Horrortaxi
Mar 20, 08:32 AM
a hell of alot more people buy IBMs here eg: Toshiba, Hitachi and Sony.
I don't want to sound excessively picky, but only IBM makes IBM computers. Toshiba makes Toshiba computers and Sony makes Sony computers.
I don't want to sound excessively picky, but only IBM makes IBM computers. Toshiba makes Toshiba computers and Sony makes Sony computers.
apb3
Aug 18, 12:49 AM
Add to this the fact that the iPod's storage capacity has remain unchanged for, perhaps, the longest time in iPod history. With video capability, 60GB just isn't that big anymore. Hasn't Seagate had an 80GB 1.8" drive available for several months?
We need to have a new, improved, (and thinner?) form factor, with larger capacity, at the current price point.
But.... I never keep ALL the vids i've downloaded on the iPod. Do you personally need to? or can you do as I do and just uncheck the boxes in the iTunes lib (or use the manual transfer method) for videos you don't want at that time/for that trip?
I usually put enough to last me a trip and a few extra - my oldest son insists on his Clone Wars Vols. 1 and 2 and some Mystic Force Rangers, my youngest, Baby Einstein and some ripped kids shows off of Tivo - not Tivo supported yet on mac but my wife's PC laptop from her lab gets the shows transferred and I muck about with it - COME ON Tivo, get with it!!!! - and I insist on my Streets videos and presentations in Keynote.
On that point, someone mentioned wireless usefullnes in the presentation arena but it is quite easy to just use the iPod as an HD and run it from there or use a dock w/ remote, but I do appreciate/like that wireless idea for this app nonetheless :cool: ; maybe as an add-on like an FM transmitter or iTalk with its own power supply/easily swapped AA, AAA, independently rechargeable or whatever batteries so as to avoid my issues with wireless killing iPod play time capacity during untetherd use?
Not as elegant or "SEXY-WOW!," as mobile OS X or whatever but I've sold quite a few old-time PC guys on the merits of apple by showing them the difference between the real Keynote presentation straight off a mac laptop and the exported - more or less; less mostly - PPT show run from the iPod through their windows box in the briefing area.
The iPod mobile Firefox and the ability to do that with any software really (given the effort and skill) also had them excited. Security, uniforminity and transportability of essential info/prefs/forms data/ pushing info out to such devices in the hands of squad leaders and even the regular soldier/security contractor a la an ITMS type interface are a big concern for us which this type of development provides to a degree.
And the iPod or a mac laptop coupled with Keynote and it's ease of use, clarity and attention grab during the few briefings I've handled has already convinced a few of my superiors to 1) pay for a new mac laptop for me asap and 2) requisition some more on a test basis to work out just how much more secure they are than leaky windows boxes and, I extrapolate, the Zaney or whatever MS will call their iPod Killer if it makes it to market. (comments, ideas, proof-of-concept walk-throughs would be helpful in my crusade in this area. Maybe "Crusade," is a poor choice of words....:rolleyes:
The rest of my family's personal vids, video-grams, "miss you" videos, etc I keep archived in iTunes on one drive location shared by all computers authorized to do so - or backed up somewhere if you'd rather do it that way - but with drive storage getting even more affordable by the minute and the soon to be pervasiveness of Network Drives without the need to log into a "server" as such, I've no issue keeping them (unchecked so they don't sync to the iPod next time) in my regular library shared between all my computers (when I'm at home).
My wife has no issue keeping up with this way of doing things while I'm away and she's not really as computer savvy as I :p and includes a work PC :mad: in the mix. We just point all the home machines to one of our big external drives dedicated to music and video - or you could use an alias on each machine that does the same thing I suppose. She's been able to troubleshoot that herself with minimal input from me after the initial walk-through/discussion of the theory behind it. Once I cycle back to the states and spend some cash we will be able to afford - and I hope I will be able to convince my wife of the necessity of getting netdrives; it'd be convenient for her work from lab - yeah that's it... and we're going to soon need to have separate HDs for music and video with the relevant appps pointed accordingly to the right location. Two, three clicks in the apps pref panel. Easy as making MREs.
