Should Apple bring out a Prosumer cheap tower?
Should apple bring out a cheap(less than 1200$ or so) tower for the "prosumer" user who knows how to add PCI cards add a drive here and there add more RAM add another hdd etc. I think they should not as I don't see how any more than 10% of the whole computer market(I know about 95% of the people here though) would fit into that range. I say no because 10% is too small especially since you could get a Dell or something way cheaper. I dont think it would be worth the money. What do you think?
Comments
Apple still makes those classic iMacs. Why not let some other guys do it, so Apple can use its manufacturing facilities to generate more higher-end machines?
<strong>I for one would like to see a lower end model. Say around $1200.00 fully upgradeable of course. Then one could upgrade as finances are available.</strong><hr></blockquote>
That's exactly what I think the Cube should've been. $1200, have at least 1 PCI slot, and be more expandable for the people who don't wanna spend the money on a Pro Tower.
People like me would gobble them up. They're what most people want...a cheap machine that they can add a 17 or 19" CRT to (no, a 15" TFT is NOT equal to a 17" CRT), a Soundblaster, decent video card, and their old hard drive.
But Apple couldn't have too large a profit margin, and it might eat slightly into the Pro tower sales. Since Apple is greedy, there will be nothing of this sort.
The problem is what devides prosumer from pro and consumer. The answer is not the same for everybody.
Also, a model like this would probably keep the towers at their current prices when some people would like them cheaper.
putting all that aside, you'd want the product to be priced between a high-end imac w/ its 15'' flatscreen and a low-end powermac with a 15'' display. that means pricing the new box somewhere between $1800 and $2300. with a $500 difference between them, i don't see much room in the middle.
[right now i'd say it's a very dangerous proposition. you don't want to introduce anything that would cannibalize imac sales which are already busy cannibalizing low-end powermac sales. there really isn't enough gap between the performance of the high-end imac and the lower end powermac to leave room for something in the middle.
putting all that aside, you'd want the product to be priced between a high-end imac w/ its 15'' flatscreen and a low-end powermac with a 15'' display. that means pricing the new box somewhere between $1800 and $2300. with a $500 difference between them, i don't see much room in the middle. <hr></blockquote>I agree with you 100%. It is to tight between the highend iMac and a lowend PowerMac with a 15' monitor. Apple would have to lower the price of the iMac, which is not going to happen for a while. Maybe in a year of a year in half, Apple can phase out the Original iMac, and replace it with the new iMac with the Original iMac prices in the range of $999-$1500. Then Apple would have enough room to play with a lowend PowerMac that is dirt cheap and expandable. <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
[ 01-27-2002: Message edited by: Mac_OS_X_Addict ]</p>
One would be similar to what you describe. Something with perhaps one PCI slot, room for two optical drives, upgradable CPU and graphics card, USB and Firewire ports on the front.
A second would be an ultra-cheap but lower spec'd tower. Something like a 600MHz or so G4, 512MB memory, 10GB HD, ultra simple graphics, standard complement of USB and FW, three PCI slots, robust power supply, 10/100 Ethernet. Price would be somewhere around $500. The idea would be to have something that could be used in industry and academia for dedicated applications. You could use them for a variety of embedded applications. They could be combined in large, dispersed networks in measurement and control applications. With OS X you get the stability and reliability of Unix. As an Apple product you the familiarity of using the same thing you have on your desktop for development and data interpretation. Because of the dumbed down video and such this would not be a machine that would appeal to consumers.
As to whether this would really be good for Apple, who knows?
Then, just drop the low end model to around $1400 or so, and add one extra mid-range model. This way people on a budget can still buy a Mac Tower, choose what monitor they use it with.
The iMac is a good computer, but it doesn't meet everyone's needs, no matter how awesome it is. Some people want a Mac, but they want a monitor larger than 15" viewable, or they already have a display and don't want to buy another one. Furthermore, what about people who want to upgrade the video card for gaming, or use a SCSI card so they don't have to replace all their peripherals?
I believe there is a huge market out there for a low-priced tower, and Apple loses Wintel converts because they lack a good, expandable computer in the $1000-$1500 range. The low end Powermac is simply too expensive for most people. I think that Apple should have gotten the hint back when the best selling mac was the discontinued PMG4 400 MHz for $1300--I bought one of those and even though the CPU was a bit dated when I bought it, I'm totally satisfied with it, much more than if I had bought an iMac.
One thing to remember is that the needs and wants of Mac/computer enthusiasts are only a small part of the market, therefore a Mac built to the specifications wanted by Mac enthusiasts such as ourselves would not be practical.
Bottom line, Apple should stick to the four product matrix, lower prices a bit, but most importantly they must continue to innovate!
The Cube was in my opinion the best Mac ever made: powerful, silent, beautiful, and expandable to an extent, but did not sell because of the price. Even if the thing had a PCi slot or two I don;t think that would have helped. In my opinion Apple needs to cut $300 dollars off each of its product lines, then it will be more competitive price wise with its competitors.
One thing to remember is that the needs and wants of Mac/computer enthusiasts are only a small part of the market, therefore a Mac built to the specifications wanted by Mac enthusiasts such as ourselves would not be practical.
Bottom line, Apple should stick to the four product matrix, lower prices a bit, but most importantly they must continue to innovate! <hr></blockquote>Very well put; the Cube was a disaster since the beginning. When it first came out I thought that it was really cool, but the price simply turned me off. Apple should lower the prices of its products to a point where they still make a profit, but are not ripping off the customer as they have in the past. Apple has some great products, but if Steve wants to get 6 down, 94 to go, etc, he has to lower the price; however, Steve is in the right direction with the new iMac as its price is quite reasonable. <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
Mac's don't deprishiat(bad spelling I have) like PC's, mainly cuz of the quality and rarety.
[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: WeEeEeEdAsH ]</p>
Well, it depends if you want to survive in certain markets. I know about several web companies abandoning the mac even for graphics because of the price of the powermac. You can even get two Dell`s for one iMac without CDRW etc. which is simply not needed for many tasks.
Since ugly Win2000 the PC`s even work reliably. Apple has to bring out a cheaper Powermac to remain competitive in some businesses during recession. Easy to get, I think