[quote]Originally posted by moki:
I suppose that all depends on how you define "near future".
I will say this: Apple knows there is a performance gap between their machines and the Wintel world. Some of it is perception, some of it is real. They also know that they will be dead in the water if by this time next year, they aren't equalling or surpassing the Wintel boxes of the time in performance.
Make of it what you will; Apple knows there is a performance issue, and they've known it for some time. You can argue that they just have their head in the sand and will be using G4s slowly bumped by MOT until they dwindle into oblivion.
Or, you could realize that Apple is not stupid. Not only are they aware of all of the issues people here are raising, but they also are (and have been) actively doing something about it. They have had artificial constraints placed on them by their chip supplier, both in terms of raw CPU performance, and in terms of memory bus architecture.
It doesn't take a genius to notice these things, and to believe that Apple isn't going to do something about it as soon as they possibly can is to believe that Apple wants to fade into the background, and fend off a litany of share holder lawsuits.
OK, this sounds more than logical... you would think Apple has smart people. Its just pisses the hell out of all of us when everything is in such secrecy and you see that the suppliers dont seem to care or dont have the capability to make Apple as great as it can be. Its collective frustration as it seems its out of Apple's hands and we are growing impatient as the RDF dwindles ever more every passing hour of every day.
As much as people decry the sometimes heavy-handed leadership of Jobs, this is a case where having a very motivated person at the helm is useful. His ego and drive are tied to how well Apple does, which provides for ample motivation to make sure Apple does well.
very true. I think that without Jobs Apple would be trying to desperatly sell itself or merge with some other company or whatnot. This period of Apple's history will really prove Jobs. He either shines his way though and makes Apple succsseful during times of trouble... or it all comes down. Im betting he will be able to get everything together. The sooner the better.
It isn't a question of IF Apple is going to deliver killer new systems based around a new processor architecture, but rather when. Like any self-respecting technology company, Apple has a number of research projects in the works, some of which will make it to market, some of which won't.
The microprocessor forum in October will provide for ample rumour and speculation, not to worry.
Speculation is something we DONT worry about on these boards. Having something to actually sink our teeth into and stop climbing up mirrors is another.
Anyone notice how we have more new members than ever? Seems like the worse Apple does, the more people want to believe and see if there IS some hope at the end of the tunnel. They want a little nugget of hope.
Come on Apple... do your sh!t and do it NOW