This also does away with the need to have shared music libs on the same subnet, duplicating libraries on each machine and thus wasting space, the headaches of making sure we all have the same access to the same libraries or doing backflips/using unsupported hacks to make sure everyone has the latest download purchased on "Machine X" available for all other authorized computers - all you need do is access the drive(s) wherein resides the "real" library you need for that particular app.
That said, being rather far from home at the minute I have been reduced to having a real (read: extra) copy of everything on my laptop here and it's a real pain in the ass. Especially when one of us buys a new track or video and I need to get it FTPd from her to me, me to her or sent some other way back and forth so we all have an actual copy, but this is only temporary one way or the other...:eek: It was just too snail slow doing it the aforementioned way from here.
Depending on quality offered with the alleged movie service, however, a bump to 80Gig wouldn't be bad but I think I could make do with my 60gig with some planning ahead as noted above.
I think we all agree on the need for bigger screen real estate but when you start adding the bigger/better res screen, an HD bump of at least 20gig high end, the no-touch thingy, the wireless everyone but I seems to find useful/feasible, etc... into the price factor, the iPod looses some of it's appeal to the masses and becomes the must-have-tech-geek-mac-fan gadget my gen 1 was way back when.... Oh you should have heard my wife then. And do you still remember being in public with one - the only one? :)
Geeky, but we (or, more precisely, Apple) were right.
Also, the "smaller" form factor you mention would, I think make battery life even less satisfactory for long haul trips w/out the ability to recharge often or at all. Add the wireless some are clamoring for and you might get 30 minutes if you're lucky. Hell, the latest Streets exclusive video is longer than Thriller at 20 minutes!
Tangentially, has anyone else seen the news stories (mostly since the Dell battery issue) about fuel cells or some other sort of power source for these devices that seem to be more and more dangerous from a heat standpoint?
Anyone with some technical background in that area with some insight on cost, size, cell life, feasability for an iPod like device, etc??? Would that make sense in a next gen iPod (and/or laptops, tablets (come on apple! I still love my Newton!!), an iPhone/vid chatter/presentation device thing, etc...??) maybe that's a partial solution to some of my and others' concerns with all this wireless talk and hoped-for new features.
We need to have a new, improved, (and thinner?) form factor, with larger capacity, at the current price point.
But.... I never keep ALL the vids i've downloaded on the iPod. Do you personally need to? or can you do as I do and just uncheck the boxes in the iTunes lib (or use the manual transfer method) for videos you don't want at that time/for that trip?
I usually put enough to last me a trip and a few extra - my oldest son insists on his Clone Wars Vols. 1 and 2 and some Mystic Force Rangers, my youngest, Baby Einstein and some ripped kids shows off of Tivo - not Tivo supported yet on mac but my wife's PC laptop from her lab gets the shows transferred and I muck about with it - COME ON Tivo, get with it!!!! - and I insist on my Streets videos and presentations in Keynote.
On that point, someone mentioned wireless usefullnes in the presentation arena but it is quite easy to just use the iPod as an HD and run it from there or use a dock w/ remote, but I do appreciate/like that wireless idea for this app nonetheless :cool: ; maybe as an add-on like an FM transmitter or iTalk with its own power supply/easily swapped AA, AAA, independently rechargeable or whatever batteries so as to avoid my issues with wireless killing iPod play time capacity during untetherd use?
Not as elegant or "SEXY-WOW!," as mobile OS X or whatever but I've sold quite a few old-time PC guys on the merits of apple by showing them the difference between the real Keynote presentation straight off a mac laptop and the exported - more or less; less mostly - PPT show run from the iPod through their windows box in the briefing area.
The iPod mobile Firefox and the ability to do that with any software really (given the effort and skill) also had them excited. Security, uniforminity and transportability of essential info/prefs/forms data/ pushing info out to such devices in the hands of squad leaders and even the regular soldier/security contractor a la an ITMS type interface are a big concern for us which this type of development provides to a degree.
