LCD screens, unless you buy the very expensive ones, are lousy for graphic arts use. Colors are way off on the ones that Apple uses. CRTs are still the best at accurate colors and at reasonable price points.
LCD screens, unless you buy the very expensive ones, are lousy for graphic arts use. Colors are way off on the ones that Apple uses. CRTs are still the best at accurate colors and at reasonable price points.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAmen!!!!!!
Even though I agree with you 100%... my next monitor will be a LCD even though I do graphics. I'm tired of these CRTs burning the hell out of my eyes
The original iMac used a very odd shaped motherboard and was cheap. I don't think that's the biggest issue.
I think a big issue is the original iMac was designed around a pricepoint. It also had several requirements or guidelines that its engineers were suppose to follow and meet. The iPod had the same thing. This produced in both cases a very focused product that was innovative yet appealed to the majority rather than a minority and was affordable.
The iMac 2 seemed less about that and more about idealism and margins.
In the 10K report they make note of two things.
Quote:
_Apple said that sales of flat panel iMac systems, which start at $1,299, have been negatively affected by a shift in consumer preference to portable systems and competitor desktop models with price points below $1,000. The company also cited the iMac's aging enclosure as a possible factor contributing to reduced sales.
source ThinkSecret
so.....one consumers want a system under 1000 dollars....and two...they want a new enclosure.
so....based on Apple's statements and patterns we know a couple requirements put in place for Apple's engineers
1. Under 1000 dollars
2. G5 processor
3. Fully support tiger (graphic card to go along with it)
4. new enclosure
5. LCD
6. Full Digital Hub Support (USB, Firewire, Superdrive, Bluetooth, Airport Extreme)
I don't think 15 inch LCD displays appeal to most of anyone anymore. People have moved on to bigger screens a long time ago. We've been complaining about 15 inch screens since 1998....sure, LCD gave us 1.2 more inches of viewable area, but the point remains....17 inch is needed.
So, I think we have a decent idea of what to expect. And Apple will always have the 20 inch model, possibly with more features (faster processor/graphics/hd) for a higher price.
Why wouldn't it be? It's obvious that Apple has been working towards a replacement to the sunflower for a while. The sunflower has been left to stagnate once Apple realized that they would need a whole new machine to rescue sales. In the meantime they focused on products with a future, the iBook, the iPod, PMacs, etc etc. Even the eMac, which sells for a decent price to edu channels -- someone had to do some work to build that thing down to the 550-600 price at which Apple can blow them out to edu (even without the optical)The Sunflower persisted as a design icon for the company, hence the even pricier and more boutique 20" version. The G5 doesn't cost more than a G4, and everything that gave reason for the high price of the original iMac has fallen substantially. Combodrives cost nothing, and even some superdrives costs next to nothing, larger LCDs have fallen big time, HDDs and RAM are Low low low... Apple may have been locked in at different prices for components, but anyone contracting to buy 10's of thousands of units per month these days is going to get some SWEET prices.
As for the original gumdrop, I think it was basically a PB minus the expensive parts, back from a time when Apple's mobile technology was unquestionably a generation (or more) ahead of the other guys, and actually a lot simpler and more standard than it may at first appear when dismantled. Everything was different back then, no real difference between "mobile" and desktop PPC, the bulk of the cost of the PB being very expensive stuff like Batteries, the LCD, and mobile HDD, of which none were on the iMac. All of that has been commoditized to a far greater degree in recent years -- especially LCDs.
The Sunflower, while simple on the outside, had a 2-sided round motherboard that took notebook so-dimms, required a very compact PS, a special alloy dome and mounting arm.
I think an iPod mini styled iMac would be great. Open at the sides -- I/O on the left, optical on the right. Vesa mount, simple stand. Packs in a nice small box, just like their notebooks. Maybe with a click wheel on the front, for display settings and volume, if that's not too kitschy?
No 20" model. A 20" display is 999. People in the market for it would probably be better served by a 999 headless box.
I've changed my feelings about the new iMac. Apple should revise their lineup. The eMac is a decent entry machine and should be marketed as such. The iMac should be positioned between the eMac and the PM. The new machine should be headless so that the consumer can select the size monitor he (or she) wushed, including purchasing a monitor made by an outside manufacturer. The iMac should be customizable with choices of video cards, RAM, HD, etc. It's time Apple gets with it and competes directly with Wintels. All this BS about quality being their primary concern is a smoke screen. Apple needs to enter the 21st century if they want to survive.
