Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - What would you do if you were... Steve Jobs? (v2.0)

ubertuber · 05-02-2008, 09:08 AM

The iPods already have tactile buttons to do hard resets. The only situation in which this doesn't work is when the logic board is fubared. I'd charge $30 more for the iPods and make their warranties 2 years long. And team up with Assurion or whoever to do insurance for the iPhone similar to what the other companies do.

New displays with iSights are a no-brainer. A lower end Mac Pro would be nice -- a modest dual core with the expandability. Perhaps a smaller case for it with only one riser card for RAM expansion. No one buying a budget machine is going to put 32 GB of RAM in it, and maybe only 2 HD slots are needed -- by the same logic, 4 internal HD bays is overkill. One optical drive bay would be fine. With those changes, they could use a less massive power supply. Voila, a cheaper and smaller machine that still has expansion possibilities.

The mini is ridiculous. It's a cool computer, but it needs to at least match the performance of the MacBook and should be able to get 4 GB of RAM, which would require a new logic board. I have a suspicion that only half the minis sold are actually serving as "cheap entry-level" macs. The rest are second computers, file servers, and media machines. So make them able to put out 1080p video and or dual DVI for the 30" display. Then make a price break for people who buy the mini, keyboard, mouse, and display together.

I don't know about eliminating the plastic macbook line. It's part of an overarching distinction between "consumer" and "professional" machines that is reflected in pricing. Without that differentiation, the price of an aluminum 13" MBP would be much higher than the $1100 where the MacBooks start.

30" iMac. 42" Cinema Displays.

Last, and biggest, I think the next huge thing would be a tablet Mac that had the usability and interface mojo of Leapard and the iPhone. Apple has become very good at coming into niches that other companies have opened but been unable to define (think all-in-one computers, mp3 players, cell phones, online music distribution). They've made it clear that what matters is not doing something first, it's being the first to do it right. The tablet platform seems to me to be the next culture shift in computers that current manufacturers have been unable to crack open. Part of this is my own selfish wish for this machine to exist, but I really think that it could be a big paradigm shift, and windows-based platforms have certainly failed to capture the market's imagination. This is the classic door-wide-open for Apple.

Oh yeah, and .mac needs to grow up or go home. Ideally it would be fixed so that the iDisc worked without dragging the finder into a vortex, backup and time machine would be able to interface with the off-site storage (which really ought to be at least 20 GB), and the ability to sync computers to each other would be expanded to more resemble roaming profiles. Then, include a year's subscription for free with every Mac sold.

Lastly, consider raising the price of each MPB and Mac Pro by $150-200 and including Apple Care with all of them. If these are professional machines, then Rolls Royce warranties would really make them seem rock-solid. The volume by attaching it to every computer would lower the per-consumer price.

I know raising prices on something seems strange, but the brand isn't built on being compared to PC equivalents, because there really aren't any. The price structure already supports the infrastructure of the stores (Genius Bar free face-to-face troubleshooting and on-site warranty service, 1:1 instruction, free workshops for kids, etc.) and the inclusion of tons of features (iLife has a lot of best in class apps that are free). For the "Pro" level machines, Apple should go farther in that direction. 100% parts and labor for 3 years on every machine out the door would really make that clear.

05-02-2008, 09:08 AM	#7 (permalink)
ubertuber spudly Location: Ellay	The iPods already have tactile buttons to do hard resets. The only situation in which this doesn't work is when the logic board is fubared. I'd charge $30 more for the iPods and make their warranties 2 years long. And team up with Assurion or whoever to do insurance for the iPhone similar to what the other companies do. New displays with iSights are a no-brainer. A lower end Mac Pro would be nice -- a modest dual core with the expandability. Perhaps a smaller case for it with only one riser card for RAM expansion. No one buying a budget machine is going to put 32 GB of RAM in it, and maybe only 2 HD slots are needed -- by the same logic, 4 internal HD bays is overkill. One optical drive bay would be fine. With those changes, they could use a less massive power supply. Voila, a cheaper and smaller machine that still has expansion possibilities. The mini is ridiculous. It's a cool computer, but it needs to at least match the performance of the MacBook and should be able to get 4 GB of RAM, which would require a new logic board. I have a suspicion that only half the minis sold are actually serving as "cheap entry-level" macs. The rest are second computers, file servers, and media machines. So make them able to put out 1080p video and or dual DVI for the 30" display. Then make a price break for people who buy the mini, keyboard, mouse, and display together. I don't know about eliminating the plastic macbook line. It's part of an overarching distinction between "consumer" and "professional" machines that is reflected in pricing. Without that differentiation, the price of an aluminum 13" MBP would be much higher than the $1100 where the MacBooks start. 30" iMac. 42" Cinema Displays. Last, and biggest, I think the next huge thing would be a tablet Mac that had the usability and interface mojo of Leapard and the iPhone. Apple has become very good at coming into niches that other companies have opened but been unable to define (think all-in-one computers, mp3 players, cell phones, online music distribution). They've made it clear that what matters is not doing something first, it's being the first to do it right. The tablet platform seems to me to be the next culture shift in computers that current manufacturers have been unable to crack open. Part of this is my own selfish wish for this machine to exist, but I really think that it could be a big paradigm shift, and windows-based platforms have certainly failed to capture the market's imagination. This is the classic door-wide-open for Apple. Oh yeah, and .mac needs to grow up or go home. Ideally it would be fixed so that the iDisc worked without dragging the finder into a vortex, backup and time machine would be able to interface with the off-site storage (which really ought to be at least 20 GB), and the ability to sync computers to each other would be expanded to more resemble roaming profiles. Then, include a year's subscription for free with every Mac sold. Lastly, consider raising the price of each MPB and Mac Pro by $150-200 and including Apple Care with all of them. If these are professional machines, then Rolls Royce warranties would really make them seem rock-solid. The volume by attaching it to every computer would lower the per-consumer price. I know raising prices on something seems strange, but the brand isn't built on being compared to PC equivalents, because there really aren't any. The price structure already supports the infrastructure of the stores (Genius Bar free face-to-face troubleshooting and on-site warranty service, 1:1 instruction, free workshops for kids, etc.) and the inclusion of tons of features (iLife has a lot of best in class apps that are free). For the "Pro" level machines, Apple should go farther in that direction. 100% parts and labor for 3 years on every machine out the door would really make that clear. __________________ Cogito ergo spud -- I think, therefore I yam Last edited by ubertuber; 05-02-2008 at 09:30 AM..