[Superchicken]

Why the heck do all their electronics that they make look like pure and utter crap!? Like I know Ives is awesome and stuff but does Gateway just have nobody with any sort of eye working for them?

Like look at those things, HP I can respect because they are already in so many markets and their things make sense together. Who the heck wants a gateway MP3 player, especially one that has an FM radio?

[OldManMac]

Gateway is trying to survive. Put a fork in 'em, turn 'em over; they're done.

[Apple Pro Underwear]

most blatant iPod rip-off yet...


atleast try to make it slightly distinctive

[mitchell_pgh]

Yah, the computer industry is falling apart...

It's going to be HP, Dell, Apple, eMachine and a few other small companies.

There simply isn't any money in it... Apple is one of the few companies doing well other then Dell.

[Superchicken]

Originally posted by Apple Pro Underwear:
most blatant iPod rip-off yet...


atleast try to make it slightly distinctive

They did, they made it ugly, gave it big ugly headphones and called it a DMP something or other.

[Mr. Blur]

nothing really unexpected here. every time apple releases something there is always a peecee manufacturer that tosses out a blatant copy that looks (and feels) like the cheap piece of junk it usually is.

[Superchicken]

My question is not at the fact they made an iPod ripoff, but why'd they make it so ugly and stuff? Like who would buy this or that camera. The cam has nice stats but I'd still choose my FinePix 2600 2 megapixel that's almost two years old given the choice that thing just looks bad!

[Bluebomber21XX]

Originally posted by Superchic[k]en:
My question is not at the fact they made an iPod ripoff, but why'd they make it so ugly and stuff? Like who would buy this or that camera. The cam has nice stats but I'd still choose my FinePix 2600 2 megapixel that's almost two years old given the choice that thing just looks bad!

Number 1: They don't look that bad. They are a litle boxy, but I wouldn't say ugly.

Number 2: Please try to never use the word "hip" again, unless you're talking about hip-hop.

That is all.

[iWrite]

I don't think they're toast or "done" yet.

They have made a deal to be in all the Office Depot stores. They have the current 200D notebook in Office Depot and I know it's sacrireligious to say this, but it looks like a nice machine. They have it priced at $1399. Pentium M at 1.6Ghz. Not too shabby in price, but you know what? Has a 14-inch screen and is less than an inch thick and LIGHT.

Not a bad looking notebook at all. IF I was in the PC notebook buying mode, I'd look at that thing -- along with the "big brother" to that model, the 200DX that has the DVD-R/CDRW priced at $1899 in Office Depot stores.

[nredman]

Originally posted by Apple Pro Underwear:
most blatant iPod rip-off yet...


atleast try to make it slightly distinctive

indeed

[powerbook867]

boy, that all in one gateway is ugly as sin!!! Gateway is fighting for it's life right now as someone previously stated. I don't see them being around in 2 - 5 years....

[iWrite]

I think Gateway will be sold to another company. They're trying to diversify right now into plasma televisions and other electronics.

They have a problem in that they have brick and mortar stores to support and not enough revenue to keep them going. They need to dump those retail stores and move into a situation where they have kiosks in other stores or simply sell through a large retailer such as Circuit City or Best Buy. Problem is, those venues are being rapidly snapped up by other companies. Moving into Office Depot was an excellent idea. I think they're also in Office Max and some Staples stores also.

I like their 200D/DX machine (notebook). I was checking around to see who they ripped off in that design but haven't been able to locate a similar design. It does sport the Titanium familiar black-keyboard-on-silver-case theme, same as the previous Powerbooks. But, from there it's much different in that it's lighter and the case is thinner and more ergonomically designed (no blunt corners -- everything rounded off and sleek.)

You can see it here. The $1399 price point is indeed very good.

[iWrite]

(Make sure you select the "Product Tour" to get a good close-up view of it -- it's only a little over 4 pounds, a 14-inch screen, and less than an inch thick total, that's not too shabby.)

[iWrite]

Still, it doesn't have Mac OS on it so it's only so-so.

[olePigeon]

What the hell are all those keys at the bottom?

Plus, when I type, I hit the keyboard with my right thumb. I almost never use my left thum for the spacebar. That keyboard would absolutely suck for me.

[Tritium]

looks like a japanese keyboard to me.

[thunderous_funker]

Dell created the PC-as-commodity business, started a brutal price war and successfully killed the PC industry.

You can't sell PC's unless you can survive on pennies. Dell can do it because of volume and more importantly, because they're business sales subsidize their "home" sales.

The alternative is to go into the "integrated solutions" space like Apple and Sony. They don't sell PC's as such. They sell lifestyle appliances. They offer integrated products that cater to specific user experiences which allow them to enjoy profitable margins. Its the "whole widget" market.

As much as Mac-heads poo poo whenever a keynote merely focuses on iApps, it is precisely those kinds of solutions that are keeping the consumer PC market alive. Digital photography is now one of the primary reasons people buy a PC--right up there with internet access and games.

So Gateway wants to do what Sony and Apple are doing. The problem is that they still aren't really doing the "whole widget" because they don't offer software solutions that integrate with their hardware. That doesn't bode well for them unless they start selling enough HDTV's and MP3 players to make up for puny margins on PC sales.

So while it may anger some that Gateway is trying to make a buck from copying Apple, I don't think we need to worry too much about them hurting Apple. They aren't really in a position to do so, despite their fantasies to the contrary.

[Nebrie]

Gateway just has too much liquid assets right now. They can keep losing the amount of money they are losing now for many years before they go bankrupt.