So...What do you want from Apple

[neildmitchell]

Just curious, Thought I would ask people what they want from apple.
A lot of posts are in response to posted rumors and the specs of those rumors, but not too much talk on what they want. Software, what will it do... Hardware (hopefully realistic, not from Star Trek ), what will it do...

I don't want more choice, I just want nicer things!" Edina, AbFab

Software... I would love better integration of Mail, iCal, Address Book, Preview... I just got Tiger at work, so I am not know all the new funct.
Is it better?

A middle of the road solution on Applescript. Automator a bit too simple and limited ( I just got Tiger, so maybe I am wrong ) Writing scripts in Script Editor too advanced for me ( Im not a coder, I have tried to code gone into the program dictionaies and have dragged out books... ) I would love to automate a lot of rep. tasks that I do in various graphcs, editing and layout programs ( excel values into Quark and InDesign, DVD Studio Pro... )

For me I would like to see a really great smart phone
8-10 hour talk time, good standard storage, Apple version of Documents to Go

Im getting more into using a wacom tablet, currently using a 4x5, thought that would be a good starter tablet until I got used to it.
But would like to have a nice Apple tablet, cross between the Wacom Cintiq and a tablet PC with a great battery life beween charges running OS X.
The tablet would be a two part system. An optional dock for recharging that also had a superdrive, a primary harddrive, Ram,... The idea behind an optional dock would be one for charging, backing up the smaller harddrive on the tablet, burn discs, turning the tablet into a desktop system with more options than a tablet alone. Of course if you didnt want the dock you could recharde with a power cable and transmit wirelessly to a computer for file transfer.

 

[mad jew]

My Apple dream: an Office replacement in the same vein as iWork but with a proper word processor and spreadsheet component. Sure, Microsoft has done a great job with Office v.X (haven't upgraded to 2004) but I've got this feeling that Apple would do a better job.

 

[gwuMACaddict]

what everyone else wants too...


cheaper (price-wise) products

 

[iGary]

An office suite so we can cut the cord with MS.

A little bit cheaper products along the PowerMac line, 3 grand is a bit much for the high-end machine IMO.

Cheaper RAM.

Get IBM off their ass.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I'm with you on the smart phone. An Apple iPhone syncing flawlessly using Bluetooth and/or USB with iCal, Address Book, Stickies and Mail would be awesome. And even though I couldn't care less for it, after the initial testing, the phone probably also should be able to use songs from your iTunes library as ringtones and images from iPhoto as background/screen savers.

 

[andiwm2003]

a 23" imac with dual core G5 and a decent gpu with H264 accelerator.

a resolution independent OS. 100dpi is too small for my eyes.

an apple like software suite for my PDA that integrates with tiger.

a mediacenter solution. (display, eye TV, computer, fax, videophone all integrated but not necessarily all in one box)

an apple like phone with intergation in OSX.

an idiot proof software for total clueless users to make all of the above secure, because most will be wireless connected.

i don't game, but please make the imac more gaming friendly (esp. GPU) because that would increase marketshare.

continue excellent work with iLife, iwork, Tiger, iTunes, video.

the final goal is to have everything you need for your computing life seamlessly integrated. then you can focus on WHAT you want to do and totally forget about the technical stuff. pretty much like GUI's made (for most of us) commandline knowledge obsolete. i don't want to know POP3, IMAP, ?88.101b/g?, ip number, sharing preferences, drivers, dpi, bus speed, codec, conduit setup and all that. it has gotten much better with os X already.

andi

 

[cube]

- gfx with H.264 and SM 3.0 for Cube
- deal with SGI to make OpenGL Performer for OSX
- deal with SGI to make CXFS client for OSX
- Solaris support for Xserve RAID
- FireWire <-> Ultra160 SCSI converter
- FireWire <-> USB 2.0 converter
- real-time OS and file system
- remove 128GiB disk limit in older Macs
- application control from Bluetooth headset
- better QA for OS releases
- 12-bit per component gfx
- 3Dlabs cards drivers
- worldwide AM/FM radio in iPods
- Bluetooth in iPods
- "clock iPod" with radio, programmable snooze, good detachable speakers, and replaceable speaker cables
- replaceable batteries in all iPods
- iTMS subscription service
- standard Bluetooth 2.0 EDR in iBooks
- SuperDrive option for iBook 12"
- PCMCIA slot in PowerBook 12"
- lighted keyboard in PowerBook 12"
- dual-link DVI in PowerBook 12"
- FW800 in PowerBook 12"
- gigabit ethernet in PowerBook 12"
- self-adjustable backlight in PowerBook 12"
- higher resolution screens in all laptops
- easily upgradeable hard disks in all laptops
- dual video ports in Mac mini
- easier to open Mac mini
- 3 PCIe x16 slots (2 for graphics) and 2 PCI-X 533 slots in PowerMac G5
- 2 open bays, not optical drive slot in PowerMac G5
- possibility of configuring laptop with any keyboard layout in any country, or possibility of buying from the Apple Store in another country
- copy the features of Dell 24" display
- don't use hard disks slower than 5400RPM
- don't cripple video outs
- get Freescale to hurry up with e700

 

[Loge]

A decent e-book reader.

