The $1499 days are gone. The choice is, if you want a truly upgradeable (not talking about processor) tower and a separate monitor, then you have have a choice of a Mac Pro with OS X or a PC made by a good number of other computer makers and run the system you want, but not OS X.
Does anyone else see a huge problem in this? Not only do you have to pay almost THREE GRAND for an upgradeable tower, but Apple has virtually stomped out 3rd-party hardware by not releasing an HDK for it. What the hell is the point of getting an upgradeable machine for which there are no upgrades?! Sure you can put a different video card in there but you won't have any driver support whatsoever. What the hell, Apple?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TBaggins
Meh. Things are only gone until they aren't, anymore.
A company can survive without shareholders but cannot survive without customers.
.....
Even after all is said and done, they are taking profits of 60% in some cases on their computers. This is more than twice that of other PC manufacturers. I understand charging more for a better product, but 60% profit is pretty ridiculous. Apple should make more of an attempt to befriend their customers because sooner or later people will start to realize they're getting robbed.
If only OS X ran reliably on X86 hardware...
-Clive
Actually, there would be no company without shareholders. So, you really do need both.
aapl as a company has a net profit margin of about 15.25%. That's probably higher than most, but doesn't equate to highway robbery.
The fact remains that people are willing to pay those prices, so they must think its a good value for their money.
2) having confirmed the MacBook Pro as a true high-end notebook at a premium price, introduce a 15" MacBook to grab a chunk of the market that currently sees nothing for them in the Mac lineup. There's no need to make this unit ultra light because the competition is often a full pound (or more) heavier than a Mac.
3) accept that the desktop market still exists and that very successful hackintosh units already exist in this space. accept that most consumer (as opposed to corporate) desktop buyers play games. Respond with a small tower packing commodity desktop components and PCI express video.
4) use the aforementioned small tower, a more aggressively priced entry-level iMac and the AppleTV to completely replace the Mac Mini.
Net result: Apple continues to sell 3 desktop models and expands selection in the growing notebook and home electronics markets.
You should find some encouragement in the fact that Apple introduced the MacBook Air.
This shows that Apple will try to enter new marketing niches, rather than just standing
pat with their current lineup of computers. A revision or replacement to the Mac Mini
would not be surprising now, although I doubt if it will cost under $500.
I bought a G4 (DA 466, single processor) 7 years ago last month for $1699. If you and an increase of about 5 per cent per year to that price then I can buy the a single quad Mac Pro for about the same price as I paid for the G4. So I get a lot more for the same price. I do realize that computer prices are somewhat down during that same period of time, but then I would have to buy a Windows machine and that I'm not going to do.
Woah..... 5% every year? Is that reasonable? And also.... I should hope you get way more than your G4... otherwise... what has the industry been doing for seven years?! lol.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Royboy
Some people want the Mac Pro to be a gaming machine, but has anyone priced a true high end Windows gaming PC. Several thousand more than a Mac Pro.
Not true at all.
The best gamer motherboard (Striker II): $300
The best Quad-Core CPU: $550
The best DDR3 RAM: $500
nVidia 8800 GTX (x3) (SLI): $1350
DL DVD-Burner w/lightscribe: $50
Water-cooling system: $150?
This all totals to $2400 and would absolutely STOMP a MacPro at gaming. Triple SLI, high-throughput DDR3 RAM? Man, it's making me salivate. If only I was a hard-core gamer.
The myths about gamers are completely false, BTW. I consider myself a moderate-core gamer and I'll only spend a few hundred dollars every 3 or 4 years for new hardware. Gaming is very cheap these days. The second-best graphics card on the market these days can be had for $200.
Does anyone else see a huge problem in this? Not only do you have to pay almost THREE GRAND for an upgradeable tower, but Apple has virtually stomped out 3rd-party hardware by not releasing an HDK for it. What the hell is the point of getting an upgradeable machine for which there are no upgrades?! Sure you can put a different video card in there but you won't have any driver support whatsoever. What the hell, Apple?
Agreed on all points.
Quote:
The 90s are gone, thank Trogdor.
I woudn't say that. In the '90s, we had a Clinton in the White House instead of Dubya. That alone makes the '00s a huge downgrade in a lot of ways.
Plus, in the '90s... a lot less Britney Spears and Paris Hilton! Though Britney did start to poison the well around '98 or '99, I think... \
Does anyone else see a huge problem in this? Not only do you have to pay almost THREE GRAND for an upgradeable tower, but Apple has virtually stomped out 3rd-party hardware by not releasing an HDK for it. What the hell is the point of getting an upgradeable machine for which there are no upgrades?! Sure you can put a different video card in there but you won't have any driver support whatsoever. What the hell, Apple?
