Does the current range make sense?
I just went to the Applestore UK, and has browse throught the range line ups....it just doesn't make sense...I'm not bitching, I absolutely love the new iMac...and think it is just what Apple needs, it is just awesome and will sell in bucket loads...but to me the line up just doesn't make sense.
A better spec for your money on an iMac than you get on the PRO Powermacs. It is absurd. They have obviously know for ages that this would be the case..yet not even a minor revision on the Powermacs. Surely a larger Hd, more RAM, and a G force 3 would have evened out the balance temporarily or even a 'slight' speed bump?
Secondly how on earth can they justify the charge for the iBook? it now has a ridiculously slow chip next to the rest of the range, especially the iMac2! They can't argue that it is because of the LCD or compact design...the iMac is smaller, the iBook also ships with less RAM, and less attractive optical drives! This is madness. And as for the 14 inch screen iBook....one word....WHY? why upgrade the whole range? this just confuses the issue.
The Tibook, a suposedy PRO machine is now *much* less powerful than even the base model consumer iMac yet in the UK nearly £800 approx more expensive... This is surely madness.
IMHO Apple should have ditched the usual iDVD, FCP, and iTunes demos and got some decent PRO hardware out....even if it wouldn't ship immediately....are there going to be many iMacs out before April? I doubt it.
Also what has Motorola been doing for the last year? I would just love to know....not one new processor announced.
Anyway this has turned into abit of rant, which I vowed i wouldn't do because the iMac is just SO awesome...No I'm not going to PCs and threatening to buy AMD and I NEVER will, but, being a graphics pro I do feel more than alittle let down....
And as for a 'non mac' consumer looking at the Apple store range, it is all more than abit jumbled...
marcus
[ 01-07-2002: Message edited by: Marcus ]</p>
A better spec for your money on an iMac than you get on the PRO Powermacs. It is absurd. They have obviously know for ages that this would be the case..yet not even a minor revision on the Powermacs. Surely a larger Hd, more RAM, and a G force 3 would have evened out the balance temporarily or even a 'slight' speed bump?
Secondly how on earth can they justify the charge for the iBook? it now has a ridiculously slow chip next to the rest of the range, especially the iMac2! They can't argue that it is because of the LCD or compact design...the iMac is smaller, the iBook also ships with less RAM, and less attractive optical drives! This is madness. And as for the 14 inch screen iBook....one word....WHY? why upgrade the whole range? this just confuses the issue.
The Tibook, a suposedy PRO machine is now *much* less powerful than even the base model consumer iMac yet in the UK nearly £800 approx more expensive... This is surely madness.
IMHO Apple should have ditched the usual iDVD, FCP, and iTunes demos and got some decent PRO hardware out....even if it wouldn't ship immediately....are there going to be many iMacs out before April? I doubt it.
Also what has Motorola been doing for the last year? I would just love to know....not one new processor announced.
Anyway this has turned into abit of rant, which I vowed i wouldn't do because the iMac is just SO awesome...No I'm not going to PCs and threatening to buy AMD and I NEVER will, but, being a graphics pro I do feel more than alittle let down....
And as for a 'non mac' consumer looking at the Apple store range, it is all more than abit jumbled...
marcus
[ 01-07-2002: Message edited by: Marcus ]</p>
Comments
This is pathetic.
Hey Apple, WTF?? <img src="confused.gif" border="0">
I'm expecting a redefinition of the pro line, since the iMac now handles the midrange market. (I'm expecting this because Apple seems to dislike price overlap, not because I wouldn't want a choice between a loaded iMac and a base tower myself.) Even if all they do is offer new towers (and PowerBooks) at the same price points, they should be powerful enough to restore balance to the product line.
The many, many people buying the low-end Powermac with a 15" LCD or 17" CRT, and who don't need PCI cards, will have an easy decision to make.
All in all the average price seems to go up, which for me makes the iBook the true iMac as a portable and as a home computer. The entry price of the new iMac probably will come down when the old iMac line (CRT) gets extinct though.
The new iMac is dangerously high priced even if better (and even more expensive, no doubt) PowerMacs are to come. It is not high priced as a designer desktop pc, but for an entry consumer piece it is I think.
Consumer with top notch price? Hopefully the new iMac will not hit the market like the cube did. Nice specs, but this comes at a price. And the old iMac was and still is too expensive too.
I think the product matrix lacks of entry models entirely now if you omit the old iMacs still sold.
A mac at around $1000 is wanted from my point of view. I am sure this would better fit current economy and consumer budgets. Apple risks a lot, as usual.
<strong>The current range is certainly a mess. But I suspect in short there will be new PowerMacs to revise this view.
All in all the average price seems to go up, which for me makes the iBook the true iMac as a portable and as a home computer. The entry price of the new iMac probably will come down when the old iMac line (CRT) gets extinct though.
The new iMac is dangerously high priced even if better (and even more expensive, no doubt) PowerMacs are to come. It is not high priced as a designer desktop pc, but for an entry consumer piece it is I think.
Consumer with top notch price? Hopefully the new iMac will not hit the market like the cube did. Nice specs, but this comes at a price. And the old iMac was and still is too expensive too.
I think the product matrix lacks of entry models entirely now if you omit the old iMacs still sold.
A mac at around $1000 is wanted from my point of view. I am sure this would better fit current economy and consumer budgets. Apple risks a lot, as usual.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I can't agree more...there is no entry model anymore....it is either 'all or nothing'...IMHO a pretty dangerous stategy...I have faced it today...
My next door neighbour (and a few friends) never used Macs at all...and joked that I must be a member of a secret computer cult (!) for the way I go on about them. On New Years Eve I had a party, hooked up my Ti to my TV and loaded up iTunes with visuals....
They asked me for a copy of a few playlists...I burned them on the spot....pressing ONE button! No one could believe it, they were so used to PCs and the hassle that comes with them....
Since then, 3 people have called me up. all wanting advice on what 'entry' Mac to buy...Apple are on the right track - the digital hub WILL sell macs .But it leaves an awkward situation...what can I tell them?
As you say, there is no real 'cheaper' consumer desktop shipping at the moment. 2 of them already have CD-RWs and want DVD capability, the other person wants a Combo drive...they don't need a Superdrive....
The 'base' iMac2 does not have DVD so they are immediately left in the £1500+ bracket to get a machine they will only use for iTunes, iPhoto, Web browsing, email and maybe abit of word processing...
I can't recomend the old iMac that i presume will be around for a while yet...thinking of the depreciation! they don't need a laptop, and regardless, I couldn't recomend a G3 500/600 for any machine running OS X...or they could spend £2000 for a Ti in its current spec...
They all love the iMac2 , but would go for one of the 2 lower spec models....if they order today, they will have to wait over 2 to 3 months!!
I have got around the problem by selling them *very cheaply I might add
I do however agree that the implementation of the G4 in the iMac points to great things for the new G4/5 Powermac
[ 01-07-2002: Message edited by: Marcus ]</p>
799 and 999 for CRT iMacs
1299, 1499, 1799 for LCD G4 iMacs
1699,2199, 2999 for G5 PowerMacs?
<strong>The new iMac is dangerously high priced even if better (and even more expensive, no doubt) PowerMacs are to come. It is not high priced as a designer desktop pc, but for an entry consumer piece it is I think.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Excuse me? The new iMac starts at $1300. How exactly is that high-priced? What is really screwed up, is that to get it, you have to wait until March.
Buy the CRT iMac, it is still available for $700.