
I hope it's easy to open up and add RAM and switch out to a bigger HD.
Otherwise that low price, suddenly jumps when you add Apple installed RAM.
I do like the Superdrive option at $100.

[Mafia]

they should have released a 17" aluminum display for the mini.

[Millennium]

Originally posted by wiffmaster:
Maybe the G5 is incredibly close, but they couldn't get it done for MWSF, so they decided to do nothing for a while. Surely if the G5 was still way off, they would have at least upgraded the G4 a bit????

My guess is that the immediate future of the PowerBook is going to be multiple G4 chips, rather than a single G5. The current cases simply will not accommodate a G5 chip; size is the biggest problem but heat isn't far behind. The Mac Mini shows that they're getting much better at miniaturizing G4-based boards, however, to the point where the idea of a two-chip G4 laptop isn't far fetched.

[awcopus]

Originally posted by Mafia:
they should have released a 17" aluminum display for the mini.

That would have been a smart move. Also agree with the fellow above who observed that Apple is using a 2.5" HD. That limites replacement options and increases replacement costs.

[itistoday]

Yeah, gotta say, this keynote was really disappointing. No live broadcast, and nothing remotely useful for me (other than Pages). No regular iPod update, no PowerBook, no POWERBOOK!!!!!!

The next PowerBook better be a G5... that's all I'm saying, if it's not, Steve will have to personally answer to me.

[Mafia]

speed bumps are confirmed for powerbook. just to minor to mention in the keynote. but i wanted to see a new model, or a new addition to the line.

[gumby5647]

Originally posted by Skip Breakfast:
Most prospective customers are concerned with Word compatibility, not Excel. Otherwise, it would have been in there.

.

BS

I'm a college student and have twice as many .xls files on my machine than i do .doc's

Spreadsheet is ESSENTIAL....

[OAW]

The iPod Shuffle and Mac mini are great for their target markets. iLife 05 looks great too ... especially iPhoto 5. But since this is a "whine" thread I'll share my thoughts in that regard:

- The Mac Mini s/b called the iMac mini. Not only does this roll off the tongue better, but it the "mini" part then serves as a modifier to the main product. Just like iPod and iPod mini. There is no "Mac" product in the lineup.

- iLife 05 doesn't contain iTunes 5. This is by far my most used app in iLife with iPhoto being second. Was really looking forward to some new features in iTunes ... especially nested playlists like the new iPhoto has.

- iWork 05 has no spreadsheet? WTF? Not to big of a deal for me personally though since i use Office 2004. Wasn't going to buy iWork anyway.

- No iHome product. I certainly realized the pics floating around were fake ... but Apple really needs to release this sort of "set-top box" product. We need an easy way to consume digital media content in a home theater setting.

- No AirTunes Remote Control. For the life of me I don't get this one. Apple releases a cool product in the Airport Express that can stream iTunes content to any stereo. But there's no remote. Yeah yeah ... Keyspan offers a remote but it only has basic transport control only. This is extremely limited functionality and is utterly useless for navigating a library of thousands of songs. In fact, if you even want to switch playlists or albums you have to make a trip to the computer since the remote can only Play, Pause, FF, REW, etc. All Apple needs to do is offer a stripped down iPod mini that uses flash memory to allow a user to navigate the iTunes library. You need a screen and a clickwheel for effective navigation. I was hoping the iPod shuffle was actually going to be an Airtunes Remote. Oh well.

OAW

[effgee]

Originally posted by gumby5647:
Spreadsheet is ESSENTIAL ...

My guess is that the decision to omit a full-blown spreadsheet app was either a concession to Microsoft (likely) or they simply couldn't finish up the appropriate app in time (rather unlikely).

When talking to clients of mine (everybody always adores and compliments my 12"PB during a presentation, for example), the second or third question is almost always "But does it run Microsoft Office, too?". So at least for the time being I think it's a good idea for Apple not to tick off MS so badly that they would feel compelled to phase out MS for the Mac.

[Doc Juansinn]

Originally posted by cjrivera:
I hope it's easy to open up and add RAM and switch out to a bigger HD.

According to Apple, RAM in the mini MUST be installed by an authorised service provider. As for the HD, it's a 2.5" so your internal capacity will be limited anyway.

[Mediaman_12]

Originally posted by cjrivera:
My question about the mini Mac is the expandability.
I hope it's easy to open up and add RAM and switch out to a bigger HD.
Otherwise that low price, suddenly jumps when you add Apple installed RAM.
I do like the Superdrive option at $100.