 

[WinterMute]

A G5 PowerBook.. by next Tuesday... that runs cool enough to use without causing spontaneous human combustion....

HD screens on the portables.

An integrated iPod/phone/pda that handles calls through Bluetooth headphones.

Better battery life on the 17" PB whatever the processor...

 

[joecool85]

I would like to see:

2.0ghz top end PBs (regardless of G5 or better G4)
1.6ghz iBooks
1.5 and 1.7ghz mac minis w/64mb of vid ram and 5400+ rpm drive
8gb iPod mini

I think that's about it.

 

[killuminati]

what everyone else wants too...


cheaper (price-wise) products

I read an article in the paper that was talking about that being a possibility. It said that if Apple switches to Intel, it will be cheaper for them to produce, meaning cheaper products for us.

Now what I want from Apple......for them to deliver my damn iMac.

 

[jsw]

HD screens on at least the 17" PB.

Resolution-independent OS.

Ability to resize the window from other than the lower right corner.

 

[EGT]

HD Powerbook.

Increased hard drive capacities with or without jeopardizing the size factor (by about 1cm max )

More RAM capacity.

Any CPU boost is welcome.

 

[jayscheuerle]

An OS that burns multi-session disks from the Finder.

A keyboard with a computer built in that can connect to either 1) an external display, 2) a flexible display that extends, window-shade style, from a slot in the front of the keyboard, or 3) high-resolution video glasses.

 

[neildmitchell]

An OS that burns multi-session disks from the Finder.

YES! I cant understand why they havent made that possible yet?
Roxio might have a say in that ?

 

[ChrisBrightwell]

An office suite so we can cut the cord with MS.

Am I the only one who things this is an incredibly bad idea? One of the selling points for OS X is the fact that Office documents are cross-platform compatible.

Seriously, look at the first question here:
http://www.apple.com/switch/questions/

Almost anything you want to do on a PC can be done (often better and faster) on a Mac ... but Office is Office, and people want Office. I think iWork is a great alternative to Office -- sort of -- but cutting the cord completely? That's just a shot in the foot, if you ask me.

Now ... what would I like to see?
1. An external antenna connector for my Powerbook's Airport card so I can use one of these.
2. Cheaper RAM. There's no reason for Apple RAM to be so expensive.
3. Full FTP functionality in Finder, even if I have to hack a prefs file to do it.
4. Powered mic inputs on the Powerbook.
5. 4-way video chats (via iChat) that work on non-G5 hardware, even if it means lower bitrates or otherwise sacrificed quality (like losing the desktop reflections).

The biggest kicker for number four came the other day -- I bought Guild Wars for my PC, which came with a Logitech mic/headphones combo. It has a pair of 1/8" plugs on the end of the cable (one for headphones, one for mic). "This is great," I thought. "I can use this with iChat!"

Plugging the mic line into the Powerbook gets me NOTHING, since the mic needs a little bit of power and the Powerbook gives it nothing. Sure, I could hack together an in-line battery module to power the thing, but why should I have to?

 

[puckhead193]

well the obvious would be a G5 powerbook, but who knows.
the pb line i want more firewire and USB ports; dual layer superdrive. I want the most of the ports to be in the back like the old Ti ones, much brighter backlit, you can hardly see it;
An apple cellphone that can be synced with ical, address book, itunes and iphoto using bluetooth and/or PDA
New ipods with bluetooth syncing and color screen w 40 gig HD that is thiner then my 30 3g ipod, able to sync photos and imovie projects to be able to be displayed on tv etc
A lot more transitions and effects in imovie. windoze movie maker has a billion....
To be able to have random transitions in iphoto when doing a slide show. it gets boring looking that same one every single time.
May as well throw this in; a two button mouse with scroll wheel

 

[biohazard6969]

Am I the only one who things this is an incredibly bad idea? One of the selling points for OS X is the fact that Office documents are cross-platform compatible.

Seriously, look at the first question here:
http://www.apple.com/switch/questions/

Almost anything you want to do on a PC can be done (often better and faster) on a Mac ... but Office is Office, and people want Office. I think iWork is a great alternative to Office -- sort of -- but cutting the cord completely? That's just a shot in the foot, if you ask me.

Now ... what would I like to see?
1. An external antenna connector for my Powerbook's Airport card so I can use one of these.
2. Cheaper RAM. There's no reason for Apple RAM to be so expensive.
3. Full FTP functionality in Finder, even if I have to hack a prefs file to do it.
4. Powered mic inputs on the Powerbook.
5. 4-way video chats (via iChat) that work on non-G5 hardware, even if it means lower bitrates or otherwise sacrificed quality (like losing the desktop reflections).

