“I was secretly looking forward to Apple’s announcements at MacWorld; I have to admit, I was deeply disappointed,” Rob Enderle writes for Designtechnica. “The iMac and Titanium notebook designs were, in my eyes, dated. Granted, in many ways they are still very clean designs and stand out against their competitors, but the current iMac isn’t as innovative as the last one (and others did similar things last decade) and the Titanium hasn’t changed that much since it was released a long time ago. While I was very sure, given the timing of Intel’s new part, that Apple was going to release their first Intel-based products, knowing Apple, I also believed they would use this opportunity to refresh these designs. Unfortunately, they didn’t; I can’t help but feel disappointed.”
“For buyers, this would suggest waiting until after mid-year to purchase the new platform (which, if you recall, was the date that Steve Jobs originally set). This should result in not only a better experience but hardware from Apple that may go farther in setting the pace in hardware design than ever before,” Enderle writes. “One thought: These things could become collectors’ items, as the initial runs could be relatively small for an Apple product. However, MacWorld was no match for CES this round; next round, I’m not so sure… Apple will have to do a lot to match the wow factor of [some of the products announced at CES]. However, Apple does have Steve Jobs, who often can make even mediocre things seem spectacular.”
Full article here.
Apple debuted the current iMac design (up to 1/2-inch thinner and 15 percent lighter with built-in iSight camera) only three months ago, in October 2005. Apple debuted the aluminum PowerBook enclosure on January 7, 2003 with the 17-inch model. Apple replaced the 15-inch Titanium PowerBook with the aluminum PowerBook on September 16, 2003. Apple portable Pro Macs have featured aluminum enclosures since that time. As usual, Enderle obviously missed those not-so-minor facts. That one man can get so much wrong so often and continue to write articles and be quoted by others is amazing and sad.
[UPDATE: 11:45am EST: Added 17-inch PowerBook aluminum release date information to MDN Take.]
Advertisements:
• MacBook Pro. The first Mac notebook built upon Intel Core Duo with iLife ’06, Front Row and built-in iSight. Starting at $1999. Free shipping.
• iMac. Twice as amazing — Intel Core Duo, iLife ’06, Front Row media experience, Apple Remote, built-in iSight. Starting at $1299. Free shipping.
• iMac and MacBook Pro owners: Apple USB Modem. Easily connect to the Internet using dial-up service. $49.00.
• iPod Radio Remote. Listen to FM radio on your iPod and control everything with a convenient wired remote. Just $49.
• iPod. 15,000 songs. 25,000 photos. 150 hours of video. The new iPod. 30GB and 60GB models start at just $299. Free shipping.
• Connect iPod to your television set with the iPod AV Cable. Just $19.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Big surprise: Enderle was wrong about Apple’s holiday quarter Mac sales – January 19, 2006
Enderle: ‘Some people got really excited by the new iPod, but a growing number of people did not’ – October 19, 2005
Tech pundit Enderle: ‘Microsoft wrote the first Mac OS’ – September 28, 2005
Tech pundit Enderle incorrectly compares Apple’s Mac OS to iPod licensing – September 01, 2005
Enderle: ‘Surveys indicate demand for Apple’s products is dropping like a rock’ due to Intel switch – August 01, 2005
Tech Pundit Enderle: ‘fourth quarter should be ugly for Apple’ – August 09, 2005
Enderle: ‘iPod Halo Effect is just a myth, same thing as having Paris Hilton visit Apple stores’ – May 02, 2005
Tech pundit Enderle: Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger’s main features ‘borrow heavily from Longhorn’ – May 02, 2005
Tech Pundit Enderle: ‘This year will be more difficult for Apple Computer’ and iMacs in earthquakes – January 24, 2005
Enderle desperately wants Mac sales to tank so his prediction of an Osborne effect comes about.
Sad.
How can Enderle miss that?
It blows my mind
He misses the point.
