This is a lot of BS, it would be easy for Apple to deliver a cheaper laptop and maintain quality. Quality gets engineered in.
Apparently these Windows competitors aren't "engineering that quality in", unless you buy the business lines. I haven't seen a consumer Windows computer I was happy with, structurally.
And how much did those Windows machines cost?
One was $400, the other was $900.
Remember until iPad most tablets weren't worth buying.
That's quite a leap, what's the connection? Most tablets were using a desktop/notebook OS and hardware that wasn't well-adapted for that use.
In stock because they can. 5c is 2nd best selling phone at ATT / Sprint.. beating out the Galaxy S4 of all things. 3rd at Verizon and T-Mobile.. so ANY statements that it's not selling well are simply false.. They ramped up for stock for coming holiday, then ramp down unless demand calls for more.. standard manufacturing.. companies do this all the time..
All I'm hearing is same gloom and doom, in spite of awesome sales numbers from cell companies, that don't seem to be dropping.. The price drops from Walmart, BBY, and others are standard op.. They did this almost right away with the Galaxy S4.. you didn't hear it wasn't selling well. We are in the holiday season for buying.. TONS of specials going on and ramping up..
pfff.. They will practically be giving away nearly all phones soon in ramp up for black friday. Maybe all phones are doomed then! !!!! ;p
duh, the iPhone 5C is the second best out there in general, compare it to most androids, it's about even.
There are complaints about Apple gear being too expensive, and there's insensible screaming about an "Apple Tax" . . . or something. Then there's news of a possible reduction in price (as if in response to this inanity). THEN there are complaints about Apple watering down their lineup with "cheap" computers.
O.o
Apple knows their shit. Even in a market downturn they manage to ride it out. And who else can successfully (to Apple's degree)<span style="line-height:1.4em;"> cannibalize their own products? </span>
<span style="line-height:1.4em;">Additionally, for </span>
the Chicken Littles, this is a RUMOUR.
Grain of salt, folks.
People want everything 1/10 its price but still the same thing.
Thing is, the Mac Mini is specifically for switchers. BYODKM. They toss their trash Windows tower and plug a Mac Mini in its place. They even get to keep their cigarette-stained keyboards and their mice that are so greasy you have to wear gloves to use them.
A slightly cheaper iMac won’t do squat to get the morons who pay $200 for a computer every two years to buy a Mac. Apple apparently needs to better explain that the Mac Mini, at $600, will last five times longer than the Windows machine it replaced, without any maintenance during its lifetime.
Two decades happened to it. Welcome to the future, also known as modern day.
Yep, seen the keyboards and mouses with a plastic covering so there "new" feel.
The low-end iMac is already pretty budget. Integrated graphics, HD instead of SSD, 21" screen only. And it's very reasonably priced. I don't really see how they can go much cheaper without going to a plastic case. But heck, that's exactly what they just did with the iPhone.
Cheap iMacs! Can we have them in five different flavours like in the old days? So we can reminisce on how apple have become the world class ass kicking bringers of simplicity we know them as today. They love saving you money and always have done.
sounds like the 5C, I noticed its in 5 Colors now, makes me think the 6C will be same.
Think same form factor as the mac pro but in Silver.
This way they could go from real basic to higher end. E.g. The new cylindrical mac mini could have the same specs as the high end 27" iMac but with the same price as the entry level 21" iMac. Now, that would be tempting …
of course the mini, the IMac in a mini not really.
That's absolutely untrue, at least here in the United States. Schools have hundreds and hundreds of computers and districts have tens of schools, so they act like any mid-size enterprise that buys thousands of computers. They have to balance the cost of staff time against the cost of cheap hardware. All of the schools I've seen use enterprise-grade hardware like Dell Optiplexes and have a standard configuration over entire districts. They need the long-term support, something you can't get on low end home computers.
I have only seen 1 school without 20 year old windows computers.
It was a disappointing redesign. Maybe the pointless thinning out and removal of the DVD drive has put people off, I know it made me reconsider and I kept hold of my 24" hoping for an eventual update that would make it worth getting.
The CPU and GPU are among the most expensive parts so if they can slash the the CPU/GPU costs retail prices will drop.
They will also need either a full blown 64 bit OS X port to the ARM architecture or perhaps a new iOS Desktop UI.
