Official Apple Event thread!

[TuxDave]

The iPad Mini strikes me as the weakest new product introduction by Apple in some years. I literally do not understand what would possess anyone to buy it given the specs and pricing of its competitors.

It's really just a big personal debate on whether or not you think the Apple ecosystem and Android ecosystem is similiar enough that you can swap back and forth without care in the world. If so, then yeah the pricing of Android competitors would play a factor. If not, then it's easy. You get the benefits of the Apple ecosystem and the quality of tablet Apps without paying the extra bucks for a full fledge iPad.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

So I was really excited about the MBP 13in Retina.. and then I saw the price. Screeeewwww that.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

It's really just a big personal debate on whether or not you think the Apple ecosystem and Android ecosystem is similiar enough that you can swap back and forth without care in the world. If so, then yeah the pricing of Android competitors would play a factor. If not, then it's easy. You get the benefits of the Apple ecosystem and the quality of tablet Apps without paying the extra bucks for a full fledge iPad.

I hear ya. I personally am a Mac/iOS guy and thus have a strong preference for that platform. Money is not as critical to me as getting the best experience I can, but I would have a hard time paying a lot more money for an iPad Mini than a Kindle Fire HD or Nexus 7. I already have an iPad 3, so am not seriously shopping these things anyway, but I was disappointed by the iPad Mini's pricing.

 

[GWestphal]

Might be going this route:

iPhone: A6
iPad: A6X
iPad mini: left over stock of last gen chips, A5 or A5X if they to a bi-yearly refresh.

iPhone: A7 (possibly just an underclocked version of the A7X)
iPad: A7X (just overclocked version of A7 to save on production cost and just fab one chip)
iPad mini: left over A6 and A6X

 

[midwestfisherman]

vs $249 for the Nexus 7 16GB. I guess the choice is still open.

Word on the street is a Nexus 7 32GB for $249 is on the horizon, and the 16GB would drop to $199 with the 8GB being discontinued.

 

[tokie]

Retina 13" is way overpriced.

Also I see the iPad Mini as worse than the Nexus 7. Worse screen, slower SoC, etc. It also has no bezel to rest your thumbs on.

iMac looks dumb. It doesn't need to be so thin because it is sitting there as a desktop. They could make it a few mm thicker and make the machine more powerful yet nobody would notice the weight and size change.

 

[Tegeril]

I just can't wait to see the next Cinema Displays. I'm surprised it hasn't been talked about more but all the bulge on that iMac is unnecessary in a Cinema Display - just needs to be thick enough for the ports on the back...

 

[jalaram]

It's interesting that the Ram is user changeable on the 27" iMac, but no door is available on the 21.5"

I agree on the 13" rMBP pricing. Hopefully next years revision will make it worth it.

I now have to decide if the new iPad is worth $120 more than the 3rd gen. (And if I can convince the better half that we should upgrade from gen 1).

 

[vi edit]

I now have to decide if the new iPad is worth $120 more than the 3rd gen. (And if I can convince the better half that we should upgrade from gen 1).

You should still be able to get $150-$200 for your first gen Ipad. In that case, laying out another $200 to get a refurb 3rd gen is a night and day improvement. The refurb 3rd gens at the $379 price are a great value IMHO. I would also check to see what Sam's Club marks their 3rd gen inventory down to. When the 2nd generation came out, I was able to grab a nearly $600 32 gig, 3G version of the 1st gen for $400. They should have steep discounts on the 3rd gen to make way of the 4th.

 

[rsutoratosu]

I haven't own an ipad since 1, looks like im gonna get in on the 4th gen ipad. I was waiting for the mini, but the performance is on par with ipad 2, its like going backwards.

I bet you the ipad mini 2 next winter will have retina display and faster processor.

Do you guys think having the new ipad and ipad mini out in nov allows apple to reset the product cycle refresh in nov instead of in march ? ie no newer ipad in march of 2013 but nov of 2013 ?

 

[JackBurton]

I haven't own an ipad since 1, looks like im gonna get in on the 4th gen ipad. I was waiting for the mini, but the performance is on par with ipad 2, its like going backwards.

I bet you the ipad mini 2 next winter will have retina display and faster processor.

Do you guys think having the new ipad and ipad mini out in nov allows apple to reset the product cycle refresh in nov instead of in march ? ie no newer ipad in march of 2013 but nov of 2013 ?

Yep.

 

[ControlD]

You should still be able to get $150-$200 for your first gen Ipad. In that case, laying out another $200 to get a refurb 3rd gen is a night and day improvement. The refurb 3rd gens at the $379 price are a great value IMHO. I would also check to see what Sam's Club marks their 3rd gen inventory down to. When the 2nd generation came out, I was able to grab a nearly $600 32 gig, 3G version of the 1st gen for $400. They should have steep discounts on the 3rd gen to make way of the 4th.

That is exactly the route I am going. I might wait a bit to see what Sam's marks them down to, but the refurbished unit at $379 seems like a pretty solid buy.

 

[Kaido]

I just can't wait to see the next Cinema Displays. I'm surprised it hasn't been talked about more but all the bulge on that iMac is unnecessary in a Cinema Display - just needs to be thick enough for the ports on the back...

I'm hoping they go the 4K route & release an UltraHD Cinema Display :biggrin:

I'm also anxious to see the "less reflective" iMac screen...

 

[Kaido]

Let's see...

$1699 starting for a 13" Macbook Retina
$2199 starting for a 15" Macbook Retina
$299 starting for an iPod Touch
$49 for a Thunderbolt cable
$49 for a Lightning to VGA cable
$49 for a Lightning to HDMI cable
$39 for a Lightning to 30-pin adapter

Seriously Apple what the heck?? The price premium is getting ridiculous...$39 for an adapter cable? Fifty bucks for a video cable? Is Apple using Monster cable or something now? I thought cables were overpriced at $19, let alone double that...

 

[Kaido]

Am I the only one not disappointed with the iPad Mini?

When the iPad 1 was coming out, I was really really excited about it. Being a huge nerd, the concept of a real table was super exciting. The reality was, it's just a bit too big & heavy for my usage. I've played with the iPad 2, then the iPad 3...meh. The iPad 1 lives on my couch. I don't really take it anywhere.

Then my brother got a Kindle Fire and I thought man, this is the perfect size! Just make it a bit thinner and I'll snag one. So for me, the iPad Mini is perfect - it's a shrunken iPad 2, so it's got decent power, a good screen, and thinness/lightness/small size. And you can use it with one hand, like a book!

I'm also surprised at the price, but not in a bad way - the iTouch is $300, the iPad is $500, so it would make sense in Apple's vision for the iPad Mini to be $400. Maybe $350. But $329 - way better than I was expecting! I knew $249 was just too low because that would be less than the iPod Touch for more hardware, which didn't make sense. But $30 more for a much bigger screen...nice! So I'm fine with the price.

 

[rsutoratosu]

I guess the only disapointment is I wish it had the faster processor. Maybe they could have started the 16gb at 299.

I'm not complaining, I hope people buy this, I own apple stocks since 146 and have additional at 356, Ill be trading 1 share to buy an ipad tomorrow