Hasta La Gadget!

Apple’s event on Tuesday was fun. The company offered up a slew of hardware products for consumers to drool over, and it did a fine job of appealing to everyone from mobile customers to computer purchasers.

The iPad mini will undoubtedly be a fan favorite, as will the fourth-generation iPad. The new iMac is downright beautiful with a thinness that has yet to be matched. Even the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, which is admittedly expensive, should attract quite a few customers.

But the only part of the market that Apple didn’t touch at its event was the power segment. Apple had products for mobile customers and casual users. But what about those of us who need power and sophistication?

Apple has once again updated its Mac line without once mentioning the Mac Pro. That computer, which is used heavily in the corporate design world, hasn’t been updated in two years. And so far, it’s as if Apple doesn’t really care. In fact, the company has gone out of its way to ignore the computer while it attempts to wow us with its other products.

I’m starting to wonder if Apple hates the Mac Pro. For months now, we’ve been hearing whispers that a new version of the desktop was in the works, only to be disappointed when it goes missing at Apple’s many press events.

According to some reports earlier this year, Apple executives have promised an update. So far, however, there’s been no public explanation for why the computer has been ignored. I’m not saying that Apple has to update the Mac Pro today (though it would be nice), but I do believe that the company should at least provide an explanation.

“Should Mac Pro users ditch Apple and go buy a high-end PC?”

Right now, there are countless Mac Pro users that are stuck with an obsolete computer, not knowing what they need to do. Should they ditch Apple’s product and go buy a high-end PC? Should they wait Apple out to see if it updates the Mac Pro at some point soon? Apple, for some reason, doesn’t want to provide them with an answer.

Not providing them with an answer is a big mistake. Eventually, designers will need more power, and if Apple doesn’t allay some fears soon, they’ll go elsewhere. And when they go elsewhere, they might never come back.

It’s odd to me that the Mac Mini, a product that was largely ignored by Apple for so long, has received more updates in the past couple of years than the Mac Pro. The Mac Mini is a cheap product that likely has a razor-thin margin. The Mac Pro could be a cash cow for Apple.

And yet, here I sit, writing this on a Mac Pro, wondering why Apple doesn’t see things the way I do. Yes, I know Apple is successful and it has made many smart moves, but this time around, I think it’s making a mistake.

Mac Pro users are arguably Apple’s most loyal and trusted fans. They’re buying the company’s most expensive product, and in the past, acted as evangelists when there weren’t that many products worth drooling over. It’s about time Apple shows those folks some respect and delivers a new Mac Pro.

Apple hates the Mac Pro, doesn’t it? is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Huawei has had an image problem lately among countries skittish about trusting a Chinese telecom giant with the backbone of networks that its home government might like to snoop. The company’s Australian chairman John Lord thinks that’s just paranoia, and he’s planning radical transparency in the country to recover what trust he can after Huawei lost a National Broadband Network deal. The firm is willing to give the Australian government “unrestricted” access to both networking hardware and source code to prove that there’s no espionage afoot. Lord even likes the idea a domestic inspection agency that would greenlight equipment across the industry. All of the proposals represent a one-way conversation, however — Canberra hasn’t said if it’s receptive enough to drop the cold attitude. There’s a distinct chance that any successful return to favor wouldn’t come soon enough to recover the most lucrative contracts, which could make any Australian change of heart a Pyrrhic victory.

Filed under: Networking, Internet

Huawei gives Australia peeks at its network hardware and code to regain trust originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We all know that Windows 8 is going to be upon us – and hardware manufacturers such as MSI have also geared themselves up to meet this particular challenge, having announced a rather robust selection of 16-inch and 17-inch gaming laptops that will run on the upcoming Windows 8 operating system, ensuring that gamers will not only be able to get their work done, they can also let their hair down and play with enhanced system performance at their fingertips. The MSI Windows 8 upgrade will apply to upcoming laptops in the G Series, where among them include the GT70 and GT60 units.

Sporting the latest NVIDIA Keplar GeForce video cards, Killer E2200 Game Networking, Dynaudio Speakers and Steel Series Gaming Backlit Keyboard, the GT70 and GT60 are more than able to deliver exceptional performance which will keep even the most demanding of gamers happy. Of course, add in the fact that select models of the GT70 will be equipped with the Killer Wireless-N 1202 card and you’ve got more or less a speed demon on your hands.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: MSI GT70 and GT60 gaming notebooks now come with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M, MSI heads into the SSD business,

Verizon is one of the more common proponents of silly Android device names, in part through its insistence on that “Droid” prefix for some hardware. When its smartphone badges practically demand a pause for breath, you know there’s a problem. Android Central‘s purported copy of a Minimum Advertised Pricing list could show that there’s hope for the carrier yet. The chart shows the HTC DLX (6435LVW) skipping the rumored Droid Incredible X name in favor of Droid DNA — and that’s it. No superlatives, no arbitrary “4G LTE” tags to remind us of the network we already know we’re using. The 5-inch phone might have even been a reasonable launch, as the MAP shows a $200 contract price that would potentially take effect just before Thanksgiving.

Want more? Other smartphones are on the supposedly leaked MAP list as well, primarily focusing on Windows Phone 8 gear: the as yet unconfirmed Nokia Lumia 822 shows up with a $100 price and a mid-November release window, while Verizon’s take on the Windows Phone 8X is present with a $200 price and similar timing. Those who’d rather go for a Samsung phablet than HTC’s aren’t left out, either. The Verizon edition of the Galaxy Note II is on the list with a $300 price and availability that starts immediately — rather convenient, that.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, HTC, Nokia, Verizon

Verizon’s HTC DLX may be called Droid DNA, Windows Phone 8 devices get tentative prices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo delivered its financial report for quarter 2 earlier today, and though things aren’t looking so hot at the moment, the company has high hopes for the future. In the report, Nintendo said that it expects to sell 5.5 million Wii U consoles before the end of its fiscal year, which draws to close at the end of March 2013. That’s 5.5 million consoles in a little over five months, so the big N has its work cut out for it.

That’s not to say Nintendo can’t hit that goal, however. Hardware sales have been down lately, which seems to suggest that gamers are ready for a new console generation. The boredom with current generation consoles might be enough for Nintendo to muster up some sales, and we can’t forget that the holiday shopping season is quickly approaching.

Nintendo is also hoping to sell 24 million Wii U games in the same period, which – as Eurogamer points out – equals an attach rate of about four games per console. Of course, Nintendo is likely counting the pack-in games that come with Wii U Premium Bundles in that figure, so 24 million games sold by the time April 2013 rolls around might not be too lofty a goal. Still, Nintendo has a long way to go between now and then, and the company’s expectations for the rest of the fiscal year rely on how consumers react to the Wii U – a console that has received mixed attention so far.

It’s also worth pointing out that Nintendo is hoping for 17.5 million 3DS sales by the time the fiscal year comes to a close, which means it has about 12.5 million units to go before it hits that mark. A tall order to be sure, and considering that Nintendo just had to cut its profit forecast for the year due to slow 3DS sales, that might be a harder target to hit. In any case, we shall see if Nintendo can achieve its goals for the fiscal year soon enough!

Nintendo sets high goals for Wii U’s first six months is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.