OS X applications will then be recompiled and ported to the iOS Desktop.
Why would iOS work any better on a desktop than Windows 8 metro is working right now? A full-screen calculator app makes sense on a phone or tablet where there is limited screen space, but not on a 21+ inch display.
yes, but a revised IOS for 12-20 inch tablets might look better on a 20+ inch screen
As much as I would like to just have an iPad Mini, a 5s and iCloud for all my computing needs, I still think of my iMac as the digital hub of my tech, photos, movies, sw, etc. And probably will for a few more years.
It's hard to spend $1,200-$2,000 on a new iMac.
Getting an 11" MBA to replace my aging original intel, white 20" iMac doesn't seem to fit the bill.
Why Apple 'slimmed down' a big honking desktop machine that NO ONE looks at from the side is beyond me. I can understand removing the CD/DVD drive from the portables, but it's a frickin' imac and people still need to read CD/DVDs, especially on these desktop models.
Apple's tendency towards crippling the specs of their machines over form factor isn't always a desirable thing and although I have a 2 year old imac, I can say right now that I won't be upgrading to another iMac. If I wanted laptop components and laptop specs, I'd buy a laptop, stop skimping on the power, some of us need it!
its the space left over with the removed features, I hate this because other company's do that, but now apple
Yep. We keep hearing how tablets are killing the PC but yet Apple is somehow doomed because they're phasing out DVD drives from their products. Which tablet again ships with a DVD drive? And no I'm not talking about convertible Ultrabooks that have a touch screen.
tablets are meant for mobile needs, did you carry dvd's around with you, no, but use them at home yes, that's why I think desktops should have them, laptops and tablets don't
They aren't skimping on power at all! I have a 27" 4-core i7 iMac running at 2.8Ghz, 8GB of RAM, a Terabyte drive internal, a small 4TB raid array external.… it runs all my "power user software" just fine! (Creative Suite, Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, plugins galore.) A few 3D games too, quite handily (World of Warcraft, Homeworld 2).
Oh, but... did I mention I bought mine in early 2010?
The CPU/GPU and other internals have only gotten faster and much more powerful and efficient since then. For the same or even lower price than I paid for mine!
You say they are skimping on performance because they dropped the internal optical drive? Buy an external drive! Use it when you need it. I've used mine all of four times this year. Didn't really NEED to either. My next iMac can be without the drive, and that'll be fine. I'll just buy one if/when the need arises again, which is likely to be never.
Change is hard, I know. I've been moving with this modernization tide for over a decade now, and it can be rough sometimes. It's well worth it though. I have freed myself from the bondage of technology. It's smoothly integrated into my daily life now, and I have tons of free time as a result. Thanks to Apple for that! Managing optical discs is just one less thing I worry about. Seriously!
Awesome hardware, out of the Mac book pro, you can get those kinds of things now.
See the angle of the curve of the iMac’s casing? Notice it’s about, oh… 5-10*? Sounds a little like a keyboard. Dunnit? It does. And what do we put on a keyboard? Our hands, yes? Strange, then, that the iMac’s shape would lend itself to a keyboard aesthetic. Unless… we’re meant to touch our iMacs.
But that’s silly. Bringing the iMac down to a keyboard’s angle to touch the screen? An iPad, sure, because it has great glass covering the screen to touch, but not the…
Well. Look at this. The iMac has had glass covering its screen since 2007.
And I said this EXACT thing six years ago. Apple is taking desktop computers multitouch. They’ve been working at it for years now, both in hardware and software. And it’s coming to fruition soon.
The iMac has gotten thinner. And thinner. And glass over the screen. And thinner. And now it’s thin enough to SET STRAIGHT ON A DESK and we’ll touch the darn thing. But lo, the software. It’s still cursor-based, right? Wrong! Wait, no, right… you’re right.
BUT. Look at it. Every new OS X release brings us a step closer to multitouch. Every new release makes icons larger, finger-size, makes the UI more touch-friendly. And the day will come that we’ll be begging Apple to let us touch OS X. And that day will be followed by OS XI, a UI and UX designed to be touched. No more mouse, but desktop software-level depth and interaction.
[SIZE=8px]*THE DEGREE SYMBOL, WHICH WAS TYPEABLE NOT TWO WEEKS AGO, HAS NOW BEEN OVERRIDDEN AGAIN BY HUDDLER’S STUPID CUSTOM COMMANDS. COME ON.[/SIZE]
[who?][citation needed]
So buy an iMac. You’ll get desktop components and desktop specs.
