Steve Job's vision of a future "Mac Pro"

[tamvly]

About what? The million+ servers is a widely and repeatedly used estimate of Google's number of servers. The million square foot Apple server farm is real, and it's truly massive on a whole new scale.

Look, I don't want to get into a p*ss*ng contest about who has more servers. Nor do I wish to hijack the thread.

If you think that Apple is going to out-Google Google, fine. My sense is that you are incorrect, but you're entitled to your opinion. Let's leave it at that.

For some insight into Google you might read In the Plex.

 

[ActionableMango]

Look, I don't want to get into a p*ss*ng contest about who has more servers. Nor do I wish to hijack the thread.

If you think that Apple is going to out-Google Google, fine. My sense is that you are incorrect, but you're entitled to your opinion. Let's leave it at that.

There is no pissing contest because I don't disagree with you. Apple is not going to out-Google Google. That's not my opinion at all and I never said any such thing.

I only used Google as a reference for the colossal size of Apple's server building, which is empty, and could be used for anything, but almost certainly not indexing the Internet.

 

[IceMacMac]

What I keep wondering is how Apple plans to monetize that massive NC farm.

Maybe its no more than a massive mobileMe upgrade. But I can't help but wonder if there isn't more to it than that.

Is Apple just interested in massive storage with the facility...Or do they want to build a processing power plant with almost "nuclear" capability?

If Apple computers and iDevices "outsourced" both storage and higher end processing to big farms consider how small future devices could be. And consider the reduction in battery requirements.

Any Apple device...even a forthcoming Apple iWristWatch would have the processing power of a MacPro X 1,000+ and virtually limitless storage.

 

[DisMyMac]

If Apple computers and iDevices "outsourced" both storage and higher end processing to big farms consider how small future devices could be. And consider the reduction in battery requirements.

Any Apple device...even a forthcoming Apple iWristWatch would have the processing power of a MacPro X 1,000+ and virtually limitless storage.

Not just storage and processing - they should also take over input and output functions.... Why do or own anything when it can all be outsourced? Humans should stop reproducing and let androids create a perfect artificial world.

 

[deconstruct60]

What I keep wondering is how Apple plans to monetize that massive NC farm.

They are taking a 30% cut from everything sold through their online store. They are taking a 40% cut from the advertising. Part of the data center is spent on data mining the habits of their 200+ million customers. Tracking trends, buying habits , etc. WalMart has one of largest datawarehouses in retail that they have spent many millions on. Apple is just catching up. Fourth, they are charging for cloud services .... start doing backups to iCould and see if things are still free for most users. Finally, they can just put a $1 tax on all the 'free' cloud services that come with each device. That's were they will make the money back. It is not a deep mystery.

They have several hundred million users (200+ Million iTunes accounts). At $1/user/year that is a several hundred million revenue stream. In 5 years, that is at least a $1B. It isn't that hard.

That building is also extremely likely not completely full. It doesn't cost alot to maintain a 1/2 or 3/4 empty building.

Apple has had a large data center for many years and still managed to sock away billions in spare change. This is just a second one that is bit bigger.

 

[goMac]

They're also counting iCloud as revenue as part of every iOS/Mac sale (in since iCloud is free.) They mentioned that on their last earnings call.

 

[deconstruct60]

They're also counting iCloud as revenue as part of every iOS/Mac sale (in since iCloud is free.) They mentioned that on their last earnings call.

iCloud isn't free, it is bundled. So they are taking $22 out of every Mac sale (http://www.macnn.com/articles/11/07/19/eps.guidance.low.due.to.product.transition/) and assigning it to iClould. That is somewhat a mushy number because it would almost have to correspond to the Mac's usable service lifetime. (Mac OS X updates being $29 would put the software contribution at $7 which isn't particularly believable.)

Apple is so flush with cash they are mostly just moving the money from one quarter to some others with funny money accounting gimmicks. In a year or two once iCloud is firmly planted there will be some other nebulous "future thingy" that they will deffer revenue for. They can 'wink in' parts of these $22 carve outs whenever it doesn't look like the quarter is "hot" enough.

If all customers used the "free" iCloud it would fold in a two or three years... that's isn't where a significant fraction of the money is going to come from. The $22 is to get you hooked until most start paying. (i.e., the first crack rock is free).

 

[IceMacMac]

Apple doesn't just mimic other companies and rarely do they enter something without re-inventing it.

There is the cloud computing that everybody talks about and thinks it understands...and then there is cloud computing as Apple envisions it.

And whereas I have zero doubt that Apple could absorb the cost of a new service or massive data center with spare change left in its file cabinets...that's not Apple's style.

If they are promoting the cloud bigtime it's because they envision a way to profit from it bigtime.

