Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Rumors, Other Events, Apple
In Defense of the Apple Rumor-mongering
So Apple's event
today is being viewed by a lot of people as a major letdown, and the response from many is along the lines of:"Well, it's your own fault. You shouldn't have hyped the event and posted fake mockups of products. It's not Apple's fault that they didn't release products they never said they'd release..." Etc., etc.
But here's the problem with that argument. Most of us that are being critical of Apple today are being critical of the products themselves. We're more disappointed in an ugly "Hi-Fi" boombox that lacks many of the most basic features of a standard boombox than we are about Apple not releasing a tablet or new video iPod. We're disappointed that Apple, a company renowned for its innovative products, would release a product that's so...well...not innovative. It's an overly expensive Pod dock with speakers. It doesn't even sport the one feature that would truly make it unique--a Wi-Fi connection to make it interact with wireless streaming music.
The Intel Mac minis are a little better, but we're not happy about the price increase. Apple wants to market the mini as both an entertainment center and an entry-level Mac, but is pricing it out of the accepted range for either market. Not to mention that it's lacking crucial features required by both markets. Any decent media center will have PVR capabilities, which this does not (without attaching a product like El Gato's EyeTV 500). And the integrated graphics chip in this thing is going to make it a poor candidate for PC switchers who are expecting at least reasonable graphics performance. Real world tests will eventually prove whether the supposedly new and speedy Intel chips will be able to compensate for the lackluster video capabilities in these models, but we're not holding our breath.
And don't even get me started on the leather iPod case. One hundred dollars for a protective case for a video iPod that makes you take the iPod out of the case to watch a video or use the controls? I'm just as much as an Mac fan as the next Apple-logo-wearing guy, but this is just ridiculous.
That the products released today are underwhelming isn't the fault of our admittedly overhyped expectations, it's the fault of the underwhelming products being released. The bottom line is that Apple's not being very innovative with these products, and we should be allowed to be critical of them. Saying that it's the Mac fan sites that are at fault for instilling unreasonable expectations just isn't an argument that holds much water.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Stefan Constantinescu said 12:15AM on 3-01-2006
Thank you for not being a loyalists, the products announced today did suck... horribly.
As a potential switcher I was highly looking forward to the intel mac mini's but a las, you are correct, and Intel GMA 950 solution isn't going to be enough for me at all!
What I do know is the new Intel chips are supposed to be coming out around the end of the summer so I expect new products, and maybe, just maybe, a mac mini with accelerated graphics, dual core, dvd burner and for less than $1000 (with atleast one gig of ram)
One of these days I will bite the bullet and buy a Mac, but Vista is just around the corner! And I want to see what Apple does to combat it with Lepord.
Will keep reading TUAW for updates tho! :)
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John B. said 12:18AM on 3-01-2006
Keeo in mind that the switch to Intel is probably consuming a lot of Apple's resources right now. Plus, I think you're overlooking what Apple's doing here. First, the boombox interfaces quite simply with the Airport Express (which works well in lieu of integrated wifi). But the boombox and the new Mac mini are clearly Apple's push into the living room. It's not like other boomboxes quite intentionally. The Mac mini isn't mind blowing but it's their first revision Intel mini so you can't really ask for too much yet. Even so, the addition of Front Row with Bonjour and digital video AND sound out make it a really attractive offer (I just wish it was getting cheaper, not more expensive!!!). I really think of lot of the fan-generated hype is the culprit in this so-called "let down" and that once the big switch is over and Apple is back on its feet, we'll start seeing some innovation again (probably an even bigger push into the living room).
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Dave said 12:20AM on 3-01-2006
Can I get an AMEN? AMEN!
You hit the nail on the head... I too strongly felt before the event that the huge rumors: iBook, video iPod, DVR intel mac Mini at $499, wireless/hard-drive iPod boom box, iTunes movies were too much to be true. So in a sense I was prepared for only 1 or 2 things to be true, and only in a limited sense.
What we got... nothing. The new mac Mini is a failure IMHO. As it transitions to intel it gets more expensive and with graphics performance likely to get worse. The Front Row software is truly as 1.0 as it gets, while promising this ain't Tivo folks. Other than then Front Row, which isn't much, the new mac Mini essential offers nothing new other than a bigger price tag.
The boom box is a total failure IMHO. While I am one of the few that likes the look I too think the iPod placement on top is incredible ugly, stupid, and size limiting. The lack of truly innovative features like wireless or an internal harddrive also fail to set this apart from other speaker systems like the Bose Sounddock.
The new iPod leather cases... HAHAHAHAHA!!! They alone should cause Apple stock to drop $20.
Annnnyways... Apple has done many, many things right in the recent past. I give them this debacle and grant them rights to a do-over in the next few months. Keep up this new standard in products though and Apple will be in rough waters very, very quickly.