Education is “low end”? Aww. :(
Note most keyboards are thicker than that, a IMac that is a touchscreen keyboard sounds a neat market
Here’s what I think about discs at this point (let’s call it my opinion 2010-present): If you really need to do it, plug a SuperDrive into an AirPort Extreme/Time Capsule and burn/rip from/to any Mac in your house. Simple!
you can do that? Yes 1 SuperDrive can do what 10 used to.
Unless the price is $599 or less it won't really seem like a budget machine to most people in PC land. Like I said in a different thread, the Mac Mini base model should be priced around $349 as is. Adding a keyboard, mouse, and monitor would put it around $599 in a package deal. Units with similar features from HP cost that much. They have an all in one for $529.99.
Making the cases out of stamped steel or plastic instead of blocks of aluminum would be more efficient. Just because they do that for a low end model doesn't mean they must do it for their expensive models. It won't dilute the brand. It will expand it.
The problem with the iMac has nothing to do with price, they could sell the thing for a dollar and I wouldn't buy the machine. Apple apparently configured the machine for some idealized virtual customer that they feel is an idiot with limited needs and a compromised understanding of technology. Apple can try to spur sales with a lower cost model but if it is no more desirable than the current machines I don't think they will bag that many more gullible people than they do now.
The next iMac needs the input of a real user, a real engineer and a real repair technician. As it is now, iMac lets each of these people down.
OK I'll bite....how exactly is it letting these people down? How often does a "repair technician" need to service an iMac, especially one without an optical drive?
Why don’t idiots understand what the Mac Mini is? Is it the shape that throws them off?
I only know one person who owns a mac mini and it's basically a content server for their home entertainment system, something that could be replaced by a USB hard drive connected to a router.
Much of the joy of using a mac is interacting with Apple-quality display and peripherals, something you don't get with BYOKDM.
OK I'll bite....how exactly is it letting these people down? How often does a "repair technician" need to service an iMac, especially one without an optical drive?
Take out the HDD and there won't by much spinning going on in there. Then if it breaks you just need a new one, that's all.
Thing is, the Mac Mini is specifically for switchers. BYODKM. They toss their trash Windows tower and plug a Mac Mini in its place. They even get to keep their cigarette-stained keyboards and their mice that are so greasy you have to wear gloves to use them.
A slightly cheaper iMac won’t do squat to get the morons who pay $200 for a computer every two years to buy a Mac. Apple apparently needs to better explain that the Mac Mini, at $600, will last five times longer than the Windows machine it replaced, without any maintenance during its lifetime.
Two decades happened to it. Welcome to the future, also known as modern day.
The other use case where the Mac Mini has come in to its own is as a co-located dedicated server. I have one co-located at MacMiniVault and it's brilliant. No need for all the accessories, it just sits there in a special Mac Mini rack and I can access it from anywhere. For those that want a resonably priced, dedicated server running Mac OS X, it's a great choice IMHO.
I only know one person who owns a mac mini and it's basically a content server for their home entertainment system, something that could be replaced by a USB hard drive connected to a router.
Much of the joy of using a mac is interacting with Apple-quality display and peripherals, something you don't get with BYOKDM.
I use one, connected to the TV in the living. Couldn't ever get away with a stick; I need VLC, codecs and all that to play a variety of video's. Happy camper with the little guy underneath the big screen, together with the AppleTV.
..a content server for their home entertainment system, something that could be replaced by a USB hard drive connected to a router.
Not in an Apple environment, it can’t.
Freaking… what in the world is the problem with Apple that they won’t do network attached iTunes Libraries?! I mean, yeah, they want to sell more Macs, but you’d NEED a Mac to format said iTunes Library and add content to it in the first place. Just let me plug a hard drive into my AirPort Extreme and push content to an Apple TV…
Freaking… what in the world is the problem with Apple that they won’t do network attached iTunes Libraries?! I mean, yeah, they want to sell more Macs, but you’d NEED a Mac to format said iTunes Library and add content to it in the first place. Just let me plug a hard drive into my AirPort Extreme and push content to an Apple TV…
I know, we all want this. But alas, Apple isn't going to cater to these specific wishes, though I still could see them expanding their AExpress, AExreme with a 3rd model: iTunes Airport. Call it Personal Cloud or something. I'd buy it instantly, providing they'd sell large HDD's in it.