From the looks of the 'internal' shot on the mini's design page it's held together by loads of plastic clips. Its going to be more difficult than the ipod to get into.
Doing a 'stealthy' home upgrade on the Ram or HD, hoping Apple doesn't notice if any warranty work is needed, is going to be difficult.

[cjrivera]

Originally posted by OAW:
The iPod Shuffle and Mac mini are great for their target markets. iLife 05 looks great too ... especially iPhoto 5. But since this is a "whine" thread I'll share my thoughts in that regard:

- The Mac Mini s/b called the iMac mini. Not only does this roll off the tongue better, but it the "mini" part then serves as a modifier to the main product. Just like iPod and iPod mini. There is no "Mac" product in the lineup.

- iLife 05 doesn't contain iTunes 5. This is by far my most used app in iLife with iPhoto being second. Was really looking forward to some new features in iTunes ... especially nested playlists like the new iPhoto has.

I think Mini Mac would sound even better. Sounds like "Mini Me" fror the Austin Powers movies or that old song "Jimmy Mac"... they could even use either examples for commercials.

iLife probably doesn't contain iTunes 5, since it's a free download, and therefore people were likely going to complain about paying for a free download and that therefore the price should be less.

[CD Hanks]

Too many products now.

[typoon]

What I'm surprised about is that no one has complained about the price of the iPod Shuffle. I mean everytime something comes out there is a complaint about price.

Anyway, to participate in this thread.

no Spreadsheet in iWork? I know it's not used as much as a word processor but still. I will probably get it just for the Keynote update.

iLife 05 Not too many complaints. Was hoping for iTunes 5

Mac Mini, No real complaints. here I think it's a great thing for Apple to have.

iPod Shuffle no real complaints about it either. I think it's a great thing if you are doing any high impact sports. I wold rather break one of those than my iPod Photo.

[Joshua]

I'm pretty happy with the announcements. My one minor complaint is that they aren't offering the iPod Shuffle in multiple colors. I'm guessing they kept it white to avoid cannibalizing the iPod mini market, but I think it would have made the Shuffle look a little less like a feminine hygiene product or birth control test.

[poudresteve]

What about iLife 05/Free Upgrade to Tiger on all new macs?

That's the least they can do for someone buying an (old) powerbook!

[Shaddim]

Originally posted by CD Hanks:
Too many products now.

Yeah. They need to drop that big, ugly-assed, steaming pile of sh*t called the eMac now.

[turtle777]

Originally posted by MacNStein:
Yeah. They need to drop that big, ugly-assed, steaming pile of sh*t called the eMac now.

I'll take 'em all and pay scrap value

-t

[Skip Breakfast]

I'm a college student and have twice as many .xls files on my machine than i do .doc's

Goood. Student/Teacher edition of Office 2004 is $149.95. What's the problem?

[wludavid]

Originally posted by gumby5647:
actually, I'm kinda peeved that the iPod Shuffle is USB 2.0 only.

Seriously, why couldn't they have put a 4 pin firewire port on there? Isn't that a smaller port anyways?

4-pin firewire has 2 fewer pins because they do away with the self-powered-bus part. You'd need at least the 6-pin version if you wanted to charge it at the same time.

USB was chosen because of its wider appeal, I'm sure. And it's only a gig (at most) so those of us who have to chug along on USB 1.1 don't have to suffer too long.

[turtle777]

Originally posted by Skip Breakfast:
Goood. Student/Teacher edition of Office 2004 is $149.95. What's the problem?

I guess he'll make the point that this is still overpriced if you just need it for Excel.

On the other hand, I'm pretty sure that any power user (macros, VB etc...) that has to work in / share with the Windows world wouldn't be happy with any spreadsheet coming from Apple.

-t

[hardcat1970]

Originally posted by Earth Mk. II:
Nope


What I'm confused about is why there appears to be no hold switch on the iPod Shuffle. Seems easy to accidently hit a button while fishing for stuff in your pockets.

don't whine, it does have a hold switch/

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300498

[Skip Breakfast]

Excel is over $200 on its own. There's ThinkFree if you can't manage that.

[Millennium]

Originally posted by OAW:
- No iHome product. I certainly realized the pics floating around were fake ... but Apple really needs to release this sort of "set-top box" product. We need an easy way to consume digital media content in a home theater setting.

