I thought it was kind of a dud. The leather nano cases, while attractive, are too expensive for my blood! And the Hi Fi Box is also nice, but a little expensive to become really popular.
The added intel chip was expected for the Mac mini, and is a logical evolution. No really big surprises.
Well, couldn't expect too much. It's only been about a month since Jobs announced the Intel products. The insiders and rumors explain this as a set up to bigger things. The mini will be part of the entertainment center with HDTV. The Hi-Fi is a "so what", Bose has been out there for a long time. If they upgrade the entire line to Intel within the year, I'll be impressed. But then us Adobe users will have to wait for major upgrade to the software to take advantage of the "up to 4 times faster" processor.
I thought it was a dud, too, but also think that it's a foreshadow of things to come. The iPod HiFi and leather cases almost seem like an attempt to make all the iPod suppliers who have been riding the 'gravy train' feel a little less comfortable in their profitable situation. BTW, speakers are not an easy thing to just get into without having the background and experience to do so. Even if they worked on it a lot, they are still stepping into a whole different ball game.
Lo, the way the box is constructed, the size of the drivers and the way the box is ported all make me believe that the bass response is strong. The key, though, is to get strong, clean bass, and not just bass. And getting strong, clean bass is pretty tricky. I am sure they did a good job with it, but all-in-one boxes like this can often struggle to compete with home systems that are from experienced hi fi makers. And, it appears that Jobs is going after the home system market with this one.
I would have to say there was nothing too surprising. I thought Apple was ready for there next big thing but I guess either it is not finished yet or they didn't think it was time to release it.
As for the stereo, I believe it will be along the lines of most other Apple products. Very good but not the best of all worlds. That seems to be their style. Make it good enough to show quality but don't get caught up with the diminishing returns of spending a lot for only a little better. Like the iPod, the headphones are very good but there are plenty of better ones out there. Of course they are pricey. I'm sure the fit and finish will be up to Apple standards. I was shocked at how plain looking it was. Just a simple white box. No sexy curves and I don't feel like licking it.
As for sound quality. Apple tends not to get into a market unless they can compete with the big boys. I am sure Jobs enticed some key audio engineers from other key companies to set this up. I believe it signals that Apple is looking to compete with the likes of Sony, by trying to leverage their music business.
All the analysts seem to say, you need to leapfrog from one similar product to another related product, in order to get the synergy. This is a sign that Apple will now be in the commercial electronics business. If there is room for them.
Uhhh...Stitch...you sounded remarkably like Lo when you made the 'licking' reference. I will have to spend considerable effort trying to get that image out of my mind! :-D
The licking reference is a reference to an article about Ive's and how good a designer he is. The articles author said that Ive's created designs that are so good they make you want to lick them. So I can't take credit for the quote. I believe if you check the Macnight archives you can find this reference.
After reading the review, it sounds like Apple made some big claims but got pretty close to meeting those claims. The system sounds like it can hold its own against the competitors and surprisingly is priced in the same range. No Apple premium, like the outrageously priced leather iPod sleeves. Sounds like Apple saw a gap that was not being filled and filled it themselves. That's a good start into the consumer products field. Hopefully next go around they will knock the socks off the competition.
I think that it's not a bad unit, but I have a hard time seeing the niche that they are trying to fill with it. It's not as good as a home system, and yet a little bulky, even though it's portable. I would enjoy auditioning it.
11 comments:
I thought it was kind of a dud. The leather nano cases, while attractive, are too expensive for my blood! And the Hi Fi Box is also nice, but a little expensive to become really popular.
The added intel chip was expected for the Mac mini, and is a logical evolution. No really big surprises.
Well, couldn't expect too much. It's only been about a month since Jobs announced the Intel products. The insiders and rumors explain this as a set up to bigger things. The mini will be part of the entertainment center with HDTV. The Hi-Fi is a "so what", Bose has been out there for a long time. If they upgrade the entire line to Intel within the year, I'll be impressed. But then us Adobe users will have to wait for major upgrade to the software to take advantage of the "up to 4 times faster" processor.
I'm out!
Gents,
I thought it was a dud, too, but also think that it's a foreshadow of things to come. The iPod HiFi and leather cases almost seem like an attempt to make all the iPod suppliers who have been riding the 'gravy train' feel a little less comfortable in their profitable situation. BTW, speakers are not an easy thing to just get into without having the background and experience to do so. Even if they worked on it a lot, they are still stepping into a whole different ball game.
-Le
I would be interested in hearing the sound quality for myself. Is the bass response as good as Jobs advertised. That I am very curious about.
Lo, the way the box is constructed, the size of the drivers and the way the box is ported all make me believe that the bass response is strong. The key, though, is to get strong, clean bass, and not just bass. And getting strong, clean bass is pretty tricky. I am sure they did a good job with it, but all-in-one boxes like this can often struggle to compete with home systems that are from experienced hi fi makers. And, it appears that Jobs is going after the home system market with this one.
-Le
I would have to say there was nothing too surprising. I thought Apple was ready for there next big thing but I guess either it is not finished yet or they didn't think it was time to release it.
As for the stereo, I believe it will be along the lines of most other Apple products. Very good but not the best of all worlds. That seems to be their style. Make it good enough to show quality but don't get caught up with the diminishing returns of spending a lot for only a little better. Like the iPod, the headphones are very good but there are plenty of better ones out there. Of course they are pricey. I'm sure the fit and finish will be up to Apple standards. I was shocked at how plain looking it was. Just a simple white box. No sexy curves and I don't feel like licking it.
As for sound quality. Apple tends not to get into a market unless they can compete with the big boys. I am sure Jobs enticed some key audio engineers from other key companies to set this up. I believe it signals that Apple is looking to compete with the likes of Sony, by trying to leverage their music business.
All the analysts seem to say, you need to leapfrog from one similar product to another related product, in order to get the synergy. This is a sign that Apple will now be in the commercial electronics business. If there is room for them.
Uhhh...Stitch...you sounded remarkably like Lo when you made the 'licking' reference. I will have to spend considerable effort trying to get that image out of my mind! :-D
-Le
The licking reference is a reference to an article about Ive's and how good a designer he is. The articles author said that Ive's created designs that are so good they make you want to lick them. So I can't take credit for the quote. I believe if you check the Macnight archives you can find this reference.
Gentlemen, here is an excellent review of the iPod Hi Fi:
http://playlistmag.com/reviews/2006/03/ipodhifireview/index.php?lsrc=mwrss
After reading the review, it sounds like Apple made some big claims but got pretty close to meeting those claims. The system sounds like it can hold its own against the competitors and surprisingly is priced in the same range. No Apple premium, like the outrageously priced leather iPod sleeves. Sounds like Apple saw a gap that was not being filled and filled it themselves. That's a good start into the consumer products field. Hopefully next go around they will knock the socks off the competition.
I think that it's not a bad unit, but I have a hard time seeing the niche that they are trying to fill with it. It's not as good as a home system, and yet a little bulky, even though it's portable. I would enjoy auditioning it.
-Le
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