[vineetb]

Fantastic article. Really whets my appetite for MW'07. Nice job.

[ophiochos]

just give us a decent PDA!

[warlock7]

I'm sorry, Rob, what have you been smoking?
The "TAM" was a huge POS. Apple had faster machines at the same time with more capabilities than the overpriced abortion of Gil Amelio, the TAM. Granted it had that nice Bose sound system but it was a steaming pile of excrement.

[cfenger]

I'm with Tidewind on this. Everyone is trying to fill rumor space with tons of gadgetry. ThinBooks, DisplayMacs, etc. I'd look to be somewhat underwhelmed at MWSF, and take this as a good sign. When the iPod debuted, the quizzical looks and grumbling (an Mp3 player...is he kidding?) were a sign of how clueless we can be about the big picture. There will undoubtedly be some neat hardware (I'm looking forward to where iTV will be in 2 or 3 years), but this is ultimately about ecosystem building directed at the consumer. Steve and Co. know where they're going. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

[MacTel]

Quote:

---

- iTV
- iPhone
- video iPod
- tablet Mac
What cuts across all 4 of these is a "Mac OS XLite". A light weight, more embedded version of Mac OSX which could start showing up in a lot of new Apple devices in the future.

---

I like your thinking. I believe they've been working on OSX light since day one of the iPod knowing that someday they'd need a more complete OS embedded in devices. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[vb101]

Personally, the only thing that would impress me enough to go "WOW! Now that's impressive!" would be the introduction of optical processors, memory and external storage. That is a completely optical computer with not electronics at all other than the power supply and possibly monitor. Actually, a fully autonomous artificially intelligent computer would be vert impressive also. I'm not expecting either one of these anytime soon. May twenty or thirty years from now.
It's safe to say anything else they come up with will just be a let down from all the hype. faster processors ... been there, done that. More processors ... been there, done that. Flashy graphics ... been there, done that. Bigger screens ... well, you get the picture. Not much truly new technology has been developed in the last ten years. Just improvements of or new ways of putting together what was already there.

[paulhuse]

30th Anniversary Laptop....
13" MB formfactor... 0.66-0.75" thin... 2G RAM... no HD but uses flash memory (just under 100G)... aluminum... twin duo core... true 6 hour battery at half the size of the normal MB battery... thumbprint reader for filevault access or optional facial recognition via built-in iSight... 400 FW but no 800... wifi, bluetooth, the normal odds and ends we expect from Apple... all for $199 shy of the MBP17.

[Benton]

Welcome aboard first time posters.
Force9
geraldfilm
Slenver
keyboard55
vb101

[griffman]

I'm sorry, Rob, what have you been smoking?
The "TAM" was a huge POS. Apple had faster machines at the same time with more capabilities than the overpriced abortion of Gil Amelio, the TAM. Granted it had that nice Bose sound system but it was a steaming pile of excrement.
Notice that I never described it as an incredibly strongly performing machine. All I wrote was (emphasis added):
"As with the first Anniversary Macintosh, this machine will represent Apples greatest thinking on the on state of design in computer technology. In its day, the TAM represented the bleeding edge of design in a desktop computer, albeit one at an amazingly high price point."
I completely agree with your assessment of the machine's performance. However, I find it hard to believe that you'd argue the machine wasn't on the bleeding edge of design. Think about it -- it was 1997, and the TAM was basically a flat-panel iMac. Overpriced? Yes. Underpowered? Yes. But clearly leading the way in design.
Thankfully, any new such machine won't have that problem, because the Core Duo chips are all fast. So it should have both performance and design.
-rob.

[IVIIVIi4ck3y27]

Jobs goes through showing updated products for the Macintosh lineup (some of these will be spread out through the remainder of the year so what truly shows up here is merely a pick and choose). They add a new small form factor MacBook Pro akin to the forecasted 30th Anniversary Mac by our faithful MacWorld writer. All MacBook Pro's are given the rotating screen and pen stylus integration, and all ship with Core 2 Duo processors. The MacBook is updated feature-wise but retains it's previous designs. Apple releases updated Mac mini's with Core 2 Duo's, possibility for the low end mini to have updated integrated Intel video while the top model gets an integrated GPU with dedicated DDR2 or DDR3 RAM. Introduces a new iMac with a Core 2 Extreme or a single Core 2 Quad processor and improved specs for video, hard drive, etc. Comes in 17" widescreen, 19" widescreen, 24" widescreen. Shows new Cinema Displays in 19", 26", 32", and a whopping 37" model with iSight cameras built-in. Updates the Mac Pro to dual Core 2 Quads, BTO Blu-Ray burner offering makes it's debut for $599 (thanks Sony!).
Shows about 30 additional features to Leopard, including a better unified interface scheme theme that eliminates some of the bickering about the unified vs. brushed aluminum vs. aqua mess we've been living under. Shows a brand new Finder with advanced meta data features that meets and exceeds what is going to ship in Vista, complete with boolean functions for Spotlight searches, and a built in metadata editor that's slick and intuitive. Improved Front Row, iWork (with spreadsheet and database), Aperture 2, updates to iLife, ::running out of breath, fingers going numb::...
Then...
Apple parades Al Gore on stage (tongue in cheek) to help introduce the new technology that is going to revolutionize everything...
Internet 3.0/eWorld 2/.Mac X (or whatever you want to call it). Yes... Al Gore helped us invent this one. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif ::laughs throughout audience::
So Al? What is it?
Al speaks:
It's a satellite based, wireless internet service with broadband speeds available over the air using Apple-specific technologies (requires Apple hardware) that will be available to Mac, Linux, and Windows users agnostically. Each user account will come with a built in .Mac account, possibly an upgraded service that supports .php or Ruby-based web applications and an SQL database, and numerous plug-in options to work with the latest iWeb, as well as Publish to Web functions in iPhoto, Aperture, and an SDK for other developers to make their software interact with this new service. Not only is it something that will revolutionize people's ability to buy movies and songs from the iTunes store...