What is idiotic is buying a desktop machine that is glued together and isn't serviceable at all without un gluing it. Especially when the serviceable items have no external access at all.
How do you "unglue" something. Regardless, most consumers won't ever need to crack open an iMac. If it's so damn important to you, build one yourself.
You are absolutely correct! The iMac is a perfect consumer machine no doubt, but schools and businesses in many cases would like to be able to swap a hard drive or have some access to the internals. Some schools prefer laptops and iMacs for labs, but I sit on one technology board for a school system that resents not being able to service their own machines after warranty. Granted, they have their own techs, which is not universally the case.
I have had 7 hard drives in 4 iMacs die from heat over the last 4 years at my own business, and lifting the glass off to access and replace is a daunting task at best. Certainly a consumer may not be utilizing their computers 9 hours day working the graphics and processor as hard, so it is not a problem for them.
And if you have to use a particular computer system at work or school you may decide to buy the same at home. Their is no doubt the iMac is a great computer, I think they should just expand the line of computers a bit. OSX is the star, put it on some machines to address some more markets. I would rather invest in a great display and buy a souped up mini that I could replace when I need to, but as powerful as the mini is it could use better graphics or more built to order options.
This idea really get more sectors into mac os : Schools, Colleges , business centers , china & Indian market , i hope this idea double the sales figures
The biggest BOM cost still belongs to Intel. So unless they switched to using AMD I dont see how Apple could make a $999 iMac without significantly hurting their margins. And that will compromise their CPU performance. ( GPU on AMD are pretty good ).
I haven't been following AMD closely, may be AMD are willing to bent over for a Custom AMD x86 SoC for Apple?
Or with the Rapidly shrinking PC / x86 market Intel are willing to make Haswell Cheap for Apple. After all we are talking about at least ~$180 cut in BOM.
The cost different between Aluminum and Plastic casing are minimal in the grand scheme of things. The Problem is Intel doesn't offer any low cost CPU that comes with a good enough GPU for Apple to use.
On a $1299 iMac, at BOM cost of $900, Over 30% of that belongs to Intel.
What is idiotic is buying a desktop machine that is glued together and isn't serviceable at all without un gluing it. Especially when the serviceable items have no external access at all.
If it breaks, buy another one for $1. Or would you rather buy a $200 hard drive and replace it yourself? Like I said- $1 is an idiotic comment. Most of us are logical people- we don't need asinine exaggerations to prove a point.
Comments
Apparently these Windows competitors aren't "engineering that quality in", unless you buy the business lines. I haven't seen a consumer Windows computer I was happy with, structurally.
One was $400, the other was $900.
That's quite a leap, what's the connection? Most tablets were using a desktop/notebook OS and hardware that wasn't well-adapted for that use.
Nope, times 2 to your price
Or wait I guess(May be a little more time) though
Possibly, it is a budget Mac, possibly the only one to come in a less than $1000 price tag in the future from now.
People want everything 1/10 its price but still the same thing.
Yep, seen the keyboards and mouses with a plastic covering so there "new" feel.
yeah, of course there is always screen size.
yeah, most likely in $1000
duh, the 5C will likely have steady sale through its 12 months, the 5S will be on a steady drop throughout that time.
duh
sounds like the 5C, I noticed its in 5 Colors now, makes me think the 6C will be same.
of course the mini, the IMac in a mini not really.
I have only seen 1 school without 20 year old windows computers.
It is a worry for windows owners.
Yeah 3 times is closer
nope
inmobile IPad rumors
then there not getting rid of mini, the IMac will not be 1/2 its price.
yes, but a revised IOS for 12-20 inch tablets might look better on a 20+ inch screen
a IOS device with Mac quality would be nice.
its the space left over with the removed features, I hate this because other company's do that, but now apple
tablets are meant for mobile needs, did you carry dvd's around with you, no, but use them at home yes, that's why I think desktops should have them, laptops and tablets don't
Awesome hardware, out of the Mac book pro, you can get those kinds of things now.
Note most keyboards are thicker than that, a IMac that is a touchscreen keyboard sounds a neat market
you can do that? Yes 1 SuperDrive can do what 10 used to.
not happening
Why don’t idiots understand what the Mac Mini is? Is it the shape that throws them off?
