[Hawkeye_a]

Anyone know why Apple hasn't started anodizing the aluminum unibody enclosures of MacBooks? Why isn't there a slate black option for high end/ pro products?

Another thing which occurred to me, why doesn't Apple make their laptions 3/4G capable with antennas? for on-the-go internet access?

It's hard to imagine that 13 years ago, Apple had the Indigo,Ruby, Sage and Graphite iMacs, the blueberry and tangerine iBooks, the graphite PowerMacG4s and Cube and the TiBooks. Is it just me or does the new lineup seem sterile and well a little too 'standard' in the PC space? The new MacPro is a definite exception.

Cheers

[subego]

Just wait for the gold iPhone.

[FireWire]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

It's hard to imagine that 13 years ago, Apple had the Indigo,Ruby, Sage and Graphite iMacs, the blueberry and tangerine iBooks, the graphite PowerMacG4s and Cube and the TiBooks. Is it just me or does the new lineup seem sterile and well a little too 'standard' in the PC space? The new MacPro is a definite exception.

I liked the "before" Apple better. My 7300/200 was perfect. It was super easy to open and upgrade components. It took less than 5 seconds to get access to RAM. It had 6 or 8 RAM slots, space for 2 HD, 3 PCI slots, CPU on daughtercard, and the name was meaningful. You instantly knew that it was better than a 7200 or 7100 and it had a 200 Mhz CPU. Now you never know what people have. Two days ago I went to help my uncle with his iMac and there's nothing to help us know what he has.. You have to check in the system info.. "ok, iMac 4,1... now what is that?" check online.. "ok, iMac early 2006"... google specs.. etc..

And Apple was fun then.. flower power iMac, bat-like eMate, etc.. now it's like "hey, here's a piece of paper that you can use as a computer... sure you can't burn DVD, upgrade RAM, upgrade the HD, but hey! it's 5 mm thin!!!!"

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by subego 

Just wait for the gold iPhone.

Ghastly! I thought the height of it would be the unicorn-rainbow-puke iOS7, but they topped it.

Having said that, a Champagne colored Audi actually looks really nice. (Never though i'd like it).

The Mac Pro is at the other extreme of cool.

[subego]

It'll sell like hotcakes in Dubai.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Anyone know why Apple hasn't started anodizing the aluminum unibody enclosures of MacBooks? Why isn't there a slate black option for high end/ pro products?

Another thing which occurred to me, why doesn't Apple make their laptions 3/4G capable with antennas? for on-the-go internet access?

It's hard to imagine that 13 years ago, Apple had the Indigo,Ruby, Sage and Graphite iMacs, the blueberry and tangerine iBooks, the graphite PowerMacG4s and Cube and the TiBooks. Is it just me or does the new lineup seem sterile and well a little too 'standard' in the PC space? The new MacPro is a definite exception.

Cheers

I've been wondering about the cell antenna thing too, this would be lovely. However, I don't think that people will want to pay an additional monthly cost for the likely occasional cell usage of their laptop. Are there any carriers that would allow multiple devices to share a single data plan?

[subego]

They want you to tether to an iPhone.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by subego 

They want you to tether to an iPhone.

Where, if they are AT&T, they can charge you more...

I really don't think this business model will last. It could very well be that cell technology grows to become the single way we all access the internet wirelessly, at least for casual home-type use. In order for this to happen though we'll to get back to data plans being tethered to accounts rather than devices.

I sometimes wish we could regulate these cell carriers so we aren't impeded by their scheme du jour. Yes, I know, free enterprise, blah blah blah, but it just sucks that we don't have our hover boards and our other tech fantasies are not being realized because of corporate politics.

[besson3c]

I guess I don't really have a point with my last post, oh well, sometimes that happens.

[subego]

Things are already regulated to give us this situation in the first place. AT&T isn't free enterprise.

Regardless, I agree with you long-term we'll be using a different technology.

[Brien]

I could see (and hope for) a black anodized MBP.

Gold iPhone is odd though. Maybe it looks better in person.

[Spheric Harlot]

The golden iPod mini was gorgeous. Nobody remembers it, oddly.

As for cellular capability in the laptops:
It would double the number of products Apple needs to keep in stock (let alone if they were to add colors!). Mac sales aren't like iOS sales -- the numbers don't provide nearly the same economies of scale.
Back in the iMac days, Apple tried to overcome that by forcing dealers to buy iMacs in fixed numbers across colors, resulting in dealers having extra stock in unpopular colors and not being able to satisfy demand in popular ones. I doubt that would fly today.

[subego]

Gold is for Asian markets. Stuff which is black or chrome in the West is done up as gold in Asia.

Like so:



IIUC, it's a "lucky" color.

[Spheric Harlot]

I'm thinking not "gold" as that vile blingy thing up there, but "champagne" as in the color that EVERY electronic home appliance had in the early 90s (stereo components went through silver in the 70s and black in the 80s to champagne in the early 90s, often with wooden ends).