And the iPod or a mac laptop coupled with Keynote and it's ease of use, clarity and attention grab during the few briefings I've handled has already convinced a few of my superiors to 1) pay for a new mac laptop for me asap and 2) requisition some more on a test basis to work out just how much more secure they are than leaky windows boxes and, I extrapolate, the Zaney or whatever MS will call their iPod Killer if it makes it to market. (comments, ideas, proof-of-concept walk-throughs would be helpful in my crusade in this area. Maybe "Crusade," is a poor choice of words....:rolleyes:
The rest of my family's personal vids, video-grams, "miss you" videos, etc I keep archived in iTunes on one drive location shared by all computers authorized to do so - or backed up somewhere if you'd rather do it that way - but with drive storage getting even more affordable by the minute and the soon to be pervasiveness of Network Drives without the need to log into a "server" as such, I've no issue keeping them (unchecked so they don't sync to the iPod next time) in my regular library shared between all my computers (when I'm at home).
My wife has no issue keeping up with this way of doing things while I'm away and she's not really as computer savvy as I :p and includes a work PC :mad: in the mix. We just point all the home machines to one of our big external drives dedicated to music and video - or you could use an alias on each machine that does the same thing I suppose. She's been able to troubleshoot that herself with minimal input from me after the initial walk-through/discussion of the theory behind it. Once I cycle back to the states and spend some cash we will be able to afford - and I hope I will be able to convince my wife of the necessity of getting netdrives; it'd be convenient for her work from lab - yeah that's it... and we're going to soon need to have separate HDs for music and video with the relevant appps pointed accordingly to the right location. Two, three clicks in the apps pref panel. Easy as making MREs.
This also does away with the need to have shared music libs on the same subnet, duplicating libraries on each machine and thus wasting space, the headaches of making sure we all have the same access to the same libraries or doing backflips/using unsupported hacks to make sure everyone has the latest download purchased on "Machine X" available for all other authorized computers - all you need do is access the drive(s) wherein resides the "real" library you need for that particular app.
That said, being rather far from home at the minute I have been reduced to having a real (read: extra) copy of everything on my laptop here and it's a real pain in the ass. Especially when one of us buys a new track or video and I need to get it FTPd from her to me, me to her or sent some other way back and forth so we all have an actual copy, but this is only temporary one way or the other...:eek: It was just too snail slow doing it the aforementioned way from here.
Depending on quality offered with the alleged movie service, however, a bump to 80Gig wouldn't be bad but I think I could make do with my 60gig with some planning ahead as noted above.
I think we all agree on the need for bigger screen real estate but when you start adding the bigger/better res screen, an HD bump of at least 20gig high end, the no-touch thingy, the wireless everyone but I seems to find useful/feasible, etc... into the price factor, the iPod looses some of it's appeal to the masses and becomes the must-have-tech-geek-mac-fan gadget my gen 1 was way back when.... Oh you should have heard my wife then. And do you still remember being in public with one - the only one? :)
Geeky, but we (or, more precisely, Apple) were right.
Also, the "smaller" form factor you mention would, I think make battery life even less satisfactory for long haul trips w/out the ability to recharge often or at all. Add the wireless some are clamoring for and you might get 30 minutes if you're lucky. Hell, the latest Streets exclusive video is longer than Thriller at 20 minutes!
Tangentially, has anyone else seen the news stories (mostly since the Dell battery issue) about fuel cells or some other sort of power source for these devices that seem to be more and more dangerous from a heat standpoint?
Anyone with some technical background in that area with some insight on cost, size, cell life, feasability for an iPod like device, etc??? Would that make sense in a next gen iPod (and/or laptops, tablets (come on apple! I still love my Newton!!), an iPhone/vid chatter/presentation device thing, etc...??) maybe that's a partial solution to some of my and others' concerns with all this wireless talk and hoped-for new features.
KnightWRX
Mar 24, 01:36 PM
Unless Apple gets clever and uses ThunderBolt for connecting external graphics cards, after all it is a PCI-E based connector.
That's not clever at all. You'd still be stuck with the Intel GPU on the internal screen.
That's not clever at all. You'd still be stuck with the Intel GPU on the internal screen.
evoluzione
Aug 6, 09:27 PM
anyone have any clues to whether the Apple retail stores are goig to be showing the keynote???
razzmatazz
Aug 6, 10:33 PM
Happy WWDC Eve everyone! May tomorrow bring you everything you wanted! :rolleyes: ;) :D
Josh
Am I supposed to leave out cookies? :p :D
Josh
Am I supposed to leave out cookies? :p :D
ssk2
Apr 3, 01:27 PM
The Playbook does NOT exist, until people can buy it and compare it with an existing product. You "Haven't made up your mind yet?" On what conceivable basis could you make up your mind between an actual shipping product and pie-in-the-sky vaporware? How is that rational? It used to be Apple products were only sneered at in comparison with existing competitors. Now they have to compete with every imaginary device anybody can dream up, from the HP Slate to next years "100 x as fast" Tegra 3 barn-burner.
