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General discussion

Two Days Ago, Apple...

Mar 1, 2006 1:31AM PST

...was the greatest company there was, putting out the products that "everybody wants", and really inspiring the IT world with its innovation.

So now, because people inflated yesterday's event into a blown-out unveiling of a cure for Cancer, many are let down and, according to the BOL crew, Apple has somehow blown it. T

hink about it. What has Apple really done wrong? Nothing really. They were excited about their new offerings and wanted to announce them. How have most people reacted? By throwing tomatos. Steve Job's is the master of hyping us up, but in reality, its our fault for getting too excited and having high expectations. Nobody tells us to get excited about Apple better than Steve Jobs. However, maybe its time we bring Apple down off of our altars of worship and think of them for what they are, a business. Just a thought.

Discussion is locked

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What's funny is
Mar 1, 2006 2:19AM PST

I actually am one of Apple's biggest critics when they DO screw up. Examples:

- OSX's initial crappy human interface - I HATED it.
- Ipod scratchability (a word?)
- Feet dragging in making Apple software 64 bit and completely OSX native
- Their nazi-like control of what is said on their bulletin board

I'm sure I've fired off at least a dozen "you guys so suck on this one" type letters to them in the past 5 years. But I don't consider product announcements screw-ups. I want to know the potential of these things and having been a Mac user for so long, I've seen the "wow" versus the "meh" products and yesterday had at least one cool thing to talk about and it was completely overshadowed by what they didn't announce.

Expect the "Big announcement" (if they've got one) in exactly one month - Apple's 30th anniversary.

-Kevin S.

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Igor! Start the Rumor Mill!!!
Mar 1, 2006 3:28AM PST

I can feel the Mac Rumor Hype machine building now!

A 200GB Video iPod with a 10 inch folding 1080P HD screen, 7.1 built in sound to produce ear shatteringly clear 103Db sound (so as not to destroy hearing). It has built in Mimo, EVDO and Wimax wirless. Its able to record over the air HD broadcasts Wire 7.1 Headphones (for all you space aliens) Has internat and direct iTunes access. It is a Quad Band GSM and CDMA phone. Runs native core Duo X86 on an Origami like system uses windows subsystems with an OSX shell. Can Take Share and publish 5 megapixel Photos and auto upload to Flickr and .Mac It comes equipped with UI that scrolls like butter and can do 9 things at once. Plays BlueRay and HDDVD Movies. Has built in AirPort Extreme Video distribution in addition to Apples new announced Get Toonz Anywhere service. It makes the new mini look lake a ghost machine, it sells for $499.00 and is already being sold in staggeringly successful numbers in a parallel reality.

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You forgot one thing ...
Mar 1, 2006 3:31AM PST

A place to hold your favorite beverage. Happy

-Terry

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Nope that feature was dropped....
Mar 1, 2006 5:40AM PST

The original design had a Tray Loading DVD drive that also doubled as a power cup holder.
However a design change forced the team into using a slide loader drive instead. The design change was to provide room for the RIRM module. (Record industry Right Mis-management) module; a super secret rights super manager, that is always on and allows RIAA or the record labels to revoke rights to play ANY music (protected or unprotected) at anytime for any reason... but mostly just so they can charge you again and again and again to play the same stupid Spicy Chicks song just so you can listen to the songs you really want to listen to. BTW its a module so secret and its protection features are so stealthy, that if you even think about about RIRM, the unit will fry all your music and your bacon, then it will autoload GooBuntu instead of the iToonnzez Firmware and will only play MPAA approved google videos.... so basically.... it won't play anything at all, but you can buy anything you want... and play all the Linux Role Playing Games you can find.

Phil

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(NT) Yes but how easily does it scratch?
Mar 1, 2006 6:00AM PST
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Scratch? No scratching
Mar 1, 2006 7:46AM PST

I has a coating about 437 times tougher than diamonds... Actually, its a new space age polymer with similar properties to the outer coating of a twinky and has a lifespan of roughly 7.4 million years. It is also going to be used by RIAA and MPAA as spray on bullshirt repellant. Nothing can stick to it not even counter-suits.

Phil

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They dropped the beverage holder??
Mar 1, 2006 6:20AM PST

Bummer.

-Terry

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But if it's only a 199 GB iPod
Mar 1, 2006 6:00AM PST

But if it's only a 199 GB iPod then ppl are gonna get all mad at Apple.

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(NT) Mad will not be a problem...
Mar 1, 2006 7:51AM PST

That is because its made in a bitchin! new blue color that will make it near completely impossible to copy, or if the marketing hype is a croc, slightly more awkward than making scrambled eggs.

Word is even the secret service were impressed, and that I'm told is not something that is NOT easily accomplished.

Phil

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Its the hype..
Mar 1, 2006 11:07AM PST

Molly and Veronica addressed this well in the 2/28 podcast.
The issue is that Apple makes a huge deal out of product announcements, like it is the be all and end all. I agree that the over hype is also media generated, and high expectations are as much the fault of writers and bloggers as it is Apple, but Apple really pushes it.

Most of it has to be woth the overly secretive nature of Apple. Just say *** you are working on, and don't make it sound like incremental upgrades are earthshaking events.

Had the iPod dock boombox thingy just been announced I think it would not have had such an overwhelmingly "meh" to negative response. When Jobs makes a big deal of it, then say "this is unique, all the other docks sound crappy at high volume" it rubs people the wrong way, mainly because it isn't true.

Even Veronica, lover of all things Apple, caled out Mad Dog, pointing out that both the Altec-Lansing and Bose products sounded great, even at high volumes, (esp Bose). And they cost less.

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To some extent I agree...
Mar 1, 2006 8:45PM PST

...However, everybody who understands marketing knows that a good seller is one who believes in his or her product or service. Of course Jobs is going to be excited about his products. However, that doesn't obligate us to feel that way, and its obvious that in this case we don't. My point is that Apple does most things in secret anyways. It is the media and bloggers who extend that whichever way they want. I just feel like everybody is reacting like the spoiled child who was expecting a bike and got a football instead. While the football is not what the boy wanted, he is upset because of his own expectations.

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X-zaklee..
Mar 1, 2006 11:45PM PST

Steve, Please get Anjurina a prize. The one thing that apple said at the outset was "come see some fun new products", nothing more, nothing less. It was WE who then pumped up the football into a bike with nice blue scratch resistant Stylin' EDGE video HD 7.1 surround sound Front row capabilities. Don't like that you did not get what you prognosticated? Well then, don't prognosticate!

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(NT) (NT) Couldn't have said it any better myself.
Mar 2, 2006 12:13AM PST