With no Stevenote at this year’s Macworld, the world not only awaited Apple’s 2009 lineup with bated breath, but also the company’s inaugural Schillergram. Sadly, Apple’s announcements were widely accepted as being underwhelming, lacking the razzle-dazzle of previous Macworld keynotes; no iPods, Mac minis or iPhones, but a slew of application updates and the death of DRM for music (yay!)
Om provided a great overview and perhaps the most pertinent release for web workers was the beta launch of iWork.com, Apple’s foray into web-based office productivity applications.
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Black Friday is almost upon us and could be one of the best days in recent memory for web workers to buy new technology at fair prices. Not only will there be discounts on new computers, displays, and more, but some of the discounts are already arriving.
Many WebWorkerDaily readers are Mac users, and, as jkOnTheRun notes, Best Buy is already slashing prices on almost all MacBook models that they sell. “Most models are a cool $100 off but a few others are noteworthy,” they report. “The 13-inch new MacBook is discounted $150 making it just $1449.” Here are some more ideas on where to look, and where not to look, for bargains.
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When we asked whether you’d find a $899 MacBook tempting, a lot of you said “yes.” Alas, it turns out that the rumors of a seriously sub-$100 notebook from Apple were dead wrong. Steve Jobs did announce a $899 product at today’s press event - but it’s a new 24-inch display, not a laptop computer.
Jobs did announce a whole bunch of revisions to the MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro product lines, including one-piece aluminum shells, glass trackpads with multitouch, dual graphics chips, and bigger drives. Apple is reducing the entry-level price of the white plastic MacBook to $999 - but there’s a lot of psychological distance between that and the $800 price point that was getting kicked around in the blogs.
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In advance of tomorrow’s Apple media event, rumors are swirling about a sub-$1000 laptop - with most sources pegging it at an $800 or $900 price point. This would be a $200 to $300 drop from the current cheapest MacBook - but perhaps more importantly, it would also be the first time for an Apple laptop to break into a 3-digit price.
Of course, there are plenty of sub-$1000 laptops on the market already - you can buy Dell’s Inspiron line at prices from $499 up, and if you’re willing to compromise down to the “netbook” level of machine, with a 9-inch screen, you can find pricing under $400. But those cheaper machines are not, of course, Macs.
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As simultaneously announced on GigaOM and The Apple Blog, Giga Omni Media has acquired The Apple Blog. This adds an entire blog of Apple-specific coverage to our growing network. If you’re keeping score, the GigaOM family of blogs now includes:
- GigaOM, for reporting and analysis of the big stories in Web 2.0, mobile, and other new technology.
- Web Worker Daily, for coverage of the new world of online work.
- NewTeeVee, for everything related to the video revolution.
- Earth2Tech, looking at the intersection of green and technology.
- OStatic, with thorough coverage of open source software and its ramifications.
- jkOnTheRun, covering the world of mobile devices.
- The Apple Blog, for news of all things Apple-related.
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Have you been wishing you could join the ranks of the Mac-enabled mobile workforce, but not wanting to spend the money to buy a MacBook? Now might be the time to reconsider, because Apple has updated their Refurbished Mac page with some fresh deals, including:
- MacBook Air markdowns from $1800 to $1400 and $2100 to $2300
- 15″ MacBook Pro models starting at $1700 insead of $2000
- 17″ MacBook Pro models starting at $2300
They also have regular MacBooks as well as a variety of desktop Macs for sale. All of these machines are refurbished, which means Apple has tested, cleaned, and repackaged them with full documentation and original software. They come with a 1-year warranty. Of course, you won’t be on the cutting edge when new models are announced - but sometimes it’s worth avoiding the cutting edge to get substantial savings.
As you’re all aware by now, some of the staff at WWD have gone the iPhone 3G route - and are still happy about it. But we don’t have any sort of official “iPhone only” policy, and we’re a diverse bunch. Speaking for myself, I’ve taken a long, hard look at iPhone ownership, and decided against it. Here’s why.
1. 3G Coverage - I’m in that big middle part of the country where, apparently, all the technologically backwards people live. None of the major carriers have anything like comprehensive 3G coverage out here. With the iPhone, that means I’d be paying 3G prices for a device that didn’t get 3G speeds - not much of a bargain.
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Between the iPhone and MobileMe, we’re starting to see some complaints about Apple quality and support - widely regarded as the cornerstones of the company’s reputation. Twitter is full of complaints about MobileMe, and the company has gone so far as to add another 60 days of free service for suffering subscribers. Some prominent bloggers have also weighed in on the issue of Apple quality recently, with negative views.
And yet…despite some high-profile complaints, the bulk of Apple users still seem to be satisfied. A survey at our parent blog GigaOM is finding most respondents to be satisfied, and the just-released American Customer Satisfaction Index scores put Apple ahead of all other computer manufacturers for Q2. So despite some stumbles, it looks like Apple hasn’t yet lost its shine.
What’s your take on the state of Apple products?
Are you happy with Apple support?
