PlipPlop
Mar 25, 09:02 AM
Just realised I was being stupid yesterday.
I forgot about the Mac Pro's
when it said ATI 6970 I thought, Yay, finally an iMac that normal people will buy will be fitted into an iMac and make it a worthy competitor to a good spec PC.
Then it dawned on me, I'm stupid and probably none of the upper end models will find their way into iMac's will they? :(
Its unlikely they will fit in an imac case. They are about 30cm long and are all dual slot.
I forgot about the Mac Pro's
when it said ATI 6970 I thought, Yay, finally an iMac that normal people will buy will be fitted into an iMac and make it a worthy competitor to a good spec PC.
Then it dawned on me, I'm stupid and probably none of the upper end models will find their way into iMac's will they? :(
Its unlikely they will fit in an imac case. They are about 30cm long and are all dual slot.
motulist
Aug 6, 11:10 PM
Exciting though this is, try and get some sleep people. Most Mac nuts have had the experience of staying up all night before a big Apple show (as I have) and while it can be fun to do once, it also raises your hopes so much that you feel let down unless something truly spectacular is unveiled. Luckily for me I have to be all night for other reasons anyway ;)
~Shard~
Sep 6, 09:01 AM
Maybe i am alone on this one....
I think the 24" iMac G5 is the beginning of the end of the G5 iMac.
You are alone on this one - the end of the G5 iMac has already happened, in fact it happened a long time ago when Apple introduced the first Intel iMacs. Hate to break it to ya, but G5 iMacs haven't been around for a long time, nor does a 24" G5 iMac even exist. :p :cool:
As for this new incarnation of the Intel iMac though, it totally depends on Apple's strategy. If they want to leave it as a desktop computer, yeah, it probably doesn't make sense to get much bigger. However, if they want to eventually incorporate a TV tuner and make it even more media-centric, and have it evolve into something else, then this may just be the beginning, not the end. :cool:
I think the 24" iMac G5 is the beginning of the end of the G5 iMac.
You are alone on this one - the end of the G5 iMac has already happened, in fact it happened a long time ago when Apple introduced the first Intel iMacs. Hate to break it to ya, but G5 iMacs haven't been around for a long time, nor does a 24" G5 iMac even exist. :p :cool:
As for this new incarnation of the Intel iMac though, it totally depends on Apple's strategy. If they want to leave it as a desktop computer, yeah, it probably doesn't make sense to get much bigger. However, if they want to eventually incorporate a TV tuner and make it even more media-centric, and have it evolve into something else, then this may just be the beginning, not the end. :cool:
Blue Velvet
Jan 1, 05:22 PM
The Apple Product Cycle
An obscure component manufacturer somewhere in the Pacific Rim announces a major order for some bleeding-edge piece of technology that could conceivably become part of an expensive, digital-lifestyle-enhancing nerd toy.
Some hardware geek, the sort who actually reads press releases from obscure Pacific Rim component manufacturers, posts a link to the press release in a Mac Internet forum.
The Mac rumor sites spring into action. Liberally quoting �reliable� sources inside Cupertino, irrelevant �experts,� and each other, they quickly transform baseless speculation into widely accepted fact.
Eager Mac-heads fan the flames by flooding the Mac discussion forums with more groundless conjecture. Threads pop up around feature wish lists, favorite colors, and likely retail price points. In a matter of days, a third-hand, unsubstantiated rumor blossoms into a hand-held device that can do everything except find a girlfriend for a fat, smelly nerd.
Apple issues it customary �we don�t comment on possible future products� statement in response to inquiries about the hypothetical new product. Mac fanatics are convinced that they're onto something.
The haters enter the fray to introduce fear, uncertainty and doubt. How expensive will the product be? Will it support Windows file formats? Will it work with my ten-year-old Quadra 840AV running Mac OS 8.1?
As Macworld or the Worldwide Developer�s Conference draws near, the chatter builds to a fever pitch. Rumor sites jockey for position, posting a new unverifiable, contradictory rumor every hour or so. eBay is flooded with six-month-old, slightly used gadgets as college students, underemployed web designers and independent musicians struggle to clear credit card space.
On the morning of Steve Jobs�s keynote presentation, the online Apple store grinds to a halt as Mac-heads set their browsers to refresh every 15 seconds.
Steve Jobs spends the first half-hour of his keynote crowing about how many iPods shipped during the previous six months and how many �native applications� have been developed for OS X. Attempting to appear as though it�s just an afterthought, he finally introduces the new Apple product. The product has sleek, clean lines, a diminutive form factor, and less than half of the useful features that everyone was expecting. Jobs announces that the product is available �immediately.�
Five minutes later, the new product appears on the online Apple store. Orders have an estimated ship date that is four weeks away.
The online Apple store takes 50,000 orders in the first 24 hours.
Apple�s stock surges as Wall Street analysts proclaim the new device will be �Apple�s savior� and the key to turning around the decades-long decline in Apple�s share of the global PC market.
The haters offer their assessment. The forums are ablaze with vitriolic rage. Haters pan the device for being less powerful than a Cray X1 while zealots counter that it is both smaller and lighter than a Buick Regal. The virtual slap-fight goes on and on, until obscure technical nuances like, �Will it play multiplexed Ogg Vorbis streams?� become matters of life and death.
The editors of popular Mac magazines hail the new device as the next great step toward our utopian digital future. Wired News runs exclusive interviews with the Apple design team. Fortune publishes another glowing fluff piece about Steve Jobs, proclaiming him to be the great visionary behind all technological innovation. Newsweek declares the device the new �must have� item for any self-respecting urban technophile. All of this is written before anybody outside of Cupertino has held the new device in his or her hand.
