Gizmodo
I had a briefing with Apple on their new Xserve and Mac Pros that were released today, midweek during CES, a week before Macworld 2008. I had only one question for them, and it had nothing to do with hardware specs. Why release new gear when the Keynote is only a few days away? Their answer won't satisfy your curiosity, but here is the official response:
We're very excited about these new products and we think our customers will be too, so we wanted to kick off 2008 by getting them into our customers' hands as soon as possible. They're both available starting today.
Yeah, I figured I'd get that answer. What does this mean for the Keynote? Are they getting the proc bumps out of the way just to make room for the sexy new designs and devices made from scratch? Only The Steve knows. And whatever the answer, one thing is clear. These releases are only the tip of the iceberg.
Comments
Steve's already got way too much cool new gear to cram into a 2-hour keynote.
so, is that like PR jargon for "we're just messing wit'cha"?
one word: dopeness. apple's answer was pretty good. you know what else is pretty good? sitting around doing nothing, which is just as satisfying as apple's answer.
i won't be able to afford any of it, but it'll be oh so nice to see what it is.
I think so too. All the rumors flying around seem very likely to be announced... ultra portables, movie rentals and whatnot. Makes sense to get the less-thrilling updates out of the way, since there was no total redesign on the Mac Pro.
I think this is a sign that the official announcements will be stuff that's genuinely new rather than speed-bump...
Does anybody else think of the song "1. Bobby Brown Goes Down" by Frank Zappa when they hear the term 'Tower of Power' used?
They are dropping a load of heavy dookie on us so they need to make space for the load.
1) As above - too much to fit into a keynote next week and they're worried that a silent update will get lost amongst the noise after they announce "greatest Apple product ever".
2) Worried that Intel may accidently let something slip at CES whilst launching their new chip line-up and so released the info on their own terms.
3) It's a bit of a laugh to see how much press attention you can get during CES when you're considered to be only a small player.
To take some hype away from CES. Boom.
I can't wait!!! I'm as giddy as a littal gurl!
I am formally declaring a war on "whatnot". I'm sick of seeing the commenters and (even worse) the bloggers on this site writing something that means absolutely nothing. It sounds retarded and means nothing. Please stop this crime of putting a made up word/phrase(?) at the end of your sentences because you don't know how to end what you started.
And just to solidify myself sounding like an old man, turn your cap around and wear it like a ball player and pull up your jeans so I don't have to see your poo stained boxers, punk kids.
@Biscuitcleaver: tower of power --> golden shower....funny song.
maybe someone at apple read the calendar wrong and mistakenly opened pandora's box a week earlier than they should have.
those analog calendars are a bitch to read anyway
Think of it as the "Academy Awards For Science and Technical Achievements". Yeah, it's from AMPAS and it technically is an Oscar, but it doesn't remove the stink of the crummy pre-taped ceremony and rubber-chicken dinner.
But at least you get the honor of hosting it.
@Noobs-R-Us:
It'll be so much funnier if after introducing some sort of new product(s) during his keynote, Steve would end it with: "Heh~ I knew you'd be surprised..."
What am I going to do with my 1st gen Mac Pro?
Aside from the first 30 minutes of each "hour" he takes to show off Apple's perspective of statistics and standings in the industry...
New secret products by Apple -
- iTransporter
- Transporter Pro [with real "talking scotty" voice]
- iPhaser
- Quantum Torpedos [Pro edition]
- Aperture [updated with ability to interface with your brain and capture what you actully see using your own eye balls]
- Soundtrack Pro [now witth the ability to record straight from your ears]
- iLightsabre
- Lightsabre Pro [with built-in Ben Kenobe and Yoda sayings]
- Actaul Borg Implants [patent pending]
@pastrychef: Use it to rue your early adopter status.
I'm thinking about getting metal legs
Its a no brainer, Steve is pissed that Bill looks so damn cool this week!
Yep, 8 core power macs and servers are not what get's Mr. Jobs out of bed in the morning. Sexy, shiny new products that redefine a market are his motivation. iPhones, iPods, Apple TVs....make way for the MacTouch at this year's MacWorld!!!!! The "JOBSTRADAMUS" knows!
@ultim8fury: I think you're right about the Intel link. More likely than not, Apple made the announcement so Intel can show off the 8-core Mac Pro at CES.
