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After the Dust Settles - The PB G4's Shortcomings
Now, think back in time here, It was nearing the end of the keynote...anticipation was building up. There was nothing yet mentioned about OS 9.1 and nothing so far mentioned for the portable market, but Steve had a gleam in his eye that told us there was something good coming up, and then blamo! The sexiest portable ever gets unveiled to a crowd gasping in it's Titanium glittered awe. It was so staggering that Steve even forgot about OS 9.1!!
At least this is what it felt like when this machine was uncovered. And rightly so, it is a great piece of hardware. It is very sexy, and it is powerful. But that is not where it stops. After some careful consideration and examination of this new machine and its layout, I have found what I think are some serious flaws with this new portable offering.
First of all, it is big. Sure it has an oversized screen, but think about it. Besides the fact that it gives you more desktop real estate (not that much more in reality) this oversized screen does serve another purpose. It is what allowed Apple to make this machine that much thinner, thin enough to beat out the current Wintel offerings, and wow, it is thin, but at what price? Without going to this oversize format (a strange move in a world of ever smaller computing) it would not have been so. Yes, we are getting a super sexy, super fast machine, but it is too big to fit in your laptop bag, too big to use on a plane unless you cash in all your frequent flyer miles for first class upgrades. This machine that has an overall larger volume than its direct competition the Sony Vaio (at least in Apple's eyes/marketing the competition), and after all size matters! This thing is not the smallest portable you will ever own by any means.
Another thing that was noticed (and noted) about this machine immediately by many of the developers on the show floor is the lack of an expansion bay. Couple this with the 'built in' cd/dvd drive (how many would gladly trade this for a cd/r), and only a singe pcmcia card slot (to hold the airport card that a price like it carries demands should be built in) and you have a portable machine that is not easily upgraded with portable components. Yes, you can add USB and firewire drives to this machine, but having to carry yet more items and attach them takes most of the convenience out of a portable, as well I imagine a great deal of life out of the 5 hour battery.
Now here is a piece of this puzzle that really baffles me. What target market would this machine be best suited for (besides the people who want it sheerly for sex appeal). My best guess would be the pro digital media market. It has the capability of being a decent portable digital editing device, for video or audio on the road. However, with some exceptions, these are not the people that need portables or are really looking to purchase in this area. It's the salesmen, the travelling businessmen, the students. People who need value for their dollar to justify such a purchase. While this is a hell of a machine, I still find it is a bit high in the dollar range for the market that is actually going to pay out their hard earned money on it, and I fear that the people who stretch their budgets to get this one may end up being disappointed in the long run with the obvious lack of exandability. I fear that Apple is losing site of it's niche markets (like education for example) and truly wonder what compelled them to make such a machine, or at the very least which market they expect it to take off sales wise.
I will still hand it to Apple and Steve Jobs on this occasion though. The presentation on this machine was great, the rumormills were kept squelched about it so it was actually a surprise, and the smoke and mirrors show worked great. The looks of the machine alone are enough to woo even the most hardened Wintel user, and as per all the new additions (or at least newly designed additions) to the Apple computer line, it looks good. Who would have known vanity would play such a big part in an industry run by self proclaimed 'geeks'. Now, don't get me wrong here. I am not saying that I wouldn't want or use one of these machines, in fact I would love one (**note, if anyone feels compelled to send me one to prove my theories wrong I will be more than happy to accept it blissfully**). What worries me is Apple having another cube on their hands. Lovely machine, excellent engineering, breakthrough technology, and a lot of them sitting in stock because they were targeted and priced incorrectly.
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