We can all see that the cone of silence has worked so well. That "wow" factor has done so much for their market position... :rollseyes:

The "cone of silence" most definitely damages sales: other vendors have product-roadmaps which help corporate types develop our procurement schedules over a sensible forward period - not having this means that Apple doesn't help us plan for the future. You can't run a multi-million-$$ corporate IS department on guesswork!

Stupid consumerism does. When you consistently provide a better product, with easier-to-facilitate security features, better cross-compatibility, more stable working environment, and people still buy the cheap piece o' $#!% brand, it's pretty obvious that no matter how much you throw out there that's good for people, many will still never get it, nor care to get it. They're happy with $#!%, they know how $#!% works and smells, and they can deal with $#!% day in and day out. Yeeha.

:: rolls eyes back, tosses in another cow chip ::

next?

Sales increasing every year. Stocks looking good. Let the masses have the PC market share, there will always be those who want quality.

maybe mordor...

It was obviously a girl who couldn't keep her mouth shut. Guys have no problem keeping secrets.

When consumers have justifiable complaints enmasse" G4 windtunnel noise, Powerbook display problems, enmasse..enmasse.. Apple silence......hear that pin drop..Even Apple resellers are starting to “cry foul play” Hardly an optimistic scenario, roadmap, rather an epitaph if you will, How bout a “Go to Jail”

Apple’s very unique monopoly in conjunction with SJobs megalomaniacal control over the company and it's products; His complete unwillingness to adapt products, hardware, and price points to accommodate demand and promote the growth of the Mac platform. And for me Apple is still all about computers. ..All this equates to the perpetual loss of market share. Losing market share has never been part of Apple's roadmap, but for the time being there are too many problems with corporate Apple to stem the tide of the Incredible shrinking Mac.

Quarterly report due (7/16/04). Note the Unit Sales figures for Mac especially the Pro line..it is going to be very disappointing..meaning declining third party support enmasse..enmasse.

Common sense would dictate that loss of market share and third party support are not destinations on the Apple roadmap. No! I take that back. It is! cause as far as Apple’s roadmap is concerned it is on i00Hellbound, the major highway to self destruction.

Silence! Are we talking silence? Well let us also bow are heads for a moment of Silence!

First, they are making money - something most computer companies are not able to do right now. Dull pulls in profits, but with a focus on making their products cheap - not necessarily inexpensive, but cheap. I have one at the office and it's like a Yugo. Does the job, but ugh . . .

Second, how many other companies in the computer business have a large number of fans that cant wait for something like WWDC? None. Not even Dull.

Apple is also in a unique position in the computer industry in that they not only address the consumer and pro levels, but also spend a substantial amount of revenues on continual development of their OS and other software. The costs of developing OS X are a part of the purchase price and, after using Windows, i am VERY happy to pay that price.

In terms of addressing major corporations, I have no doubt that Apple would provide a road map under a NDA, and probably have for some companies. At the same time, the long term road map is pretty well known because of the public IBM road map for their PowerPC chips. Read anything about the Power5 or Power6? You know the road map. When selling to large companies there will be other things that are more important, like the benefits of OS X, availability of MS Office on a Mac, the cost/performance issues related to the servers & storage, etc. This is where Apple can make inroads - not talking about a dual core Gx chip that will be available when the bugs are worked out of the fabrication of the chips.

Back to Apple reality - WWDC is only a few days away. How many are going to be watching the boards to see what is being said? How many will look at the store after it comes back up? How many are going to watch the QuickTime download when it becomes available? That's what the Cone provides - a lot of excitement for users, developers and the press. Might not be a bad idea after all. . .

will be...more mini? I think they have 2.0" now, and if the things were any smaller they would be TOO small. cept maybe for ants.
Apple is doing just fab. As long as they are profitable they will continue to pour money in R&D, and come up with AWESOME comps like the G5. I am so impressed with that computer. And Panther KICKS ASS!!!
I run several macs, one of which is a 5 year old B&W G3 running panther! Try puting XP on a 5 year old dell. MuHahahhahahaa.
ZAP~ Wintel SUCKS

"But the guys at AppleInsider have just as much right to publish anything they feel is newsworthy -- free press, and all that -- even pix of Power Mac guts."

Uh, no they don't. Publishing specs on future products by means of unethical information gathering is not their "right". In most legal circles it is tantamount to corporate espionage. If a company doesn't want their future development plans made public it is THEIR RIGHT not to have it announced by a bunch of website weilding geeks who only do it to show off their super geekness to impress other geeks. Competition is tough in the corporate world, and leaking details about new products DAMAGES a company's ability to compete (you hear that you so-called Mac fans?). It IS NOT their right to publish such information.

I for one would like to see Apple put the hammer down on these people.

And that is all really matters.

Actually, Bryson, yes they do, as guaranteed by the 1st Amendment, you know, Freedom of Speech, and all that? AppleInsider did not go into Apple and steal the liquid cooling pix, they were offered. So, as long as AppleInsider, or any news organization for that matter, does not commit a crime in the acquisition of the item of news, then it is fair game for them to report it.

Also, AppleInsider removed the pix as a curtesy to Apple, if it had gone to court, Apple would have likely lost.

So, in essence, what you are suggesting is shooting the messenger, which we all know is not cool. Besides, it's all part of the fun.

Vern Seward