Business Week publishes an article stating that unless Apple immediately releases a Windows version of the new product its market share will continue to shrink and Apple will be out of business within six months. Mac zealots howl with fury and crash Business Week�s email server with their angry rebuttals.
In the wee hours of the morning on the initial ship date, as the Mac heads lay snug in their beds or take MDMA and dance to bad music, Apple delays everybody�s ship date by four weeks.
Rage reigns in the Mac forums. Lifelong Mac users who would never consider purchasing anything made by Microsoft or Dell, regardless of how shabbily Apple treats them, vent their anguish and frustration. Failing utterly to see the irony of the situation, they prattle on until their panties are twisted in knots.
The rumor sites abound with half-baked theories blaming the shipping delay on everything from heat dissipation problems to SARS. The most obvious explanation, that Apple lied about the initial shipment dates, is ignored in favor of more elaborate and unlikely scenarios.
Apple�s stock plummets as Wall Street analysts fret about the company�s supply chain problems. The same analysts who were raising their targets on Apple three weeks earlier appear on CNBC and predict that Apple could file for bankruptcy as soon as the week after next.
A week before the revised ship date rolls around, small quantities of the new product begin to appear in Apple�s retail stores. Chaos ensues as crazed Mac-heads queue up hours before the stores open, hoping to get their hands on one of the prized gizmos. The bedwetting in Mac Internet forums reaches tidal proportions as people post empty threats to cancel their online orders. The devices begin to appear on eBay and get bid up to absurd premiums over MSRP.
Pointless outrage slowly turns to pointless optimism. Driven insane by the lack of instant gratification, would-be customers profess their willingness to gun down the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny if it would hasten the arrival of the FedEx delivery person.
Nerd porn threads appear in the Mac forums. Some lunatic with too much time and money on his hands disassembles the new device down to the bare, soldered components and posts pictures.
The obligatory �I�m waiting for Rev. B� discussion appears in the Mac forums. People who�ve been burned by first-generation Apple products open up their old wounds and bleed their tales of woe. Unsympathetic technophiles fire back with, �if you can�t handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen. *****.� Everyone has this stupid argument for the twenty-third time.
Apple issues a press release to announce that they have now taken orders for over 100,000 of the new devices and shipped at least eight or nine dozen. Backorders and waiting lists stretch into months.
Movie stars, professional athletes and rappers begin accessorizing with Apple�s new gadget. Shaquille O�Neal appears on the cover of ESPN The Magazine using one. Mac fans unconditionally forgive him for Kazaam.
Wall Street analysts appear on CNBC wearing big smiles and bright spring colors to announce that Apple's new device will drive Apple's sales to unprecedented levels and might be the key to turning around the decades-long decline in Apple�s share of the global PC market. Apple's share price surges. People who understand the root cause of the dot com bubble shake their heads in silent disgust.
Trade publications and business magazines begin to refer to the market for Apple's new product as a "space."
A minor, rarely occurring flaw in the device begins to be discussed in the Apple support forums. Whiny, artistic types post lengthy diatribes about how this terrible design flaw has made the device unusable and scarred them emotionally. Electronic petitions are created demanding that Apple replace the devices for free, plus pay for counseling to help traumatized users overcome their emotional distress.
Taken completely by surprise at the success of Apple's new gadget, executives from Dell or Sony or Microsoft appear on CNBC and offer vague suggestions that they are beginning development of a new product to compete with Apple. In its next issue, PC Week magazine publishes an article declaring that Apple's dominance of the [insert gadget here] space is in jeopardy.
Weeks before most users are able to hold Apple's new gadget in their hands, "What features would you like in the next version?" discussions take place on Mac mailing lists. Mac-heads cook up droves of far-fetched, often bizarre ideas. A cursory reading makes it readily apparent why Apple executives pay no attention to their fanatical customers.
Apple releases the first software update for the new device through its Software Update control panel. Several hours later, it pulls the updater. A small number of people who applied the update experience crashes, data loss, headaches and ennui. The Apple support forums are filled with outraged posts. A day or so later, Apple releases a revised installer without comment, then quietly removes the angry posts from its support forums.
Somebody starts a thread on a Mac chat board that asks whether anyone knows of a way to use the new device with some other nerd toy in a way that makes no sense whatsoever. Out of the blue, somebody writes a hack that facilitates the unholy combination and offers it as $39 shareware. Seven of the nine people who actually try to use the hack download it off of BitTorrent and use a pirate serial number. Advocates point to this as an example of how independent Mac software development is thriving.
Dell or Sony or Microsoft releases a competing device which costs $100 less and is based on completely incompatible, Windows-only technology. Business Week declares Apple's dominance of the [insert gadget here] space over. Angry Mac zealots make plans to surround Business Week's corporate offices with torches and pitchforks until someone points out that fire and garden tools are so un-digital.
Wall Street analysts appear on CNBC to explain that Apple's device will never be able to compete with the onslaught of cheaper Windows-based competitors. Apple's stock plummets. Idiot technology investors experience a brief moment of deja vu before they return to masturbating to photos of Maria Bartiromo.
Consumers discover that the Windows-based competitor to Apple's device contains a proprietary digital rights management technology that prevents them from using the device to do anything expect except look at family photographs taken in the last 20 minutes.
An obscure component manufacturer somewhere in the Pacific Rim announces a major order for some new bleeding-edge piece of technology that could conceivably become part of some expensive, digital-lifestyle-enhancing nerd toy. The fun begins again...
http://www.misterbg.org/AppleProductCycle/
:D
An obscure component manufacturer somewhere in the Pacific Rim announces a major order for some bleeding-edge piece of technology that could conceivably become part of an expensive, digital-lifestyle-enhancing nerd toy.