Steve: Wow... that's pretty amazing Al. ::shakes hand::

Steve: BTW...

It's also the start of another Apple product.

aTV... (Apple Television)

Apple's Cable TV over IP via Wireless Broadband service. Yes... Apple is going to enter the cable services system and the key behind it lies in iTV and it's as of yet "unknown" wireless technologies. We can now reveal that iTV makes extensive use of I 3.0 in very pervasive ways. Using an iTV (renamed, obviously) settop box, Apple will be able to provide service to buyers of an iTV unit to the service, complete with an intuitive Apple-designed program guide, and wireless DVR technology, on top of the ability to wirelessly stream videos, music, and pictures from your computer to your settop box. Instead of having your video saved to a hard drive, you will be able to rewind video from an Apple server over I 3.0 in a completely fluid and dynamic way, no noticeable stutter, and no need for a local hard disk. Beyond that, imagine the possibilities' for an Apple-sourced HD stream equivelant to Comcast's OnDemand, crossed with the ability to show PPV content over it as well.

But wait... there's more.

::sound of a phone ringing::

::pulls out new Apple-designed phone and answers it::

"Not now Phil... I know you're excited, but I'm getting to it... I'm getting to it!"

::laughs erupt in the crowd as well as applause::

iCom. (the iPhone)

Using that same wireless technology noted earlier... Apple releases a phone that works wirelessly over the I 3.0 service infrastructure globally with an intuitive user interface. That's right, no need for pandering GSM or CDMA networks to try to get contracts to sell their phone over... Apple's going to bring their own game and play hardball with it. This is truly the next level and it allows Apple to literally drive by everyone who'll sit there in awe as in "Why didn't I think of that?" What's more... it will support wireless video transfer via the same technologies used in aTV for those that want to wirelessly buy a video or song from iTunes music store, and could even support a small scale h.264 wireless stream of the same video content available over aTV to your phone. That's right... it's not only an internet phone, an iPod, but it's a Video iPod with a beautiful display that is viewable in widescreen format, and that you can watch wireless broadband aTV content over while on the go. It's simply amazing.

Beyond all of this... any Mac with an I 3.0 aTV account, a copy of Mac OS X Leopard, and with an Apple downloadable software suite, can watch aTV content over their computer... and also will get x # of downloads per month, via subscription, to their computer or Video-enabled iPod. Additional downloads beyond that (to keep) on their computer, will come at an iTunes-like video pricepoint.
Thank you for coming folks... ::huge standing O with the audience trying to pick their chin up off the ground::
Good night!
/forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[JanBarkhed]

Personally, I think they will go for the enterprise market. They have all the building blocks in place client server solutions, security, and scalability. They only need to rethink their software apps, from personal use to a more collaborative perspective.

[MacGod]

Quote:

---

They've been working on an actual Time Machine.
The demo at the last WWDC was just a smoke screen. And the reason Steve looked a bit thin and tired at that keynote was because he'd been testing the prototype perhaps one too many times.
Yup. That's what that "total-eclipse-of-the-sun-by-an-Apple-logo" graphic is all about. It's the door to Mac-in-Time.

---

So, does that mean they can go Mac to the Future?

[jenzoalbert]

It is vital with a seamless integration of all software and hardware - in this perspective I think about the IPOD and IPHONE as a remote control for the ITv...and please give me a radio frequence connection, not infrared.

[warlock7]

Quote:

---

I'm sorry, Rob, what have you been smoking?
The "TAM" was a huge POS. Apple had faster machines at the same time with more capabilities than the overpriced abortion of Gil Amelio, the TAM. Granted it had that nice Bose sound system but it was a steaming pile of excrement.
Notice that I never described it as an incredibly strongly performing machine. All I wrote was (emphasis added):
"As with the first Anniversary Macintosh, this machine will represent Apples greatest thinking on the on state of design in computer technology. In its day, the TAM represented the bleeding edge of design in a desktop computer, albeit one at an amazingly high price point."
I completely agree with your assessment of the machine's performance. However, I find it hard to believe that you'd argue the machine wasn't on the bleeding edge of design. Think about it -- it was 1997, and the TAM was basically a flat-panel iMac. Overpriced? Yes. Underpowered? Yes. But clearly leading the way in design.
Thankfully, any new such machine won't have that problem, because the Core Duo chips are all fast. So it should have both performance and design.
-rob.

---

OK, I'll give you that. I interpreted your remarks as praise. I still can't get over the idea that everybody seems to want to remember that machine as being anything other than overpriced and slow. At the time, I recall calls for Gil Amelio's head for that machine and his decision.