Price cuts make Cinema Displays more affordable

Yes, Apple! Now if they'll just offer a 17" model too...

I wonder what the implications of this are for the rumored cheapMac. Does this mean that a new display, say a $600 17", is coming? But if Jobs was going to introduce a new, smaller one at MacWorld, why wouldn't he just announce the price reductions on existing models at the same time?

My feeling is that this is going to be it. He's going to stick the 20" with the cheapMac, and with the price at sub-$1000, it won't be quite as strange. Still strange, but not quite as strange. This way Jobs doesn't have to talk about displays at MacWorld at all.

£50 has been slashed from the iMac and PowerBook ranges over here... Only worked out because my dad has been pricing up iMacs recently. Houston, we have a convert.

We know the iMac isn't selling badly (and surely the PB isn't selling that badly either). Could this be down purely to cheaper display units (as the PowerMac's haven't been reduced that I remember) or are they getting an update? I would put the iMac drop down to screen prices and the PB drop down to an update.

Checked all Apple prices in the Belgian store.
Every Apple computer , including the screens and the Xserve & RaID, became cheaper.
Prices in Euro are now approximately the same as in Dollars in the US store.

Seems I bought my iMac just three weeks to early.
But then again, I already had it during my two weeks Christmas holiday.

It's not just the iMac and PB that have had reductions... iBook, Power Mac, eMac too . I wonder if this could be enough to convince my wife to get an iBook rather than a PC laptop... Did any more hardware get price drops in the US, or is this just restricted to the UK?

The price drops on the Cinema Displays are good too - looks like they are more in line with the competition now .

As for PB price drop reflecting an update, I would doubt it, this close to MWSF. Would be nice though .

Dave.

Wow, Apple actually adjusting their prices according to monetary conditions. That's so unlike them. For example, they never change the price of their computers except at specific intervals (Dell changes theirs like weekly).

With the dollar falling as steadily as it is, I'm not surprised that they needed to adjust more quickly.

Nice to see so many happy Europeans, though.

Is the average person who's interested in the $499 computer going to pay more than that for the monitor? I doubt it. They're probably going to hook it up to a monitor they already own, or buy the cheapo LCD unit at Best Buy. If these things do exist, they're definitely aimed at PC converts who are willing to consider a low-priced Mac based on their good experience with their iPod.

less - actually U.S. Imports become cheaper and cheaper nowadays.

BTW, i am planning my holidays. U.S. again, -
this time South East. Any recommendations?

happy aussie as well !!!!!

If i were not a guy with some intellectual facilities, i'd proclaim Apple is
gambling.

Look, now all people think, well that's it, no PM/PB/iMac/iBook updates
this time...

There's no question about that. But they have to market it somehow, and I doubt when Steve is on stage he'll be using a fuzzy 1992 VGA CRT from his closet. And I think that is important. What's it going to be hooked up to at the Apple Stores? On the store.apple.com? In their ads?

I think this price drop makes it clear that they're NOT going to release a new display. Fine, they've just decided to punt and essentially encourage people to do exactly what you suggest - use their own displays or buy a cheapo from Dell or BestBuy. Good for Apple.

I just read that samsung created a 20" oled display that has 6 million + pixels.
I believe it's just an experimental model but still, t would be pretty sweet to
have. I also read that it has 5000 to 1 contrast ratio as well.

Does anyone else feel like there are going to be some major announcements
next week? Originally I thought otherwise but then all the news about
discounted montiors, updated xserves & the new xsan just exploded. It's like
they're freeing up room for the keynote.

Well, people say Savannah, GA is nice. And I can vouch that the Walmart in Fayetteville, NC should not be missed (although plan to wait if its saturday and you need to replace a tire).

And when looking for food, its always better to hit the roadside barbecue places than just your normal crappy restaurants. (Oh, and if you find lipstick on your coffee mug at the Wafflehouse, that's what they consider 'clean').

sounds nice, i mull over...

What makes you think that just because they cut prices on the 20", 23" and 30" today that Jobs won't be introducing a new 17" display along with the new headless iMac at MW in a couple of weeks? Maybe the new 17" will have a white case that matches iPods and the new Mac. It would also differentiate it from the aluminum diplays for the Powermac G5.