[Hawkeye_a]

Been thinking about this lately....

After the iOS7 reveal, the color choices for the plastic iPhone(rumors), and now this gold/champagne iPhone...... i really don't like the aesthetic direction Apple's devices have taken this year. It's almost a complete opposite of my personal tastes, which is not something easy to admit. I hope they prove me wrong.

It's weird cause I liked the indigo,ruby,sage and graphite iMacs and even though they were colorful the colors looks great. the palette used for iOS7 and the plastic iPhone5C look horrendous.

[Spheric Harlot]

Do you remember the lime iBook? People HATED that; I thought it was pretty awesome.

I think iOS 7 looks gorgeous, even if I'm not particularly fond of some of the icons (but then, the pinstripe gradients of previous iOS icons weren't that pretty, either, and the faux-perforated-metal of the original dock background… well, it worked in 2007.

As for the color palette of the leaked iPhone 5C images: All images I've seen so far were just way off balance. None of the colors looked real. Apple's stuff invariably looks WAY better in person than even in their promotional photographs.

I'm holding my judgement (and hoping for Apple's design taste to deliver a truly gorgeous golden/champagne iPhone 5S).

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

I'm holding my judgement (and hoping for Apple's design taste to deliver a truly gorgeous golden/champagne iPhone 5S).

I'm clearly not the target market for this sort of thing, because I personally couldn't give less of a rat's ass what color my phone is.

[Spheric Harlot]

News at 11!

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

News at 11!

Damn right it's news worthy!

[andi*pandi]

It doesn't much matter what color the phone is when it's going inside an otterbox (or other case).

So unless the colorful iphone5C comes in a rubberized sturdy casing... well colorful nanos were great, not worth a lot, if they got dropped it wasn't the end of the world. Phones need protection.

[Salty]

I think the iPhone 5C is going to be marketed at the sort of people who wouldn't buy a case.

I wish some body would market a slip case for the iPhone like the iPod socks of old that I used. (I have some on order from Ebay) I never used a case with my iPhone 4 and after two years it still looked great, I just used the sock.

[Spheric Harlot]

There are probably hundreds of slipcases available for the iPhone, from knit to felt, leather to plastic.

[exca1ibur]

I have never used a case for any phone I've had over the last 15 years.

Here you go Salty. WaterField Designs - SFBags

I get my laptop bags from here, they make cases for all type of electronics. Some can be expense but they are all handmade and the customer service is second to none.

[mindwaves]

Macs should have color. It is part of what made an iMac an iMac.

[subego]

foof → MacBook Pro Sleeve, iPad & iPad Mini Soft Case, iPhone or iPod Touch Pouch

They make iPhone slip cases, and they're very nice.

[andi*pandi]

I had a foof. It was a nice thing.

[shifuimam]

I miss the colors of Apple products.

The clamshell iBook and matching iMac were things of beauty. Now Apple stuff just looks generic - walk into any brick-and-mortar computer store and there's a variety of ultrabooks that look exactly like the MacBook Air, except without the Apple logo.

[P]

But they look generic because others copied the design - at least in laptops. Personally I'd love a few colors on laptops, but I know the mess it plays with stock keeping. Now that the update cycles are longer again, maybe Apple could swing it, but it is probably an either or thing of BTO options or colors.

[andi*pandi]

its a lot easier to customize computers nowadays with decals, skins. etc.

Sale Candy Hard Case for MacBook Pro 13 Keyboard Skin | eBay

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by P 

But they look generic because others copied the design - at least in laptops. Personally I'd love a few colors on laptops, but I know the mess it plays with stock keeping. Now that the update cycles are longer again, maybe Apple could swing it, but it is probably an either or thing of BTO options or colors.

When everyone is copying you to the point that your design is no longer something defining, it's time to come up with a new design.

Face it - Apple's hardware designs are really, really stale at this point. The iMac hasn't seen a real redesign since the G5 era. It's gotten thinner, and the Lexan was replaced with aluminum, but the general design is o-l-d. The laptop line hasn't changed at all except for thickness since the original unibody design was released in what, 2010?

I miss the days of Apple hardware being innovative and eye-popping....things like the G4 iMac, the B&W G3 PowerMac (amazingly easy to service), the clamshell iBook, and - of course - the original Macintosh.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Face it - Apple's hardware designs are really, really stale at this point. The iMac hasn't seen a real redesign since the G5 era. It's gotten thinner, and the Lexan was replaced with aluminum, but the general design is o-l-d. The laptop line hasn't changed at all except for thickness since the original unibody design was released in what, 2010?

Late 2008.

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

I miss the days of Apple hardware being innovative and eye-popping....things like the G4 iMac, the B&W G3 PowerMac (amazingly easy to service), the clamshell iBook, and - of course - the original Macintosh.

