Intel and Apple up a tree...

OptimusMime

I'd be interested to hear what you macphiles think of the whole Intel thing now that they are (supposedly) nearly here.

Will you buy one if a single-core Yonah iBook is launched at the Expo? Should I(a PeeCee yoozer who hasn't used a mac since the MacII, I heard the IntelMacs should be able for Windows, but it wouldn't be right, would it:)) What if it was a dual-core?

What about a Newton2? Would you buy one? Should they even bother getting into the whole PDA market again? (I reckon they'd clear up with an iPod style PDA with Intel's new XScale 1GHz inside, but who knows.)

mmmm. Opinions.

babypink

honestly if the best thing they lauch with is a single core iBook i'm waiting for a dual core PB to replace my 12' PB. A newton2....hmmm haven't heard any rumors flying round about one and don't think that they'll get back into that market. I see them going down the phone route instead....better possibilities for convergence there than with a PDA type device imo.

I'm actually quite excited about the whole intel thing to be honest. ArsTechnica did a good write up on the performance/power consumption etc and it looks very promising. Though i'll be sad to see the old PowerPC architecture go there's alot to come from intel.

thankfully it looks like intel are taking the apple partnership seriously with the the formation of a dedicated apple unit, and why not...for them to be associated with the leaders in design both hardware and software can do nothing but good.

Leap ahead

flogen

As someone waiting to jump into the Mac scene I'm keeping my ears peeled to see what comes out of the rumoured announcement.
People are saying that there could be a lower cost 12" iBook (or 13.3), which would be great for me, once it has some reasonable features. I've wanted a basic ibook for some time, to use for travel, mainly typing and online use. if I could get one for under 1000 with some decent features I'd be very happy

flogen

Actually, after reading around I'm interested to see if this new Mini Mac will happen, the media centre type machine.
If so, and if it's at a similar price, I might get myself one of those instead/as well.

TempestSabre

flogen wrote:

Actually, after reading around I'm interested to see if this new Mini Mac will happen, the media centre type machine.
If so, and if it's at a similar price, I might get myself one of those instead/as well.

A mini mac HTPC would float my boat.

OptimusMime

flogen wrote:

As someone waiting to jump into the Mac scene

Me too.

flogen wrote:

Actually, after reading around I'm interested to see if this new Mini Mac will happen, the media centre type machine.
If so, and if it's at a similar price, I might get myself one of those instead/as well.

Nail -> Head! I'm in the same boat! After years of tinkering with PCs I'm looking forward to having an allinone multimedia gadget!

I think that's Apple's new strategy too, they've realised with the iPod that a lot of people will buy techy gadgets if they have a decent, user friendly (ie low power, etc) product as long as the price is nice; and with Intel, they're gonna have a steady supply of ultracheap, and if the previews are right, brilliant new processors to put into their computers.

Their market share has grown massively with the iPod and now they have a whole load of newbs to woo with cool new stuff. I hope it's good, and that's coming from a complete Apple agnostic!

TempestSabre

OptimusMime wrote:

....Their market share has grown massively with the iPod ...

Their market share of MP3 players. Not Personal Computers.

OptimusMime

TempestSabre wrote:

Their market share of MP3 players. Not Personal Computers.

True, of course. I should have said their brand recognition. It's undeniable that Apple have a rake load more 'fans' than, say, five years ago. And I would reckon that people who have an iPod, and are in the upgrade market, will defintely give Apple computers a whole lot more consideration than before simply because they like the MP3 player.

TempestSabre

iTunes for Windows have been around for 2 years. The iPod is what 60% of the MP3 player market and Apple PC's almost 3%. Wheres the correlation?

flogen

TempestSabre wrote:

iTunes for Windows have been around for 2 years. The iPod is what 60% of the MP3 player market and Apple PC's almost 3%. Wheres the correlation?

Apple have increased sales in the last 2 years because of the iPod, it's known as the Halo Effect. Now it may not make then even close to other manufacturers, but it has brought them higher on the list of Computer hardware producers recently.
I think I'd agree with Optimus, while the iPod isn't going to convince people to buy Mac, it will encourage them to consider something they wouldn't have even sniffed at before.
There's also no denying that the mini mac was a great marketting tool to entice PC users to switch, getting them to pay low for a good machine that they could test out before making a full leap to mac.

atilladehun

i bought an ibook off the back of my ipod, so did my friends. considering you couldnt find 2 shops that knew what a mac was 5 years ago, even 3, and now several retailers are making money by selling them shows their growth.

TempestSabre

atilladehun wrote:

i bought an ibook off the back of my ipod, so did my friends. considering you couldnt find 2 shops that knew what a mac was 5 years ago, even 3, and now several retailers are making money by selling them shows their growth.

You still had apple stores 2 years ago.

flogen

I think the fact that o2 stores stock apple computers and that places like PC world are a little bit more mac aware (a dixons I was in had an ibook with all its other laptop displays, I never saw something like that before the ipod got big) shows that they're in the consumers mind more now.

I'd say a proper apple store will be in Ireland soon enough. They're spreading across the UK (5 or 6 stores) and Europe (Rome and Paris, I think). Given that Apple have some of their operations in Cork, it wouldn't be a bad move.

TempestSabre

Be nice to see it alright. I'm just a bit more pessimistic than you guys I guess.

Ham'nd'egger

flogen wrote:

I think the fact that o2 stores stock apple computers and that places like PC world are a little bit more mac aware (a dixons I was in had an ibook with all its other laptop displays, I never saw something like that before the ipod got big) shows that they're in the consumers mind more now.