 

[goMac]

Apple doesn't just mimic other companies and rarely do they enter something without re-inventing it.

.....

If they are promoting the cloud bigtime it's because they envision a way to profit from it bigtime.

Bwahahahahha... haha... ahhhhh... : sniffle :

Apple has launched 4 different clouds since 2000. None of them being game changers or even profitable.

Waiting for that cloud re-invention annnny day now. I'd be ecstatic if Apple could just get their cloud junk mail working right.

(And I say that as a semi happy MobileMe user who was on iTools at launch.)

 

[getz76]

Apple doesn't just mimic other companies and rarely do they enter something without re-inventing it.

Haha! Check your fanboyitis.

Ask Sony, Xerox, Klausner Technologies, Mirror Worlds, Kodak, etc. what they think about that.

 

[IceMacMac]

Haha! Check your fanboyitis.

Ask Sony, Xerox, Klausner Technologies, Mirror Worlds, Kodak, etc. what they think about that.

I'm no Apple fan boy. For pro machines...I am beginning my migration to Windows.

But who can doubt that when Apple fixes it's laser-sights on something with full intention...there is innovation...and mega profit to follow.

 

[zephonic]

Haha! Check your fanboyitis.

Ask Sony, Xerox, Klausner Technologies, Mirror Worlds, Kodak, etc. what they think about that.

I think IceMacMac is right.

All the individual technologies may exist, but Apple certainly has a knack for combining the right technologies in the right way and thereby creating a product that really is "new". Just because they didn't invent the core technologies does not make them any less innovative.

Microsoft had the tablet for years....nothing.

Everybody was doing smartphones....the wrong way.

Creative had mp3 players long before the iPod....schnooze.

I was one the skeptics who said online music distribution would never work because of rampant piracy....now I rarely buy CD's anymore.


Does Apple invent all of the core technologies? No. But who is the bigger innovator? The man who thought up the principle of combustion or the guy who made the first motor car? And does it all really matter anyway?

You don't have to be a fanboi to recognize that Apple DOES invent.

 

[goMac]

I think IceMacMac is right.

All the individual technologies may exist, but Apple certainly has a knack for combining the right technologies in the right way and thereby creating a product that really is "new". Just because they didn't invent the core technologies does not make them any less innovative.

Microsoft had the tablet for years....nothing.

Everybody was doing smartphones....the wrong way.

Creative had mp3 players long before the iPod....schnooze.

I was one the skeptics who said online music distribution would never work because of rampant piracy....now I rarely buy CD's anymore.


Does Apple invent all of the core technologies? No. But who is the bigger innovator? The man who thought up the principle of combustion or the guy who made the first motor car? And does it all really matter anyway?

You don't have to be a fanboi to recognize that Apple DOES invent.

But there isn't anything new in iCloud. It's a rebrand of MobileMe (which is a rebrand of .Mac which was a rebrand of iTools).

Everything in iCloud was present in .Mac. Including document storage by applications and syncing.

I'm not sure why iCloud would be seen as a new product. It's not. It's just another rebrand of iTools that launched in 2000. At least they've taken it back to being a free product like it was at launch. This would be like if they launched a new MP3 player after having produced a series of unsuccessful MP3 players for the last 11 years, except this one comes in black instead of white.

 

[derbothaus]

Mostly marketing. The parts are there. Apple tells you they put them together "magically" and that seems to be more than enough. The iPad is a total joke to me (worthless consuming device for very low quality media). Same as SUV fad that came on totally strong as oil was in decline. They make great stuff, sometimes. They also make bone-headed decisions and never apologize for them.

 

[zephonic]

But there isn't anything new in iCloud. It's a rebrand of MobileMe (which is a rebrand of .Mac which was a rebrand of iTools).

Everything in iCloud was present in .Mac. Including document storage by applications and syncing.

I'm not sure why iCloud would be seen as a new product. It's not. It's just another rebrand of iTools that launched in 2000. At least they've taken it back to being a free product like it was at launch. This would be like if they launched a new MP3 player after having produced a series of unsuccessful MP3 players for the last 11 years, except this one comes in black instead of white.

Oh, OK. I wasn't talking about iCloud. I was responding to this:

Haha! Check your fanboyitis.

Ask Sony, Xerox, Klausner Technologies, Mirror Worlds, Kodak, etc. what they think about that.

I'll add the quote to my previous post.

 

[IceMacMac]

Oh, OK. I wasn't talking about iCloud. I was responding to this:

Nobody except goMac could get this confused. iCloud 1.0's announced features offers ZEO of the things i'm talking about.

I have clearly *not* been talking about the limited services in iCloud 1.0. As the post originator I think everybody should be altogether clear by now that I'm talking about a future service...call it iCluster or CloudPro...

Call it Mac Pro.