White = iPods, iBook, iMac, and new headless Mac which are all consumer machines.

Aluminum = Powerbook, Powermac G5, and Cinema displays which are all pro machines.

Apple did a similar move with the 4th gen iPods. They cut prices on the 20 and 40 gig models in August and then debuted the iPod photo a month later.

TWO 20" displays?

or

ONE 23" display?


:X

Because if he was changing the entire Apple display lineup, he'd talk about them all at the same time. He'd talk about the current ones, show their prices, and then say they're adding one, and then show the price drops on the previous ones too. Think about it - it doesn't make sense at all to fiddle with the displays now and then do it again in a week. (Also, MacWorld is a week from today, not a couple of weeks.)

It's very clear that they did this before the keynote so they could avoid talking about displays altogether.

I'm pleased to see that Apple has done the right thing and reduced their UK prices in an attempt to restore pricing parity. The price difference had become so great that the prices weren't doing anybody any favours.

I for one will be splashing out on a new display shortly, and these price drops have put Apple back on the shortlist again.

It's also promising when Apple adjusts existing products before an Expo. Steve's almost certainly going to mention these price adjustments as part of his "prelude" rather than his "one more thing".

I'm actually really looking forward to this Expo I have a feeling that Apple is going to pull something "insanely great" out of the hat this time...

As am I. This is my first proper MW event, last year someone told me to watch it for iPod mini's, but this year I have a Mac and an iPod and all these silver aluminium and white plastic things lying around I can't wait to see what happens as nearly anything announced will affect my Dad's computer purchasing.

(BTW just spent 6 hours networking two windows computers to a router & then to a HP wireless printer. All that after walking in a printing from my PowerBook after 10secs of being in the room (love thy mac) I think my Dad now understands what I mean when I say Rendezvous )

Like I said in my post above, it's been done before. They lowered iPod prices shortly before the iPod photo was announced. The 40gig iPod photo slipped into the $499 slot where the standard 40 gig iPod was just a few weeks before....

Plus, it doesn't make sense to introduce a sub $500 iMac without an affordable Apple branded display. Sure, a convert could use any old monitor with a headless iMac, but if they did want a new Apple display with their new Apple desktop (as most new computer buyers do,) they'd end up spending $1500 for a headless Mac and a 20" display. They'd be better off just buying the 17" iMac for $1299.

I definitely think that Apple will be introducing a low end 17" display designed specifically for this new low end box. It'd be a silly move if they didn't.

Guess we'll see in a week!

I think it would be a silly move if they DID.

Wouldn't a stand alone 17" display confuse buyers? They'd be in a quandry about whether to buy the headless Mac + Apple branded 17" display or just go for the 17" iMac.

I suspect the people with existing displays wouldn't be tempted by the new 17" display, and the people without existing displays would go for the 17" iMac.

Unless of course, Apple replaces the 17" iMac with this new headless machine and introduces a new 23" iMac at the top end. That would give them a mix and match 17" machine that would appeal to everyone, a 20" and a 23" prosumer machine.

I'm so tempted by the new 20", but it's really just a wider version of my 17"...

I checked on that, and it was 3 months between the two releases. And it wasn't just a price drop, it was a new model with the click wheel.


It is a strange state of affairs, but I think they've shown their hand already. I hope they do produce a smaller/cheaper display - it would make sense. But I'll bet you they don't.

Maybe for 30 seconds. Some speculate that the iMac-mini will have lower specs than the current iMacs (a G4 vs G5). So there is no confusion there. And provides a sell up for stores - Joe Switcher comes in to buy a mini and is convinced to part with a few more $$$ for the higher performance iMac.

And I suspect there's a pretty good market segment that don't want their display integrated with their CPU like the iMac. (And if the Home Theater rumor is true, some people will use the mini without a "real" display.) Apple likes to provide the whole package. Releasing a new CPU without a matching display would be very un-Apple.

IMHO, the base iMac-mini & Apple display needs to come in at under $1000 - and probably pretty close to $1000. That puts it a little more than an eMac, and a little under an iMac. If the price rumors are to be believed ($500-$700), that puts the iMac-mini display at $300-500, significantly less than the current 19", but right in there with Sony and other premium LCD monitors - maybe too close for Apple's liking.