I agree completely. $2300 for an expandable machine is absurd, especially when the expandability falls short of what you can get in the PC world. Equally ridiculous is $2000 for a laptop with decent graphics.
The Apple paradigm can be carried to a point with a solid OS, quality applications, slick designs, and effective marketing. They've gone quite far as it is. However, on a larger scale, their approach is contradictory to the general-purpose nature of the personal computer and is an inherent limiting factor in their growth. The "pro/consumer" distinction in their lineup, for example, is artificial and meaningless. People and the way they use computers can't be neatly divided up like that.
Frankly, they could take a lesson from the Apple II, the ultimate do-everything platform that propelled Apple to success in the first place (and paid its bills even as the first Macs sold like crap).
... But I really have a hard time reconciling with the fact that Apple could not sell more Macs with a Mac that directly compete with low-end $500-600 PCs.
End of rant, and time to do real work ;-)
Maybe Apple chooses not to be in the low-end (low profit) commodity pc business... so they can devote their valuable resources to the greater benefit: ROI to the company, investors, and the best possible products and services to their customers.
Makes a lot of sense to me as a customer and sharehoder!
I woudn't say that. In the '90s, we had a Clinton in the White House instead of Dubya. That alone makes the '00s a huge downgrade in a lot of ways.
Plus, in the '90s... a lot less Britney Spears and Paris Hilton! Though Britney did start to poison the well around '98 or '99, I think... \
In the 90s, we had M.C. Hammer, Spice Girls, HANSON, Full House, "I tried Marijuana once, I did not inhale," "I did not have sexual relations with that woman," "I did have an inappropriate relationship with that woman," Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman...
Need I progress?
Every era has things they aren't proud of. Dubya will likely be the 00's.
I can completely understand high margins on products like the Iphone, Ipod touch, and even the Ipod as these are unique and I don't see any other products as good at what they do. The notebooks on the other hand are not so unique and the extra cost is a bit tough to justify. I want to switch (I love my Ipod and Ipod touch) but I can get a lot more in a Dell for the same or less money. I do want to try OSX, but I have never used it so I don't know if I will consider it worth a lot more money. I have to say though the computers are certainly the best looking ones out there.
This all totals to $2400 and would absolutely STOMP a MacPro at gaming. Triple SLI, high-throughput DDR3 RAM? Man, it's making me salivate. If only I was a hard-core gamer.
The myths about gamers are completely false, BTW. I consider myself a moderate-core gamer and I'll only spend a few hundred dollars every 3 or 4 years for new hardware. Gaming is very cheap these days. The second-best graphics card on the market these days can be had for $200.
Shove that in your scope and frag it.
-Clive
Well that explains how you can get by so cheaply on your gaming computers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clive At Five
...... "I tried Marijuana once, I did not inhale," "I did not have sexual relations with that woman," "I did have an inappropriate relationship with that woman,"
...
-Clive
Ah, the good old days. Bill had everything most men want: the opposite sex all over him.
The Apple paradigm can be carried to a point with a solid OS, quality applications, slick designs, and effective marketing. They've gone quite far as it is. However, on a larger scale, their approach is contradictory to the general-purpose nature of the personal computer and is an inherent limiting factor in their growth. The "pro/consumer" distinction in their lineup, for example, is artificial and meaningless. People and the way they use computers can't be neatly divided up like that.
And yet, Apple's growth has outperformed the industry as a whole even as their ASPs have increased. Perhaps Apple is onto something: Simple sells. People who hang around these forums seem to not understand how differently they view technology than the vast majority of consumers.
Call it a marketing triumph if you must but, in the end, what matters is what sells and, in that regard, Apple seems to be making very effective choices overall.
Perhaps a vacation to New Jersey (no tax) is in order. Better yet, have your boss come instead. Kill three birds with one stone.
Yeah, it would be wonderful. America is great! New Jersey or San Fransisco... I Get wet, by imagining!
But I don't want to give up my fingerprint or tell if I'm gay or if I'm a commie or so on... You have to, if you want to visit your country, you know :-(
But I used to love the Mac, I used to resist working on PCs before I discovered the Mac.
(Sorry bout the expressiveness. Been out drinkin')
Well that explains how you can get by so cheaply on your gaming computers.
Ok Mr. Hard-core gamer, exactly what qualifies as a "true" gaming machine? The one Clive spec'd out seems loaded to me and, at $2400, out of the price range of most gamers.
Most gamers get by with some generic case and PS, $125 MB, $100 worth of dual channel PC6400, $250 CPU and a $200 video card (600MHz 8800GT 512MB). In fact, since gaming mostly measures the skill of the player not the size of his wallet, I'm willing to bet kids with faster reflexes and more time to practice using $800 PCs regularly kick your "hard-core" ass.