The original Macintosh stayed around in that basic design from 1984 until 1993, when the Classic II was discontinued. That was almost TEN YEARS.

The SmurfMac G3 released in 1999 set the basic design until the G5 was introduced, in 2003 - four years later.

The gumdrop iMac design in its basic form existed for four years before being replaced by the G4 lampshade.

The current iMac looks more or less like it has since the 2007 design makeover (aluminum), but honestly, it's been reduced to a screen panel with a strip of aluminum along the bottom. What is Apple supposed to do? Which non-existent part of the iMac are they supposed to make "eye-popping"? (I do appreciate that the black plastic back panel has gone.)

[shifuimam]

All I'm saying is that the current hardware design is really stale and run-of-the-mill at this point. I'm not a hardware designer - I sure never would have come up with the iMac G4 design. I'd just like to see them shake things up a little instead of making the same unibody aluminum enclosures they've been making for way too long.

The original Macintosh design stuck around for a long time, but in that decade it was still unique and distinctive.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

All I'm saying is that the current hardware design is really stale and run-of-the-mill at this point. I'm not a hardware designer - I sure never would have come up with the iMac G4 design. I'd just like to see them shake things up a little instead of making the same unibody aluminum enclosures they've been making for way too long.

The original Macintosh design stuck around for a long time, but in that decade it was still unique and distinctive.

Maybe desktops and laptops have evolved as much as they can right now, or even ever?

No point in designing for the sake of designing? If it ain't broke and all that...

[shifuimam]

Well, I suppose not...

I just kinda miss the distinctive design of Apple hardware of years gone by.

Part of why I'm so into vintage Apple hardware is because of how cool it looks. My IIci is a piece of art - unbelievably easy to service, and very unassuming sitting on my desk, unlike the behemoth, beige, powder-coated steel enclosure of our Packard Bell 286 from 1989.

On the other hand, the fact that the home row key nubbins are on D and K instead of F and J throws me off all the freakin' time on the keyboard.

[andi*pandi]

The new purple tower thing is breaking the boring mold, don't you think? (whatever else you may say about it)

[shifuimam]

I will grant you that the new Mac Pro design is unique.

The geek side of me doesn't like it much, because it doesn't use commodity components like the old Mac Pro did. That being said, it is a pretty cool looking piece of hardware.

[starman]

It's cool looking, and I wanted it, but the more I thought about it, the less practical it became. Everything you want to add to the new Pro has to be done via Thunderbolt cables. I would have preferred a neat-looking design like the current Pro, but smaller. I don't want cables hanging off it.

[shifuimam]

And stacks of peripherals on your desk, which gather dust and get in the way.

It's cool-looking, but that's not enough to convince me that it's a good design for a "pro" computer...

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

And stacks of peripherals on your desk, which gather dust and get in the way.

It's cool-looking, but that's not enough to convince me that it's a good design for a "pro" computer...

Most of the environments this machine is built for (remember, very, very few market segments have need for anything more than an iMac or MacBook Pro in terms of power) tend to work primarily with external storage. Video and audio are almost never stored internally; being able to sneakernet a 100-GB project to another studio machine (or studio), or a duplicate into an off-site secure location, is an essential part of the the default MO.

The hard drives I have sitting on the desk gathering dust are sitting there because they need to be moved around, or because they were/are used to shuttle project material into my studio. The others are actually mounted in the 19" rack to my right. It would make zero difference if those were internal (except for the SATA bus, which is sufficiently replaced by the Thunderbolt 2 built into the Mac Pro.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

And stacks of peripherals on your desk, which gather dust and get in the way.

It's cool-looking, but that's not enough to convince me that it's a good design for a "pro" computer...

It strikes me as more of a "Mac Mini Pro."

On the flip side, everyone complains about a lack of upgradeability; does anyone have actual data on how often Mac Pro upgrade processors or graphics cards vs. trading the whole unit in?

[subego]

Trading it in for what? There hasn't been a new Pro in 3 years.

[Laminar]

Clearly, the data would have to go back more than 3 years.

[subego]

If that was clear I wouldn't have asked the question.

[Laminar]

Clearly.

[Spheric Harlot]

So do you have any idea, or are you just marking your territory by shitting in every corner you can find?

[mindwaves]

Was hoping to hear some updates on the new MP. I'm not in the market for one, but was still interested in some news.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

So do you have any idea, or are you just marking your territory by shitting in every corner you can find?

Me?

[P]

Ivy Bridge-EP launched today.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Me?

Yes, you.

Stand still, laddie!

[pooka]

I can't wait for the Mac Pro pricing shoe-drop. I seriously doubt many/any of you will be first in line to purchase. It's absurd that you can assemble a beast of a hackintosh system for roughly $800 that literally destroys any production machine Apple has to offer (unless you drop north of $5k). And even then, you can add $500 nodes to gobble up Compressor jobs like you wouldn't believe. There is no (end user) justification for this, but I'm sure someone here will step up to the plate.