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MattBook

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 16, 2007
21
0
Surrey, UK
anybody reckon apple will ever make a printer?

I hate printers so much they never EVER work when I need them to! :mad: my ******* printer has just decided not to work when I desperately need to print something for tomorrow and I have to leave at 7am before my university library opens! :(

I would just love it if apple decided to make a decent printer that would run seamlessly with osx, and they could make it easy to print your own iPhoto books and stuff! I think it would sell, I know I'd buy one!
 

WildCowboy

Administrator/Editor
Staff member
Jan 20, 2005
18,490
2,991
Sure, Apple used to do this up until the very late '90s. Some models used other companies' print engines (usually Canon's) while others were simply rebadged HP printers.

I really don't think the profit margins in the mass market printer industry are attractive to Apple. The money is made in the ink refills, and that's pretty far from Apple's core business.
 

MattBook

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 16, 2007
21
0
Surrey, UK
I don't know about what they've done with printers in the past, but I meant just make their own printer, completely apple designed and made for mac!

I guess there might be no point, it could just be that I have **** luck with printers lol but an apple printer would still be cool :p
 

JNB

macrumors 604
You mean something like this?
 

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JNB

macrumors 604
whats that? it says samsung..?

are you asking is that what I'd want it to look like?


No, just that it's fairly Apple-esque, simple, clean, not a lot of exterior detail. More like Apple would do it than most.

Right now, my production printer is an HP 2605n (color laser), and have had zero problems with it in setup, config, use, or management, just like the HP 1200 series it replaced.

Most of the consumer inkjets don't get driven by Macs as seamlessly as one would hope. I've always found HP's to be pretty reliable, as well as good about supporting Macs. Except for the 6-series. Total crap.
 

Warbrain

macrumors 603
Jun 28, 2004
5,702
293
Chicago, IL
Man, the Apple printer I had for ages was the best. I don't recall the exact model anymore, but it lasted longer than any other printer I've had. I still have it, but I have nothing to use it with...
 

zioxide

macrumors 603
Dec 11, 2006
5,737
3,726
ha, I used to have a Color Stylewriter 2400 (or 2600 i dont remember) way back in the day (1995-2000) with the Performa 575
 

thebassoonist

macrumors 6502a
Sep 25, 2007
500
1
Davis, CA
Man, the Apple printer I had for ages was the best. I don't recall the exact model anymore, but it lasted longer than any other printer I've had. I still have it, but I have nothing to use it with...

The Apple printers were awesome... and even if they did work with today's Apple computers... they don't make the cartridges anymore!!
 

MisterMe

macrumors G4
Jul 17, 2002
10,709
69
USA
Sure, Apple used to do this up until the very late '90s. Some models used other companies' print engines (usually Canon's) while others were simply rebadged HP printers.
The AppleWriter and AppleWriter II were based on OkiData print engines. LaserWriter and most of its follow-ons were based on the Canon laser printer engine. The original Apple StyleWriter was based on the Canon bubblejet. Later StyleWriters were rebadged HP DeskJets.

I really don't think the profit margins in the mass market printer industry are attractive to Apple. The money is made in the ink refills, and that's pretty far from Apple's core business.
This is correct. You can buy color inkjet printers for less than $100 US. You can buy genuine PostScript color laser printers for under $1000 US. Printers are so cheap that HP cannot afford to build its own products. Apple thrives on innovation. Where are opportunities to innovate today's printers?

I would love to own an Apple-branded printer. Those days on bygone. I own two PostScript Xerox Phaser duplex color printers, a 8400DP and a 8550DP. They are built like anvils and are as fast as the dickens. Xerox make current HP printers look like the clap traps that they are. They are everything that I would want from Apple.
 

TheReef

macrumors 68000
Sep 30, 2007
1,888
167
NSW, Australia.
We still use an old Apple LaserWriter 12/640 PS. It is the best printer we have ever had. It works seamlessly with Leopard over our network by ethernet. Never had any problems and it's built nice and solid.
 
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