The biggest kicker for number four came the other day -- I bought Guild Wars for my PC, which came with a Logitech mic/headphones combo. It has a pair of 1/8" plugs on the end of the cable (one for headphones, one for mic). "This is great," I thought. "I can use this with iChat!"

Plugging the mic line into the Powerbook gets me NOTHING, since the mic needs a little bit of power and the Powerbook gives it nothing. Sure, I could hack together an in-line battery module to power the thing, but why should I have to?

pages can export to word just as keynote can export to powerpoint. i would love to see a COMPLETE iwork suite, FIX UP F***ING PAGES!! and beat out microsoft from our macs.

i'd also love to see ichat intregration with MSN. let us webcam with isights to windows users using an all mac app

POWERBOOK G5!!!! my friend said he saw it on their site at lunch today so i skipped last period to go home to see for myself....alas he was mistaken

a cool feature would be to be able to close windows while they're minimized in the dock, somewhat like windows.

i'd also like to see a small little thing...when i right click on a document in finder, i want an option that says 'mail' so it will put the doc right in an email

 

[DavidFDM]

I think there is a form factor between laptop and palm/cell phone like those 7" DVD players. Take that basic premise and add:

1. DVI out, USB2, FW, Sound, 100BaseT
2. WiFi/Bluetooth/Cell
3. Decent battery life
4. Touch-sensitive screen
5. Bluetooth headset with integrated microphone
6. 25-30GB of Flash, non-volatile memory
7. Nice screen
8. No moving parts to save battery life!

This would run a leaner version of OS X with specialization on playing various media. I would make it pretty rugged with a thick rubber glove. This should be something you could use to manage your life and entertainment. I would want to be able to throw the thing in my backpack and using Bluetooth listen to music, make phone calls, etc. Then when it's out of the pack, it can function like a small laptop so you can watch movies, surf the web, send/check e-mail, etc.

 

[James Philp]

Am I the only one who things this is an incredibly bad idea? One of the selling points for OS X is the fact that Office documents are cross-platform compatible.

I agree, there are always compatibility issues with importing/exporting office stuff (I don't wanna go back to the appleworks days!).
MS Office aint that bad!

I want a nice big surprise!

 

[ChrisBrightwell]

pages can export to word just as keynote can export to powerpoint. i would love to see a COMPLETE iwork suite, FIX UP F***ING PAGES!! and beat out microsoft from our macs

I don't think you understand, though, that iWork is not Office.

People ... want ... Office.

 

[Dr.Gargoyle]

My pet rant: I want a native WYSIWYG LaTex editor...
I still don't understand why they didn't base Pages on LaTex... Apple would have done it soooo beautiful....*deep sigh*...

 

[treysmay]

dream machine

I would really like a better headless Mac. Less powerful than the power Macs maybe 1.4 or 1.6 GHz, half the size with some expandability—extra hard drive, Video card. Like a Mac mini on steroids in the 1500-1600 canadian dollar range.
Like a Mac mini pro, that’s what I am looking for in desperation, rite now.

 

[jaw04005]

1. Powerbook that if dropped moderately will not suffer from large dents
2. Uncripple the frontside bus on the iMac G5, bus should run at 1/2 the clock speed
3. Upgrade the video card in the iBook G4 and Mac mini to support core image
4. Offer the Radeon 9800 SE as a built-to-order option on the PowerMac G5
5. Include 512MB of RAM standard on all computers, drop RAM upgrade prices at the Apple Store
6. Extended phone support to a full 1-year as part of the Limited Warranty, cut the prices of AppleCare in 1/2, add support for accidental damage
7. Make all the PowerMac's Duals with PCI-X, 8GB RAM support, and full frontside bus speeds
8. Drop the price of the Cinema Displays so that they are easily affordable with a new computer purchase ($499 - 20", $899-23"), cinema displays can be added to AppleCare even if not purchased at the same time as a PowerBook/PowerMac
9. Have a public dead/stuck pixel policy, if customer is bothered by stuck/dead pixel... exchange the display with no hassle (not everyone notices dead or stuck pixels, and most people are not going to go through the trouble of sending the unit back, etc)
10. Major PowerBook processor upgraded (don't care if its a dual-core G4 or G5 or Cell or whatever)
11. Run television ads that promote the features of Mac OS X and the Macintosh platform instead of numerous iPod ads
12. Introduce AirPort Express 2 with video out (s-video, composite, component, supports HD)

 

[Dr.Gargoyle]

I don't think you understand, though, that iWork is not Office.

People ... want ... Office.

I don't think so... an alternative would have to be 100% compatible with Office though in order to be an option.
Just imagine an editor that could compile documents in any format, even LaTex. My guess is that Apple would get a large chunk of the science community directly, since most theoretical researchers need two editors: Word for outside contact and LaTex for articles.
Same thing with the spreadsheet. Excel is worthless for hardcore statistical analysis, so you need another program there too.
I could see a very basic spreadsheet, with ad ons (tool boxes) for any degree of complex calculations.