I built my last Windows PC back in 2002 hoping that I can get high quality parts and high-end performance for less money. Well, I ended up paying more that what I paid for my current iMac. The CPU alone was more than $1200 plus 15" LCD monitor, Wireless mouse and keyboard, and speakers totaling almost $1900. A year after that, my PC became obsolete. I switched to Mac in 2006 and I have to admit that I never regret spending $1800 on my iMac. Almost 2 years without going obsolete. Thats the beauty of Mac.
I did the same exact thing...my friend convinced me to build a pc, though i had a powerbook at the time. At day 1 it was a screamer, but after that it was all downhill! my story is nearly identical to yours! I had a worthless piece of crap PC exactly one year later....my Powerbook G4 however lasted 5 years and ran faster than ever when I installed Tiger. I later sold that PB for $500 i think
Yeah, it would be wonderful. America is great! New Jersey or San Fransisco... I Get wet, by imagining!
But I don't want to give up my fingerprint or tell if I'm gay or if I'm a commie or so on... You have to, if you want to visit your country, you know :-(
But I used to love the Mac, I used to resist working on PCs before I discovered the Mac.
(Sorry bout the expressiveness. Been out drinkin')
Sorry Röntgenman, but I would suggest that you be sober the next time you respond. I am sure your perception may have been compromised. Perhaps a few 'nachspiel' coffees would have helped.
Ok Mr. Hard-core gamer, exactly what qualifies as a "true" gaming machine? The one Clive spec'd out seems loaded to me and, at $2400, out of the price range of most gamers.
Most gamers get by with some generic case and PS, $125 MB, $100 worth of dual channel PC6400, $250 CPU and a $200 video card (600MHz 8800GT 512MB). In fact, since gaming mostly measures the skill of the player not the size of his wallet, I'm willing to bet kids with faster reflexes and more time to practice using $800 PCs regularly kick your "hard-core" ass.
I don't game at all, but you must be referring to gamers with very limited incomes who have to piece together parts and get by with what they can. The gamers I speak of are in their late 20s and early 30s who have above average income and don't have to skimp and pinch pennies just to say they are gamers.
You know, I rarely comment on here... but sometimes I see things so off the wall that it compels me to.
The only reason Apple is still in business and remains capable of producing the products that they do is because of their higher than average margins.
I honestly have to wonder about the sincerity of some of those who come on here and balk about the price of Macs and how it is an outrage that Apple charges more while offering less.
Get over yourself!
You know how the saying goes... if you have to ask about the price, then maybe you shouldn't be buying it.
If you are that concerned about how much Apple is charging for their machines, then there are plenty of econo-boxes out there that offer much worse performance than even a Mini.
The only reason one would balk about the price is because they feel there are alternatives out there, which again - makes me question their sincerity. Frankly, for me - there are no alternatives out there as Windows/Linux is NOT an alternative to the Mac... therefore, I have no problem paying the prices Apple charges... and if I do - I'll just go out and buy a used machine.
The fact remains, the Mini offers attractive specifications at an attractive price. What some of you seem to forget is that many of those $399 econoboxes are powered by say - a Pentium D for crying out loud!
I just don't get it.... I just don't get why someone would come on here and balk about the price of Macs. It serves no constructive purpose whatsoever. Why? Because no one on here cares if someone is cheap and more importantly - Apple doesn't care either.
While the previous quarter saw record Mac sales, the jury is out on the upcoming quarters with a softening retail market.
And while the argument can be made that since market share is up, Apple must be doing something right, one might argue what numbers they could have if they had a reasonably price tower.
I don't game at all, but you must be referring to gamers with very limited incomes who have to piece together parts and get by with what they can. The gamers I speak of are in their late 20s and early 30s who have above average income and don't have to skimp and pinch pennies just to say they are gamers.
Only wannabe gamers use pre-built Alienware PCs. All true gamers are completely unsatisfied with Alienware and vouch to build/customize their own.
The system that I priced out is THE best possible system for February 2008 (Actually the Striker II Mo Board isn't even out yet so perhaps April 2008?). Any gamer would orgasm seeing a setup like this.
Only wannabe gamers use pre-built Alienware PCs. All true gamers are completely unsatisfied with Alienware and vouch to build/customize their own.
The system that I priced out is THE best possible system for February 2008 (Actually the Striker II Mo Board isn't even out yet so perhaps April 2008?). Any gamer would orgasm seeing a setup like this.
-Clive
I don't know... I'd kind of avoid any system that doesn't include a hard drive, case or power supply.