The Mac Mini appears to come with an adapter so that it can use an ordinary TV set as its monitor. This plus MPlayer = instant home-theater box. Of course, you could also hook this directly into ElGato's EyeHome for a similar effect.

- No AirTunes Remote Control. For the life of me I don't get this one.

Once again, I can't help but wonder if the Mac Mini was what Apple had in mind. Use it as your AirTunes box, hooked up to your TV.

It's this part here which I don't think people quite understand yet: the Mac Mini's killer feature is the easy TV access. Using this, creating your own media center, done up just the way you want it, becomes borderline-trivial. Certainly easier than anything Microsoft has right now.

[Rampant Desire]

Originally posted by Mafia:
they should have released a 17" aluminum display for the mini.

I believe there were rumours of both 15" and 17" displays coming out... but it didn't happen .

I'd have to say that this year was a real let-down in terms of new hardware, save for the Mac mini.

Oh well...

*Dreams of G5 PowerBook*

-RD

[WhaMe]

While that Mac faithful may be disappointed with the new product announcements, I believe that the new products are aimed at the masses that do not own an Apple product.

An iPod for the low-end market should sell well, and it will require millions of more people to use iTunes and Quicktime on their machines.

The Mac mini is great for switchers. They already own keyboards and monitors. You can even run the Mac and a PC off of the same keyboard and monitor with a switch box. I will probably encourage my sister to buy one. Her 3yr old Dull died a while back and she's been using my 6 year old Bondi iMac in the meantime. The mini would be ideal for her.

My only complaint about the Mac mini is the same complaint that I've had about Apple products for several years, that is the amount and cost of RAM.

[OAW]

Originally posted by Millennium:
The Mac Mini appears to come with an adapter so that it can use an ordinary TV set as its monitor. This plus MPlayer = instant home-theater box. Of course, you could also hook this directly into ElGato's EyeHome for a similar effect.

Once again, I can't help but wonder if the Mac Mini was what Apple had in mind. Use it as your AirTunes box, hooked up to your TV.

It's this part here which I don't think people quite understand yet: the Mac Mini's killer feature is the easy TV access. Using this, creating your own media center, done up just the way you want it, becomes borderline-trivial. Certainly easier than anything Microsoft has right now.

I hear what you are saying but this is way more complicated than it needs to be. A Mac mini would require a BT keyboard to control its functions. Certainly not the ease of use I would expect of an Apple product. Might as well get a Windows Media Center. I don't want a full blown computer in my living room. I just want a box that I can control with a remote that lets me sit on my couch and play music (visualizations on the TV would add extra cool points) and view photos and slideshows. I don't want to fiddle with a keyboard. I don't want to login. I don't want to do any of that because I already did all that when I put the content together on my Mac. All I want to do on the home theater is enjoy the content. Apple is missing an opportunity hear IMO.

I'm talking about a true couch potato product. Like the EyeHome. The only problem with the EyeHome is that it doesn't support ITMS tracks which is a deal-breaker for me. If it did I would already have one. I was hoping Apple would release a similar product that did support ITMS tracks. Unfortunately, they only seem to be focused on the iPod when it comes to media consumption devices. If they don't want to do it themselves then by all means allow Elgato to play ITMS tracks and I'll get their product in a heartbeat.

OAW

[lavar78]

Originally posted by WhaMe:
My only complaint about the Mac mini is the same complaint that I've had about Apple products for several years, that is the amount and cost of RAM.

Agreed. I can understand having a low amount of RAM on a low-budget machine, but I doubt it's easily upgradable. Moving up to 512 isn't that expensive ($75?), but it would've been nice if it came with that much. All in all, it's still an excellent machine at a great price point. I'm sure I'll get one at some point (with 512 MB RAM, Bluetooth, Airport, and an 80-GB hard drive). The educational discount won't hurt. See, there are perks to putting up with crazy kids.

[sworthy]

Biggest complaint: 1 dimm slot for the mac mini

Though 512 is certainly ample for most tasks, OS X would obviously benefit from 768 or a gig. My guess is that 99% of mac mini owners will have 256 or 512, and the mac may seem 'slow' at times. Not something we want potential switchers to think.

[itai195]

In principle I agree that they should increase the amount of memory. But I don't think it's going to be a deal breaker. I also think all the cheapo PCs out there shouldn't use shared memory for VRAM, but that doesn't seem to have stopped anyone...