Last minute iMac and Mac mini rumors

[AppleInsider]

With less than 24 hours to go before Apple is scheduled to host a Mac-related media event on its campus, several small tidbits regarding new iMac pricing and the fate of the Mac mini have surfaced.

New iMacs

According to one source, Apple has issued to suppliers three new iMac price points for models that are expected to be immediately available following their introduction on Tuesday.

Apple currently offers two 17-inch iMac configurations (for $999 and $1199, respectively), a 20-inch configuration for $1499, and a high-end 24-inch configuration for $1999. However, the new pricing information suggest Apple will drop one configuration and sell just three models at $1199, $1499 and $1799.

Mac mini rumors

Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed last minute reports that Apple may extend the life of the Mac mini by squeezing another slight revision from the petite desktop's existing architecture.

According to those reports, such a move would be accompanied by significant price drops that would allow the forgotten Mac to linger for several more months as an extremely low cost, low performance offering.

iLife

Finally, there are also rumblings that a new version of iLife will indeed see some attention on Tuesday (possibly encompassing a new version of iWork to form a more compelling solution).

As with all last-minute rumors, AppleInsider recommends taking this information with a grain of salt and waiting out the last few hours to hear the official word from Apple.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[iDave]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Mac mini rumors

Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed last minute reports that Apple may extend the life of the Mac mini by squeezing another slight revision from the petite desktop's existing architecture.

According to those reports, such a move would be accompanied by significant price drops that would allow the forgotten Mac to linger for several more months as an extremely low cost, low performance offering.

If true I say hooray! I've been waiting since December.

[K.C.]

The Mini is anything but forgotten and would be sorely missed should they drop it. I have a dozen web sites running on each of several that are collocated next to 122 others and another 21 of them doing a fine job as OS X mail servers.

[MsNly]

Aww no minitower, gah I guess I'll have to buy a mac pro...

[vinney57]

Damn useful the Mac Mini. Might have to buy a bunch of 'em if they drop far enough. Perfect web server, signage server, dev mechine etc.

[waytogobuddy]

$1199
20"
2.0 (edit)
1GB
160HDD
Superdrive

$1499
22"
2.2
1GB
200HDD
Superdrive

$1799
24"
2.4
1GB
250HDD
Superdrive


what do you guys think?

[ncbill]

Low end ($1199) will have a combo drive, NOT a Superdrive.

And it will have integrated graphics (better than the current)

Mid-priced model will have a 250GB hard drive, but still be a 20" screen.

Top-end will hopefully ship with 2GB RAM.

[stukdog]

I'm just excited to know that there may be a different look to the iMac. It's been the same looking for a long, long time. (Though I don't think Apple gets enough credit for the incredibly "behind-the-scenes" changeover to Intel.)

[Ireland]

Originally Posted by waytogobuddy

What do you guys think?

I think I'm gonna wait until tomorrow.

[a_greer]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Apple may extend the life of the Mac mini by squeezing another slight revision from the petite desktop's existing architecture.
][/url][/c]

Is it just me, or does that sound like the a lead for some sick computer fetish fanticy from the Penthouse forums?

Too much caffeen and a little booze and things read oooo so differantly

[kcdstudios]

What do they think they are doing? The mini is dead. I heard it here

[a_greer]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

iLife

Finally, there are also rumblings that a new version of iLife will indeed see some attention on Tuesday (possibly encompassing a new version of iWork to form a more compelling solution).

and lets not forget the latest iApp: iRumormill

add 3 nouns, 4 verbs, an adjective, and 4 adverbs and you can generate Apple PR copy for some new fangled app that you can post on sites like this so the legit press will run it as real news from anonymous inside sources


OK Someone write this up...I wanna see an analyst predict iRumormill on Market watch tomorrow morning!

[kcdstudios]

ireland-

I was gonna buy a shamrock and just route it to my facebook page as a joke, but its a bit too much for a shenanigans like that though. A novel idea however, I will be checking into it in the future.

Mac: But our shenanigans are cheeky and fun!
Thorny: (referring to Farva) Yeah, and his shenanigans are cruel and tragic.
Foster: (after a pause) Which... makes them not really shenanigans at all.
Mac: (in a silly voice) Evil shenanigans!

[Fletch]

Originally Posted by waytogobuddy

$1799
24"
2.4
1GB
250HDD
Superdrive


what do you guys think?

I think I'd be extremely happy with that....especially the $200 price cut. However, adding an additional GB of memory would probably bump it right back up to $1999.

[kansasquaker]

I'd bet all new models have specs similar to current price points, with upgraded display. NO WAY the 1199 model has a combo - simply not an option. It will be same as current with slight processor bump - 2.16. Same deal with the 1499 price point - bigger display, slight speed bump. Price drop on current 24, throw in 2gb of ram or some other trinket?

[MacSuperiority]

Originally Posted by ncbill

Low end ($1199) will have a combo drive, NOT a Superdrive.

And it will have integrated graphics (better than the current)

Mid-priced model will have a 250GB hard drive, but still be a 20" screen.