I've changed my feelings about the new iMac. Apple should revise their lineup. The eMac is a decent entry machine and should be marketed as such. The iMac should be positioned between the eMac and the PM. The new machine should be headless so that the consumer can select the size monitor he (or she) wushed, including purchasing a monitor made by an outside manufacturer. The iMac should be customizable with choices of video cards, RAM, HD, etc. It's time Apple gets with it and competes directly with Wintels. All this BS about quality being their primary concern is a smoke screen. Apple needs to enter the 21st century if they want to survive.
Why should Aple assist you in choosing non Apple hardware? Wouldn't they be better off moving the Powermac line down to $1499 and having the iMac line setting into two models at $999 and $1299. Someone with a budget less than $1299 today isn't getting larger than an 18" LCD with that purchase. Those who want the most options would be taken care of by a future 970MP system that of course would be "headless"
I have a feeling apple was under the gun on this one. They obviously didn't come out when they ran out... so I think they were rushed into this.
Personally I don't think they did THAT bad of a job. We all knew ram would be that low... since the dual 1.8 comes with 256. 1.6ghz g5 isn't a bad processor... and neither is the 1.8. I have a friend who is a professional video artist... he uses his original single g5 on a daily basis and loves it.
I still think those screens are a majority of the price... Oh well... I never was going to buy one... but I feel apple didn't do a BAD job... they may have been able to do better...
Also these specs aren't written in stone... day before the new g5's were released... thinksecret said dual 2.6ghz as the top of the line... what happened to that
Apple gets people to look through innovative styling, not price. Any self respecting aspirational brand like Apple would never throw away its brand values with a bargain basement machine. The damage that it would do to its perception by its core users would be disastrous. Apple is a "love" brand, Dell most certainly is not.
Ok BMW have a new baby BMW, Mercedes have the A class...but they are still more expensive than the comparitive models from other manufacturers. Why? Because people will always pay a premium for perceived exclusivity and style even if in road tests these machines perform similary. I now what you are talking about with a sub 500 box but it will never happen nor should it. The user who spends that amount on a machine will never be a core apple user or buy the volume or type of software that Apple wants to sell and will only be a drain on Apples limited resources.
Apple are the masters of the up-sell, they just do it from a higher starting point than anyone else because they know they can get away with it.
Apple has once again managed to come up with a consumer desktop price that demonstrates a complete detachment from the market reality. Congratulations pinheads.
My post was in response to earlier comments. I have to agree, 999 is a sweet spot. I just dont think they can do it for that, not with a decent 17 inch screen. I bought a dell for my brother the other day (he knows no better, god knows I tried) and fully speced it came in at over £1200 with a 17 inch screen, Office Small business edition and XP pro.
We all know these bargain machines are not the bargains they appear to be.
The soon-to-be-announced, re-designed iMac will be available in two 17-inch models with a 1.6GHz G5 processor and two 20-inch models with a 1.8GHz G5 processor, reliable sources have told Think Secret. In addition, the new models will be housed in an all-in-one body with the motherboard and components attached to the back of the display.
Highly reliable sources have provided Think Secret with incontrovertible evidence of the new iMac specifications. Sources would not confirm specific pricing, but did acknowledge that MSRP will probably fall in the same range as current iMac models -- between US$1,300 and $2,200 -- but could venture slightly higher.
The new iMac line will begin with a bare bones "education" model using a 17-inch widescreen, active-matrix display. Running on a 1.6GHz PowerPC G5 processor, the educational model will not include an optical drive or internal 56K modem, sources said. Its main features will include a 40GB Ultra ATA hard drive, 256MB of DDR SDRAM, 512K L2 cache, NVIDIA GeForce4 MX graphics processor with 32MB of DDR video memory, VGA video output, S-video and composite video output, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, two FireWire 400 ports, three USB 2.0 ports, and two USB 1.1 ports on the keyboard.
The entry-level consumer iMac will have the same specs of the 17-inch educational model, but with a slot-loading Combo drive, 80GB Serial ATA hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce MX 5200 Ultra graphics processor with 64MB of DDR video memory, and a 56K internal modem.
The widescreen 20-inch iMac will include a 1.8GHz G5 processor, slot-loading SuperDrive, 80GB Serial ATA hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce MX 5200 Ultra graphics processor with 64MB of DDR video memory, and 256MB of DDR SDRAM. All other features will be the same as the 17-inch models.
The top-of-the-line 20-inch model will be identical to the mid-range, 20-inch iMac with the exception of a larger, 160GB Serial ATA hard drive.
