Apple response to the surface?

[Defengar]

Now that Microsoft has entered the tablet market with their Surface RT and surface pro tablet, I am wondering what apple will do to counter it.

I have a theory that has been bolstered by the recent unexpected Ipad refresh less than 8 months after the last one came out. They did this imo, to make sure the Ipad stay firmly in the top 3 consumer tablets for the next year or so. To make sure it can stand against the Nexus 10 and the Surface RT.

It can't compete with the surface pro though. The main thing apple has against the surface pro is the MBA. a great small laptop, but still a laptop. both have similar specs, but the MBA has better battery life and can have a larger hard drive. The Pro is lighter, thinner and has a touch screen with pen support though. With the same specs they are roughly the same price, with the MBA being a little more expensive, even with the surface keyboard dock included.

Even though the RT is turning out to be a bit of a dud, I predict the pro will be a major success.

I think apple is planning to eventually make an "Ipad pro" that is essentially an 11 inch MBA, but with the computer in the screen part, and the keyboard being a thin, but strong attachable accessory. The MBA 13 inch might be gotten rid of like the 17 inch MBP is, or it might stay.

4 gigs of ram, retina touch screen, i5 processor, 64-256 GB SSD, etc... the works. I think the normal Ipad and the Pro version will coexist similar to how the RT and the Surface Pro do.

what do you guys think?

[Lemmiwink]

Surface pro will sell alot due to it being a useful pad and not a big phone. My guess anyway, I'll buy it.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

Surface pro will sell alot due to it being a useful pad and not a big phone. My guess anyway, I'll buy it.

*not a big phone that you can't use as a phone.

[Lemmiwink]

*not a big phone that you can't use as a phone.

Thank you

[Holes]

If people cared about specs or performance/$, Apple wouldn't be as successful as they are.

People pay more for the customer service or software, not the specs. So I don't think Apple is worried about another new tablet/laptop.

I also don't think anything original will come out of Apple for a while.

[Defengar]

I think the next gen of imacs will have touch screens.

[D_K_night]

Apple won't do anything that we won't already expect them to do. They'll continue with their current line of products, with incremental upgrades. We can already rightfully predict that the next product will the Ipad Mini Retina.

Once you know Apple's supply chain methodology, it's very simple and very predictable. Upgrade the newest offering with the newest processor/screen/whatever, reuse the "old" technology into updated versions of existing products(the next iPod touch will predictably get a camera upgrade, but in fact it's just reusing today's iphone5 camera).

[Badpaladin]

I doubt they'll do much. They have a vastly superior ecosystem and their tablets are still the best you can get. I agree that iMacs could have touchscreens, and they'll eventually start to blend their iOS and OSX operating systems together, but they don't really need to push a "Revolutionary" new product or anything.

[SPOONMONKEYDROID84]

/remove thread

Don't make pointless posts. Infracted.

[Defengar]

If they want their market value to stay over half a trillion and to keep being a symbol and force in pop culture, sooner or later they will have to come out with something new. They know that.

[Faithh]

The only good product Apple has is just the iphone/ipod touch. All others are junk and useless. I still haven't touched any tablet yet. My first one would be the surface pro. I think it's just going to happen very soon Apple is going to be "end of life".

[Defengar]

The only good product Apple has is just the iphone/ipod touch. All others are junk and useless. I still haven't touched any tablet yet. My first one would be the surface pro. I think it's just going to happen very soon Apple is going to be "end of life".

The imac is essentially the best all in one, the mac pro is one of the most powerful workstations, the ipad is continuously hailed as the best, or one of the best tablets on the market, and the MBP with retina display, has the highest resolution of any laptop. Its got flaws yes, but the other laptop companies should really take a page out of apples book and move on from freaking 1080p, and MBP's in general, although not the highest specced laptops you can get will still run smoothly after most other brands laptops have quit working years prior.

I am a PC and andoid guy, but I give credit where its due.

[Choptimus]

the mac pro is one of the most powerful workstations

What?!

Please tell me you mean most powerful of the Apple workstations.

Even still that's basically saying "this lump of shit is better than that lump of shit!"

[Vook]

What?!

Please tell me you mean most powerful of the Apple workstations.

Even still that's basically saying "this lump of shit is better than that lump of shit!"

Inb4 Apple vs Windows flame war

Macbook Pro is not "lump of shit" by any means. And this is coming from someone who doesn't like Apple computers because of their crappy priceower ratio.

[Xyonai]

What?!

Please tell me you mean most powerful of the Apple workstations.

Even still that's basically saying "this lump of shit is better than that lump of shit!"

To be fair to him the Mac (In any of it's incarnations) often is the most powerful standard computer at the time it comes out, but it's limited by the fact that's it's (intentionaly) built to be next to impossible to upgrade using new parts (Graphics cards, CPUs, ect), which leads to folks stuck having to replace an entire computer when they want to upgrade, rather than just replacing outdated parts.

Author's note: Feel free to politely correct me if I got something wrong here.

[Choptimus]

Mac Pro off their website right now:

One 3.33GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon processor
32GB (4x8GB)
1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive
ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB

£3,403.00
incl. VAT

Or

Two 3.06GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon (12 cores)
64GB (8x8GB)
1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive
ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB

£6,753.00
incl. VAT


Neither of these are anywhere near close to "most powerful standard computer".

It's a complete pile of shit and every component is shit.

Compare it to this: http://configure.euro.dell.com/dells...=dhs&cs=ukdhs1

(Yeah that's ALIENWARE too... When something is even more of a rip-off then Alienware you know it's bad.)

Over twice the price for a less powerfull CPU and GFX. Sick!




---------- Post added 2012-12-10 at 03:58 AM ----------

Inb4 Apple vs Windows flame war

Macbook Pro is not "lump of shit" by any means. And this is coming from someone who doesn't like Apple computers because of their crappy priceower ratio.

Yes it is.

---------- Post added 2012-12-10 at 03:59 AM ----------

To be fair to him the Mac (In any of it's incarnations) often is the most powerful standard computer at the time it comes out

ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB

Most powerful

ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB

Most powerful

Does not compute.

[Defengar]

the only products apple makes that can be considered near "most powerful" in their class are their tablets and all in ones.

I haven't touched a mac pro in a couple years, but I remember they were at least very easy to upgrade to whatever levels you wanted.

[Vook]

Yes it is.

Care to elaborate on why Mac Pro is "lump of shit" ? I'd like to hear some solid, non-opinionated explanation.

[Llunai]

Mac Pro off their website right now:

One 3.33GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon processor
32GB (4x8GB)
1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive
ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB

£3,403.00
incl. VAT

Or

Two 3.06GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon (12 cores)
64GB (8x8GB)
1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive
ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB

£6,753.00
incl. VAT


Neither of these are anywhere near close to "most powerful standard computer".

It's a complete pile of shit and every component is shit.

Compare it to this: http://configure.euro.dell.com/dells...=dhs&cs=ukdhs1

(Yeah that's ALIENWARE too... When something is even more of a rip-off then Alienware you know it's bad.)

Over twice the price for a less powerfull CPU and GFX. Sick!

I don't think you understand what a 'workstation' is.

[Libram]

Can we agree they both have their perks?
Oh well, continue on!

/Popcorn

@OP: I would assume a response to the Surface would be another "revolutionary" tablet/device.