13 Comments

Why 2007 will redefine Apple Computer

October 23, 2006 by in Apple,SoapBox with 13 Comments

Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs, was quoted saying, “Looking forward, 2007 is likely to be one of the most exciting new product years in Apple’s history.â€? Sounds good, right? I have a feeling next year will make things more and more difficult for the existing Mac user. Apple is becoming Sony in the consumer electronics marketplace and Apple’s computer sales are on the rise as well. They are dominating the digital content distribution space when it comes to music and movies so much that Apple’s iTunes store is number five in the retail music sales just behind Amazon.

What could Apple possibly add to make their product line even better? We have three flavors of iPod, a complete desktop and notebook offering and Apple’s software division is doing an excellent job with consumer and professional offerings. Apple has announced their codename, “iTV� device that is an extension of iTunes and iPhoto to bring your “iLife� to the living room with an exceptional interface and tons of I/O. We also have a rumored iPhone and true video iPod in the pipeline and the partnership with Intel will only fuel more product updates and speedbumps. Oh and don’t forget Mac OS 10.5 which will be a full 64 bit OS with tons of features aimed to put Windows Vista in its place.

Let’s start with confirmed software that will be delivered in 2007 and a brief overview of expected features. In January, Apple will announce ILife ’07 and iWork ’07. The two suites will most likely receive a new application and further integrate themselves with .Mac and feature group/home collaboration features. iLife will receive much needed updates to iDVD and iWeb but don’t expect a major iTunes update in this release. iPhoto will receive more editing and browsing features that we have in Aperture today. iWork will receive a spreadsheet application, completing the package as a true Microsoft Office competitor. Of course, I still think Pages needs a lot of work before it is ready to compete with MS Word as a word processing application.

Apple will be updating Final Cut Studio to version 2.0 and details are sparse here. Apple’s pro group is extremely tight lipped and almost nothing is discussed until a few days before Apple’s traditional NAB press conference. NAB has been home to Final Cut Pro and other video related announcements for the past four years and we don’t see Apple changing its ways anytime soon. Aperture is set to achieve 2.0 status this year with increased speed on slower machines and an even more improved UI taking advantage of everything Leopard has to offer.

Speaking of Leopard, Apple’s next generation OS, we have seen a few of the key features but it’s what Apple is not telling us that makes me jump with glee. Despite what Apple showed us at WWDC06, I think the entire UI including the Finder will receive visual makeovers. Steve’s demonstration of features this summer displayed the exact same interface look we have in Tiger. All of the leaked images of Leopard beta look promising and I’ll be happy to adopt updates iChat, iCal and search features. G5 and Mac pro owners will be extremely happy when they feel the enhancements of a full 64-bit operating system. Most likely, Apple will drop a release date at Macworld San Francisco and offer a preview of everything the OS has to offer at the same time.

Apple’s hardware market is set for some fun and exciting changes! Apple has moved to the Intel platform and offered some newly redesigned products at the same time. Everyone is awaiting Core2Duo chips in Apple’s notebooks and I’m sure Apple will have quad-core available in the Mac Pro desktops before next spring.

The iTV is going to rock but requires and HDMI monitor putting a huge percent of Mac lovers running out to Best Buy to upgrade their televisions. Patent filings regarding using an iPod as a remote for an upcoming “media center� look promising which brings me to the true video iPod. This device was rumored last Christmas (12/05) and it’s been a year since then and we still don’t have that device. Apple has been waiting for movies on the iTunes store and of course cheaper component costs of having a display on the entire front of the iPod. Apple will be announcing tons of new movie studios being added to the iTunes store in January and many believe the video iPod will finally show its face and minus a scratch prone metal back.

The final rumor that just won’t stop is iPhone. iPhone is a cell phone created by Apple and has been rumored since 2001 since Apple bought iPhone.org which now points to Apple.com. Rumors are out there for this nano sized touchscreen, bluetooh / wifi equipped smartphone brought to us via Cingular. I’m not holding my breath and neither should you and that’s all I have to say about that.

2007 will be an awesome year for everyone including PC users. Most of these devices / applications work with Windows and they’ll have a little fun too. Apple is going to really expand its product offering this year as they overtake Sony for consumer electronics dominance.


  • Olivier

    Adam, are you being ironic when you write “I have a feeling next year will make things more and more difficult for the existing Mac user.” ?
    I’ve read through your excellent piece but I can only be enthused by what Apple has got lined up for us.

    Macs are becoming more and more fashion items like iPods, all my trendy friends are now getting macs “because they’re cool”.
    Never heard anybody get so excited about Vista.

  • ClaMs

    I think what Adam means from that statement is that more and more people will have Apple stuff, making Apple more commercial (so to speak).