Some hardware geek, the sort who actually reads press releases from obscure Pacific Rim component manufacturers, posts a link to the press release in a Mac Internet forum.
The Mac rumor sites spring into action. Liberally quoting �reliable� sources inside Cupertino, irrelevant �experts,� and each other, they quickly transform baseless speculation into widely accepted fact.
Eager Mac-heads fan the flames by flooding the Mac discussion forums with more groundless conjecture. Threads pop up around feature wish lists, favorite colors, and likely retail price points. In a matter of days, a third-hand, unsubstantiated rumor blossoms into a hand-held device that can do everything except find a girlfriend for a fat, smelly nerd.
Apple issues it customary �we don�t comment on possible future products� statement in response to inquiries about the hypothetical new product. Mac fanatics are convinced that they're onto something.
The haters enter the fray to introduce fear, uncertainty and doubt. How expensive will the product be? Will it support Windows file formats? Will it work with my ten-year-old Quadra 840AV running Mac OS 8.1?
As Macworld or the Worldwide Developer�s Conference draws near, the chatter builds to a fever pitch. Rumor sites jockey for position, posting a new unverifiable, contradictory rumor every hour or so. eBay is flooded with six-month-old, slightly used gadgets as college students, underemployed web designers and independent musicians struggle to clear credit card space.
On the morning of Steve Jobs�s keynote presentation, the online Apple store grinds to a halt as Mac-heads set their browsers to refresh every 15 seconds.
Steve Jobs spends the first half-hour of his keynote crowing about how many iPods shipped during the previous six months and how many �native applications� have been developed for OS X. Attempting to appear as though it�s just an afterthought, he finally introduces the new Apple product. The product has sleek, clean lines, a diminutive form factor, and less than half of the useful features that everyone was expecting. Jobs announces that the product is available �immediately.�
Five minutes later, the new product appears on the online Apple store. Orders have an estimated ship date that is four weeks away.
The online Apple store takes 50,000 orders in the first 24 hours.
Apple�s stock surges as Wall Street analysts proclaim the new device will be �Apple�s savior� and the key to turning around the decades-long decline in Apple�s share of the global PC market.
The haters offer their assessment. The forums are ablaze with vitriolic rage. Haters pan the device for being less powerful than a Cray X1 while zealots counter that it is both smaller and lighter than a Buick Regal. The virtual slap-fight goes on and on, until obscure technical nuances like, �Will it play multiplexed Ogg Vorbis streams?� become matters of life and death.
The editors of popular Mac magazines hail the new device as the next great step toward our utopian digital future. Wired News runs exclusive interviews with the Apple design team. Fortune publishes another glowing fluff piece about Steve Jobs, proclaiming him to be the great visionary behind all technological innovation. Newsweek declares the device the new �must have� item for any self-respecting urban technophile. All of this is written before anybody outside of Cupertino has held the new device in his or her hand.
Business Week publishes an article stating that unless Apple immediately releases a Windows version of the new product its market share will continue to shrink and Apple will be out of business within six months. Mac zealots howl with fury and crash Business Week�s email server with their angry rebuttals.
In the wee hours of the morning on the initial ship date, as the Mac heads lay snug in their beds or take MDMA and dance to bad music, Apple delays everybody�s ship date by four weeks.
Rage reigns in the Mac forums. Lifelong Mac users who would never consider purchasing anything made by Microsoft or Dell, regardless of how shabbily Apple treats them, vent their anguish and frustration. Failing utterly to see the irony of the situation, they prattle on until their panties are twisted in knots.
The rumor sites abound with half-baked theories blaming the shipping delay on everything from heat dissipation problems to SARS. The most obvious explanation, that Apple lied about the initial shipment dates, is ignored in favor of more elaborate and unlikely scenarios.
Apple�s stock plummets as Wall Street analysts fret about the company�s supply chain problems. The same analysts who were raising their targets on Apple three weeks earlier appear on CNBC and predict that Apple could file for bankruptcy as soon as the week after next.
A week before the revised ship date rolls around, small quantities of the new product begin to appear in Apple�s retail stores. Chaos ensues as crazed Mac-heads queue up hours before the stores open, hoping to get their hands on one of the prized gizmos. The bedwetting in Mac Internet forums reaches tidal proportions as people post empty threats to cancel their online orders. The devices begin to appear on eBay and get bid up to absurd premiums over MSRP.
Pointless outrage slowly turns to pointless optimism. Driven insane by the lack of instant gratification, would-be customers profess their willingness to gun down the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny if it would hasten the arrival of the FedEx delivery person.
Nerd porn threads appear in the Mac forums. Some lunatic with too much time and money on his hands disassembles the new device down to the bare, soldered components and posts pictures.
The obligatory �I�m waiting for Rev. B� discussion appears in the Mac forums. People who�ve been burned by first-generation Apple products open up their old wounds and bleed their tales of woe. Unsympathetic technophiles fire back with, �if you can�t handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen. *****.� Everyone has this stupid argument for the twenty-third time.
Apple issues a press release to announce that they have now taken orders for over 100,000 of the new devices and shipped at least eight or nine dozen. Backorders and waiting lists stretch into months.
Movie stars, professional athletes and rappers begin accessorizing with Apple�s new gadget. Shaquille O�Neal appears on the cover of ESPN The Magazine using one. Mac fans unconditionally forgive him for Kazaam.