All of the new iMac models will feature a microphone and stereo speakers built right into the enclosure. All models will also support up to 2GB of DDR memory, be AirPort Extreme-ready, and come with the standard software suite presently found on the existing iMac models. The new models will come with a wired mouse and keyboard standard.
One interesting addition to the entire lineup will be an optical digital audio output, just as is found on the Power Mac G5 towers. The optical output will support 5.1 digital surround sound, but will not include Dolby support, as Apple is not a licensee of the technology found on similar Windows-based PCs.
Sources told Think Secret that the new iMac design is "impressive" and "an eye catcher." The new unit will not have a display with adjustable neck as found on the current iMacs, but will feature an all-in-one design with the logic board, optical drive and other components housed on the back of the flat-panel display.
Sources said the new model will be similar in design and style to Sony's VAIO W700G, but with sleeker lines and contours. "It's not fair to compare the new iMac to the Sony model," said a source. "But it's the closest thing to it that currently exists."
Experts Think Secret has spoken to believe one of the reasons for the decision not to include an optical drive on the educational model is to not only keep prices down, but to fulfill a request by many schools not to include the drive. Some schools have told Apple that they have experienced increased security problems from having optical drives in their Macs. Many schools have deliberately locked down their optical drives to prevent sharing and copying of copyrighted material.
The new iMacs will undoubtedly be criticized for their small amount of memory; one industry expert commented that it is time for Apple to include 512MB of memory in all its systems not just because most Windows-equipped PCs ship with that much RAM, but because many Mac applications now need that much memory to run efficiently. Many experts believe that Apple has decided not to jump to 512MB of RAM in an effort to protect profit margins, which are constantly under pressure and are looked at very carefully by market analysts and investors.
Sources have also confirmed Apple is still planning on debuting the new iMacs at a keynote address scheduled for August 31 at the Apple Expo in Paris. It is still not known if Apple CEO Steve Jobs will deliver the presentation, but Apple is not expected to delay the debut of the new iMacs; Jobs has been recovering from recent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his pancreas. It is not known who would replace Jobs as keynote speaker and show organizers tell Think Secret no such decision has been announced yet by Apple.
Looking back at my posts from last night... and re-reading the specs today... I feel like an idiot.
I didn't realize that the 17's only came in the 1.6 form... I thought they came in both. Also I noticed the 32mb video card in the low end and NO OPTICAL DRIVE!!! WTH! So basically you get a machine for 1300 (at least according to TS) that can only have software installed remotely!? For some reason I don't see that happening. So really the first iMac that would even be considered by us is a 17" 1.6ghz g5 for around 15xx-16xx!!!
Matsu is right.... these machines will be bought by the mac faithful for the next few months.... then crash and BURN again.
This has been the absolute worst year I have seen from apple since I started using them in 1992. What a let down for being an anniversary year. I am so angry at apple right now. They have really lost focus on everything. Rumor has it that linux will have a larger market share than apple next year... I can see why.
After thinking about this a little... I have to vote that these specs aren't completely accurate. I can not see apple not putting an optical drive into a computer. It makes absolutely NO sense what so ever, even if it is an education model.
First off, if OS X goes bad... how with they reinstall it? Over network? Over Firewire? How can they expect you to do that, even if you are an education institution? Do they expect you to buy your own optical drive? If so that is like expecting you to buy a mouse or keyboard... I don't see the logic...
Only possible reason I can see them doing it is so kids don't use optical drives... but it would be easier to put a lock on it for student accounts then to take it out!!
I know TS is usually good about this stuff, but I wouldn't get mad until they are announced aug 31st.
After thinking about this a little... I have to vote that these specs aren't completely accurate. I can not see apple not putting an optical drive into a computer. It makes absolutely NO sense what so ever, even if it is an education model.
First off, if OS X goes bad... how with they reinstall it? Over network? Over Firewire? How can they expect you to do that, even if you are an education institution? Do they expect you to buy your own optical drive? If so that is like expecting you to buy a mouse or keyboard... I don't see the logic...
Only possible reason I can see them doing it is so kids don't use optical drives... but it would be easier to put a lock on it for student accounts then to take it out!!
I know TS is usually good about this stuff, but I wouldn't get mad until they are announced aug 31st.
It's great for education. If the machine takes a dive a tech can pop by with a firewire drve to straighten it out. It is also a good deal easier to keep students from putting stuff on them using the optical drive. Heck, this makes 'em great for business too.
ps - I do not think these specs are entirely accurate though.
