Twice each year the Apple rumor mill gets an injection of caffeine and kicks into full gear. Before each MacWorld Expo, we see predictions for that “one more thing” the new OS, the iPhone, some cool new “digital lifestyle/digital hub” soft- or hardware. Some rumors don’t die until the product is realized, no matter how long it takes. I remember an iPhone rumor since Apple partnered with Bandai for on the Pippin. It wasn’t so much about convergence then - that concept hadn’t materialized outside of high-end audiovisual shops and ahead-of-their-times wishlists; instead, it was about the partnerships. Apple had become a bit xenophobic with respect to other computer manufacturers, having killed the clones. The question was, would anyone enter into “radically different” contracts with Apple from that point on? Today of course, it’s all about convergence. Computer must work with device X, which must interface with device Y. All wirelessly, of course. So maybe the iPhone will become a reality.
A rumor that’s been circling the Web since the inception of the iMac is the “Mac that the rest of us can afford.” At $1299, the bondi blue revision A iMac was not priced (or spec’d) to compete with the low-end Dells, Microns and Gateways of the time. Some called it a toy (my mother), some jumped at the opportunity to buy one (me). The call became clear: Apple needed a sub-$1000 Mac. The eMac now starts at $799, which is certainly below $1000. The new call has become: Apple needs a sub-$600 Mac, regardless of whether it comes with a display. A $499 PowerPC G4 at 1GHz, with 256-512MB RAM, a decent video card and 40GB of hard drive space would be tempting. It’s a given that Apple would be quite creative with the design, even if it becomes a slightly larger, spruced up Cube.
When ordering from Dell (or one of the other online PC manufacturers), one initially sees amazingly low prices. Add one or two features, and all of a sudden you’re spending $799 on that $599 computer. If Apple did the right thing and included enough memory, hard drive space and a fast enough processor in the base model, this would be a selling point. “Enough” is going to be hotly debated amongst the Mac community. I stick by the specs I outlined earlier. The most important part is that the miniMac remain headless. This opens up the possibility for consumers to use their own monitor (I know plenty of non-geek families who have a spare monitor laying around), purchase a small LCD or used CRT for cheap, and for über-geeks to use RDC, Timbuktu or VNC to control their new home entertainment coordination center remotely. Removing the display would save Apple quite a bit of money, which would then be passed on in the form of a $499 price tag. Apple’s next commercials should then be along the lines of “The new miniMac. Only $499. Yes, you read that right.
Whatever MacWorld brings this month, I’m not sure I’ll be excited about it. Unless it’s the miniMac with some cool new software for integrating your TV, PVR and stereo. Here’s Apple’s opportunity to jump ahead of most of the rest of the crowd, just as they did with the iPod.
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