Wall Street analysts appear on CNBC wearing big smiles and bright spring colors to announce that Apple's new device will drive Apple's sales to unprecedented levels and might be the key to turning around the decades-long decline in Apple�s share of the global PC market. Apple's share price surges. People who understand the root cause of the dot com bubble shake their heads in silent disgust.
Trade publications and business magazines begin to refer to the market for Apple's new product as a "space."
A minor, rarely occurring flaw in the device begins to be discussed in the Apple support forums. Whiny, artistic types post lengthy diatribes about how this terrible design flaw has made the device unusable and scarred them emotionally. Electronic petitions are created demanding that Apple replace the devices for free, plus pay for counseling to help traumatized users overcome their emotional distress.
Taken completely by surprise at the success of Apple's new gadget, executives from Dell or Sony or Microsoft appear on CNBC and offer vague suggestions that they are beginning development of a new product to compete with Apple. In its next issue, PC Week magazine publishes an article declaring that Apple's dominance of the [insert gadget here] space is in jeopardy.
Weeks before most users are able to hold Apple's new gadget in their hands, "What features would you like in the next version?" discussions take place on Mac mailing lists. Mac-heads cook up droves of far-fetched, often bizarre ideas. A cursory reading makes it readily apparent why Apple executives pay no attention to their fanatical customers.
Apple releases the first software update for the new device through its Software Update control panel. Several hours later, it pulls the updater. A small number of people who applied the update experience crashes, data loss, headaches and ennui. The Apple support forums are filled with outraged posts. A day or so later, Apple releases a revised installer without comment, then quietly removes the angry posts from its support forums.
Somebody starts a thread on a Mac chat board that asks whether anyone knows of a way to use the new device with some other nerd toy in a way that makes no sense whatsoever. Out of the blue, somebody writes a hack that facilitates the unholy combination and offers it as $39 shareware. Seven of the nine people who actually try to use the hack download it off of BitTorrent and use a pirate serial number. Advocates point to this as an example of how independent Mac software development is thriving.
Dell or Sony or Microsoft releases a competing device which costs $100 less and is based on completely incompatible, Windows-only technology. Business Week declares Apple's dominance of the [insert gadget here] space over. Angry Mac zealots make plans to surround Business Week's corporate offices with torches and pitchforks until someone points out that fire and garden tools are so un-digital.
Wall Street analysts appear on CNBC to explain that Apple's device will never be able to compete with the onslaught of cheaper Windows-based competitors. Apple's stock plummets. Idiot technology investors experience a brief moment of deja vu before they return to masturbating to photos of Maria Bartiromo.
Consumers discover that the Windows-based competitor to Apple's device contains a proprietary digital rights management technology that prevents them from using the device to do anything expect except look at family photographs taken in the last 20 minutes.
An obscure component manufacturer somewhere in the Pacific Rim announces a major order for some new bleeding-edge piece of technology that could conceivably become part of some expensive, digital-lifestyle-enhancing nerd toy. The fun begins again...
http://www.misterbg.org/AppleProductCycle/
:D
Daveway
Jan 1, 07:04 PM
Where did you find that image? Are there others?
Its on the Apple.com front page
Its on the Apple.com front page
KnightWRX
Apr 11, 06:08 AM
The last car I sold had manual transmission, and the one it replaced did as well. I now have automatics, and later this year will be buying one with that "fancy" shifting. On the one I'm planning to get, it's called Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). I test drove it and thought it was a novelty, but fun to do after having only conventional automatics for a few years now.
CVTs have nothing to do with "tiptronic" or "paddle" shifters. CVTs are just a new breed of automatics. Semi-automatics can be had in many flavors, including both the traditional automatic and the CVTs.
It is only a question of how fast you can shift and how good your are with the clutch and the throttle. There is no need to use all three pedals at once, when you know what you are doing. If you want proof, come over to my place and I will go fast with you on some country roads with and you won't even notice that I am shifting gears, except from the different noise the engine is doing.
That's fine if you like using compression, but if you don't want engine braking, you still need to throttle up on downshift and if you happen to want to slow down some at the same time, then you still need all 3 pedals, unless you're simply going to trust your rev-matching and go clutchless.
In the old times "Heel and Toe" was interesting especially for Rallye drivers who wanted to get the RWD car into a controlled drift by using the throttle and the brake at the same time. Something you will not be able to do with a FWD Golf anyway.
Heel and Toe is used for much more than that. Heck, just coming out of a turn at apex with the best acceleration will require some of it to prevent the engine from braking the car while it catches up to the transmission in the lower gear.
Of course, we're way past "nice sunday drive" techniques here, which is what these modern street cars are aimed at.
CVTs have nothing to do with "tiptronic" or "paddle" shifters. CVTs are just a new breed of automatics. Semi-automatics can be had in many flavors, including both the traditional automatic and the CVTs.
It is only a question of how fast you can shift and how good your are with the clutch and the throttle. There is no need to use all three pedals at once, when you know what you are doing. If you want proof, come over to my place and I will go fast with you on some country roads with and you won't even notice that I am shifting gears, except from the different noise the engine is doing.
That's fine if you like using compression, but if you don't want engine braking, you still need to throttle up on downshift and if you happen to want to slow down some at the same time, then you still need all 3 pedals, unless you're simply going to trust your rev-matching and go clutchless.
In the old times "Heel and Toe" was interesting especially for Rallye drivers who wanted to get the RWD car into a controlled drift by using the throttle and the brake at the same time. Something you will not be able to do with a FWD Golf anyway.