So the fact that you can pre-order the Playbook and it starts to ship in a couple of weeks, means nothing to you? I have the will-power to wait 2 measly weeks to try both damned products before I spend my money on it. Its really that simple.
So the fact that you can pre-order the Playbook and it starts to ship in a couple of weeks, means nothing to you? I have the will-power to wait 2 measly weeks to try both damned products before I spend my money on it. Its really that simple.
anim8or
Sep 6, 08:52 AM
Does anyone think that as we have seen the Mac Mini's update was just a speed bump, that the MacBook will only see a speed bump too.
There has been a debate as to whether the MacBook will see 'merom' this year, i think that the evidence speaks for itself... ...not til next year.
Here is how i see it;
Mac Mini, MacBook White - Consumer models - Core Duo til late this year or early next
iMac, MacBook Black - Bridge between consumer and pro - Core 2 Duo (Possibly not in the BlackBook but perhaps as an option?)
Mac Pro, MacBook Pro - Pro Models - Core 2 Duo
Just my opinion... ...what does everyone else think?
There has been a debate as to whether the MacBook will see 'merom' this year, i think that the evidence speaks for itself... ...not til next year.
Here is how i see it;
Mac Mini, MacBook White - Consumer models - Core Duo til late this year or early next
iMac, MacBook Black - Bridge between consumer and pro - Core 2 Duo (Possibly not in the BlackBook but perhaps as an option?)
Mac Pro, MacBook Pro - Pro Models - Core 2 Duo
Just my opinion... ...what does everyone else think?
Manic Mouse
Aug 26, 05:57 AM
Oh I can be sure that a Conroe placed in an iMac will run into the volume constraints and effective heat dissipation of the heat sink when compared to a full blown BTX tower.
The original G5 and the Rev. B (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/IMacG5guts.png) stuck with the wonderful heat channel. The 17" models ran a lot hotter then the 20" due to the internal design and volume.
The Rev. C (http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/imac_isight_internals/imac_g5_isight_inside.html) and Intel use similar internal layouts with the CPU and power supply toward the top of the machine.
Here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/inju/88928219/) is a good comparison.
Watch the WWDC keynote and note that the xserves now use Woodcrest which has a higher TDP than Conroe (95W compared to 65W). Also note what they say about Woodcrest having a better thermal environment that the G5's they were using before which were the same G5's (non-dual core) that the iMac used I believe. Conroe has better thermal characteristics than G5's, the Mac Pro and xserve prove that.
iMac will get Conroe. 2.4Ghz and 2.66Ghz. Conroe is the best value for performance processor that Intel are offering, so they need to use it SOMEWHERE in their lineup.
The original G5 and the Rev. B (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/IMacG5guts.png) stuck with the wonderful heat channel. The 17" models ran a lot hotter then the 20" due to the internal design and volume.
The Rev. C (http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/imac_isight_internals/imac_g5_isight_inside.html) and Intel use similar internal layouts with the CPU and power supply toward the top of the machine.
Here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/inju/88928219/) is a good comparison.
Watch the WWDC keynote and note that the xserves now use Woodcrest which has a higher TDP than Conroe (95W compared to 65W). Also note what they say about Woodcrest having a better thermal environment that the G5's they were using before which were the same G5's (non-dual core) that the iMac used I believe. Conroe has better thermal characteristics than G5's, the Mac Pro and xserve prove that.
iMac will get Conroe. 2.4Ghz and 2.66Ghz. Conroe is the best value for performance processor that Intel are offering, so they need to use it SOMEWHERE in their lineup.
Eraserhead
Nov 28, 11:23 AM
I remember playing on an XBox soon after it came out, it had Halo and a Hard drive, which made it better hardware-wise than the PS2 and it had a really good exclusive game (though GTA which is on the PS2 is better). So I don't think the XBox was too bad really. I don't think comparisons can be made with the Zune this time.
