MacDailyNews Take: Courier is so far a demo of vaporware. Such demos are meant to be “impressive.” From the little we can see so far, the product itself is not.
Eaton reports, “Which means the pressure’s really on Apple to deliver in two weeks time. We can expect to hear dribs and drabs more about the machine in that time, since an ex-Apple employee has just spilled the beans on the very same deliberately leaky PR shenanigans that I suggested the company gets up to. And from the leaks and speculation so far, it seems Apple might well come up with the goods.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Jai G.” for the heads up.]
Who was really expecting anything from M$. Except specialty BS Vaporware from Bozo Ballmer!!
After some technical difficulties resulted in delays kicking things off, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer……
Subject normal! Hahahahahaha. With all their money and experts, you’d think they could get together a smooth running presentation. Next time Mr. Ballmer, use ‘Keynote”.
I’ll wait for the Apple thingy.
Ballmer’s leaks are uncontrolled. That’s why he wears diapers.
It was slow even on fast forward…
Watched that MS keynote, Ballmer looked especially Frankensteinian, more that usual.
How much can you lie about stuff… I watched about 5 minutes of Balmer and man… what a narrow minded flop. I don’t get it. Maybe I’m not meant to. I would love to see a mac vs. PC debate some day. Jobs and Co. vs. Microsoft ( Balmer) and actually have to own the things they both say. Apple may stretch the truth a little on occasion about what it does and what it can do, but holy shit… Balmer is in a dream world. It just goes to show that people don’t know any better and they will buy Windows because of that fact.
“actually just a luke-warm Windows 7 promo”
I’m shocked.
There was I expecting Microsoft and their partners to be at their paradigm-shifting best and all they managed to do was show off the service pack that was designed to make people forget the festering pile of crap that was Vista.
Hopefully, in the next 19 days or so, someone will come up with something genuinely innovative so that technology writers have a reason to get up in the morning.
I was expecting the Courier. Instead we saw just another tablet.
The only WOW moment was when they presented Project Natal.
It kills Apple TV. That thing could really help M$ own the living room.
This is I think where M$ has a chance. Definitely not with a tablet.
Same Ole Same Ole, “Dances with Monkeys”
@Mac+
Natal will never be what you seen in that canned video. You`d have a better chance at buying a Star Destroyer at a used car lot then getting what they showed off in that “demo” by year`s end.
When January comes and goes and Apple announces nothing. The analysts and reporters have only themselves to blame.
Apple has never said anything about a tablet.
Then this will affect the stock price and the STUPID analysts will all hammer Apple for not bringing out a product that they never, ever announced.
The real shock is just how many people are still holding their breath for more from a company that has butt raped them for decades out of billions of hours that could have been spent on something other that try to make the steaming pile of crap called Windblows!
I think Microshaft really was suppose to demo the courier slate tablet computer, but with Apple getting ready to announce and show its tablet, MicroShaft got cold feet, and not wanting to let out it’s product that would be woefully short of the Apple product and capabilities, it decided to wait and play the me too game about 6 -8 weeks after Apple’s announcement.
No balls balmer.
@chew
Any fanboy is probably whishing you’re right on this one.
But from all the videos I’ve seen, MS is past the demo stage.
This is not like the Courier… People are using Natal the video.
Apple should really move their a__ with their Apple TV…
@Macguy & Think
Apple will announce the tablet. It is no longer a rumor.
When WSJ write an article about something, this is no rumor.
A guy like Mossberg would never write an article on a rumor.
A guy like Jim Goldman of CNBC would never comment on a rumor.
Correction
“People are using Natal IN the video.”
@Mac+
Call me a skeptic, regardless if it comes from Apple, Microsoft, Dell or whomever. You`re going to need an AWFUL lot of processing power to recognize multiple faces, bodies, and I wonder what would happen when you throw in variables such as light levels, clothing, etc, into the mix? WAY to many variables to have this technology work reliably the way it was presented in that video. As I mentioned Natal or elements of it will surface by year`s end, don`t expect to see anything like what the canned demo showed off. But you can hold your breath and wait…. and wait.
Not a fanboy… just a realist.
@chew,
Your processing power argument makes sense.
But even if they deliver 10% of the demo, it’s something.
For instance, just playing basic games without the remote.
That only would kill the Wii hands down. No need any facial recognition for that.
Now what’s funny is that MS always produce demo and under deliver afterwards.
Apple onthe othe hand, never shows anything in advance and delivers innovative stuffs.
A believe this time apple is going to came out with something that only apple and P.A. Semi can do, an exclusive hardware in the exclusive apple OS.
I want Ballmer to be at Microsoft for at least five more years until I retire. He’s doing so much to help my Apple stock and he’s just plain damn funny to watch. Go Bozo!
I remember when I was a boy there was an exhibition where a supposed semi autonomous robot would, as it appeared on my steam tv of the time, answer questions put to it and apparently show a vision of the near future. When I saw it at the exhibition it was not semi autonomous and was just a pathetic piece of junk that had some guy listening and replying through it to the gullible, when it worked at all.