I only know one person who owns a mac mini and it's basically a content server for their home entertainment system, something that could be replaced by a USB hard drive connected to a router.
Much of the joy of using a mac is interacting with Apple-quality display and peripherals, something you don't get with BYOKDM.
Take out the HDD and there won't by much spinning going on in there. Then if it breaks you just need a new one, that's all.
Thing is, the Mac Mini is specifically for switchers. BYODKM. They toss their trash Windows tower and plug a Mac Mini in its place. They even get to keep their cigarette-stained keyboards and their mice that are so greasy you have to wear gloves to use them.
A slightly cheaper iMac won’t do squat to get the morons who pay $200 for a computer every two years to buy a Mac. Apple apparently needs to better explain that the Mac Mini, at $600, will last five times longer than the Windows machine it replaced, without any maintenance during its lifetime.
Two decades happened to it. Welcome to the future, also known as modern day.
I use one, connected to the TV in the living. Couldn't ever get away with a stick; I need VLC, codecs and all that to play a variety of video's. Happy camper with the little guy underneath the big screen, together with the AppleTV.
..a content server for their home entertainment system, something that could be replaced by a USB hard drive connected to a router.
Not in an Apple environment, it can’t.
Freaking… what in the world is the problem with Apple that they won’t do network attached iTunes Libraries?! I mean, yeah, they want to sell more Macs, but you’d NEED a Mac to format said iTunes Library and add content to it in the first place. Just let me plug a hard drive into my AirPort Extreme and push content to an Apple TV…
I know, we all want this. But alas, Apple isn't going to cater to these specific wishes, though I still could see them expanding their AExpress, AExreme with a 3rd model: iTunes Airport. Call it Personal Cloud or something. I'd buy it instantly, providing they'd sell large HDD's in it.
How do you "unglue" something. Regardless, most consumers won't ever need to crack open an iMac. If it's so damn important to you, build one yourself.
You are absolutely correct! The iMac is a perfect consumer machine no doubt, but schools and businesses in many cases would like to be able to swap a hard drive or have some access to the internals. Some schools prefer laptops and iMacs for labs, but I sit on one technology board for a school system that resents not being able to service their own machines after warranty. Granted, they have their own techs, which is not universally the case.
I have had 7 hard drives in 4 iMacs die from heat over the last 4 years at my own business, and lifting the glass off to access and replace is a daunting task at best. Certainly a consumer may not be utilizing their computers 9 hours day working the graphics and processor as hard, so it is not a problem for them.
And if you have to use a particular computer system at work or school you may decide to buy the same at home. Their is no doubt the iMac is a great computer, I think they should just expand the line of computers a bit. OSX is the star, put it on some machines to address some more markets. I would rather invest in a great display and buy a souped up mini that I could replace when I need to, but as powerful as the mini is it could use better graphics or more built to order options.
Edit: nevermind
This idea really get more sectors into mac os : Schools, Colleges , business centers , china & Indian market , i hope this idea double the sales figures
Probably means to use a glue remover.
The biggest BOM cost still belongs to Intel. So unless they switched to using AMD I dont see how Apple could make a $999 iMac without significantly hurting their margins. And that will compromise their CPU performance. ( GPU on AMD are pretty good ).
I haven't been following AMD closely, may be AMD are willing to bent over for a Custom AMD x86 SoC for Apple?
Or with the Rapidly shrinking PC / x86 market Intel are willing to make Haswell Cheap for Apple. After all we are talking about at least ~$180 cut in BOM.
Could it be a plastic chassis Imac with the same budget price as the alu one? You know budget means even mou money for apple, mmmm!
Apple would not sink that low to provide a plastic chassis I doubt that.
The cost different between Aluminum and Plastic casing are minimal in the grand scheme of things. The Problem is Intel doesn't offer any low cost CPU that comes with a good enough GPU for Apple to use.
On a $1299 iMac, at BOM cost of $900, Over 30% of that belongs to Intel.
Am I detecting some sarcasm?
If it breaks, buy another one for $1. Or would you rather buy a $200 hard drive and replace it yourself? Like I said- $1 is an idiotic comment. Most of us are logical people- we don't need asinine exaggerations to prove a point.