Tailpike1153
Mar 22, 03:50 PM
The chance that the iPod Classic is updated to 220GB is zero. Apple has no plans to ever update a hard drive based non-touch portable device (they would not waste their time), and they've shown even less interest in increasing the capacity of any device beyond even 64GB flash.
Tony
Is Apple's 64GB falsh memory ceiling a reflection of the market place or that Apple is now run by profit hungry cheapskates?
Tony
Is Apple's 64GB falsh memory ceiling a reflection of the market place or that Apple is now run by profit hungry cheapskates?
bmk
Apr 3, 05:32 AM
Since so many of the units purchased in the last two weeks are destined for resale overseas (read the Asian scalper threads) have not even made it into the hands of the end-user, you have no idea how many will be returned.
Ah, the fine sound of someone clutching at straws...
You'd do better to revise your opinion with a little more research and analysis, rather than keep digging yourself into ever more ridiculous holes in an argument you don't even realise you have lost.
Ah, the fine sound of someone clutching at straws...
You'd do better to revise your opinion with a little more research and analysis, rather than keep digging yourself into ever more ridiculous holes in an argument you don't even realise you have lost.
paul4339
Apr 27, 01:20 AM
...Thats the exact same thing going on here with App store. Companies trademark "generic" terms all the time. Most trademarks ARE generic. But once it becomes used to associate a brand or product, its no longer generic.
I think that's the point MS was making with it's objection, citing that Eastern Airlines had tried to trademark "Shuttle", and even though people associated Shuttle with Eastern, because the word was used so often, "shuttle" had (or became?) a "de-facto secondary" meaning. The courts ruled against Eastern and all the other airlines (New York airlines shuttle, Delta shuttle, etc) were allowed to use the word. MS then pointed out a list of examples of how 'app store' is used and has now attained a "de-facto secondary' meaning too. (I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just pointing out the Microsoft's case)
I think that's the point MS was making with it's objection, citing that Eastern Airlines had tried to trademark "Shuttle", and even though people associated Shuttle with Eastern, because the word was used so often, "shuttle" had (or became?) a "de-facto secondary" meaning. The courts ruled against Eastern and all the other airlines (New York airlines shuttle, Delta shuttle, etc) were allowed to use the word. MS then pointed out a list of examples of how 'app store' is used and has now attained a "de-facto secondary' meaning too. (I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just pointing out the Microsoft's case)
wmmk
Jul 13, 11:08 PM
I bet it will be BTO when it is introduced at WWDC.
I'd think the option would come a bit later. I mean, who wants an optical drive that can currently play nothing and burn to nothing which will cost them $500-$1000 on a machine that is already very pricey.
I'd think the option would come a bit later. I mean, who wants an optical drive that can currently play nothing and burn to nothing which will cost them $500-$1000 on a machine that is already very pricey.
spencers
Jan 2, 05:42 PM
My daily driver
http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/7117/img713imageshack.jpg (http://img714.imageshack.us/i/img713imageshack.jpg/)
the cockpit
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/9210/img0712h.jpg (http://img205.imageshack.us/i/img0712h.jpg/)
http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/7117/img713imageshack.jpg (http://img714.imageshack.us/i/img713imageshack.jpg/)
the cockpit
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/9210/img0712h.jpg (http://img205.imageshack.us/i/img0712h.jpg/)
Gatesbasher
Apr 2, 09:14 PM
It's interesting how the talking points all seem to converge on any given day�today it's "light bleed". But of course, no one's orchestrating them so it's all a big coincidence. Right?
I think 90% of the issue is that this is the biggest LCD screen people have ever held this close to their face, and some are just now noticing that the LCD pixels can never be perfectly opaque.
This is a big reason why video purists prefer plasma or DLP TVs�they can deliver a much "blacker black". (But then, "video purist" is becoming just as much of an epithet as "audiophile" when someone is telling us that "nobody can possibly tell the difference" between CD-quality and 128 kps.) It's also why, in printing they have black ink as well as cyan, magenta, and yellow�because they're translucent and can never add up to completely opaque black.
Obviously the fact that "black" isn't completely black bothers some people more than others, and the fact they noticed that fact for the first time on an Apple product makes it Apple's fault. It bothers me moderately, but I realize it's just a feature of backlit LCDs and get on with my life.
