Is Apple About to Make Sam Very Happy??

Today AppleInsider ran perhaps the most cryptic rumor post I have ever seen. The topic was a couple of new features for upcoming iMacs. Here's the "meat" (such as it is) of the discussion:


They strongly hint that the 1st new feature is a Blu-Ray drive. Let the bananas dance with joy:

  


As a semi-professional audio guy, I am most interested in the 2nd feature, but I can't imagine what it would be. An HDMI port is the only thing I can come up with, although that's much more in the video realm. Speculation??

Sam Posten?
Unless you speak with him outside of HTF we may never know if this makes him happy.

???

I'm hoping the rumor about a tablet will mean a device that can be used at home as an iTunes server plugged into one's home stereo. That would be nice. Like a giant iPod but with an HDMI out.

Guess I'm a few days behind here. I didn't know what you were talking about but finally checked his Twitter stream. That sucks.

Mods, feel free to change the title of this thread to something more appropriate like "Is Apple Finally Going to Embrace Blu-Ray?".

 Further hint that Apple may be going Blu - the Boy Genius Report says iTunes 9 will have Blu-Ray support. 

Hi guys, its true I've cut ties here.  I'll still be reading now and again but I'm no longer a reviewer.  Thanks for the heads up on potential blu ray, its been a killer week or two since getting home from my vacation, my cat got cancer, I quit here, and I told my night job to go pound sand too, so I havent followed tech stuff as closely as I usually like.  Thats how life works tho, stuff happens when you arent looking, and you can miss it!  Guess John Hughes died in that time too, so Ferris' quote is all the more apt.

Be good out there, if you need me you know where to find me.

Sam

Best wishes Sam. I too thought of you when I saw that post.

I'm primed to get a Mac Pro to run Logic Studio, but I also realized I'd have to get a new monitor as well. It runs okay on my 3 year old Macbook Pro but I wish I had a larger screen so I wouldn't have to be squinting all the time. Or I could wait and hope the new iMacs get the mobile Nehalem treatment (including a four-core CPU option) and get the monitor and new Mac computer in one fell swoop.

I'll wait till the rumored Keynote in September to see if they announce any new hardware. Otherwise I might just spring for the 2.66GHz Mac Pro (one four-core CPU) stock, and then bump it up to 8 GBs RAM aftermarket.

Carlo,

I can tell you right now that there will be no computer-related news at the September event. These last three or four years they have always been about iTunes and iPods/AppleTV, nothing else.

Of course, there may be different announcements this year still, but the event everybody talks about right now on Sep. 7/8 is the music-centric one.

-Christian

I know historically this isn't a hardware update type of keynote, but I'm holding out just in case of any last minute announcements due to the fact that Snow Leopard is coming out. They may decide to spring a surprise (i.e. "new hardware to run your new software!") because of Snow Leopard's timing. Also, the iMac is on its second half of "average time between updates" life according to Mac Rumors' Buyer's Guide. Would still be a little early for a refresh, but you never know.

I will eat my hat if the Mac Mini / Apple TV / BluRay merger doesnt happen this go around.  If I predict it often enough SOME DAY it will be true =p

I'm actually CHEERING the rumors of no tablets cause it makes it that more likely!  =p

I am too going to be very happy if this comes around....

Marco puts into words why we DO NOT WANT Sam to be happy:
http://www.marco.org/166179593

The bottom line, and I have said this since I was at least 22:  I am an engineer.  We are TERRIBLE at designing things "people" want.  We are great at designing things engineers want.  Engineers are not people.  QED.

Bottom line #2:  The world needs more Steves.

Botton line #3:  More engineers need to appreciate the genius of the Steve(s).

HOLY @#@#%@  Daring Fireball bets on BluRay being TRUE and here VERY SOON.  WOOHOOOO!!!!!

Loots of juicy bits popping up saying the same thing, launching October 13th:
http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/8300945231/m/874006561041

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/10/02/fcc_filings_confirm_apples_new_bluetooth_mouse_keyboard.html

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1275768

If this is true, I hope the lappys get updated too.  I will sell a 20" iMac, my 13" macbook my Mom never used, and my 15" MacBookPro if this is really true...

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/10/rumor-apple-to-ship-multitouch-mice-with-new-imacs-soon/


Edited by Sam Posten - 10/2/09 at 1:02pm

 Hope Fake Steve is wrong and John Gruber isn't being taken for a ride by Real Steve.
Edited by Ted Todorov - 10/3/09 at 9:20pm

I don't think he's saying that.  He's asking if Gruber is about to be Grubered and doesnt commit to an answer, which means he doesnt know.

Interesting these don't mention BluRay tho, which is a bad sign:
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/10/03/apple_ads_hint_at_thinner_imacs_lighter_macbooks_cheaper_mac_minis.html

DAMMIT now Gruber says they are out again, this sucks...

