Monday, January 24, 2005
Turns out the Orlando Sentinel guy bought an eMac, not a Mac Mini. Entire Mac Web set to implode in 3..2..1..
So I was in an Apple Store today, and I can't tell you how much of a kick I got out of the fact that the iPod shuffle is actually smaller than my 32 megabyte USB keychain drive. The iPod shuffle is not for me, but it's not difficult to see how A) it's likely to swallow up the existing flash MP3 market in one big gulp, and B) it shouldn't hurt sales of full-size iPods one bit, whether it ultimately succeeds or fails on its own.
There were also two Mac Minis on display, and they were both connected to $1000 Apple monitors. Just thought I should share this fact with you folks who pooh-poohed my open letter to Apple by pronouncing that Apple would "obviously" have the Mac Mini connected to an inexpensive third-party monitor in Apple Stores. I freely admit that I have no idea what Apple thinks it's doing with the Mac Mini, but it would certainly appear that neither do all that many of you out there, either. Because the supposed gameplan that so many of you mapped out in your many emails directed at me doesn't read anything like the strategy that Apple has shown us so far.
In fact, you know those little plastic stands in Apple Stores with the price inserts in them? The one sitting next to the Mac Mini lists both the Mac Mini ($499) and the Studio Display ($999) on the same insert, making it appear that they're meant to be bought together as a bundle. At least Apple appears to understand that people in the real world expect to buy their computer and monitor as a bundled package. Too bad they've somehow convinced themselves that a $499 stripped-down computer and a $999 luxury-model 20 inch LCD monitor somehow make the ideal pairing.
Moreover, both Mac Mini demo units at the Apple Store were right next to the front door, making it quite easy for someone to wander in, take a look at the Bundle from Bizarro Land, chuckle the absurdity, and walk out long before an employee ever gets anywhere near them to explain what's really going on.
I don't know what it all means, I'm just saying that y'all who were so sure that there would be a cheap 17" CRT monitor attached to the Mac Mini in every Apple Store (you know who you are), well, that ain't what's happening, kids. So whatever strategy you were so sure Apple was following with the Mac Mini, you might want to check on that. Because at this point it looks like some of you guys are as bad at predicting what Apple's going to do next as I am.
Oh and by the way, the guy from the Orlando Sentinel who switched to the Mac a few days ago? Yeah, you know who I'm talking about, the guy who can't stop gushing about how great his new Mac is, the guy whose article has been linked to from all corners of the Mac Web. Some folks just about wet themselves over the "fact" that Mike Thomas was swayed by the Mac Mini to finally make the Switch. Just one little problem, though -- his original article never said one word about buying a Mac Mini. But some folks just assumed that to be the case because, hey, the inability to re-use their aging monitor with their next computer is the only thing that's kept low-end Windows users from switching all this time...right?
Well, Mr. Thomas has written a follow-up column about his experiences, and this time he makes a casual reference to which Macintosh model he bought. And I know some folks are just going to wither and melt where they're standing when they hear this, but it turns out good old Mike Thomas bought an eMac. Yeah that's right, the same eMac that so many of you seem to think needs to be removed from the market because "no one" would ever want to buy one.
I don't know how to break this to you, kids, but out in the real world, most people expect a monitor to come bundled with their computer.
Beyond that, I don't know what to tell you.
So I was in an Apple Store today, and I can't tell you how much of a kick I got out of the fact that the iPod shuffle is actually smaller than my 32 megabyte USB keychain drive. The iPod shuffle is not for me, but it's not difficult to see how A) it's likely to swallow up the existing flash MP3 market in one big gulp, and B) it shouldn't hurt sales of full-size iPods one bit, whether it ultimately succeeds or fails on its own.
There were also two Mac Minis on display, and they were both connected to $1000 Apple monitors. Just thought I should share this fact with you folks who pooh-poohed my open letter to Apple by pronouncing that Apple would "obviously" have the Mac Mini connected to an inexpensive third-party monitor in Apple Stores. I freely admit that I have no idea what Apple thinks it's doing with the Mac Mini, but it would certainly appear that neither do all that many of you out there, either. Because the supposed gameplan that so many of you mapped out in your many emails directed at me doesn't read anything like the strategy that Apple has shown us so far.
In fact, you know those little plastic stands in Apple Stores with the price inserts in them? The one sitting next to the Mac Mini lists both the Mac Mini ($499) and the Studio Display ($999) on the same insert, making it appear that they're meant to be bought together as a bundle. At least Apple appears to understand that people in the real world expect to buy their computer and monitor as a bundled package. Too bad they've somehow convinced themselves that a $499 stripped-down computer and a $999 luxury-model 20 inch LCD monitor somehow make the ideal pairing.
Moreover, both Mac Mini demo units at the Apple Store were right next to the front door, making it quite easy for someone to wander in, take a look at the Bundle from Bizarro Land, chuckle the absurdity, and walk out long before an employee ever gets anywhere near them to explain what's really going on.
I don't know what it all means, I'm just saying that y'all who were so sure that there would be a cheap 17" CRT monitor attached to the Mac Mini in every Apple Store (you know who you are), well, that ain't what's happening, kids. So whatever strategy you were so sure Apple was following with the Mac Mini, you might want to check on that. Because at this point it looks like some of you guys are as bad at predicting what Apple's going to do next as I am.
Oh and by the way, the guy from the Orlando Sentinel who switched to the Mac a few days ago? Yeah, you know who I'm talking about, the guy who can't stop gushing about how great his new Mac is, the guy whose article has been linked to from all corners of the Mac Web. Some folks just about wet themselves over the "fact" that Mike Thomas was swayed by the Mac Mini to finally make the Switch. Just one little problem, though -- his original article never said one word about buying a Mac Mini. But some folks just assumed that to be the case because, hey, the inability to re-use their aging monitor with their next computer is the only thing that's kept low-end Windows users from switching all this time...right?
Well, Mr. Thomas has written a follow-up column about his experiences, and this time he makes a casual reference to which Macintosh model he bought. And I know some folks are just going to wither and melt where they're standing when they hear this, but it turns out good old Mike Thomas bought an eMac. Yeah that's right, the same eMac that so many of you seem to think needs to be removed from the market because "no one" would ever want to buy one.
I don't know how to break this to you, kids, but out in the real world, most people expect a monitor to come bundled with their computer.
Beyond that, I don't know what to tell you.
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