I'm not one of those people screaming for OLED screens, because I know they won't save any power and I'm unconvinced of their longevity, especially in the humid environment I live in, but they would eliminate that one problem.
I think 90% of the issue is that this is the biggest LCD screen people have ever held this close to their face, and some are just now noticing that the LCD pixels can never be perfectly opaque.
This is a big reason why video purists prefer plasma or DLP TVs�they can deliver a much "blacker black". (But then, "video purist" is becoming just as much of an epithet as "audiophile" when someone is telling us that "nobody can possibly tell the difference" between CD-quality and 128 kps.) It's also why, in printing they have black ink as well as cyan, magenta, and yellow�because they're translucent and can never add up to completely opaque black.
Obviously the fact that "black" isn't completely black bothers some people more than others, and the fact they noticed that fact for the first time on an Apple product makes it Apple's fault. It bothers me moderately, but I realize it's just a feature of backlit LCDs and get on with my life.
I'm not one of those people screaming for OLED screens, because I know they won't save any power and I'm unconvinced of their longevity, especially in the humid environment I live in, but they would eliminate that one problem.
jxyama
Mar 19, 04:44 PM
well for just once I would like the fastest single cpu in one of the consumer models and give it a good video card. thats all not asking for the world.
for "consumer prices"? doubtful, because you are asking for a top-notch gaming machine. it's not a consumer machine at all. so why should it be priced as such?
do you call a PC with PIV EE with a top notch radeon video card "consumer"? is it priced as "consumer" machine?
for "consumer prices"? doubtful, because you are asking for a top-notch gaming machine. it's not a consumer machine at all. so why should it be priced as such?
do you call a PC with PIV EE with a top notch radeon video card "consumer"? is it priced as "consumer" machine?
ssspinball
Sep 14, 10:17 AM
I'm a satisfied iPhone 4 owner, but what CR is doing is perfectly reasonable/logical. Kudos to them.
antmarobel
Apr 1, 05:46 PM
Last version of Little Snitch, which was working fine on Preview 1 is no longer working.
miketcool
Aug 16, 08:30 AM
The next iPod will have a new interface. The newest addition to the current lineup of devices will let you call your mom. Both will let you play video, but maybe, there is a better device coming making the total entry 3.
Phone
iPod
Video Device
Phone
iPod
Video Device
Lord Blackadder
Mar 4, 02:27 PM
In many ways, it's shameful today that we think that 60 or even 70mpg is somehow remarkable for a family car. :(
It certainly could be significantly higher. Public taste, laziness on the part of manufacturers and other things have all conspired to keep the bar set low on fuel economy.
In the US, there's one key reason why small cars don't sell (above and beyond the reasons I already listed), and that is that popular wisdom holds that you will die in a small car when someone in a large SUV or truck hits you. It's a self-fulfilling prophesy as people buy big cars because they don't feel safe in small ones, with the result that they become part of the "problem". Ultimately it's down to selfishness. Apparently people would rather kill someone else in an accident than risk being killed themselves.
It's idiotic, but this "wisdom" will only be unlearned slowly. Smaller cars are much safer now then they once were - safer than trucks and SUVs.
By way of a postscript, it's worth pointing out that today's safety and environmental regulations make it more difficult to make a car frugal, small and light than it was when Alec Issigonis designed the Mini. Also, aluminum construction (in smaller production cars such as the A2) remains nearly as rare and expensive as it was in the 50s.
But not the brand image... that could perhaps be the biggest stumbling block of all, it certainly is in Europe anyway.
True, and that's a shame, because brand image often matters than a car's actual merits. If the new Jetta is a turd, people will still buy it because the VW badge has cachet here that GM does not, at least in the realm of small cars.
I'm not going to stand up too much for GM, I've never held a high opinion of most of their products, but I have reasonably read good reviews of the Cruze and I hope they bring the diesel here.
Have to say my preference is for saloons... occasionally an estate (particularly A4 & A6 allroads, also 159 Sportwagons, that sort of thing), hatches (the bigger ones anyway) & estates can/tend to be a little boomy in my experience. Saloons also often have better body rigidity too.
