Conroe "Refresh" coming
Here's some new info.
Of course, so far we don't USE these chips...
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=4589
Of course, so far we don't USE these chips...
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=4589
Comments
Of course, so far we don't USE these chips...
And nothing to suggest Apple ever will.
Oh how I wish a mid level mac tower would appear from the sky with these chips at macworld.
Does anyone know what the street price comparison would be between (2) 2 GHz Woodcrests + mobo (comparable to what Apple is using) and a single non Extreme top clocked Conroe + mobo (comparable to what Apple would use)?
Does anyone know what the street price comparison would be between (2) 2 GHz Woodcrests + mobo (comparable to what Apple is using) and a single non Extreme top clocked Conroe + mobo (comparable to what Apple would use)?
2.0ghz Xeon 5130 $337.99
2.0ghz Xeon 5130 $337.99
Intel 5000x motherboard: 454.99
Total: $1131
Intel P965 motherboard $110
2.66ghz Core 2 Duo E6700 $500
Total: $610
use a 2.4ghz E6600 and it drops to about $425.
For consumer applications, those conroes will wipe the floor with the twin Xeons.
Based on those numbers and a grain of salt, Apple should be able to offer a 2.66 GHz Conroe tower at $1499. Problem is they don't seem to want to.
Yes I know this all too well. If they did I'd be using a new Mac instead of thinking over which option I dislike the least.
And nothing to suggest Apple ever will.
You can never say never with Apple about anything.
Apple should be able to offer a 2.66 GHz Conroe tower at $1499. Problem is they don't seem to want to.
That's difficult to say for sure. There is a lot of strategy in business decisions. They want to leverage higher margin sales as much as possible.
If I were Apple I would not launch a lower cost desktop right near after the launch of a redesigned expensive MacPro. I would wait a couple of quarters for MacPro sales to cool then launch the lower cost desktop.
I would definitely go for the above mentioned config for obvious reasons: Cheaper, cheaper RAM, Possible smaller mini tower form factor etc...
You could try what I did. Do a feedback to Apple stating you won't buy a Mac till something of this ilk is released. I know the feedback page is OS X related, but if they get enough of this type of feedback they might listen. Then again they may not! It's worth a try though.
I would say Apple would have to price such a tower somewhere between $1500-$1800 to keep it between the iMacs/minis and Mac Pro.
I guess a bit of patience is required. The first revision is more expensive than subsequent releases. See how the lower iMacs went down in price when the new 24" came out. Historically with the G5 Power Mac there was a budget model (late 2004). It was not great though. It had a different motherboard, Slower FSB and Max RAM at 4 GB. It was a near enough equivalent to the iMac G5 without the screen. I hope Apple does not do this. They either do the mini-tower with two drive sleds (Time Machine/Leopard in mind here) or in the interim before that, a silent upgrade whereby 8 core Mac Pros (two quad core chips) is introduced and the current models reduce in price, this in conjunction with Intel perhaps reducing the cost of those chips.
The one thing that sticks with me is the cost of the FB-DIMM RAM for the Mac Pro (though Max Sink looks quite attractive at the moment with their prices. A conroe based Mac with regular RAM looks more attractive in terms of RAM
With every users Apple turns away, they loose money and gain animosity. It isn't very good business in the long run.
I think its obvious with Apple's market and profit growth the situation is not that dire.
A low cost desktop would fit a small niche of people who would like a cheaper slightly expandable desktop with no monitor. I don't see that being a large market. Sales would most likely come from people who would have bought a MacPro.
Joe and Jane Average consumer would not likely pick the low priced desktop over a $999 iMac.