Heel and Toe is used for much more than that. Heck, just coming out of a turn at apex with the best acceleration will require some of it to prevent the engine from braking the car while it catches up to the transmission in the lower gear.
Of course, we're way past "nice sunday drive" techniques here, which is what these modern street cars are aimed at.
iGav
Mar 9, 02:18 PM
So I don't think they did any modifications to the suspension.
I'd hazard a guess that they probably did� just because of the difference in preference in ride quality, European cars are naturally exceedingly firm� the same cars with sports suspension, excruciatingly so.
The Insignia's not a bad car by any means, the OPC/VXR concept looked particularly mean, especially in wagon form, but the rear of the hatchback looks a little odd to me, fussily unresolved with so many bad lines� but that is probably to be expected given it's World Car origins. It's wheelbase looks far too short as well.
http://www.motorward.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/opel-insignia-opc-sports-tourer-1.jpg
I agree. If you look at "small" cars these days, they really aren't that small. Of course, what made the Mini special was packaging, and I don't think we've seen a revolutionary new "package" since the Mini.
I'd suggest that the A2 was the last truly innovative car with regards to packaging, spaceframe, double-floor (like the A Class, but much better implemented) etc.
Something like the Smart is too compromised in achieving it's small footprint, and the IQ is as conventional as they come. As are cars like the Ka/500, i10 etc.
I think VW was on to something with their up! concept, (rear engined, 2 or 3 cylinder engine (I forget which), and a minimalist cabin) but then they decided the layout was too difficult to make work (read as too expensive, can't be bothered) and it's becoming a conventional FE/FWD hatch� when they could have launched the new people's car for the 21st century, with an innovative drivetrain and modular interior functionality, based on something like an iPad type device (which is what VW's new Hackney Cab concept looks to be implementing).
Chevy definitely has a lot of work to do to establish a brand presence in Europe - especially since Opel already covers so much territory with its lineup. Apart from niche vehicles like the Corvette, there isn't much of "American" Chevy that can make the transition to Europe. And in the long run,
I can't help but think GM would've been better repositioning Opel. They're making unnecessary (not to mention needlessly expensive) work for themselves with Chevy. It's a bit icy out isn't it? Is that the captain at the bar? ;)
Chevy can't rely on rebadged Korean cars.
They can't� especially when rival Korean cars are very, very good indeed, if still a little dull.
Damning with faint praise!
What can I say� it's ingrained. :p
In the context of this thread I am happy to see a Cruze diesel come to the US, and I think the Cruze will be an improvement over previous GM small cars,
It's considered more mid-size here if anything. In Holden form, right up until the C-Pillar it's a fine design, but like a lot of cars today, it's got bum trouble.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/2009-2010_Holden_JG_Cruze_CDX_sedan_02.jpg/800px-2009-2010_Holden_JG_Cruze_CDX_sedan_02.jpg
It is true that their biggest problem is coming up with a reason to buy it over other similarly anonymous cars.
I think that would be my issue, if I were thinking of dropping the �$�� on a new car, I'd be thinking to myself, is a new car so important to me as to stomach the depreciation that drops like an atom-bomb, or do I buy myself a new Golf?
And we never got to see it here.
And is it any wonder that Ford U.S. almost went the way of the muff?
if any car company has shown to have any knowledge about badge engineering/branding it's VW AG
Indeed, this alone would be a thread in itself wouldn't it. :p
believe it or not back in the 70ties Opel actually had a trendy, sporty and young reputation image
That'll be the Manta. :p
Vauxhall have never really had that image. It's no coincidence that in Cockney Rhyming Slang, that Vauxhall rhymes with Dull.
it's not exactly GM alone:
yes VW are really bland looking too, but opposed to many GM vehicles if you take the badge away you would be still able recognize that the vehicle is a VW ...
And you highlight exactly where many/most car manufacturers go wrong when it comes to developing a World Car and why they're seldom truly successful. BMW & Mercedes have been producing World Cars for decades haven't they, some would say successfully so. Why? Because they're completely & unapologetically Germanic.
seriously the new micra is bringing the bland back to the brand ..
True that� it looks older than the car it replaced. :eek:
at least hyundai finally realised that those names they were putting on their models weren't the brightest idea in 95% of all cases
The i10 has gotten rave reviews over here, frequently voted best city-urban-girls car or something� I heard that when a man drives one, his balls shrink and he assumes a pre-pubescent state. ;)
I'd hazard a guess that they probably did� just because of the difference in preference in ride quality, European cars are naturally exceedingly firm� the same cars with sports suspension, excruciatingly so.
The Insignia's not a bad car by any means, the OPC/VXR concept looked particularly mean, especially in wagon form, but the rear of the hatchback looks a little odd to me, fussily unresolved with so many bad lines� but that is probably to be expected given it's World Car origins. It's wheelbase looks far too short as well.
http://www.motorward.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/opel-insignia-opc-sports-tourer-1.jpg
I agree. If you look at "small" cars these days, they really aren't that small. Of course, what made the Mini special was packaging, and I don't think we've seen a revolutionary new "package" since the Mini.
I'd suggest that the A2 was the last truly innovative car with regards to packaging, spaceframe, double-floor (like the A Class, but much better implemented) etc.
Something like the Smart is too compromised in achieving it's small footprint, and the IQ is as conventional as they come. As are cars like the Ka/500, i10 etc.
I think VW was on to something with their up! concept, (rear engined, 2 or 3 cylinder engine (I forget which), and a minimalist cabin) but then they decided the layout was too difficult to make work (read as too expensive, can't be bothered) and it's becoming a conventional FE/FWD hatch� when they could have launched the new people's car for the 21st century, with an innovative drivetrain and modular interior functionality, based on something like an iPad type device (which is what VW's new Hackney Cab concept looks to be implementing).