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Adam said 12:21AM on 3-01-2006
I agree. Also of note, is anyone else with me on the fact that lately, due to the success of the iPod, Apple and the press are focusing way too much attention on the iPod and iPod companion products when the COOLEST THING APPLE OFFERS ARE THE COMPUTERS!!! Now, don't get me wrong, the iPod is great, but I've been a devoted Apple fan for years, and I sometimes think Apple funnels a lot of resources and talent into the iPod when it could go into the Macintosh. After all, it is the coolest computer on the planet. Let's make it cooler.
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Frank Tinsley said 12:26AM on 3-01-2006
I guess I'm in between on this debate. I think that we all got a little too revved up for an event that wasn't really supposed to be a second MacWorld but I also believe that Apple didn't do their usual thing which is to exceed expectations. I've had a slightly bad feeling about things ever since Apple started selling videos on the iTunes MUSIC store and when they de-unified OSX' visual style with the mail app. We're still in a much better place than Windows and Linux users but it's starting to seem a little bit less consistently awesome.
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LD said 12:29AM on 3-01-2006
Dude, you people really have to get it through your head. This is NOT a price increase for the Mini!
If you were to get the previous model with the wireless option you could pay the SAME!
Good Christ.
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John Meche said 12:30AM on 3-01-2006
Also you have to remember that the anniversary celebration is coming up. Apple is going to save up all of their big guns for the anniversary. I expect to see something in a month, and I am fine with these middle scale announcements for now.
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shrimp said 12:36AM on 3-01-2006
It's not a "boombox" it's priced competively against home stereo systems, and I'm sure it has awesome quality. The original iPod was seen as uninnovative by a lot of people when it came out, because it had been done before. Now people are saying, "How is this better than the bose sounddock?" Hmm...
The Mac Mini had a great update! It's not meant to be a PVR, it's either a low-end switcher Mac, or a media center for those with enough money. It'll still sell, it's still great.
The leather iPod cases were just awful though. Over the top and over expensive. I'll give you that.
I don't think the event today was underwhelming. It was overhyped and mid-whelming. The products were decent. It was a small media event, just to show off some new Apple stuff. I really doubted that Apple would release anything big a month before it's 30th anniversary.
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bryan said 12:36AM on 3-01-2006
i disagree with #6. it IS a price increase. sure, you may be getting more than you did w/ the G4 mini, but regardless of how you look at it, the fact is that you now have to pay at least $100 more to get into the lowest level mac for the new gen.
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Brad said 12:38AM on 3-01-2006
The products sucked today. There was nothing amazing, and it was all over-priced crap for the most part.
I'm not going to pay 350 dollars for some speaker system that's not worth 350 dollars. I'm also not going to drop 100 bucks for some leather case that is pretty worthless. And I'm most definitely not going to put down 600-800 dollars for a Mac mini that utilizes Intel integrated graphics. If I'm paying that much, give me a true memory card.
Today was awful in terms of the release. And it was a lame attempt to garner some attention for the moment. I'm hoping that Apple will come out with some really neat things for 1 April, but I doubt they will. Not if all they've got are products like these that aren't all that great waiting in the wings.
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James said 12:38AM on 3-01-2006
Your point is well taken and true, to a degree. But there is no denying that Apple is held to higher standard than ANY other hardware manufacturer in existence. Part of the disappointment with Apple's products stems from unrealistic expectations from the rumor sites, period. Allow me to counterpoint:
HiFi: This is not a boombox and Apple never stated it as such. It is a product akin to the Bose soundstation. It (allegedly) has better sound and allows access to the speaker settings via the ipod interface. It is also semi-portable with the ability to run on standard batteries. It's a bit expensive and is a blatant niche product. Overall, not much better or worse than other products of its sort. A bit expensive, but if the sound quality is superior then there's some justification.
Mini: Has Apple ever marketed the Mac Mini as an entertainment center? Ever? That would be rumor-site clamoring once again. The mini will never have PVR/TV-tuner abilities. NEVER. Apple has a whole business that depends on the fact that people want to DOWNLOAD content, not record it. If you hold lack of PVR against the mini, you have to hold it against every computer ever released as well. The integrated graphics is a bit of let down, but who is it actually hurting? Who out there wants to do something with a mini that they now cannot but COULD be done with the crap graphics cards in the old version? Exactly. Nobody was playing games on the mini-before, nobody will be playing them in the future. However, the Intel integrated graphics does process HD video like a champ, which seems to be the thing people want these damn minis to do in the first place. Make up your mind.
iPod case: If you want to use the iPod, take it out of the case. Cases with little cutouts for the screen and click-wheel are just tacky. Apple wouldn't make that crap. Quit acting like this is one of your prized action figures you refuse to take out of the packaging. Cases are where you put your stuff when you're not using it. "Dude, I can't play my guitar when it's in its case. This case sucks!" Ridiculous.
However, all this stuff is a bit overpriced, no quesiton. This is par for the Apple course. The point is: don't get all pissy with Apple's *real* prodects just because Apple doesn't release the impossible product you and the rest of the AV club designed over the weekend.