The sedan body is the default in the US. Hatches and wagons are much rarer and therefore more interesting. In Europe it's really the other way around. When you're talking about mid-size or larger cars, sedans do generally have better proportions in my opinion (with a few exceptions - I like 5-Series wagon, and the 1990s Subaru Legacy wagon). Hatches look good on small cars though. The Focus, for example, looked stupid as a sedan but great as a hatch.
I do agree with you about the noise though - my Forester's rear suspension is sometimes very audible in the cabin, especially with the seats down. A few years before I bought my Forester, I used to mock it as the ugliest thing on the road, but I've gotten used to it and while it's never going to be attractive it does have a certain pleasing purposefulness in its proportions. Even though a lesbian couple I know call it my lesbian wagon. :rolleyes::D
It certainly could be significantly higher. Public taste, laziness on the part of manufacturers and other things have all conspired to keep the bar set low on fuel economy.
In the US, there's one key reason why small cars don't sell (above and beyond the reasons I already listed), and that is that popular wisdom holds that you will die in a small car when someone in a large SUV or truck hits you. It's a self-fulfilling prophesy as people buy big cars because they don't feel safe in small ones, with the result that they become part of the "problem". Ultimately it's down to selfishness. Apparently people would rather kill someone else in an accident than risk being killed themselves.
It's idiotic, but this "wisdom" will only be unlearned slowly. Smaller cars are much safer now then they once were - safer than trucks and SUVs.
By way of a postscript, it's worth pointing out that today's safety and environmental regulations make it more difficult to make a car frugal, small and light than it was when Alec Issigonis designed the Mini. Also, aluminum construction (in smaller production cars such as the A2) remains nearly as rare and expensive as it was in the 50s.
But not the brand image... that could perhaps be the biggest stumbling block of all, it certainly is in Europe anyway.
True, and that's a shame, because brand image often matters than a car's actual merits. If the new Jetta is a turd, people will still buy it because the VW badge has cachet here that GM does not, at least in the realm of small cars.
I'm not going to stand up too much for GM, I've never held a high opinion of most of their products, but I have reasonably read good reviews of the Cruze and I hope they bring the diesel here.
Have to say my preference is for saloons... occasionally an estate (particularly A4 & A6 allroads, also 159 Sportwagons, that sort of thing), hatches (the bigger ones anyway) & estates can/tend to be a little boomy in my experience. Saloons also often have better body rigidity too.
The sedan body is the default in the US. Hatches and wagons are much rarer and therefore more interesting. In Europe it's really the other way around. When you're talking about mid-size or larger cars, sedans do generally have better proportions in my opinion (with a few exceptions - I like 5-Series wagon, and the 1990s Subaru Legacy wagon). Hatches look good on small cars though. The Focus, for example, looked stupid as a sedan but great as a hatch.
I do agree with you about the noise though - my Forester's rear suspension is sometimes very audible in the cabin, especially with the seats down. A few years before I bought my Forester, I used to mock it as the ugliest thing on the road, but I've gotten used to it and while it's never going to be attractive it does have a certain pleasing purposefulness in its proportions. Even though a lesbian couple I know call it my lesbian wagon. :rolleyes::D
4God
Nov 27, 03:26 PM
I don't understand this. Apple has carried a 20" monitor as their low end for two years. Why offer something even smaller after so long? This seems like a step backwards.
Exactly, as someone here said earlier, "the 20" is the new 17"
Exactly, as someone here said earlier, "the 20" is the new 17"
groovebuster
Apr 11, 01:39 AM
The only automatic I've ever owned was a car that was only ever made in auto form: a Jaguar XK8. Fortunately in the UK most mainstream cars are still available in manual.
There is another disturbing trend though: many modern manual cars (VAG group cars I'm look at you) won't let you use all three pedals at once. This is terrible for the spirited driver as you cannot heal and toe down the box. Kills the slight enjoyment one might get from driving a bland hatchback like a Golf.
It is only a question of how fast you can shift and how good your are with the clutch and the throttle. There is no need to use all three pedals at once, when you know what you are doing. If you want proof, come over to my place and I will go fast with you on some country roads with and you won't even notice that I am shifting gears, except from the different noise the engine is doing.
In the old times "Heel and Toe" was interesting especially for Rallye drivers who wanted to get the RWD car into a controlled drift by using the throttle and the brake at the same time. Something you will not be able to do with a FWD Golf anyway.
