Editorial

Posted on 4 Aug 2005 at 14:54

 

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What is Apple's latest gameplan? More of the same, it seems, with a few tweaks here and there in order to stay interesting. It's the retailers who won't be too happy, though, as their slim margins get squeezed into oblivion.

The latest additions to Apple's line-up are logical, but hardly revolutionary. In fact, most Mac users could have predicted a slightly upgraded iBook, and a new top-end Mac mini, without the help of mutterings from those with apparent access to Apple's stock lists.

What this represents, then, is pretty much what was predicted in this column immediately after Apple's Intel announcement: it seems to be entering a holding pattern in which its products will receive small maintenance updates to keep them competitive and interesting, while the chances of a revolutionary introduction remain slim.

Good news for those of us who want stability; bad news for anyone not currently served by Apple's existing product line-up.

The addition of AirPort and Bluetooth as standard components in all but the lowest-grade Mac mini was a sensible decision, but they should really have been there from the start. They were always a build-to-order option, and you can't help but feel that their omission was primarily motivated by wanting to keep distributors happy, by giving them the chance to up-sell buyers from the base configuration. Same goes for the now-doubled memory. By filling these two small gaps, Apple has effectively taken back one of the last options distributors had for making anything beyond the slim margin Apple allows on its hardware products.

In some ways, it is a shame that Apple has chosen this tack. Truly inspirational changes, like the rumoured widescreen displays in the iBook, would have done more to boost sales than doubling the memory, and would still have given retailers room to manoeuvre. They might also have sustained the interest of PC switchers, which is in danger of falling off as this period of apparent limbo starts to set in.

On a positive note, pinning the price of the entry-level iBook at £699 - as it was before - means Apple remains the best choice for notebook buyers, regardless of the platform they currently use. Business users may even be able to write off this expense over a couple of years.

The entry-level Mac mini, though, is rendered fairly unappealing. It lacks AirPort Express and Bluetooth and has a smaller hard drive and slower processor than its siblings, yet shaves the mid-range model's price by a mere £70. Why? Who knows. Answers on a postcard to the usual address...

Author: Nik Rawlinson