Never have I been so disappointed with supposed ‘visions’ on technological break throughs that were purely overblown adverts to get you to buy into the ‘show’ and never again will I be fooled by that sort of self serving imagery that common sense should tell you isn’t remotely as impressive as one would like to imagine once one gets a chance to use it first hand. The fact that Microsoft have done little else but promise what they fail to achieve over the years hardly inspires me to think my cynicism will be proved wrong this time. Big ass table anyone.
“the impressive Courier slate PC”
I guess the Apple tablet gets similar hype, but why is the Courier considered impressive when it is still not public?
“Which means the pressure’s really on Apple to deliver in two weeks time.”
No, it’s not. There is no pressure on Apple to deliver *anything* that they’re not ready, willing, and able to ‘deliver’. Kit Eaton’s expectations don’t mean sh!t to Apple. If, and when, Apple has something to reveal, then they will reveal it in their own farqin’ sweet time.
Kit, go back to bed. You’ll be awakened when there’s something interesting to report.
What amazed me was they were harping on how with Cable Card you could do this and with Cable Card you could do that. I am sure I read last week that the FCC has deemed Cable Card a failure and are looking for it’s replacement.
I essentially agree with Think – there is not going to be any major product announcement from Apple at the end of this month. Perhaps something will emerge by summer, but I do not see that either. iCal this.
@Amazin1 @THink
Why would Apple schedule a “Special Press Event” to announce “nothing”? What specifically are you guys thinking Apple will show at this event, if not something significant?
“dances with chairs”
@Deus Ex Technica
Oh Apple is going to announce something. Will it be a tablet? Maybe… will it be some other product upgrade or something else less exciting? That has happened.
My point being that reporters expectations are getting so blown out of proportion that if this tablet doesn’t read your mind, teleport you to any vacation spot, make beer while you sleep, bake a pizza and clean your house, then it is a failure.
Apple HAS PROMISED AND HAS NOT SAID ANYTHING ABOUT A TABLET!!!!!
So of course people will be pissed when nothing comes out, like Apple lied to them or something. Duh!!!!
@All non-believers,
There will be a tablet.
By now everyone should realize microsoft’s vaporous product announcements are nothing more than an historic tactic to freeze both buyers and competitors, although this works less well as Apple rises. The reason the “introduction” included few specs, no price points, no content, and no partners is because the company is waiting to see what Apple does so they can try to copy it, while still claiming they were first.
In any event, as I’ve said before, microsoft died about ten years ago, but the bloated corpse is so huge, it takes a long time to rot.
“Apple will announce the tablet. It is no longer a rumor.
When WSJ write an article about something, this is no rumor.
A guy like Mossberg would never write an article on a rumor.
A guy like Jim Goldman of CNBC would never comment on a rumor.”
@mac+
I beg to differ. Until Apple says it has a tablet, it IS a rumor.
My favourite part of Ballmer’s keynote was when he talked about the PC mounted on the back of the TV, but they couldn’t demo it because it “blew the tube.” Gadzooks! You’d think for something as big — and as widely covered — as CES, M$ would spend extra bucks making absoluely sure every little detail went as smoothly as possible. May Ballmer stay forever!
You know…I would just about pay money for Steve to come out in the planned January event and tell everyone what a great holiday season Apple had, tell them Happy New Year and have a great day, and not announce anything new. Then let the press and rumor mills wallow in their despair for a week before calling a surprise press conference to announce their product. Maybe that would put a bit of a dampener on all the usual speculation.
@RePlay
Better yet, have Steve announce the iRack and do the Saturday Night Live bit at the end.
The mirosoft ces keynote was not that bad, IMO. But it’s just a little funny how they used the word “slate” tablets, seems like they copied a mac rumor apple tablet name, they want to be the first to name thier product slate so the stupid tech writers would think that apple the tablet from Microsoft. How desperate they are to outstage apple. Project natal, however, was actually pretty good, Microsoft must have spent alot of money to make that tech to work.
CBS did a pre-show presentation of CES gadgets they expected to be the ‘hits’ this year. What I saw was indeed a ‘yawnfest’. The worst of the bunch were the desperate attempts to make tablet PCs relevant:
1) A tablet style book reader with the reader on a left-hand screen and the equivalent of a netbook screen on the right. The thing was too big to hold for reading and was a highly TechnoTard design with two screens. WTF dope thought up using two screens when one could do it all?!
2) The detachable Lenovo tablet with accompanying PC/Keyboard. Basically you yank the screen off the laptop and use it as a tablet all on its own. OK. So what’s the laptop keyboard/extra computer monstrosity for? Can’t make up your mind? It’s a laptop! It’s a tablet! It’s two. TWO! Two computers in one! NO THANKS! What was extra hilarious about the demonstration is that they were STRUGGLING to get the tablet/display to fit back onto the laptop keyboard. They never succeeded. Grandma will love that device fer shur. Clunkity clunk clank. Oh, and it runs Windows. Great move.