Comments
Originally posted by Matsu
I know for a fact that Kormac is in fact a robotic head made out of an eMac CRT.
Originally posted by MacsRGood4U
LCD screens, unless you buy the very expensive ones, are lousy for graphic arts use. Colors are way off on the ones that Apple uses. CRTs are still the best at accurate colors and at reasonable price points.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAmen!!!!!!
Even though I agree with you 100%... my next monitor will be a LCD even though I do graphics. I'm tired of these CRTs burning the hell out of my eyes
I think a big issue is the original iMac was designed around a pricepoint. It also had several requirements or guidelines that its engineers were suppose to follow and meet. The iPod had the same thing. This produced in both cases a very focused product that was innovative yet appealed to the majority rather than a minority and was affordable.
The iMac 2 seemed less about that and more about idealism and margins.
In the 10K report they make note of two things.
_Apple said that sales of flat panel iMac systems, which start at $1,299, have been negatively affected by a shift in consumer preference to portable systems and competitor desktop models with price points below $1,000. The company also cited the iMac's aging enclosure as a possible factor contributing to reduced sales.
source ThinkSecret
so.....one consumers want a system under 1000 dollars....and two...they want a new enclosure.
so....based on Apple's statements and patterns we know a couple requirements put in place for Apple's engineers
1. Under 1000 dollars
2. G5 processor
3. Fully support tiger (graphic card to go along with it)
4. new enclosure
5. LCD
6. Full Digital Hub Support (USB, Firewire, Superdrive, Bluetooth, Airport Extreme)
I don't think 15 inch LCD displays appeal to most of anyone anymore. People have moved on to bigger screens a long time ago. We've been complaining about 15 inch screens since 1998....sure, LCD gave us 1.2 more inches of viewable area, but the point remains....17 inch is needed.
So, I think we have a decent idea of what to expect. And Apple will always have the 20 inch model, possibly with more features (faster processor/graphics/hd) for a higher price.
I also expect to see colors.
Why wouldn't it be? It's obvious that Apple has been working towards a replacement to the sunflower for a while. The sunflower has been left to stagnate once Apple realized that they would need a whole new machine to rescue sales. In the meantime they focused on products with a future, the iBook, the iPod, PMacs, etc etc. Even the eMac, which sells for a decent price to edu channels -- someone had to do some work to build that thing down to the 550-600 price at which Apple can blow them out to edu (even without the optical)The Sunflower persisted as a design icon for the company, hence the even pricier and more boutique 20" version. The G5 doesn't cost more than a G4, and everything that gave reason for the high price of the original iMac has fallen substantially. Combodrives cost nothing, and even some superdrives costs next to nothing, larger LCDs have fallen big time, HDDs and RAM are Low low low... Apple may have been locked in at different prices for components, but anyone contracting to buy 10's of thousands of units per month these days is going to get some SWEET prices.
As for the original gumdrop, I think it was basically a PB minus the expensive parts, back from a time when Apple's mobile technology was unquestionably a generation (or more) ahead of the other guys, and actually a lot simpler and more standard than it may at first appear when dismantled. Everything was different back then, no real difference between "mobile" and desktop PPC, the bulk of the cost of the PB being very expensive stuff like Batteries, the LCD, and mobile HDD, of which none were on the iMac. All of that has been commoditized to a far greater degree in recent years -- especially LCDs.
The Sunflower, while simple on the outside, had a 2-sided round motherboard that took notebook so-dimms, required a very compact PS, a special alloy dome and mounting arm.
I think an iPod mini styled iMac would be great. Open at the sides -- I/O on the left, optical on the right. Vesa mount, simple stand. Packs in a nice small box, just like their notebooks. Maybe with a click wheel on the front, for display settings and volume, if that's not too kitschy?
No 20" model. A 20" display is 999. People in the market for it would probably be better served by a 999 headless box.
Headless iMac
1.5 GHZ G5, 256 Ram, Geforce 6600 64 MB, Superdrive, and The usual I/O ports. DVI and VGA out. Make faster G5 and faster video card options.
$1099
iMac
Same as above with 17 in LCD $1399
Same as above with 20 in LCD $1899
Chances of my dream coming true = 0%
Originally posted by chipz
I've changed my feelings about the new iMac. Apple should revise their lineup. The eMac is a decent entry machine and should be marketed as such. The iMac should be positioned between the eMac and the PM. The new machine should be headless so that the consumer can select the size monitor he (or she) wushed, including purchasing a monitor made by an outside manufacturer. The iMac should be customizable with choices of video cards, RAM, HD, etc. It's time Apple gets with it and competes directly with Wintels. All this BS about quality being their primary concern is a smoke screen. Apple needs to enter the 21st century if they want to survive.
