So what did you all think about the keynote? Pretty disappointing on the hardware front, and really disappointing on the iTools--oops, .mac--front. We have three mac.com accounts, one for each of us in the house. If we're going to keep our email addresses, we're looking at US$300 per year. Some ISPs are cheaper.<br><br>edit: apparently you can get extra email accounts for US$10 per year. Still not good, but not as terrible as I thought.<br><br>Great wits are sure to madness near allied.--John Dryden, "Absalom and Achitophel"<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by yoyo52 on 07/17/02 11:51 AM (server time).</EM></FONT></P>

Good lord man! I get home from work and there's only one post about the keynote and no replies?!?<br><br>The keynote really shows how Apple is really pushing the software to drive hardware sales, with most of the hardware refreshes relegated to non-keynote status. So far it doesn't seem to be working.<br><br>I'll probably cough up the dough for Jaguar on my 1999-vintage iMac. iTools poses a bit of a conundrum for me, though -- I have a Mac.com addy but don't really use the other iTools. Still, I think I might take advantage of the $49.95 offer at least for this year.<br><br>Was surprised by the lack of a Power Mac refresh -- apparently that might be coming in Aug., I hear?<br><br>17-inch iMac looks intriguing. If I were buying now, though, I'd probably get a 15-incher with SuperDrive, though.<br><br>

I've heard people pointing to MW Paris as the time for new PMs. We'll see.<br><br>Great wits are sure to madness near allied.--John Dryden, "Absalom and Achitophel"

Over the past four years I have gone from occasional computer user, to mac user, to mac fanatic. Today is the first time in four years that I actually feel almost embarrassed to be a mac user.<br><br>Its not the lack of exciting new products, the lack of AAC support for iTunes3 or iPod (it just runs on the Quicktime engine, right?), or even the fact we have to shell out money for 10.2 or dotMac. Its the [b]way that they did it. It was so... un-Apple. I don't care how you explain the .Mac deal, it was bait and switch, pure and simple. I actually felt sick when I heard that it was true, and I KNOW there is a huge backlash building from inside the mac core community. Two of the 5 people I talked to about it at work actually wrote up formal letters of anger and threats to leave Apple for good! These are serious mac users! Part of what has been so fun about Apple over the past few years is that (most) of what they manufacuter and what they do just makes sense. Boy, this day sure didn't.<br><br>Ugghh, I just hope this blows over somehow... I honestly believe this was a "negative" macworld. That is, it would have been better if it had not even happened!<br><br><br><br>

Oh, I forgot to mention one good thing... for some. If you qualify for the educational discount from the Mac store, the OSX 10.2 Jaguar upgrade is $69. Much better than $129 or whatever Steve said...<br><br>

HUH? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??? I get back from work and all of a sudden I have to pay for my email account? Where can i go to find out what the hell this is all about???? <br><br>Peace, Late, Skate<br><br>~Steve~

Ummm....apple.com perhaps?<br><br>

Ok..quit over-dramatizing it. <br><br>First, if you don't need .Mac, don't buy it. I plan on getting it. Use the email your ISP provided if you don't get .Mac<br>If you or your friends want to leave Apple over this...go. Bye. I will never leave it...if I didn't like .Mac, I wouldn't get it, simple. I'll definately buy Jaguar...was planning on it even before they announced the prices.<br><br>What your friends fail to see is that you have a great machine that runs the best OS (in my opinion) and it's only going to get better. Sure they could have kept some kind of smaller option, say what you have now at a reduced cost. But nowhere did it say that they owed you this. Grow up, they are a corporation in the business to make money, and if they saw iTools as a money loser and wanted to capitalize it, so be it.<br><br>Switch to Windows and enjoy the wonders of XP and .NET (yeah...right!)<br><br>Meanwhile, I'll be chugging along on my G4/500 running jaguar and loving it.<br><br><br>

Look, I never said anything about leavingApple in that post, nor the wonders of XP and .Net(?) Is this not the place to praise as well as criticize recent Apple news?<br><br>I may have seemed dramatic because I am crazy about Apple and their products but I've seen them get pretty closed to snuffed out in the past. So, when people I actually know are seriously considering switching to another platform because of something Apple did I consider that kind of frightening. I want them to stay in business so I'll continue to have cool things to buy!<br><br>I personally don't really care about the .Mac deal because I don't need it, but apparently many others do see it as a sneaky move by Apple and it pissed them off. I'm pleased to hear it doesn't bother you, since that may be an indication that others are also going to use it...<br><br>Incidentally, I have already ordered Jaguar as well... but I have no plans to "grow up" <br><br>

I posted about this so called 'fiasco' on my blog.<br><br>Check it out John, yoyo and others.<br><br><a href="http://madras.blogspot.com/">http://madras.blogspot.com/</a><br><br>--<br>I am Dyslexic of Borg. Fusistance is retile. Your a$$ will be laminated.