    I remember back in the day when I was the ONLY Apple user I knew. When I had my first iPod, the 1st Gen 5GB one, no one had ever seen anything like it before. Every time I showed it, everyone remained gobsmacked. “A thousand songs??”. Nowadays everyone has those white earphones around their head. Yesterday only I did.

    When I had a PowerBook, the Apple stood out in my University canteen. People used to come up to me and ask “What brand is that computer?” (As if the Apple wasn’t much of a clue). I’d show them OSX and they’d remain speechless. Now you can make out a couple of MacBooks and sometimes the odd MacBook Pro.

    When I saw an iPod or MacBook in a film or Ad I would excite myself. Now I’m starting to see them in people’s hands more and more. We aren’t so nitch any longer. I used to be called an Apple freak. Nowadays I’m another Apple user.

    Still, I cant wait to see what Apple will offer this year. :)

  • Shogun

    I think what Adam is saying is that he started writing this article with one idea in mind and then ‘it just kind of started writing itself’ and, lo and behold, it went a different way than he had thought…

    and instead of editing he just threw it up there.

  • Aaron Chang

    >>The iTV is going to rock but requires and HDMI monitor putting a huge percent of Mac lovers running out to Best Buy to upgrade their televisions.

  • Jeffrey

    “The iTV is going to rock but requires and HDMI monitor putting a huge percent of Mac lovers running out to Best Buy to upgrade their televisions.”

    Not true, there is a component outlet (red yellow white) on the iTV as well

  • Cynic821

    Comonent is Red/Green/Blue. Which can support 480p/720p/1080i

  • http://dailytechtalk.com Adam Jackson

    Thanks for the comments.

    I’ll start with the first comment regarding the difficulties of being a Mac user. I was the first person in my school to have an iPod (1st gen) and was the one of two other students that owned Macs and the only individual to use an iBook. All of the teachers used Macs in the classroom so I became the go to guy. I went back to that school and 10% of the students use Macs daily and 45% of the students own an iPod (no joke). Students like me no longer stand out and that’s the same situation in workplaces, families and neighborhoods. There is not that one Mac user but yu are in a collective of 10 other newbs that think they know everything because they can sync an iPod.

    The next thought is my writing process. I did not just throw the article up there. Instead I read that and threw the comment there but decided that you all should interpret that yourself because going into a paragraph of my personal thoughts of the AppleMac direction would bore most readers.

    Thanks for the comment on the Codename: iTV device. My apologies but there is not much detail online regarding the device at least not on Apple’s site. I guess that should be modified. I try my best to achieve supreme editorial accuracy but you can’t win them all.

    Thanks for your comments, everyone!

  • Wally

    “They are dominating the digital content distribution space … Apple’s iTunes store is number five”

    Maybe you need to look up the definition of dominating?

  • eddie

    Wally,

    That list includes stores like Best Buy and Walmart. It is not just digital stores.

  • BJ Nemeth

    Yes, the iTunes Store is dominating in digital content distribution. The four stores above iTunes on that list are all brick-and-mortar stores, selling physical CDs and DVDs.

    So yes, the iTunes Store is definitely dominating the digital content distribution space. To this point, nobody else is even close to them.

  • http://dailytechtalk.com Adam Jackson

    Yes. Apple is dominating digital sales and they are number five in retail sales against huge stores like Best Buy and Wal*Mart

  • viperguy

    We love apple =)

  • appleperson

    Your comments on Apple’s 2007 year are good, and are good interpretation of what we all know.

    What I think is that these different product offerings need something to pull it all together. iPhone? No problem, but whose going to provide for it when Apple’s not going to want their phone to be just like any other phone in terms of technology and coverage? New macs? Ok, but with new emerging wifi and internet technologies (and 3g networks) what’s next in that front? Leopard? Of course, but what could Apple do to it that would be so special…and possibly be something Microsoft could tack on to Vista?

    And what about iLife and .Mac? Couldn’t they be the thing that brings it all together? Yes, iLife is your media across your iPod (iPhone), iTV, and Mac, but what about .Mac? Could .Mac provide new syncing technologies so you can easily transmit media from one device or Mac to mac easily? New Airport with “n” wireless could provide the basic hardware for this.

    But beyond that, Apple needs to show they have something after 2007, now that they will have a sure foot in all media fronts, they have to get a new front to attack on.

    Its time for those new Airport cards to really get some use.

    Now that they have recorded media, thye need live media. Live communications, live internet.

    Using either new 3g networks, or some other emerging technology, they can give Macs, iTVs and a new iPhone the Airport power to do everything. Either marketed under .Mac or in combination with another company like Cingular or At&t, they can do it.

    Its time for the i to take on meaning, in the iMac, iPod, and iTV.

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