Sep 20
Apple Expo Paris… new goodies?
2005 at 12.40 am posted by Veerle Pieters
Today Apple Expo Paris 2005 starts. To great disappointment of many there isn’t a keynote of Steve Jobs at Palais des Congr�s. We had plans to go too, it was our intention to leave for Paris late Monday afternoon and explore Paris a bit in the evening, stay at a nice hotel and wake up early for the keynote. We still don’t know exactly what the reason behind this cancelation was. I can’t imagine that the iPod nano was the culprit here, but whatever the real reason (if any) is only time will tell. So time for plan B ;-)
We are still going to Paris but on Wednesday instead. Time to get up-close and personal with an iPod nano and try out the new Mighty Mouse. Expect a detailed report of our adventures in "The city of light". The question remains is this going to be quiet expo or does Apple still have some things up its sleeve? Let's speculate a little shall we ;-)
Likely:
The most likely machines to receive an update are the G5's. The last revision was in April when they bumped from dual-2.5GHz processors to dual-2.7GHz. Many have their hearts set on highly anticipated dual-core PowerPC 970MP chips. According to Think Secret the 970MP is said to deliver performance improvements of 50-80% in many tasks over the single-core 970FX. But don't expect a 3GHz model, that barrier won't be broken since the dual-core PowerPC 970MP runs in speeds of 1.4GHz to 2.5GHz (IBM info).
A minor update to the PowerBook line. Expect a very small processor speed update and maybe a high resolution 1920 x 1200 pixel (Wide Ultra eXtended Graphics Array) screen on the 17" machine. Remember the user manual for the 17-inch PowerBook referencing an unannounced model with a native resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels back in February. Also slightly improved battery life and dual-layer DVD burning SuperDrives.
Unlikely:
A video iPod, an Apple Tablet or a dual core PowerBook.
Could be wrong of course but I think we'll see at least one new thing. We will know for sure at 11am the time when Steve Jobs holds a press meeting in Paris. Whatever happens I intend to make it a fun and sunny day. So see you on Thursday if you can't make it to Paris for a report and walk around ;-)
Update: One thing that is just announced is an update to .Mac. You now have 1GB storage (at last). There is more so some exploring on the .Mac site is in order.
Update 2: It seems that there are no hardware announcements at all in Paris and the Q and A with Steve Jobs was focused around iTunes Music Store and the fact that Apple has no intention in changing the price model of €0,99. He also didn't want to talk about future hardware because of the risk that competitors would copy Apple.
8served
1
Hmm… the .Mac upgrade is a bit of a disappointment. Apart from the 1GB storage, there’s little of interest for me.
Even the ‘Group’-thingie isn’t much of a feature really. Where’s Apple’s famous creativity and inovation when it comes to online services. Certainly not in .Mac. How can they sell an online service like this (and it does not come cheap) and not have a state of the art blog service?
And where are my .Mac exclusive widgets they’ve been promising for months now?
Bit of a bummer, really.
2
I think the most interesting feature in the .Mac upgrade is Backup 3. I didn’t test it yet but incremental backup was definitely lacking before!!
3
It would be nice if they released a Powerbook 12” with a higher resolution. But I guess that’s only wishful thinking :(.
4
Oh, and a $99 email service with NO built-in anti-spam or anti-virus is just a joke.
It feels like I’m paying $99 for sync’ing my bookmarks and addressbook, which I have to admit, is a great feature.
An oh heah, Backup 3 might be interesting too.
5
Just back from Paris
Yesterday I visited the Apple Expo. What is there to see. Lots of workshops for the music and video-editing industry, games and lots of Ipod Nanos. So if you wanne try a black or white Nano for a few minutes :) Paris is the place to be.
Veerle, good luck in Paris.
6
@pjtr All e-mails schoud be virus tested with your .Mac account… That’s the Info I’ve got @ the Expo..
Backup 3 seems to be a very good Program, I’ll test it as soon as possible…
The main problem of Apple is, that all new Products should be introduced in America…. That’s why there was nothing really new at the Expo in Paris. That’s the opinion of the apple employees i’ve talked at the expo..
About the DualCore PowerProcessor. Apple can’t step back at 2.5 Ghz even if its a DualCore Processor and performance will be improved… so they are just wainting that IBM improves it to 2.7 or highter.. then they will introduce it in the PowerMacs.
A litte bit disappointed that there was nothing new at the Expo… but it was realy nice to have a look at the ipod nano and other apple products.
7
@Markus “The main problem of Apple is, that all new Products should be introduced in America….“.
I don’t think this is true since the iMac G5 was introduced in Paris but maybe the company policy changed! I personnaly think that no new hadware was introduced because no one was ready yet… ;-)
8
@Pat
It’s also possible, that no new hardware was ready yet… but for example why the nano wasn’t introduced in Paris and a few days before during the Presentation of the iTunes Phone ???
What ever the reason was/is… apple has it’s own rules.. and thats the fascinating…