Top-end will hopefully ship with 2GB RAM.

You are nucking futs if you think that a 1200 dollar computer will have integrated graphics and a combo drive.

So by your logic, they will take the specs of the 999 imac, add a 20" screen that has dropped significantly in price since the last revision, and add $200 to the price. Good call man, good call...

[ncbill]

Low-end will have the combo drive and integrated graphics.

Combo drive is Apple standard for the low-end model.

Plus the low-end model will be the one sold to education - even $50 makes a difference to those buyers

Edu buyers will be upset enough that there is no longer a $999 model for them.

[kansasquaker]

OMG, no way ANYBODY pays 1199 for a computer that can't burn a DVD. I've been waiting for the 20" revision for a long time. Running a pathetically slow mini right now (used to be ultra-poor, now just mostly-poor). I'd go buy a dell before I'd pay 1199 for a computer that can't burn a DVD.

[ZachPruckowski]

Top end will have 2 GB

22 inch monitor isn't gonna happen - no res change over 20 incher, and splits the bulk-order for apple. It'll either be 20 or 22, not both.

For GPUs, I'd guess x2300s in the lower ones, and 8400s in the top end, with the option to go to 8600.

[pmjoe]

A lower cost mini with a speed bump would be just what I'm looking for. Hope this rumor is true!!! I doubt Apple would make much of a deal out of such a small change though.

[waytogobuddy]

Originally Posted by Fletch

I think I'd be extremely happy with that....especially the $200 price cut. However, adding an additional GB of memory would probably bump it right back up to $1999.

AAPL' gotta rob your bank account somehow

[iDave]

Originally Posted by pmjoe

A lower cost mini with a speed bump would be just what I'm looking for. Hope this rumor is true!!! I doubt Apple would make much of a deal out of such a small change though.

It does seem like it would be a quiet upgrade not even mentioned in the keynote, if true.

[MacSuperiority]

Originally Posted by MsNly

Aww no minitower, gah I guess I'll have to buy a mac pro...

NOOOO!!! Thats just what Apple wants you to do. You have to be strong and not fall into the RDF trap.

Just keep telling yourself, "Its more computer than I need, Its more computer than I need...."

[MacTel]

Originally Posted by iDave

If true I say hooray! I've been waiting since December.

Ditto! Way to go AI!

[davebarnes]

"Top-end will hopefully ship with 2GB RAM."

I hope not. I don't want to pay for 2GB that I will throw away and replace with 3 or 4 GB (depending upon CPU support).
I would prefer a high-end machine with MAX RAM or none at all.

[Delfoniq]

Originally Posted by pmjoe

A lower cost mini with a speed bump would be just what I'm looking for. Hope this rumor is true!!! I doubt Apple would make much of a deal out of such a small change though.

I also don't think the Mac Mini should be discontinued - it should get upgraded significantly though... I'm thinking 2.16GHz Intel 2 Core Duo, 120GB HD and how my bank account will be suffering tomorrow .

[ZachPruckowski]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

"Top-end will hopefully ship with 2GB RAM."

I hope not. I don't want to pay for 2GB that I will throw away and replace with 3 or 4 GB (depending upon CPU support).
I would prefer a high-end machine with MAX RAM or none at all.

Max will be 4 GB - and the RAM issue is chipset-based, not CPU based.

It'll be 2 GB because that's what lands in Apple's price bracket for high-end computers. I think that we'll see all the MBPs, Mac Pros, the high-end iMac and the high-end MB move to 2 GB with their next refresh, with the rest staying at 1 GB for a bit.

If you're lucky, you can order 1x 2GB DIMM.

[zorinlynx]

Gahhh. Damnit. I hope these rumours are wrong.

Repeat after me:

NOT EVERYONE WANTS AN INTEGRATED DISPLAY.

We need a minitower of some sort, with decent graphics and CPU, without an integrated display, at the iMac price point.

Apple, you used to have these, they were called the low end G4 towers. What the heck happened? When the G5 came out, you stopped producing affordable towers forever.

This is insane. Not everyone needs a Mac Pro, but they need more power than a Mac Mini, WITHOUT an integrated display.

Let's have a Core 2 Duo minitower with a seperate graphics card and room for at least two hard drives. YOU CAN DO IT APPLE! YOU REALLY CAN!

Sigh.

[waytogobuddy]

Originally Posted by Delfoniq

I also don't think the Mac Mini should be discontinued - it should get upgraded significantly though... I'm thinking 2.16GHz Intel 2 Core Duo, 120GB HD and how my bank account will be suffering tomorrow .

add discrete graphics and cider (games) and you have a HD gaming system ready to go on your new 'bigscreen TV' ! (ie. Steveo veto coming up)

[Delfoniq]

Originally Posted by waytogobuddy

add discrete graphics and cider (games) and you have a HD gaming system ready to go on your new 'bigscreen TV' ! (ie. Steveo veto coming up)

I can already see it seating here on my desk looking beautiful . Especially if there's also a $100 price drop for the high-end model.