Hmmm.... Push the 1.6GHz CPU into this iMac-mini and make the 1.8GHz the bottom of the line? What about the top? Can Apple put a 2.0GHz G5 in an iMac? Or keep the 1.8GHz and just add a bigger screen? They're going to have to beef up the GPU to push all those pixels around acceptably.

There's currently an $800 price jump between the 20" and 23" displays. That would put a 23" iMac at about $2700!

Speculation is fun!

- Jasen.

I don't think so....

The difference between the two will be the pricepoint, and a G5 vs. a G4 processor.

Even though the iMac G5 is not as expandable as a Powermac G5, it is still a pretty powerful machine. This new box is rumoured to have all low end components with a G4 processor. If Apple does release a matching 17" display for say $400 to $500, the whole set-up will be under $1000 which is still $300 less than the $1299 pricetag of the low end iMac G5.

This would be great had I not bought a 20" merely 3 months back They knocked almost one third off the price!! Just shows how much profit they really have in these, especially as its such a ratio. The 30" also had £300 knocked off but in comparison that is a 10th of the price.

Thanks Apple, nice to see you treating the early adopters well again.

What the heck do you want them to do, just not drop the price? I'm pretty sure no one forced you to buy it. Clearly you thought it was worth it at the time. Stop whining and enjoy your display!

The price drop was perfect timing for me. My system arrived yesterday and I was delighted to find my 30" display had come down in price.


Oh on a side note: The 30" totally kicks ass. I am still blown away by its performance - I doubt the novelty will ever wear off!

No, I like the fact that they dropped the price.

Maybe you can stand to just drop £300 (almost $600) within 3 months and not be bothered by it. But believe it or not, losing that amount in a couple of months actually annoys me a little bit. Its not unreasonable.

I am in no doubt that other purchasers of the 20" will have similar feelings. What's next, are they going to drop the iPod Photo price £200 next week?

This is one of the reasons that Apples secrecy costs them in the wider market. People want value for money in the long run, especially smaller business', and if there is the constant threat of releasing something quickly after an initial launch, or changing prices, people will wait before purchasing. Most will wait, and wait, and wait.... then get bored and buy a PC. Apple need to be a little more open about their plans.

BTW I am all for the progress of technology at the expense of reducing the price of old technology or phasing it out. I just think that the drop for these displays is a clear signal that Apple got it wrong on the pricing when they brought these out. Hence the 33% reduction, practically unheard of in such a short space of time.

Only upside is it now provides me with the opportunity to get a second 20" to match 8)

I am not whining, how about you stop whining about my post and get on with your life.

call me crazy, but those displays have been out for quite a while. i bought mine when they came out, and i dont feel bad at all about the price drop. your unfortunate timing is just bad luck. it has nothing to do with apple appealing to the wrong people (etc). in the computer world, if i can buy a product and get 6+months of use before updates or price change, i feel good about it. apple cant help the fact that you ordered yours a couple months ago.

The reduction was less than 25%; still significant. I bought my 23" Cinema assuming that it would be cheaper later, but I wanted it then and had been waiting a long time for new models. When the 20" model was introduced at the same price as the one it replaced, I was amazed the price hadn't been reduced. That was part of the reason I went ahead and bought the 23" model.

What I wish is that Apple would more frequently reduce the price of their computers as well. Small reductions between upgrade cycles would be very nice, and would probably do wonders for sales.

£1000 down to £700 is not less than 25%

Sorry, I wasn't thinking in your currency. In US$, it was less than 25%. Apparently, due to exchange rates, the reductions in Europe and Canada were more significant.

Exactly. When the iBook 700 Mhz I bought got a speed bump, graphics card update, and $200 price drop three weeks later, sure, that kind of sucked, but that's life! I wasn't on these boards whining about it. I was enjoying my new laptop.

Jesus, you guys are touchy. I understand why they have done it and like I have said, its good that they are reducing prices. But I am just a little annoyed at dropping £300 as anyone would be.

If only I had waited a month, along with the $300 reduction in price of the 30" Cinema Display the new ATI X800 XT video card is $100 less than the Nvidia 6800 Ultra. Could have saved a cool $434 including tax, thats a pretty big hit to take so soon after the 30" display was released, Oh well, guess my crystal ball wasn't working correctly!