Apple wanted to keep the designs similar to emphasize the point that there’s no substantial difference in the look and feel, even with a Intel chip.
And… keep in mind these announcements were way ahead of schedule.
I “believe” (MDN Magic Word) pundits just need something to bitch about.
“”For buyers, this would suggest waiting until after mid-year to purchase the new platform (which, if you recall, was the date that Steve Jobs originally set).”
Actually, the date by Enderle is only the latest point possible that Apple would be shipping these units while still being considered “on time”.
*****
To MDN: “Apple portable Pro Macs have featured aluminum enclosures since that time”
While your statement regarging the TiBook is correct, this one is not. Apple’s portable Pro Macs have featured an Aluminum enclosure since January 2003, the debut of the 12 and 17″ PowerBooks.
WHO CARES!!
The “dated” designs are still the best looking and most innovative out there. Speaking of the iMac, who else has anything closely resembling it?
mw: recent
He REALLY is in the pay of Microsoft…
And if I ever meet him in person, I’ll discuss it with him for one minute – then lay him out flat…
TI books?????? What an IDIOT.
At least for the iMac, I honestly can’t really see a way in which the form factor could be significantly improved. I suppose they could make a new, flashy case for it, but that’s about it. Well, I wouldn’t mind if they got rid of that big white space down the bottom, I suppose.
Perhaps Apple will prove me wrong, but at least for now, unless they can reduce the size some more… what more can you do and still keep the all-in-one design? I mean, putting the computer behind the monitor is about as compact as you’re going to get, all you can do is try and keep making it smaller (which seems unlikely without sacrificing some of the desktop components for laptop ones).
As for the laptops… again, while they could do another case design that looks different, I don’t see the form factor changing much.
Whew! I feel much better now. If he was ecstatic about the announcements I’d be worried, but since he was disappointed, that means they did everything right!
Actually, I’ll admit that I hoped the MacBook Pro would look very different, but I think gorkypark is right, it’s probably about showing that, fundamentally, nothing has changed.
Once again, Comical Rob E. shows that he has his finger firmly on the pulse of the Apple world (rolls eyes).
I agree –
The first two iMacs were truly innovative; nothing had ever looked like them before. The current edition looks just like a flat panel monitor, or one of those failed Sony Media Centres.
And nowadays you see hundreds of cheap, nasty windows laptops with metal-effect cases. Granted, they look disgusting and feel similarly, but they make the PowerB… urr, I mean MacBook Pro look like just another Dell POS.
<“The iMac and Titanium notebook designs were, in my eyes, dated. >
Amazing statement considering he’s probably writing his feeble thoughts on the new “futureistic” Dell. Dell and any number of PCs (Sony excluded) are so missing any kind of style and design – the garbage can under my deck would give their designers a run for their money.
Enderle! STFU!
What got announced at CES? I didn’t see any media coverage of it, but the Intel-based Mac news is everywhere.
“others did similar things last decade” – oh puhleese! There is no comparison between all-in-one design of iMac G5 (or G4, or even G3) and similar (failed) efforts of wintel box assemblers. Enderle -it is obvious – has never set up DELL all-in-one. This mess has a cable organizer cover – you should see its pathetic efforts to hide the viper’s nest of cables this box is equipped with.
Sad indeed.
In the American market place I will never understand how/why some would want the only real OS competition to MSW to “tank”. Even if you don’t care for the Mac OS, wouldn’t any real American capitalist realize that, what we have now [with Windows] is so blatantly unAmerican?
Without good ole capitalist competition mediocrity reigns – So does lying cheatting and stealing.
Enderle speaks from on high that Apple continues to disappoint in his eyes . . . and the stock jumps back $2.50.
KEEP GOING, ROB!
if mr. Enderle from the Enderle Group is having sex with his wife (shudder)… will that qualify as “group sex” then?
Rob is a marketing consultant.
It’s his job to make Apple look bad.
He sure prevented the iPod from owning the market, didn’t he?
