I'm feeling kind of let down...
 

An iPod boombox and the Mac Mini? I must admit, the upgrade on the Mini is nice (though it doesn't really apply to me). But I was really hoping to hear that Apple was getting in on Bono's Red brand, and I wanted to see the MacBook.

And, as I've mentioned before, I don't like dock/speaker sets. And, on top of this, that had better be some pretty stinking fine quality sound to be selling it for 350, especially since you can't even separate the stereo speakers from each other...

Opinions, comments, general complaints? Really, the reason I put this in the Coat Room is because I want to know what you thing about the direction apple is taking with these products (especially the speakers) not necessarily a product review.

yeh.... me too.

and the mini has gone up in price too.

to be honest... I am getting used to Apple releasing uninspiring products.... the last time I was 'wowed' was the original iMac G5.... and that was years ago!

I am sorry but didn't you just see the major switch over a new set of processors which puts the Macs on a much more promising path in terms of speed? The new laptops? I do not feel let down at all frankly, quite the contrary. These two items are not mind-boggling, but it makes the mini a lot more viable for a broader use, which is good for a lot of people with tight budgets. As for the speakers, I want to hear the sound first, then I will form an opinion. Looks a great deal better near the TV than a lot of those home theatre systems for sure. Glad I never bought one.

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Sounds good to me. I think there’s a good chance we’ll pick up one of the Intel-embracing MacMinis. The only thing that irks me there is that Apple wants $ 125 more for just +40 Gb disk space, and $100-300 more for 0.5-1.5 Gb more RAM. Maybe there are cheaper options for those upgrades... ? I only need to check if it’ll run Aperture. That app has wowed me!!

BoomBox? Naw, I’ll put my money into an ordinary stereo -- after all, I can hook up the iPod anyways. But I’m sure it’s nice for some. And I still think the Cambridge SoundWorks Creative speakers that about some years ago sound excellent!

Overpriced? Well, I think $99 for a tiny piece of Italian leather to wrap around an iPod is pushing it. That almost adds up to a 5 digit figure per hide!!

But all in all? I think Apple is right on track. I was not expecting to be wowed in this round. However -- I am expecting Apple to wow me with some fantasmagorical PRO machines later this year.

Best regards,
ArcticStones

I was let down because I really want a new 12" notebook, but I really wasn't *expecting* one. The Mini is ALMOST the entertainment system I'd like it to be, but with the MacBook's strong media center abilities we don't really need it any more.

The boombox is a huge yawn. Maybe it will blow me away when I hear it, but so far it seems rather...I don't know the word...

I did kind of have in the back of my mind that this could be a less stunning day than the others. I figure Apple has got to run out of innovation steam here at some point. It's been really high-paced lately.

Lostduck--

You have a point, and I'm happy about the continuing advances with the processors. But the MacMini was...well, kind of neutral to me. I was happy to see the line moving along, but it didn't mean anything to me.

What I was let down by was the speakers. $350 dollars, for that? I worked in a bookstore where we sold Apple stuff for a while, and the docks/speakers always were...um...stupid, to say the least. You can spend $350 on this new set of speakers with a dock, or you can go without the dock, buy a $150 set of computer speakers and have the same quality of sound.

Granted, the portability is nice, but it's not worth $200 to me, and I doubt it will be worth $200 to anyone else. Those dock/speaker combo's where our worst sellers. Granted, it is a college bookstore...anyone else have experience selling this stuff to regular consumers?

Ordinary? Dull? I agree, but the proof is in the sound, may be is incredible. There are better designed speakers, for sure, more original. I like the doughnut a lot, we have it and the sound is nice, plus it travels really easily which was really cool when we rented a house last summer. Best music collection we ever had on vacation.

Agreed on the price, stiff. There are alternatives out there.

I hear ya! Can't wait to see what could be a contender against a quad g5! I think you're right about Apple being on track. Really just a couple of months ago they've released a whole new line with new processors and they will have to update the pro line likewise one would think near the end of the year, so there really has to be a lull in-between.

The best movies and plays know that there needs to be ebbs and lulls between the show stoppers!

I think the Intel mini is fine, just fine. Overall it looks like they made up for the price increase just on building in the wireless. Everything else is gravy.

Faster Intel CPU
Faster 667MHz bus (was 167MHz)
2 more USB ports, could save the cost of a hub for some people
Optical digital audio in/out
AirPort and Bluetooth now built in (was a $99 option before, correct?)
33% more disk space
2 RAM slots so you no longer have to throw out built-in RAM to upgrade, and now 2GB capable; these improvements add significant value
Front Row/Apple Remote capable

(Removed: Modem, dedicated video card)

Really, you know this? You've heard the new system? What is your audio listening experience like?

i think we're kinda blowing this outta proportion this wasnt really a keynote it was more of a small get together with a some media. i mean it wasnt even broadcast. At least i think were blowing this outta proportion i thought what they announced was ok not great but i thiink everyone was expecting a true video ipod,intel ibook as well some other things and it didnt happen so thats why theres so much negativity about what did come out. i think they're just waiting to bring out the "big stuff" the ipod,ibook macbook(non pro) itunes movie store. hopefully april fools they bring some of these awesome products out. :)

my two cents

Oops, silly me, I didn't mean to make it look like I was comparing the new Hi-Fi's in my last post, wrote the thing to quickly I guess.

So I'll clarify. The speakers we had in our store that were $350 (I doubt checked, they were actually the Bose at $300) could easily be replaced with $150 Harmon Kardons. At least in my opinion.