Why should Aple assist you in choosing non Apple hardware? Wouldn't they be better off moving the Powermac line down to $1499 and having the iMac line setting into two models at $999 and $1299. Someone with a budget less than $1299 today isn't getting larger than an 18" LCD with that purchase. Those who want the most options would be taken care of by a future 970MP system that of course would be "headless"
http://www.thinksecret.com/news/imacg5specs.html
I called the 1299 price point with a 1.8 on the 17" v00t
Originally posted by emig647
I think MacsRGood4U and myself win
I called the 1299 price point with a 1.8 on the 17" v00t
not really since that was my initial "realistic" prediction.
everything above has been what i hoped for and would be arguing for.
there are also questions to be answered about the specs they provide and what the real starting pricepoint is.
either way, this is a bit of an underwhelming report and im dissapointed in apple's lack of aggression
I have a feeling apple was under the gun on this one. They obviously didn't come out when they ran out... so I think they were rushed into this.
Personally I don't think they did THAT bad of a job. We all knew ram would be that low... since the dual 1.8 comes with 256. 1.6ghz g5 isn't a bad processor... and neither is the 1.8. I have a friend who is a professional video artist... he uses his original single g5 on a daily basis and loves it.
I still think those screens are a majority of the price... Oh well... I never was going to buy one... but I feel apple didn't do a BAD job... they may have been able to do better...
Also these specs aren't written in stone... day before the new g5's were released... thinksecret said dual 2.6ghz as the top of the line... what happened to that
Three months of strong sales to mac-addicts. After that? Flatline. You'd think Apple would learn by now.
Would have been better to sell a headless machine for 500 USD less and let us worry about the display.
Laptops it is then...
Ok BMW have a new baby BMW, Mercedes have the A class...but they are still more expensive than the comparitive models from other manufacturers. Why? Because people will always pay a premium for perceived exclusivity and style even if in road tests these machines perform similary. I now what you are talking about with a sub 500 box but it will never happen nor should it. The user who spends that amount on a machine will never be a core apple user or buy the volume or type of software that Apple wants to sell and will only be a drain on Apples limited resources.
Apple are the masters of the up-sell, they just do it from a higher starting point than anyone else because they know they can get away with it.
IS NOT
Bargain basement.
Apple has once again managed to come up with a consumer desktop price that demonstrates a complete detachment from the market reality. Congratulations pinheads.
My post was in response to earlier comments. I have to agree, 999 is a sweet spot. I just dont think they can do it for that, not with a decent 17 inch screen. I bought a dell for my brother the other day (he knows no better, god knows I tried) and fully speced it came in at over £1200 with a 17 inch screen, Office Small business edition and XP pro.
We all know these bargain machines are not the bargains they appear to be.
REAL iMac Specs !!!!
Originally posted by Think Secret Exclusive
The soon-to-be-announced, re-designed iMac will be available in two 17-inch models with a 1.6GHz G5 processor and two 20-inch models with a 1.8GHz G5 processor, reliable sources have told Think Secret. In addition, the new models will be housed in an all-in-one body with the motherboard and components attached to the back of the display.
Highly reliable sources have provided Think Secret with incontrovertible evidence of the new iMac specifications. Sources would not confirm specific pricing, but did acknowledge that MSRP will probably fall in the same range as current iMac models -- between US$1,300 and $2,200 -- but could venture slightly higher.
The new iMac line will begin with a bare bones "education" model using a 17-inch widescreen, active-matrix display. Running on a 1.6GHz PowerPC G5 processor, the educational model will not include an optical drive or internal 56K modem, sources said. Its main features will include a 40GB Ultra ATA hard drive, 256MB of DDR SDRAM, 512K L2 cache, NVIDIA GeForce4 MX graphics processor with 32MB of DDR video memory, VGA video output, S-video and composite video output, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, two FireWire 400 ports, three USB 2.0 ports, and two USB 1.1 ports on the keyboard.
The entry-level consumer iMac will have the same specs of the 17-inch educational model, but with a slot-loading Combo drive, 80GB Serial ATA hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce MX 5200 Ultra graphics processor with 64MB of DDR video memory, and a 56K internal modem.
The widescreen 20-inch iMac will include a 1.8GHz G5 processor, slot-loading SuperDrive, 80GB Serial ATA hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce MX 5200 Ultra graphics processor with 64MB of DDR video memory, and 256MB of DDR SDRAM. All other features will be the same as the 17-inch models.