That one man can get so much wrong so often and continue to write articles and be quoted by others is amazing and sad.
Enderle doesn’t care about accuracy. In fact, he thrives on it. The controversy his inaccuracy creates, generates hits to his site. Hits mean advertising dollars.
Apple may have design revs in the works. That is really besides the point. I think the point with these current releases for many people is that this form factor with the Intel chips inside is still the same Macs we love. Nothing really important has changed. Once the customers understand this point, Apple will then again rev the design. I think over the next 12 months we’ll see some amazing new product from Apple, but htese first machines are to prove a different point.
Brain Transplants were not announced either.
Enderle will be stuck with the chimpanzee model for a few more years…
The iMac G5 ^h^h is just about perfect. You can only make the case so small. I don’t see the point in changing it, although I have to say I’m disappointed that it is no longer user-maintainable, except for the memory.
The MacBook Pro was a little ahead of its time and has pared-back features, like th optical drive. I’m sure users wouldn’t mind adding a 1/10 inch to have a faster optical drive. This is just weird.
Elderly is so wrapped up in the anticipation of the RDF though, that he is premptively disappointed. Strange man. I think he only would have been happy to see Steve Jobs demo those new Mac running Windows. That’s what he was “secretly” looking forward to.
And I am “deeply disappointed” with Enderle’s dated and uninformed opinions.
— That one man can get so much wrong so often and continue to write articles and be quoted by others is amazing and sad.
Welcome to the amazing world of journalism. I think the general rule is ‘write first, and check the facts later — if at all’. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard some tiny rumour or misunderstanding blown up and exagerrated beyond all proportion in the national press. They may issue a retraction later, but the damage is already done.
Journalists regularly ruin innocent people’s and business’ reputations, and get nothing more than a slap on the wrist before walking straight back into work the next day. Enderle getting some facts wrong about the Mac is peanuts by comparison.
I sincerely wonder whether Enderle (his wife must be the yst, as Rob sure as hell is mostly anal) believes what he writes, or if he is deliberately misleading to generate hits to his website and controversy for him to comment? These kinds of people intrigue me no end.
MDN magic word “test”, as in Rob has been tested and found severly wanting.
This guy is BM reincarnated in human form. Excuse me, I’ll be right back… I’m gonna puke!
If this Enderle “Group” thing doesn’t work out, at least he can get a job as a fertilizer salesman.
Rob can’t even get the waiting part right. IF you’re going to wait then you need to wait until late August or maybe even September NOT June.
The August/September time frame is when the 64-bit Merom is expected to ship. The pro line will be updated then (the MacBook Pro may be updated to 64 bit then too). The consumer line (Mac mini, iBook, iMac) may not be updated then, but who knows.
MW: husband
Apple is husbanding its resources looking forward to the full transition by the end of this calendar year. Expect more radical designs in the not too distant future.
Perhaps he wants wings on the casing. Or a fat ’60’s stripe down the middle. Or maybe a pimp-machine. MW: firm. Or viagra.
Furthermore the best thing to do is not give his site hits, but inundate his inbox with inane emails. Don’t hate him, or vilify him, just send him random emails with nonsense in them or links to Mac articles, or the script of your favorite movie.
If he’s that bored, then give him something to read, just don’t visit his site ever.
And which of those CES products that wowed him are shipping today?
I was secretly looking forward to Enderle’s review of MacWorld; I have to admit, I was deeply disappointed. On second thought, I was not looking forward to anything from Enderle.
In any case, he can’t help but be disappointed, as nothing he predicts ever comes true.
Why not just ignore this idiot?
We were intially dissapointed in last June’s show also, none of the rumored toys were there, but the rest of the year was fantastic with a new annoucement of toys almost every month. That dragging it out is what kept the world baited waiting for more.
