Mythical Macs
The hopes of many Apple fanatics were temporarily dashed last week when a spokesman announced the company has no plans to release new products for the remainder of 2008. While Apple’s annual media events are a reliable launch pad for new iPod and computer models, diehards hold out hope for mythical devices with a laundry list of features and a bargain basement price. For years, this device has been dubbed the “xMac,” following the naming convention of desktop models like the iMac and Mac Pro. While some characterize the Mac Mini as the fruition of these dreams, others hold out hope for a “true” xMac. Speculation always tends to peak at major events like MacWorld and the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference; that continued to hold true this year, as discussion of xMacs peaked during MacWorld San Francisco from January 14th - 18th and leading up to WWDC from June 9th - 13th.
But it appears this buzz trend is changing, as notebook sales in the U.S. now exceed those of desktops. A recent contributor to this trend is the rise of netbooks, full-featured laptops squeezed into petite form factors at low price points. Speculation about an Apple entrant into this new market has quickly replaced xMac discussion, and jumped sharply prior to the recent MacBook event on October 14. While there was no netbook announcement, and apparently no new announcements until 2009, Mac addicts clearly are not abandoning their dreams.