[iDave]

Originally Posted by zorinlynx

Repeat after me:

NOT EVERYONE WANTS AN INTEGRATED DISPLAY.

We need a minitower of some sort, with decent graphics and CPU, without an integrated display, at the iMac price point.

Ok. NOT EVERYONE WANTS AN INTEGRATED DISPLAY. We need a minitower of some sort, with decent graphics and CPU, without an integrated display, at the iMac price point.

[ZachPruckowski]

Originally Posted by zorinlynx

Let's have a Core 2 Duo minitower with a seperate graphics card and room for at least two hard drives. YOU CAN DO IT APPLE! YOU REALLY CAN!

Your best bet is for a split in the Mac Pro line.

Given the way the single-socket Quad-cores are priced, Apple could split the Mac Pro line again into single and dual socket models, with the Single Socket models as quads in the $1500 - $2200 range, and the dual-sockets as 8-core models in the $2700+ range (I'd guess 2 models in each bracket).

[Joe_the_dragon]

Originally Posted by ncbill

Low-end will have the combo drive and integrated graphics.

Combo drive is Apple standard for the low-end model.

Plus the low-end model will be the one sold to education - even $50 makes a difference to those buyers

Edu buyers will be upset enough that there is no longer a $999 model for them.

and now days combo as only about $10 less then full DVDRW starting at $29 - $35. How much more at the slot load ones?

[murphyweb]

I think the combo drive is dead folks, i do not see the point in including it anymore.
I also think that a look at the MBP's is the best indication of the way that the new iMacs will be split...


20": 2.2GHz
* 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 1GB memory
* 160GB hard drive1
* 8x double-layer SuperDrive
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with 128MB SDRAM


$1,199.00


20" 2.4GHz
* 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 2GB memory
* 250GB hard drive1
* 8x double-layer SuperDrive
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with 256MB SDRAM

$1,499.00


24" 2.4GHz
* 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 2GB memory
* 500GB hard drive1
* 8x double-layer SuperDrive
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with 512MB SDRAM

$1,799.00

[crees!]

Originally Posted by murphyweb

I think the combo drive is dead folks, i do not see the point in including it anymore.
I also think that a look at the MBP's is the best indication of the way that the new iMacs will be split...


20": 2.2GHz
* 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 1GB memory
* 120GB hard drive1
* 8x double-layer SuperDrive
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with 128MB SDRAM


$1,199.00


20" 2.4GHz
* 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 2GB memory
* 250GB hard drive1
* 8x double-layer SuperDrive
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with 256MB SDRAM

$1,499.00


24" 2.4GHz
* 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 2GB memory
* 500GB hard drive1
* 8x double-layer SuperDrive
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with 512MB SDRAM

$1,799.00

So the lowest-end model will go from a price-point of $999 to $1,199? I don't think so.

[murphyweb]

Originally Posted by crees!

So the lowest-end model will go from a price-point of $999 to $1,199? I don't think so.

mmm.. I see your point, but i also see the original article that says the low end model would be $1199.
I don't know, call me old fashioned but i like to read the article before i make a comment.

[waytogobuddy]

Originally Posted by murphyweb

mmm.. I see your point, but i also see the original article that says the low end model would be $1199.
I don't know, call me old fashioned but i like to read the article before i make a comment.

And thinksecret and macrumors seem to have independent sources telling them the same $1199.
ie. Apple PR seems to be spreading the sour $200 news quietly and pre-emptively, so not to ruin the mood tomorrow.

AND I hope for a sweet new cheap mac mini- there's a lot of room between $1199 and zero.

[Cubit]

Originally Posted by kcdstudios

ireland-

I was gonna buy a shamrock and just route it to my facebook page as a joke, but its a bit too much for a shenanigans like that though. A novel idea however, I will be checking into it in the future.

Mac: But our shenanigans are cheeky and fun!
Thorny: (referring to Farva) Yeah, and his shenanigans are cruel and tragic.
Foster: (after a pause) Which... makes them not really shenanigans at all.
Mac: (in a silly voice) Evil shenanigans!

What is this talk of thorny bushes, shamrocks, and shenanigans? Sounds lik e time for a Susan McKeown standard Ord Mhle Gra (A Thousand Times My Love).

[iDave]

Originally Posted by crees!

So the lowest-end model will go from a price-point of $999 to $1,199? I don't think so.

Apple wouldn't really surprise me with this. They dropped their low end iBook at $999 and replaced it with the low end MacBook at $1099. More than a year later, it's the same price.

Keep in mind, if it's true, you'd be getting a bigger screen for your $200 in addition to whatever else might be improved.

[Cubit]

Originally Posted by iDave

Ok. NOT EVERYONE WANTS AN INTEGRATED DISPLAY. We need a minitower of some sort, with decent graphics and CPU, without an integrated display, at the iMac price point.

Ok. NOT EVERYONE WANTS AN INTEGRATED DISPLAY. We need a minitower of some sort, with decent graphics and CPU, without an integrated display, at the iMac price point.