There is another disturbing trend though: many modern manual cars (VAG group cars I'm look at you) won't let you use all three pedals at once. This is terrible for the spirited driver as you cannot heal and toe down the box. Kills the slight enjoyment one might get from driving a bland hatchback like a Golf.
It is only a question of how fast you can shift and how good your are with the clutch and the throttle. There is no need to use all three pedals at once, when you know what you are doing. If you want proof, come over to my place and I will go fast with you on some country roads with and you won't even notice that I am shifting gears, except from the different noise the engine is doing.
In the old times "Heel and Toe" was interesting especially for Rallye drivers who wanted to get the RWD car into a controlled drift by using the throttle and the brake at the same time. Something you will not be able to do with a FWD Golf anyway.
takao
Mar 4, 06:12 PM
But not the brand image... that could perhaps be the biggest stumbling block of all, it certainly is in Europe anyway.
Personally... I don't think GM have a clue, and that's one of the reasons why they got themselves into one almighty hell of a mess, and only time will tell if they can get themselves out of it. I'm still of the opinion that GM's decision to attempt to introduce Chevrolet into the European market will ultimately prove futile.
the Daewoo -> Chevrolet re-branding in europe has been more or less the best business move GM has made perhaps in the last decade
with every "had been Daewoo" model getting replaced over the years sales picked up ... even more so in eastern europe
sure their styling isn't bold o nthe interieur and on the front of the cars very US taste like but i suspect the korean Chevrolet brand is the safest in their whole portfolio
what is really their big trainwreck is still Opel. Their "bail us out ... no wait .. yeah bail us out .. not on your conditions .. we are ready to sign the deal any minute .. except we are not" theather they played with the german government tarnished their brand for years to coem especially in the heads of workers and lower middle class
their bread-n-butter models Astra and Corsa has just been upgraded but as soon as "cash for clunkers" programs ended their sales tanked hard
especially as opel lacks any brand positioning at all: are they a cheap brand or a premium brand, a sporty one or a comforty one ? Opel as all over the place and tries to sell cars in every space possible
which is in a contrast to the japanese/korean brands which in europe over the last few years streamlined a lot: nearly all brands stopped offering premium sedans or upper market offerings and rather concentrated on SUVs/ crossovers and small offroaders and small minivans, compacts or small hatchbacks
just try looking for an affordable coupe-sedan styled car... or any other 'sporty' looking car below 25.000 euro which isn't a hatchback
Personally... I don't think GM have a clue, and that's one of the reasons why they got themselves into one almighty hell of a mess, and only time will tell if they can get themselves out of it. I'm still of the opinion that GM's decision to attempt to introduce Chevrolet into the European market will ultimately prove futile.
the Daewoo -> Chevrolet re-branding in europe has been more or less the best business move GM has made perhaps in the last decade
with every "had been Daewoo" model getting replaced over the years sales picked up ... even more so in eastern europe
sure their styling isn't bold o nthe interieur and on the front of the cars very US taste like but i suspect the korean Chevrolet brand is the safest in their whole portfolio
what is really their big trainwreck is still Opel. Their "bail us out ... no wait .. yeah bail us out .. not on your conditions .. we are ready to sign the deal any minute .. except we are not" theather they played with the german government tarnished their brand for years to coem especially in the heads of workers and lower middle class
their bread-n-butter models Astra and Corsa has just been upgraded but as soon as "cash for clunkers" programs ended their sales tanked hard
especially as opel lacks any brand positioning at all: are they a cheap brand or a premium brand, a sporty one or a comforty one ? Opel as all over the place and tries to sell cars in every space possible
which is in a contrast to the japanese/korean brands which in europe over the last few years streamlined a lot: nearly all brands stopped offering premium sedans or upper market offerings and rather concentrated on SUVs/ crossovers and small offroaders and small minivans, compacts or small hatchbacks
just try looking for an affordable coupe-sedan styled car... or any other 'sporty' looking car below 25.000 euro which isn't a hatchback
Changen
Feb 23, 05:35 PM
Yeah im working on the mess my gf kind of took over the office and ironicy is the messy one of the two of us. I got both of those imacs from my father when I bought the house both of them are filled with music but other than that they just sit.
No comments:
Post a Comment