Chevy definitely has a lot of work to do to establish a brand presence in Europe - especially since Opel already covers so much territory with its lineup. Apart from niche vehicles like the Corvette, there isn't much of "American" Chevy that can make the transition to Europe. And in the long run,
I can't help but think GM would've been better repositioning Opel. They're making unnecessary (not to mention needlessly expensive) work for themselves with Chevy. It's a bit icy out isn't it? Is that the captain at the bar? ;)
Chevy can't rely on rebadged Korean cars.
They can't� especially when rival Korean cars are very, very good indeed, if still a little dull.
Damning with faint praise!
What can I say� it's ingrained. :p
In the context of this thread I am happy to see a Cruze diesel come to the US, and I think the Cruze will be an improvement over previous GM small cars,
It's considered more mid-size here if anything. In Holden form, right up until the C-Pillar it's a fine design, but like a lot of cars today, it's got bum trouble.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/2009-2010_Holden_JG_Cruze_CDX_sedan_02.jpg/800px-2009-2010_Holden_JG_Cruze_CDX_sedan_02.jpg
It is true that their biggest problem is coming up with a reason to buy it over other similarly anonymous cars.
I think that would be my issue, if I were thinking of dropping the �$�� on a new car, I'd be thinking to myself, is a new car so important to me as to stomach the depreciation that drops like an atom-bomb, or do I buy myself a new Golf?
And we never got to see it here.
And is it any wonder that Ford U.S. almost went the way of the muff?
if any car company has shown to have any knowledge about badge engineering/branding it's VW AG
Indeed, this alone would be a thread in itself wouldn't it. :p
believe it or not back in the 70ties Opel actually had a trendy, sporty and young reputation image
That'll be the Manta. :p
Vauxhall have never really had that image. It's no coincidence that in Cockney Rhyming Slang, that Vauxhall rhymes with Dull.
it's not exactly GM alone:
yes VW are really bland looking too, but opposed to many GM vehicles if you take the badge away you would be still able recognize that the vehicle is a VW ...
And you highlight exactly where many/most car manufacturers go wrong when it comes to developing a World Car and why they're seldom truly successful. BMW & Mercedes have been producing World Cars for decades haven't they, some would say successfully so. Why? Because they're completely & unapologetically Germanic.
seriously the new micra is bringing the bland back to the brand ..
True that� it looks older than the car it replaced. :eek:
at least hyundai finally realised that those names they were putting on their models weren't the brightest idea in 95% of all cases
The i10 has gotten rave reviews over here, frequently voted best city-urban-girls car or something� I heard that when a man drives one, his balls shrink and he assumes a pre-pubescent state. ;)
JoeG4
Feb 27, 02:06 AM
You can always tell the 22" because they have the power LCD below the bezel instead of on it. Three buttons too! Power, and brightness up/down. Even stranger, the buttons are mechanical clear pieces of plastic (and the power light is this big pill-shaped thing that hangs inside the power button).
It was such a neat design! And then there was the translucent black frame (The backlight sorta bleeds through em too, also cool). The DVI 22" had a GREEN (amber pulsing while sleeping) power light and had a UFO-shaped breakout box at the end of its cable for the USB/power/DVI. Very cool.
The sucky part about the 22" LCD was that it had a really high defect rate. However, it was introduced at a time when 15" LCDs were a luxury item, so it was more like the Ferrari of LCDs of its time. :D
I recall paying the same price for mine as the Mac Pro currently costs. Sheesh! Stupid me. I should've put that money into Apple stock! If I had put the $7k I blew on my Dual 800/22" into Apple shares I could afford a Ferrari right now :(
Being 14 and stupid FTW?
It was such a neat design! And then there was the translucent black frame (The backlight sorta bleeds through em too, also cool). The DVI 22" had a GREEN (amber pulsing while sleeping) power light and had a UFO-shaped breakout box at the end of its cable for the USB/power/DVI. Very cool.
The sucky part about the 22" LCD was that it had a really high defect rate. However, it was introduced at a time when 15" LCDs were a luxury item, so it was more like the Ferrari of LCDs of its time. :D
I recall paying the same price for mine as the Mac Pro currently costs. Sheesh! Stupid me. I should've put that money into Apple stock! If I had put the $7k I blew on my Dual 800/22" into Apple shares I could afford a Ferrari right now :(
Being 14 and stupid FTW?
Small White Car
Aug 29, 09:17 AM
How much would it hurt Apple to just double the height of the Mini and put a 1.83 GHz Conroe (Allendale) in there and a 3.5" Hard Drive? I'm pretty sure no-one would be whining about that. It would also get the price back down to $499 easy!
Oh, yeah, of course that is MY fantasy too. I'd love for them to beef up the mini at a cost of size only. I'd be the first to buy one of those.
I'm afraid, however, that Apple was very successful at convincing people that the mini is not at all like the old cube Mac. That was good since it had the reputation of being overpriced, but it also means that I can't see Apple making the mini any bigger. To do so would make it look like they were headed back that way. Even if the price got lower it would be an image they didn't want to encourage.
Oh, yeah, of course that is MY fantasy too. I'd love for them to beef up the mini at a cost of size only. I'd be the first to buy one of those.
I'm afraid, however, that Apple was very successful at convincing people that the mini is not at all like the old cube Mac. That was good since it had the reputation of being overpriced, but it also means that I can't see Apple making the mini any bigger. To do so would make it look like they were headed back that way. Even if the price got lower it would be an image they didn't want to encourage.