It's always possible that Apple has some better speakers lined up than the Bose that we had in our store. But, as of yet I haven't heard a $300 set of speakers that can outdo our $150 Harmon Kardons...

Bose is absolute garbage with a huge marketing budget instead of an R&D budget. Of course an HK set at half the price will sound good. Heck, most $35 speaker sets are better than Bose. My current Apple-related audiophile standard is the M-Studio monitors that used to be in all the Apple stores. Those were truly stunning speakers, but at $300, they didn't sell well.

If Apple holds true to quality, they COULD very well buy high-standard speaker elements or design their own. However most consumers seem to listen to the boomy Bose crap and prefer it over actual faithful reproduction, so who knows what they did with these.

I just found if funny that Steve Job's said he was going to replace his personal home stereo with the iPod Hi-Fi.

If I had Steve Job's dough (just 10% of it Steve! please, thank you), I'd have a B&W setup...and I'm pretty sure the $349 iPod Hi-Fi can't hold a candle to those bad boys.

Bose speakers -- Chivas whiskey -- American beer
 

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I still remember with great fondness the first pair of speakers that I ever purchased. A hi-fi store had set up speakers and amps so that you could push buttons to compare sound being fed through different components. All the sudden I pushed a button and could no longer tell where the sound was coming from.
The most beautifully pristine sound was just out the room!

So I rushed and got the salesman. No, they were not the hug $2000 a pair Phillips speaker, nor any of the other visually impressive ones. The sound was coming out of some rather humble Bang & Olufsen speakers!

So I got them. All right, they didn’t have bass designed to kick the downstairs neighbour in the gut -- but they were great. And the sound never ever appeared to come from the box.

Utterly amazing.

I don’t trust hi-fi producers that use their money on advertising rather than product design. After all, that’s how we got Chivas Regal whiskey -- and most American beers (a lot like making love in a canoe).


-- ArcticStones

LOL, humble Bang&Olufsen? Those are still out of my pricerange. I love their designs. Very simple, elegant, and tricked out at the same time...hmm, kinda like my Mac :D

We need to start a hi-fi thread. I've been thinking about buying some new speakers. Have been leaning towards the Jamos lately.

This was at the end of the 1970s. :D I paid $250 for that pair of speakers. And I’m sure they were at the lower end of their product range.

Humble? Yes, as in the opposite of flashy.

I realize, however, that B&O is not the cheapest stuff you can pick up today...

Ahhhhh...I didn't consider how long ago the purchase was made. As long as I've been aware of their products they've been flashy. I think the first time I took notice to them was in Boomerang. That's when I first saw the CD player with the two glass panes than open automatically.

Can you post the rest of your "making love in a canoe" line in the favorite joke thread. I forgot how the rest of it goes.

Oh, they were elegant, all right -- but as in beautifully proportioned, as opposed to flashy. Sort of the difference between an impeccably designed Jaguar and a flashy (but butt-ugly) Corvette.

I think that's the trick to not getting let down. Consider the scale of the event, which was pretty small.

The way things have started out I think this could be a "no news is good news" year for Apple. Apple told everyone many months ago about switching over to Intel. If they have all of their computers switched by the end of year buying season then they've done a good job. If they can do it by the back to school buying season even better.

Only after all the models are switched over will I start to look or hope for a radical new computer model: tablet, ultra small notebook, foam, whatever :-).
http://www.g-news.ch/articles/nhp200nc/

??? I believe it was Pierre Trudeau who said that a Canadian gentleman is a person who knows how to make love in a canoe, but doesn't!

I spent some time yesterday listening to the new speaker dock. It's alright, but nothing to get excited about. Certainly not at the price. While the vocals are pretty decent, the mid-bass is very muddy and completely undefined, while the highs drop off sharply in the last couple octaves. The muddy mid-bass is the most disconcerting part.

Unfortunately I didn't get to A-B test it with the iHome IH5, but from memory, I think that one sounds better. And at least it offers more than just a speaker.

Zalister, since you started this thread, do you recognize yourself in this picture?

I think there’s a bit of all of us in there. :o It’s even covered my complaint about the $ 99 iPod cases.

I think you are thinking of the well-known quote by a different Pierre - Pierre Berton:
And while we're on the subject, here's a limerick (from http://www.canoe.ca/AllAboutCanoes/canoe_quotes.html):
And while we're on the subject of Pierre Berton, don't miss the "celebrity tip" video he did for the CBC on how to roll a joint:
http://www.cbc.ca/mercerreport/video...p_pierreberton

I think it’s in there already. Of course it is nothing as elegant as Hayne’s limerick. Instead all I can offer is a re-run of a classic Monty Python joke:

"Why is American beer a lot like making love in a canoe?
They’re both f***ing close to water!"

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But if it be limericks ye desire, methinks I can offer this one
-- far removed from Canadian rivers, canoes or American beer:

A wanton young lady of Wimley
Reproached for not acting primly,
Answered: "Heavens above!
I know sex isn't love,
But it's such an attractive facsimile."

If you consider the old Mac Mini did not have bluetooth and WiFi and to get them it cost you a $100 extra, the price of the new Mac Mini really didn't go up in price. Apple just made you get the wireless options on the new Intel based Mac Mini.

Personally, if you're going to hook one of these up to your TV in the living room, you probably will want a wireless keyboard and mouse anyway so you can compute from the comfort of your couch.

That's what I did with my new Mac Mini and it is great! I surf, get email, use the Mac Mini as a media server through Front Row, all while flip flopping back and forth from computer to TV using PIP. Too cool!