It means steve didn't want to talk about front-side bus speeds and Radeon cards for ten minutes.
apple store is down.
Love the graphic Jesus! That says it all.
@ultim8fury: "greatest Apple product ever"?
Abbey Road.
@rexdot: I've been thinking about getting gills...
Only seven days left.
Man I can't wait.
@JoshK: Maybe you should chill out, take a breather, and whatnot.
New Mac pro make Kaiser happy panda.
Clever marketing ploy. Me thinks RSJ just wants the Apple stock price back over $200 before MacWorld. Most likely because the lack of signficant "newness" might drive the price down.
I think they ran out of the previous version, and don't want to leave customers waiting.
We have a pending order that hasn't shipped after a few days. Apple usually ships same day or next day at the latest. I thought something funny might have happened until I read this news.
Just releasing the 'small' stuff be MW - of course with the added benefit of a bit of CES thunder and getting to dump all over Dell's new desktops. Love that front side bus speed.
I hope its a new laptop.... I really need one.... Must resist new Mac Pro... Must just Must...
I'm totally bummed that this was the refresh for the Mac Pros... I was hoping for a new design for the Mac Pro and the displays, as well as Blu-Ray. However if this is all the update is, it's smart to get it out of the way the week before for all the above reasons... make sure Apple doesn't get lost in people's minds during CES, leave more room for the Keynote and new products, make sure Intel doesn't leak info, etc.
I think it's pretty obvious that there will be quite a few Booms next week. movie Rentals, Ultra-Portable MacBook, possible "record label," update to Apple TV (HD movies on iTunes?), and updated iPhone firmware/SDK... all rumors that are alive and well for next week.
Maybe Steve's finally got the hang of this whole "marketing" thing.
Stevenote prediction: 720p download rentals from netflix and 1080p blu-ray player in new Apple TV 2.0. Especially now that HD-DVD got knocked off by Warners.
"Consumers" don't care about Xserves and Mac Pros; just iMacs, MacBooks and iPhones.....so give more time for the new stuff on Tuesday.
Friggin' awesome graphic Lam.
While I can't wait to see what comes out next week, I can't seem to get too excited about the movie rentals, unless this is an all-you-can-rent monthly subscription model. And I lknow it would be..
How's that for a run-on sentence...
This is really a price drop notice.
"We're very excited about these new products and we think our customers will be too, so we wanted to kick off 2008 by getting them into our customers' hands as soon as possible. They're both available starting today"
What the frickin frack does that mean????!!!! You shoulda slapped the crap out of him when he said that!!
I can only hope to gawd that its what we're all hoping....that they killing two birds with one stone.
One: They are stealing a little bit of thunder out of CES by releasing the specs of two important products.
And two: They are getting what some would consider the "boring stuff" out of the way before they lay the smackdown on the industry with their cool new wares.
At least I hope. =/
So, no Blu-Ray support? Or will these models be obsolete next week when Apple re-releases them?
LOL!! I like the iceberg picture analogy! I really hope it turns out to be that....I really do.
damn these guys know how to create expectations.
Lesseeee. Could it be that they think people like us will pump the PR machine with speculation and breathless conjecture for an extra week, for free?
@JoshK: Dude, when I was in journalism school (Go Mizzou!) we got a list of the fourteen ambiguous words one should only use very carefully, if at all: Facility, issue, case, basis, field, activity, experience, question, situation, condition, character, process, nature, problem. Add whatnot to that list for a round 15!
As for why they are releasing these this week rather than waiting for MacWorld, they normally release their pro models separate from MacWorld. The only time they have included the pro machines in the Keynote is when they had major breakthroughs, such as moving form G3 to G4, or adding the DVD burner, or going from PowerPC to Intel processors. This is a speed bump. A massive one, for sure, but still only a speed bump.
Isn't it kind of sad when one company releases two products that are just updates and is probably just going to release more products that are just updates (even if they release is a tablet, it's not anything revolutionary), can take the some of the thunder away from hundreds of companies announcing and demoing thousands of truly awesome products? I for one think iRiver steals the show this year, and I would be damned if Apple releases anything at MacWorld that truly impresses anyone outside of the Mac User. Giz, shame on you for downplaying CES!