MrTed
Nov 16, 01:58 PM
I'm thinking about my future 8 core Macpro:
2 questions for you:
- Do you think the 8 core proc will produce a lot more heat than the current core duo 2 ? I'm asking because I need a very quiet computer ...
-As always: shall we expect this one in the Macpro before 2007 ?
thx !
2 questions for you:
- Do you think the 8 core proc will produce a lot more heat than the current core duo 2 ? I'm asking because I need a very quiet computer ...
-As always: shall we expect this one in the Macpro before 2007 ?
thx !
kepner
Mar 31, 02:13 AM
Launchpad is now an app in the Applications folder, and can be removed from the Dock.
Is frontrow back?
No, and they removed the mention of it from the Sound prefpane. ("Play Front Row sound effects")
Is frontrow back?
No, and they removed the mention of it from the Sound prefpane. ("Play Front Row sound effects")
M-Life
Sep 4, 08:09 PM
Would something in this realm be feasible for the mini updates? Just wondering while waiting for updates. Of course this is very vague on my part.
$499: Core solo - 1.5
$599: Core duo Yonah - 1.66
$699: Core duo Yonah - 1.83
$799: Core 2 duo Merom - low end (Not sure what that is)
$499: Core solo - 1.5
$599: Core duo Yonah - 1.66
$699: Core duo Yonah - 1.83
$799: Core 2 duo Merom - low end (Not sure what that is)
simweb
Mar 24, 03:36 PM
I'm owner of a Mac Pro (westmere dual CPU) with a REAL GRAPHICS CARD!
...a "PNY NVIDIA Quadro 4000 for Mac"
After updating the Mac OS X 10.6.7 update
then all my NVIDIA graphics drivers/features went up in smoke!
- Monitor ICC color profile did not work (all to bright/whiteish OSX GUI)
- All webbrowsers tilted in all Flash driven websites,
Justin Gaston amp; Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez HUGGED Justin
Justin Bieber And Selena Gomez
selena gomez justin bieber
justin bieber e selena gomez
selena gomez e justin
...a "PNY NVIDIA Quadro 4000 for Mac"
After updating the Mac OS X 10.6.7 update
then all my NVIDIA graphics drivers/features went up in smoke!
- Monitor ICC color profile did not work (all to bright/whiteish OSX GUI)
- All webbrowsers tilted in all Flash driven websites,
jav6454
Mar 24, 08:12 PM
Okay, so it's more power hungry. Not an issue on a Mac Pro workstation, though. Anything else?
Yes, it's an issue. Mac Pros don't carry heavy duty PSUs.
Yes, it's an issue. Mac Pros don't carry heavy duty PSUs.
Josias
Nov 27, 01:42 PM
Do you think such a display would sport a pwning! S-IPS panel as the other Cinema Displays, or would it be throttled down to a Dell style S-PVA panel?:D
I willy, willy hope for:
17" (1680x1050), S-IPS panel, 12 ms, DVI, 600:1, iSight, 400 cd/m2, alu. case, 2xUSB 2.0, 2xFireWire400 - $399.
20" (1920x1200), S-IPS panel, 12 ms, DVI, 700:1, iSight, 500 cd/m2, alu. case, 2xUSB 2.0, 2xFireWire400 - $699.
24" (some res. I can't remember), S-IPS panel, 12 ms, DVI, 700:1, iSight, 500 cd/m2, alu. case, 2xUSB 2.0, 1xFireWire400, 1xFireWire 800 - $999.
30" (some res. I can't remember), S-IPS panel, 12 ms, DVI, 700:1, iSight, 500 cd/m2, alu. case, 2xUSB 2.0, 1xFireWire400, 1xFireWire 800 - $1999.
:D :D :D
I willy, willy hope for:
17" (1680x1050), S-IPS panel, 12 ms, DVI, 600:1, iSight, 400 cd/m2, alu. case, 2xUSB 2.0, 2xFireWire400 - $399.
20" (1920x1200), S-IPS panel, 12 ms, DVI, 700:1, iSight, 500 cd/m2, alu. case, 2xUSB 2.0, 2xFireWire400 - $699.
24" (some res. I can't remember), S-IPS panel, 12 ms, DVI, 700:1, iSight, 500 cd/m2, alu. case, 2xUSB 2.0, 1xFireWire400, 1xFireWire 800 - $999.
30" (some res. I can't remember), S-IPS panel, 12 ms, DVI, 700:1, iSight, 500 cd/m2, alu. case, 2xUSB 2.0, 1xFireWire400, 1xFireWire 800 - $1999.
:D :D :D
rosalindavenue
Jul 18, 06:45 AM
I don't think the time is right for online digital movie rentals. Even with a relatively fast broadband service, it still is going to take a fair amount of time to download the file. If the file only plays once, or just for a day, or a few days it's just not worth the effort, IMO.
I agree with respect to downloads-- but I think this is going to be streaming. Did you ever try the frontrow movie trailers? (before Apple let it go dead in January or so-- it was a beta test, I'm sure) Even with a hacked version on my ibook, the trailers were instantaneous and high quality. I think that's how these are going to be rented-- you'll have either a period of time you can stream (preferable) or a number of times you can stream before losing the rights.
EDIT: Poster below me is 100% correct-- this is about ipods; they'll have to sell downloads for those and they wont be anything like DVD quality.
I agree with respect to downloads-- but I think this is going to be streaming. Did you ever try the frontrow movie trailers? (before Apple let it go dead in January or so-- it was a beta test, I'm sure) Even with a hacked version on my ibook, the trailers were instantaneous and high quality. I think that's how these are going to be rented-- you'll have either a period of time you can stream (preferable) or a number of times you can stream before losing the rights.