I'd say a proper apple store will be in Ireland soon enough. They're spreading across the UK (5 or 6 stores) and Europe (Rome and Paris, I think). Given that Apple have some of their operations in Cork, it wouldn't be a bad move.

Don't forget the 3 Network of shops as well for Apple...

Or the Apple Shop on Grafton Street

TempestSabre

Hamndegger wrote:

Don't forget the 3 Network of shops as well for Apple...

Or the Apple Shop on Grafton Street

You mean the O2 store that sells apples.

Ham'nd'egger

TempestSabre wrote:

You mean the O2 store that sells apples.

No, the Apple Shop is the old Spectra Photo shop beside the Molly Malone statue. It has been open maybe a year now and seems busy enough.

At this point, in order to avoid confusion, I should point out that Molly Malone does not sell Apples.

TempestSabre

I thought that was still a camera shop that just sells apples along with the usual iRiver, Creative MP3 players.

flogen

yeah, Tempest is right, it's still a spectra photo shop but has some apple stock at the back.
It has an Apple Store sign outside, but it's nothing like a real Apple Store, the one that used to be on Stephens Green wasn't a proper Apple store either.

Ham'nd'egger

flogen wrote:

yeah, Tempest is right, it's still a spectra photo shop but has some apple stock at the back.
It has an Apple Store sign outside, but it's nothing like a real Apple Store, the one that used to be on Stephens Green wasn't a proper Apple store either.

Ok ok, it's not like a REAL Apple store, but come on, do you see a XP store on Grafton Street, do you? Time to put the heads up and the tongues out

TempestSabre

Hamndegger wrote:

Ok ok, it's not like a REAL Apple store, but come on, do you see a XP store on Grafton Street, do you? Time to put the heads up and the tongues out

Does anyone know what hes talking about?

flogen

cormacs wrote:

you can buy apple computers in sligo, galway, roscommon, Dublin (about 20 places), carlow, limerick, cork, clonmel and monaghan. I sometimes wonder if any apple users actually use this apple forum or if its just full of wanna-be apple users.

Also, Im taking bets on what exactly it means to have intel making the chips for apple. my bet is that it wont make the machines any cheaper, plus they wont run windows OS. OK, they can and probably will run windows, but it wont be an upfront option from apple.

And you can buy Meteor phones in Xtravision, does that make it a Meteor store?
If you've ever been to a proper Apple store in the US or UK then you'll know what I mean by proper; they have work shops, lectures, a genius bar and loads of displays (unlike most computer stores you can actually use the computers, surf the web etc.). What you have in Ireland at the moment are Apple computer resellers, not Apple Stores.

Pretor

cormacs wrote:

Also, Im taking bets on what exactly it means to have intel making the chips for apple. my bet is that it wont make the machines any cheaper, plus they wont run windows OS. OK, they can and probably will run windows, but it wont be an upfront option from apple.

I dont know about the first part, apple always made most of there own hardware, getting processors made by intel whose purpose is to make processors should bring the price down (in theory)

Agree with the next part, Apple certainly dont want to be able to run windows on these machines straight out of the box otherwise it'll just be like any other pc out there and with them now just "outsourcing" there processors they need to be able to make up that money from the software.

Thing is though it all comes down to how processors compile data (i think), these processors will mostly code like the ones for pcs so it'll be easier to code software from windows to mac, the only difference is the OS. A problem that comes up is that viruses and trojans will be easier to code for macs now aswell.

ive also heard somewhere that virtual pc would run 3x faster than it does now on the current hardware (could be just a rumour but i think i could be true) so maybe even microsoft sees an oppurtunity in this...

Well thats just my opinion, feel free to agree/disagree on anything i just said...

spartacus93

Pretor wrote:

I dont know about the first part, apple always made most of there own hardware, getting processors made by intel whose purpose is to make processors should bring the price down (in theory)

Agree with the next part, Apple certainly dont want to be able to run windows on these machines straight out of the box otherwise it'll just be like any other pc out there and with them now just "outsourcing" there processors they need to be able to make up that money from the software.

Apple don't really make anything. Sher before Intel IBM used to make the processors before them Motorola. The price should be lower as for the first time it will be the same processor as goes into Dell etc. laptops.

Pretor wrote:

Thing is though it all comes down to how processors compile data (i think), these processors will mostly code like the ones for pcs so it'll be easier to code software from windows to mac, the only difference is the OS. A problem that comes up is that viruses and trojans will be easier to code for macs now aswell.

Easier, slightly maybe, but the programmes will still have to be coded for OSX.

Windows and Linux both run on the same processors but their programmes can't be used on both platforms

Dr_Teeth

Pretor wrote:

Thing is though it all comes down to how processors compile data (i think), these processors will mostly code like the ones for pcs so it'll be easier to code software from windows to mac, the only difference is the OS. A problem that comes up is that viruses and trojans will be easier to code for macs now aswell.

Ah no you have that backwards.

Moving from one OS to another is the hard bit, moving from one processor architecture to another is comparitively trivial - which is why Apple are able to do it.

TempestSabre

They'll lock the hardware to an Apple firmware. It will still be expensive. I'm sure they'll be a few hacks to run linux or even a hack of XP on it. But there'll be no point, when you can buy a cheap PC for pittance and run XP on that at 10x the speed.

Most macs have shared a lot of components with PC's from the begining. HD, RAM, GFX cards, CDROM, FLOPPY DISK's, screens. etc.