But, yeah, the hifi is possibly the most "me too" product Apple has released in a while. Still, there's a market for it and it does have redeeming features. "Wow, this is only the best one of these products released" is a pretty weak complaint. If it turns out it sounds like crap and the interface is wonky, then feel free to bitch.
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LD said 12:39AM on 3-01-2006
bryan, that is today. There is absolutely no indication they won't make a "lower level" Mini to fill that nitch by pulling the wireless stuff out (and possibly the remote).
So, no, it's NOT a price increase when you compare like for like products.
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Deedas said 12:39AM on 3-01-2006
AMEN!
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Brad said 12:41AM on 3-01-2006
To #9:
Exactly. It's a price increase, regardless. Apple no longer has a Mac that is less than 500 dollars, and that makes a big difference. Think about how few people actually need Airport in their Mac mini...
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Damien Barrett said 12:42AM on 3-01-2006
I'm so excited! My first flame from LD! And all this time I thought he only had eyes for the other TUAW bloggers. Oh, I'm blushing! Now all I need is a flame from Montecore the Tiger and one from MacDiva and I can have a hat-trick!
LD, you're once again skipping completely over the part of what was said that matters the most...people just aren't going to pay $800 - $1000 for a Media Center device that doesn't have PVR capabilities. Nor is $800 - $1000 an acceptable price for an entry-level computer or for a PC switcher. It's just too high. Unless you know of some RAM suppliers that are selling their sticks for a few bucks a pop...
The $499 price tag on the original Mac mini was a psychological price point, even if the actual price was more like $650-$700. Apple understood this and even marketed to it. Not so much any more, it seems. A long complaint of Apple's products is their higher-than-average cost. And Apple's been able to get by as a seller of premium computer systems. But if the goal of the company is to expand their marketshare and mindshare, the prices simply have to come down. And if you don't believe me, just go to any consumer electronics store (Circuit City, CompUSA) and spend some time loitering and observing the unwashed masses attempting to purchase a computer. Invariably the make a beeline straight for the el crappo, el cheapo, bottom-of-the-barrel PC. Now, I don't think that Apple *should* be competing with the $199 and $299 models out there, but for most poeple the difference between a $399 PC and a $799 Mac mini is substantial even if you and I know that the Mac mini is a superior computer and computing experience.
So, yeah, for most people it *is* a price increase, cause that's what's gonna be on the sticker at the store.
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Neal said 12:43AM on 3-01-2006
Seriously, Apple! I don't know if anybody else has an Altec Lansing iM7-the portable boombox deal-but it is an awesome piece of gear that I think costs $250 tops... but let me tell you, if apple can't make a product that is better than the competition, they shouldn't. The new Hi-Fi system claims to be portable... I would like to point out a couple of flaws with that statement... first, the handles are on the sides... imagine carrying that 16 lb piece of gear-plus the weight batteries of course- anywhere. You'd end up having to use both hands to distribute the weight evenly, making it impossible to carry anything else! Not only that, but the ipod cannot be mounted while you carry it. Unlike the iM7, the ipod sits out ON TOP!! What a piece of crap... road apple... it's been a while since apple has done something that would warrant that title, but I think this does it. Don't even get me started on the idea of offering a $100 carrying case for the ipod. Sure, there was no cool tablet mac today, etc... but c'mon apple, get a clue!
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ikon said 12:44AM on 3-01-2006
Well said! I couldn't agree more!
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Tom Keeler said 12:45AM on 3-01-2006
I agree with everyone else that this was a dissapointment. Apple could have quietly converted the Mini to an Intel processor without a press event.
The Hi-Fi hrm...one it's really not protable, cause the iPod is on the top and I would assume that if you picked it up by one of the side handles that it would just fall right off.
And the ipod case......hrm.....for $100 I could make one out of titanium, that had access to the screen and controls. Now maybe if they included it for free with the iPod then it would be cool! It's no better than the little sleve thing that comes with a new iPod.
But Steve did say that he would see us soon.....So hopefully this was just an appetizer for things to come real soon, like at the anniversary.
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Montecore The Tiger said 12:46AM on 3-01-2006
The only thing that sucked worse than the products were countless worthless posts on TUAW. Come on--was a photoshop invite contest necessary? It's one thing to hear a rumor and report it; that's fine. You guys repeat the same stuff so much, however, that I think you have post quotas. During the past few months the quality of this blog has tanked.
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shrimp said 12:48AM on 3-01-2006
And you didn't even mention that Front Row now works with shared photos, videos and music. Oh, no, it was really underwhelming. No one could possibly have any use for THAT. I agree a lot with James (#11) ... iPod Hi-Fi was never said to be a "boombox" and I quote:
"Apple has a whole business that depends on the fact that people want to DOWNLOAD content, not record it. "
"'Dude, I can't play my guitar when it's in its case. This case sucks!' Ridiculous."
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