So I posted a couple of days ago on the new Mac Mini, and the possibilities it has. This won't be a suprise, but over the past 48 hours I've seen two different external PVR setups for Macs.
But I have also heard both in person and now in a CNET article the backlash. Anytime Apple puts out a new product, there is backlash. At least since the revolution that started with the original iMac. Steve Jobs really has his hand on the pulse of the market and knows what people want, but up until these two new products, he has stayed in the higher end. But after every release the media says the new stuff is crap, then a bunch sell. One of the biggest exceptions was the G4 cube, which probably had a decent amount of good media. It flopped. The reason was he marketed the Mac Mini to the high end crowd, and it didn't work. People who want to pay $2k for a computer system want the cheese-grater G5, not something small and hidden.
Anyway, here's the article:
linky
Basically they say that you can get a PC for cheaper when you consider that you have to buy a keyboard and mouse and monitor. They compare it to deals that already come with a monitor, and also the fact that almost any computer you buy at least comes with keyboard and mouse.
Thats the point though. I sold computers for a few years. At this point in the game, most people have a home PC. Said home PC has a monitor, and in many cases a USB keyboard and mouse, (the USB part WILL be an issue with this machine, I'm glad I dont' have to sell them for that reason). This person has also heard about the iPod, and may even own an iPod or a Mini (going forward the iPod Shuffle) and notices the quality involved in Apple products. They are elegant and work the way they should.
So this same person goes to Best Buy to get a new machine. They could spend a lot and get a new monitor with it, but all they really need is the computer (which they may refer to as the "modem," "CPU," "drive," "CD-Rom," or something worse.) They will see that if you buy a monitor and computer seperate it will cost $1000 and if they buy them together it will be $700-$800. So the package seems like a better deal.
Now with that in mind, they see an ad for the Mac Mini (they have to see the ad first, which is another place the Mini might fail). It's that cool Apple brand, and its $500. And its tiny. Nothing else is that cool when it comes to size. There will be copy-cat's very soon, but because Apple managed to keep the size of this sucker under wraps until it was released, they have a chance to take the market before the copy-cats come out. They won't have the headway they had with the first iMac because everyone is watching now, but it should be enough.
The article says that people looking for a package don't want to pay so much. The machine isn't a good deal for that situation. but for those people looking for a full package, there is the eMac. Its all in one for $800. The author of this article is obviously not aware of that machine.
I am, admittedly, a Mac fanboy. But not way out there, I'm actually more of an OSS fanboy, and I tend to view these market things from a more neutral point of view.
So, kinda repeating what I said before. There is a strong possibility for this thing to be major. Lots of blocks have to fall in place. I think Apple has the name, and the engineering, and the style needed on this thing. And so far the marketing is just right. But so far we have only had the release. Computers are like cars... unless you are paying attention to the industry, you only know what is out there when you are looking. If there is a big deal around the release, but little afterwards, when Aunt Tilley goes to upgrade her machine she won't remember that nifty looking tiny machine she saw in the paper back in January. Apple has been a niche product for a long time, and they didn't really need to market. When someone had an Apple, they replaced it with an Apple. The switchers campaign hardly worked, there wasn't a product like this to switch to. The iPod has had a wave of word of mouth marketing becuase of timing. Not becuase of the Apple marketing, but becuase of the "digital music revolution."
The Windows monopoly is at it's weakest right now. Apple and the OSS guys know this. They also know that the market for personal computers that sit in the office with a monitor and keyboard is about to crash. Somebody is going to make a few good guesses and come out on top, and I would be willing to say that all three sides have an even chance at this point.
It should be interesting. There will be a made for TV movie (like Pirates of Silicon Valley) one day about the second half of this decade.
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