EDIT: Poster below me is 100% correct-- this is about ipods; they'll have to sell downloads for those and they wont be anything like DVD quality.
Bye Bye Baby
Dec 28, 10:38 AM
It's true then; Apple are releasing a toilet with an iPod dock! SWEET!!!! :eek:
Yep! It's called idunny!!!:D
Yep! It's called idunny!!!:D
shecky
Oct 23, 08:36 PM
So you think Santa Rosa will be out in time for MWSF? I thought the release date was to be in the 2nd quarter of 2007.
correct. santa rosa will not even be released by intel until april 2007 at the earliest, and i would guess not actually in a buyable system until may/june.
correct. santa rosa will not even be released by intel until april 2007 at the earliest, and i would guess not actually in a buyable system until may/june.
lordonuthin
Apr 20, 07:22 PM
so i hit 6 million on 17 mar, and today (20 apr) i hit 7 million! that's about 34 days. much better than my last million, but still not as good as it could be. hopefully i'll get everything worked out and going smoothly
7 mil; I remember those days, not so long ago... Grats!
7 mil; I remember those days, not so long ago... Grats!
macintel4me
Sep 1, 03:53 PM
What "This" is This? You need to include a link with your references please? We can't read your mind. :confused:
I think "This" is this thread; "23-inch iMac on Sept 12th?".
I think "This" is this thread; "23-inch iMac on Sept 12th?".
rasmasyean
Mar 20, 07:22 AM
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8F190 Safari/6533.18.5)
I'm very pleased about this- many countries working together following a proper UN resolution. Using air support and missiles but not troops.
This also seems like a good example of cooporation, even though any country with a decent airforce could go it alone against Libyia right now! All sorts of countries involved, with France, UK and US doing most at the moment.
I actually think having troops is better. "Firing missles and bombing" from great distances has a "disconnect" between people. When you have actual people fighting and even dying alongside you, both the citizens and the warriors appreciated it more and form more of a bond between people and cultures. It builds a "comraderee" of sorts and helps secure a pschological future between peoples....whereas, in this case, perhaps the only interaction we really have with Lybians is that the generals and politicians might go to meetings. Something the masses never experience for themselves.
After something like this is over without them actually "enduring victory and suffering" with Westerners hugging them, many Lybians will still think...oh yeah, those are the infidels that helped us get Quadafi with their big guns. :p
And even in the eyes of the opposition, it can have a negative effect in that you don't see them face to face when you kill them. It can be seen as a sign of "weakness" and "chickeness". This is what happened with Clinton shooting tomahawks at Bin Laden and then walking away brushing his hands. When you look in their eyes and shoot them, they know you mean business and respect and fear you as a warrior. Then they might think twice before they try to blow up your buildings when you're not looking. ;)
I'm very pleased about this- many countries working together following a proper UN resolution. Using air support and missiles but not troops.
This also seems like a good example of cooporation, even though any country with a decent airforce could go it alone against Libyia right now! All sorts of countries involved, with France, UK and US doing most at the moment.
I actually think having troops is better. "Firing missles and bombing" from great distances has a "disconnect" between people. When you have actual people fighting and even dying alongside you, both the citizens and the warriors appreciated it more and form more of a bond between people and cultures. It builds a "comraderee" of sorts and helps secure a pschological future between peoples....whereas, in this case, perhaps the only interaction we really have with Lybians is that the generals and politicians might go to meetings. Something the masses never experience for themselves.
After something like this is over without them actually "enduring victory and suffering" with Westerners hugging them, many Lybians will still think...oh yeah, those are the infidels that helped us get Quadafi with their big guns. :p
And even in the eyes of the opposition, it can have a negative effect in that you don't see them face to face when you kill them. It can be seen as a sign of "weakness" and "chickeness". This is what happened with Clinton shooting tomahawks at Bin Laden and then walking away brushing his hands. When you look in their eyes and shoot them, they know you mean business and respect and fear you as a warrior. Then they might think twice before they try to blow up your buildings when you're not looking. ;)
DeathChill
Apr 3, 01:50 AM
Great ad. When they can't compete on specs Apple should try to use fuzzy math (sorry, logic) to convince people that there is more to their products. That's the only way for Apple to keep the profit margin.
Where are they not competing on specs here? The CPU is almost identical and the iPad 2's GPU is much better. I guess you can take better camera's over thickness and weight.
Like when device can be useful with poor specs. Are you talking about those iPad 2 cameras? How useful are those with their embarrassing specs?
They are useful for FaceTime, which is what they were designed for. What are the purpose of the Xoom camera's, besides to say that they have them?
Where are they not competing on specs here? The CPU is almost identical and the iPad 2's GPU is much better. I guess you can take better camera's over thickness and weight.
Like when device can be useful with poor specs. Are you talking about those iPad 2 cameras? How useful are those with their embarrassing specs?
They are useful for FaceTime, which is what they were designed for. What are the purpose of the Xoom camera's, besides to say that they have them?
HecubusPro
Aug 24, 05:55 PM
I hope this coincides with MBP product refreshes with merom. The excitement is palpable.
timmillwood
Aug 25, 05:08 AM
If they bring out a core2duo mac mini it will be faster than my 18month old power mac.
cant see it happening, they might go for a faster core duo in the mac mini and macbook then core 2 duo in iMac and Macbook pro
cant see it happening, they might go for a faster core duo in the mac mini and macbook then core 2 duo in iMac and Macbook pro
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