Everyone else is talking about them so I suppose I should join in. Apple released a ton of new products today. The big news was the new iMacs.
These look really compelling. Especially the 27″ iMac. Were I not so tied to a MacBookPro I’d seriously consider one of these for my main computer. It has a lot of the power you used to have to pay ridiculous amounts for in a PowerMac. Were I rich I’d get one of these for a home computer in addition to my MBP. For multimedia in particular these would be killer. There is an SD card slot as well but that, to me, is kind of “meh.” I use USB for my cameras and Firewire for my video.
So I’m lusting after the 27″ Core i7. I really love that Apple finally put an extra hard drive enclosure in the iMac as well.
There’s also a new Apple mouse. It’s hard to get excited about given Apple’s history with mice. (i.e. they’ve all sucked for decades) The idea is really good, but I’m hearing stories you have to lift all your fingers up to do things like a right click. Plus I’m not sure how in practice gestures would work while trying to hold your mouse. The ergonomics seems pretty different from say the iPhone. So I’ll withhold judgment for now. I’m really happy with my Logitech mouse anyway.
Still, given that my mouse and keyboard are wired I do like the idea of wireless. It’s just that a solid keyboard means more to me that wireless. And I just can’t get myself to like Apple’s latest keyboards.
Apple also updated the remote. That’s kind of “meh” other than making more contrast between the buttons and the body of the controller. Personally I kind of suspect I’d like the old one better. But honestly I programmed my universal remote to control my AppleTV anyway. So this to me isn’t a big deal. Same functionality with a slightly different “theme.”
Contrary to haters, Apple did update the MacMini. It’s a nice speed bump although I think that if they could get it below $500 it’d sell a ton better. Sadly no update of the now long in tooth AppleTV. I love my AppleTV but it’s fallen behind competitor’s units. However the nice iTunes integration is really worth it. I just can’t imagine anyone thoughtful buying one in the current state of affairs. It’s underpowered and lacks important features.
Given that Apple didn’t update the AppleTV and given how close it is to Christmas, unless there is an update in the next two weeks I think one can safely say Apple is dropping that line. I think that a big mistake, but I suspect Apple’s main problem is licensing for cost competitive rentals from the studios. The prices are ridiculous right now, especially compared to Netflix streaming that competitors offer. I suspect Apple’s problem is that their dominance of music has made the studios skittish to enter into licensing arrangements that are competitive. They’d rather have Microsoft, Amazon, Netflix and all the devices using Netflix to gain market dominance rather than Apple.
Right now the best AppleTV is really a MacMini, but unless you are rich, $600 is a bit much.
This entry was posted on 2009/10/20, 1:26 pm and is filed under Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0.
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New Macs
Everyone else is talking about them so I suppose I should join in. Apple released a ton of new products today. The big news was the new iMacs.
These look really compelling. Especially the 27″ iMac. Were I not so tied to a MacBookPro I’d seriously consider one of these for my main computer. It has a lot of the power you used to have to pay ridiculous amounts for in a PowerMac. Were I rich I’d get one of these for a home computer in addition to my MBP. For multimedia in particular these would be killer. There is an SD card slot as well but that, to me, is kind of “meh.” I use USB for my cameras and Firewire for my video.
So I’m lusting after the 27″ Core i7. I really love that Apple finally put an extra hard drive enclosure in the iMac as well.
There’s also a new Apple mouse. It’s hard to get excited about given Apple’s history with mice. (i.e. they’ve all sucked for decades) The idea is really good, but I’m hearing stories you have to lift all your fingers up to do things like a right click. Plus I’m not sure how in practice gestures would work while trying to hold your mouse. The ergonomics seems pretty different from say the iPhone. So I’ll withhold judgment for now. I’m really happy with my Logitech mouse anyway.
Still, given that my mouse and keyboard are wired I do like the idea of wireless. It’s just that a solid keyboard means more to me that wireless. And I just can’t get myself to like Apple’s latest keyboards.
Contrary to haters, Apple did update the MacMini. It’s a nice speed bump although I think that if they could get it below $500 it’d sell a ton better. Sadly no update of the now long in tooth AppleTV. I love my AppleTV but it’s fallen behind competitor’s units. However the nice iTunes integration is really worth it. I just can’t imagine anyone thoughtful buying one in the current state of affairs. It’s underpowered and lacks important features.
Given that Apple didn’t update the AppleTV and given how close it is to Christmas, unless there is an update in the next two weeks I think one can safely say Apple is dropping that line. I think that a big mistake, but I suspect Apple’s main problem is licensing for cost competitive rentals from the studios. The prices are ridiculous right now, especially compared to Netflix streaming that competitors offer. I suspect Apple’s problem is that their dominance of music has made the studios skittish to enter into licensing arrangements that are competitive. They’d rather have Microsoft, Amazon, Netflix and all the devices using Netflix to gain market dominance rather than Apple.
Right now the best AppleTV is really a MacMini, but unless you are rich, $600 is a bit much.
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This entry was posted on 2009/10/20, 1:26 pm and is filed under Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.