The top-of-the-line 20-inch model will be identical to the mid-range, 20-inch iMac with the exception of a larger, 160GB Serial ATA hard drive.
All of the new iMac models will feature a microphone and stereo speakers built right into the enclosure. All models will also support up to 2GB of DDR memory, be AirPort Extreme-ready, and come with the standard software suite presently found on the existing iMac models. The new models will come with a wired mouse and keyboard standard.
One interesting addition to the entire lineup will be an optical digital audio output, just as is found on the Power Mac G5 towers. The optical output will support 5.1 digital surround sound, but will not include Dolby support, as Apple is not a licensee of the technology found on similar Windows-based PCs.
Sources told Think Secret that the new iMac design is "impressive" and "an eye catcher." The new unit will not have a display with adjustable neck as found on the current iMacs, but will feature an all-in-one design with the logic board, optical drive and other components housed on the back of the flat-panel display.
Sources said the new model will be similar in design and style to Sony's VAIO W700G, but with sleeker lines and contours. "It's not fair to compare the new iMac to the Sony model," said a source. "But it's the closest thing to it that currently exists."
Experts Think Secret has spoken to believe one of the reasons for the decision not to include an optical drive on the educational model is to not only keep prices down, but to fulfill a request by many schools not to include the drive. Some schools have told Apple that they have experienced increased security problems from having optical drives in their Macs. Many schools have deliberately locked down their optical drives to prevent sharing and copying of copyrighted material.
The new iMacs will undoubtedly be criticized for their small amount of memory; one industry expert commented that it is time for Apple to include 512MB of memory in all its systems not just because most Windows-equipped PCs ship with that much RAM, but because many Mac applications now need that much memory to run efficiently. Many experts believe that Apple has decided not to jump to 512MB of RAM in an effort to protect profit margins, which are constantly under pressure and are looked at very carefully by market analysts and investors.
Sources have also confirmed Apple is still planning on debuting the new iMacs at a keynote address scheduled for August 31 at the Apple Expo in Paris. It is still not known if Apple CEO Steve Jobs will deliver the presentation, but Apple is not expected to delay the debut of the new iMacs; Jobs has been recovering from recent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his pancreas. It is not known who would replace Jobs as keynote speaker and show organizers tell Think Secret no such decision has been announced yet by Apple.
I didn't realize that the 17's only came in the 1.6 form... I thought they came in both. Also I noticed the 32mb video card in the low end and NO OPTICAL DRIVE!!! WTH! So basically you get a machine for 1300 (at least according to TS) that can only have software installed remotely!? For some reason I don't see that happening. So really the first iMac that would even be considered by us is a 17" 1.6ghz g5 for around 15xx-16xx!!!
Matsu is right.... these machines will be bought by the mac faithful for the next few months.... then crash and BURN again.
This has been the absolute worst year I have seen from apple since I started using them in 1992. What a let down for being an anniversary year. I am so angry at apple right now. They have really lost focus on everything. Rumor has it that linux will have a larger market share than apple next year... I can see why.
First off, if OS X goes bad... how with they reinstall it? Over network? Over Firewire? How can they expect you to do that, even if you are an education institution? Do they expect you to buy your own optical drive? If so that is like expecting you to buy a mouse or keyboard... I don't see the logic...
Only possible reason I can see them doing it is so kids don't use optical drives... but it would be easier to put a lock on it for student accounts then to take it out!!
I know TS is usually good about this stuff, but I wouldn't get mad until they are announced aug 31st.
Originally posted by emig647
After thinking about this a little... I have to vote that these specs aren't completely accurate. I can not see apple not putting an optical drive into a computer. It makes absolutely NO sense what so ever, even if it is an education model.
First off, if OS X goes bad... how with they reinstall it? Over network? Over Firewire? How can they expect you to do that, even if you are an education institution? Do they expect you to buy your own optical drive? If so that is like expecting you to buy a mouse or keyboard... I don't see the logic...
Only possible reason I can see them doing it is so kids don't use optical drives... but it would be easier to put a lock on it for student accounts then to take it out!!
I know TS is usually good about this stuff, but I wouldn't get mad until they are announced aug 31st.
It's great for education. If the machine takes a dive a tech can pop by with a firewire drve to straighten it out. It is also a good deal easier to keep students from putting stuff on them using the optical drive. Heck, this makes 'em great for business too.
ps - I do not think these specs are entirely accurate though.