The (sketchy) details so far:
--New iMac. Built-in iSight, slimmer chassis. New remote control called "FrontRow." Same pricing and screen sizes as current models.
--New iPod. Slightly larger, but thinner. Built-in video support (at least H.264, probably QuickTime support too), but still music-centered. Slightly larger, wider QVGA screen. 20GB and 60GB capacities, same prices as current models.
The iPod has MPEG-4 support and there is also Front Row and iTunes 6 (front row seems to be some sort of tv media player)
Updates:
--iTunes 6 announced. No Movie Store yet, but Apple will offer music videos for $1.99 and select TV shows.
--FrontRow is not just a remote, but also designed for media presentation on a TV.
The first thing that popped in my head was my TAM after I saw the picture for the remote and new iMac. They should've included a subwoofer!
I see they are leaving out the dialup modem but it is available as an external for $49.
Leaving out the dialup modem is a good choice for Apple. I'm surprised they didn't do it sooner.
Stupid double post. It's all because of the crappy net connection this cafe has
I think this is the Media Center that Apple has been hinting at for years. Sadly, there are no video inputs in either the iMac or the PM G5. It would be nice if they had included a TV/Radio Tuner in it for iTunes
*note* At least they still support 10.2 on iTunes
Why is that a good choice?
I also noticed no more eMac on the Apple Store.
It's a good choice because dialup is a minority by now. If there aren't more broadband than dialup users nationwide in the USA now, more (classically more affluent) Mac users have broadband than dialup. This is a decision somewhat like leaving out the floppy drive.
It's still there; you need to search for it.
They have gone back to the original designed for education marketing.
I think the mini was eating it's sales.
That's it, with photobooth mode, I'm going into the biz of photobooths :)...
David
yes I know it is in the education section but its gone from the consumer area and its still $649.00.
In my experience of dealing with customers in the retail environment (in Florida and to a lesser extent, Pennsylvania), people who use broadband tend to have iMacs, eMacs, iBooks, and the lower end PowerBooks, while I've seen more Power Mac and high end PowerBook (15 & 17 inch) users clinging onto their dial up accounts (AOPectate errr AOL, and otherwise). It's a strange phenomenon I noticed. Though, good riddance over the eMac. It's only been a matter of time before it silently vanished after the mac mini came to town. Here's to hoping an inexpensive Apple LCD display is on its way.
- iantm
Ok, the question is, with Apple switching to Intel chips next year, why would anyone spend money on a new Mac this year?
Simply because they need a computer now.
I had the money all ready to go for a Mac Mini, but I held off and they announced the RAM upgrades and the wireless upgrades as standard. I held off and the x86 thing hit too. If I had really needed the Mini when I had the money ready I would have bought it. I could run Ubuntu PPC on it when it hits EOL for X from Apple, just like I'm posting from a P-III 800 that's been nearly EOL'd by Microsoft et al but runs Ubuntu fine. By the time the Mini gets EOL'd it'll likely have good full hardware support under Linux/BSD. If I had the money together and the need I'd buy a Mini tomorrow.
does this mean we can expect to see the early mactels in the same thin form factor?
I also see that the new ipod has colors Black or White like the ipod Nano.
I wonder how long it'll be before we see the iMac available in a choice between white or black. A black iMac G5 would be sweet. Though, for that matter, so would any current shipping mac in the black color. Oh lord, do I miss the black PowerBooks.
- iantm