Just another proof to how people misunderstand the concept of ‘design’. They think like our friend Enderle does, that it is all about throwing a flashy new look over some innards and it’ll make us all go ‘wow’! That seems to be the idea most PC-makers have now that they have noticed that Apple gets a lot of positive feedback on its design.
Oh yeah? Well, what about this – we make this box look like the head of an alien? Now, isn’t that great, eh?
Sigh.
Design is when form meets function. That is what Jobs understood a long, long time ago, but something which seems to take forever for others to grasp.
So, why wasn’t the iMac changed? Or the Power… uh, MacBook? Unless you don’t want ot make it look like something else, like a clown’s face (or Enderle’s?), unless you don’t have a real good idea as to how you can improve the design and keeping it functional or even improve that side to it, you better leave it. There are more important things to concentrate on.
Thank heavens that Apple has that attitude or we might have seen flame-laquered iMacs!!!
The real reason Enderle was disappointed was that Paris Hilton did not show up at MWE
“That one man can get so much wrong so often and continue to write articles and be quoted by others is amazing and sad.” Well MDN, you can start by NOT quoting him!!!!
‘Apple is husbanding its resources looking forward to the full transition by the end of this calendar year. Expect more radical designs in the not too distant future.’
Sounds just right to me Shadowself.
The new MacBook Pro is actually a somewhat significant design revisions from the last version anyway. It has a changed footprint, and it is slightly thinner, screen lid is thicker, not to mention different screen, and iSight. He should wait and sit the two next to each other to make an informed review before making a fool of himself. iMac’s design was just revised 3 months ago, so you should obviously ignore those ramblings. This guy’s claims hold no water. He might as well say that the new iPod video isn’t a design revision from the iPod photo, since it still has a screen, clickwheel, and is white.
Also – Why do they call themselves DesignTechnica when they obviously don’t have a clue about either Design or Technology. I’ve listened to their podcast a few times, and it is stocked full or wrong/misinformed/missleading information. It’s actually pretty entertaining if you like screaming at you iPod when these idiots say something completely wrong/misinformed/missleading.
Move on folks; nothing here to see. Unless you like to see the aftermath of yet another Enderle crash and burn.
oh yeah – track pad is also larger – magsafe connector etc….
“I was secretly looking forward to Apple’s announcements at MacWorld…”
Get out of the closet, loser!
And while you’re at it hypocrite, get off the Mafiasoft payroll.
I’ve never met the guy but he seems like a bit of a prat.
why I didn’t sleep very well last night. It must of been that the creator, head and only member of the Enderle Group is not impressed with the new Intel Macs.
Steve Jobs
Enderle was not impressed by Apple’s announcements… but giant subwoofers in SUVs at the CES did impress him! What a tool!
Oh, yeah… And Apple hasn’t produced a “Titanium” since 2002. Try to keep up, Enderle!
Everyone who is responding to this should skip the reader feedback on this page and go to the source. Click on the “full article here” link and it takes you to the full article on the Designtechnica website. Then if you scroll to the bottom of the page you will see a link called “Corrections”. This takes you to a page that allows you to respond directly to Designtechnica. Designtechnica portrays itself as “Your Gateway to a hi-tech lifestyle”. I wrote them and told them that publishing what Enderle says makes the information on their website untrustworthy. Even if he gets published to increase traffic it makes them look bad for offering bad information to consumers. Everyone responding here should do the same.
If you want different colors other than aluminum, you can get your powerbook customized at colorwarepc.com – or buy it there.
I’m not a fruit
Whooo hooo I wanna´be somebaody that says something witty, snide and sarcastic about this guy that MDN keeps promoting so I can be like everyone else here but I can´t think of anything because if it wasn´t for mdn posted it here I would have never heard of this guy.
Rob Enderle you’re disappointing. You need to read the facts before you write your crap.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”angry” style=”border:0;” />
“Rob Enderle you’re disappointing.”
So, what you’re saying is that we got Robbed?