Ya know, the first thing I thought when I read Gruber's post backing off on Blu-Ray was that he was reacting to Fake Steve's taunting. I mean, he does know it's Fake Steve, right?? 

Fake Steve can rag him all he wants, but my impression is that Gruber's APR (Apple Prediction Record) is better than most, especially over the past year or so. Yeah, he missed on the camera in the Touch - but so did everyone else. Anyway, it's pretty clear now it was pulled at the last minute.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the new iMacs. I have one of the original Intel iMacs and it's getting a little creaky, especially because it's capped at 2 GB RAM. I'm ready for an upgrade. Hoping for an upper-end quad-core model - that would have me pulling out the plastic on launch day.

So it looks like we're going to get the following, perhaps as early as Tuesday:

New iMacs: probably a minor redesign. Probably will add an SD slot. Hopefully a quad-core model. Lower entry price for sure - I'm betting $999 to start. 

Redesigned MacBook. With the 13" MBP in the lineup, Apple can aim this one solely at the entry-level consumer. That means add an SD slot and pull the Firewire. Perhaps they'll get it down to $899 to start. Should be a huge holiday seller.

Mac Mini: They've got to get the entry level price under $500. I also hope to see an SSD option. The 4200-RPM drive in the Mini is its Achilles heel. An SSD should really boost performance. All you need is 64GB - you're going to put your data on an external drive anyway. 

New Mouse & Keyboard: They're saying the new mouse will have a touch surface, presumably replacing the little rolling nubbin on the Mighty Mouse. If done right, that could be revolutionary. A mouse with no moving parts to get gunked up. I'll take several, please. Not sure what they'd be doing on the keyboard. I'd love a BT version of their full-size KB (w/ numeric pad), but that doesn't seem to be happening.

And despite what Gruber says, I'm still hoping for CTO Blu-Ray everywhere. 

Edited by Craig S - 10/5/09 at 2:14am

Hope you are right =)

Yep, my first gen core duo Intel iMac is starting feel a bit long in the tooth. The 2 GB RAM limit sucks, especially when I'm working in Logic Pro. Can't wait to see what Apple has in store for the iMac line.

I bought an iMac three months ago. So I hope the new ones are hot pink and cost twice what the current ones do... So, uh, what's to be done with the iMac besides incrementalism? SD slot would be nice; watching my wife use her digital camera, I don't see that as a big deal either way. More RAM. Faster CPU. Best GPU. Moore's Law, blah blah. Hey, here's a crazy idea: add vertical adjustment to the "monitor" stand. I'm of the "who cares" camp for Blu-Ray in computers, but not having it seems to do nothing for Apple's salespitch. So add it already.

Keyboard: I wish Apple would break form and create a good ergo keyboard. I'd like to go Bluetooth for my keyboard and mouse on my laptop, but there's nothing to my taste in BT.

Mouse: I love multi-function mice, and Logitech's MX Revolution with 7-some buttons is my favorite. If Apple revolutionizes mice with a new control scheme that exceeds the Revolution, I'll buy it (budget allowing).

OK, well I FINALLY got Win7 working with ALL the drivers so now everything looks perfect on my MBP, all my apps on both OSes are set right and configured perfectly the way I want them....  so I guarantee there will be new lappys next week with Blu just to torment me.  =)

Question...

Is the rumor that these new (I presume) iMacs with
Blu-ray drives will have RECORDING capability or

just READ?

 

If it is just READ ability then I could care less about
BD on a Mac.

Agreed...the ability to write is definitely the way to go.

Doesnt sound like EITHER at this point.

That begs the question, what would make you care less about BD on a Mac? ;)

BD playing capability makes the most sense on machines that are the most likely to be attached to a TV. So hopefully when/if BD does come it will be available on the Mini and laptops as well as the iMacs.

One thing occurred to me the other day, the managed copy spec for BD is finally sorted out correct? If so, the idea of new AppleTV hardware that would include a BD drive would be very interesting. Wouldn't it be great if we could buy an updated AppleTV with a BD drive that would let you pop in a BD disk and have it ripped to the ATV or to iTunes on a linked Mac? I don't think it will happen but I would be first in line for such an ATV if it did.

-KeithP

I'd be #2, after you. I don't see it happening; assuming DMCA issues are resolved it seems contrary to Apple's strategy.

If you can't record on the format, then the addition of a BD
player to a Mac is not something I would jump through hoops
to buy.  

It's not like a lot of people want to watch movies on their
desktop.  As for their laptop, I am not certain that the smaller
screen will convey the improved playback quality the format
has to offer.   I have seen a portable BD player (soon to be
reviewed on this forum) and I wasn't overly impressed with
the picture quality to the point that I felt I needed to replace
my portable DVD player.

Let's face it --- those of us who want BD on a Mac want it
for storage purposes and to be able to transfer our HD 
camcorder content on a platform that will not degrade its
quality.

October 13th has come and gone.

So....uhm.....(clearing throat).....nothing.