I was at MacWorld this year too and came out sorely disappointed with the announcements. I was happy to see a new iMac and specially a new laptop, but I expected them to be full-fledged 64-bit machines.
In my opinion, Apple has taken a giant step backwards with these new samples of dated 32-bit junk. I don’t care how much faster Steve makes them to be, two to four times faster than slow doesn’t cut it anymore. Specially not in these days of multiple core AMD 64-bit equipped boxes on the PC side.
Putting down thousands of dollars on dated 32-bit technology is not my idea of a good deal.
Maybe come WWDC we’ll see something worthwhile.
What intrigues me the most is the odd symbiotic relationship between MDN and Enderle. Each one claims to support opposite views, but both require the other one for significant increases in their site hits. Both love slamming the other one’s PC of preference, and yet they quietly giggle with delight by the increase in readers that the other one creates.
I fail to see how someone’s errors (even though their topic may be Macs) can be the subject of a Mac “News” website. It is obvious that MDN defines news as “anything that can generate site hits”.
MDN and Enderle; what a marriage!
Enderle must say these things just to get people riled up. Tell me he is really not that stupid.
His quote: “…while I was very sure, given the timing of Intel’s new part, that Apple was going to release their first Intel-based products, knowing Apple, I also believed they would use this opportunity to refresh these designs. Unfortunately, they didn’t; I can’t help but feel disappointed.”
He looks at an ugly-ass PC all day and is disappointed in Apple not coming out with a new, better one! Apple is so light years ahead of any of the little black or beige PC box factories that the entire Apple Industrial Design Dept. could all take a vacation for 5 years and PC’s would STILL be friggin’ uglier than 5 year old Apple designs…come to think of it THEY ARE UGLIER than CURRENT 5 YEAR OLD APPLE DESIGNS.
>I also believed they would use this opportunity to refresh these designs>
Sometimes different isn’t better. At some time, a straight line cannot be made any straighter, an excellent design may live for a while. Change for change’s sake is not needed.
If he was that disappointed, maybe he should go build some of his own products.
“I was deeply disappointed.”
Liar.
If you were deeply disappointed you’d of pulled a Curt Cobain.
F-F-Fudmeister
I think Enderle is just a “click whore”. He writes a stupid article about Apple and waits for MDN to get it’s panties in a bunch. Then the traffic to the websites he writes for, spike. He goes to his editor and sayes look at all these people reading my article, you should buy more of my articles. Lets just ignore him and he can find some other corning to stand on.
Yes I imagine Enderle was dissapointed. 1. Damn! Apple got the intel Mac’s out early, 2. Damn! Vista is nowhere on the horizon, and 3. Damn! I can’t get the taste of Bill Gates sh.. out of my mouth.
Cheer up Mr E, more viruses for Vista will be out soon!
Read:
“I look like a fool for cheerleading Apple and making so many predictions about this MacWorld which didn’t come true, nobody is going to ever listen to me again. Wah, wah, wah!”
Bozo
Whatever Microsoft is afraid of, Enderle attacks. This Enderle article means that MS is very worried about the Core Duo macs. I expect to see much more of this from all the MS black PR hacks. This, and the CNET review of the iMac, is just the beginning. It didn’t have much effect on iPod Nano sales, even with stories of the display scratching to the point of unuseability on the nightly news, and a torrent of lawsuits. But we shall see. I wonder what they will come up with for a class-action lawsuit?
Why does MDN continue to put money in Enderle’s pocket?
Just ignore the dude. Most everyone else does that has two marbles bouncing around their skull.
Hey other Mark,
The design was done last decade. Last century in fact.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” /> What enderhurl forgot to mention is that it was done by Apple, and went by the name of 20th Anniversary Mac.
people get a cheap kick from watching others fall on their face… btw, I never click to his “articles”, MDN is close enough for me.
<i>The iMac and Titanium notebook designs were, in my eyes, dated.<i>
Ummm… Titanium?
Damn tags…