Comments
The $1499 days are gone. The choice is, if you want a truly upgradeable (not talking about processor) tower and a separate monitor, then you have have a choice of a Mac Pro with OS X or a PC made by a good number of other computer makers and run the system you want, but not OS X.
Does anyone else see a huge problem in this? Not only do you have to pay almost THREE GRAND for an upgradeable tower, but Apple has virtually stomped out 3rd-party hardware by not releasing an HDK for it. What the hell is the point of getting an upgradeable machine for which there are no upgrades?! Sure you can put a different video card in there but you won't have any driver support whatsoever. What the hell, Apple?
Meh. Things are only gone until they aren't, anymore.
The 90s are gone, thank Trogdor.
-Clive
A company can survive without shareholders but cannot survive without customers.
.....
Even after all is said and done, they are taking profits of 60% in some cases on their computers. This is more than twice that of other PC manufacturers. I understand charging more for a better product, but 60% profit is pretty ridiculous. Apple should make more of an attempt to befriend their customers because sooner or later people will start to realize they're getting robbed.
If only OS X ran reliably on X86 hardware...
-Clive
Actually, there would be no company without shareholders. So, you really do need both.
aapl as a company has a net profit margin of about 15.25%. That's probably higher than most, but doesn't equate to highway robbery.
The fact remains that people are willing to pay those prices, so they must think its a good value for their money.
2) having confirmed the MacBook Pro as a true high-end notebook at a premium price, introduce a 15" MacBook to grab a chunk of the market that currently sees nothing for them in the Mac lineup. There's no need to make this unit ultra light because the competition is often a full pound (or more) heavier than a Mac.
3) accept that the desktop market still exists and that very successful hackintosh units already exist in this space. accept that most consumer (as opposed to corporate) desktop buyers play games. Respond with a small tower packing commodity desktop components and PCI express video.
4) use the aforementioned small tower, a more aggressively priced entry-level iMac and the AppleTV to completely replace the Mac Mini.
Net result: Apple continues to sell 3 desktop models and expands selection in the growing notebook and home electronics markets.
You should find some encouragement in the fact that Apple introduced the MacBook Air.
This shows that Apple will try to enter new marketing niches, rather than just standing
pat with their current lineup of computers. A revision or replacement to the Mac Mini
would not be surprising now, although I doubt if it will cost under $500.
I bought a G4 (DA 466, single processor) 7 years ago last month for $1699. If you and an increase of about 5 per cent per year to that price then I can buy the a single quad Mac Pro for about the same price as I paid for the G4. So I get a lot more for the same price. I do realize that computer prices are somewhat down during that same period of time, but then I would have to buy a Windows machine and that I'm not going to do.
Woah..... 5% every year? Is that reasonable? And also.... I should hope you get way more than your G4... otherwise... what has the industry been doing for seven years?! lol.
Some people want the Mac Pro to be a gaming machine, but has anyone priced a true high end Windows gaming PC. Several thousand more than a Mac Pro.
Not true at all.
The best gamer motherboard (Striker II): $300
The best Quad-Core CPU: $550
The best DDR3 RAM: $500
nVidia 8800 GTX (x3) (SLI): $1350
DL DVD-Burner w/lightscribe: $50
Water-cooling system: $150?
This all totals to $2400 and would absolutely STOMP a MacPro at gaming. Triple SLI, high-throughput DDR3 RAM? Man, it's making me salivate. If only I was a hard-core gamer.
The myths about gamers are completely false, BTW. I consider myself a moderate-core gamer and I'll only spend a few hundred dollars every 3 or 4 years for new hardware. Gaming is very cheap these days. The second-best graphics card on the market these days can be had for $200.
Shove that in your scope and frag it.
-Clive
Does anyone else see a huge problem in this? Not only do you have to pay almost THREE GRAND for an upgradeable tower, but Apple has virtually stomped out 3rd-party hardware by not releasing an HDK for it. What the hell is the point of getting an upgradeable machine for which there are no upgrades?! Sure you can put a different video card in there but you won't have any driver support whatsoever. What the hell, Apple?
Agreed on all points.
The 90s are gone, thank Trogdor.
I woudn't say that. In the '90s, we had a Clinton in the White House instead of Dubya. That alone makes the '00s a huge downgrade in a lot of ways.
Plus, in the '90s... a lot less Britney Spears and Paris Hilton!
.
Does anyone else see a huge problem in this? Not only do you have to pay almost THREE GRAND for an upgradeable tower, but Apple has virtually stomped out 3rd-party hardware by not releasing an HDK for it. What the hell is the point of getting an upgradeable machine for which there are no upgrades?! Sure you can put a different video card in there but you won't have any driver support whatsoever. What the hell, Apple?
I agree completely. $2300 for an expandable machine is absurd, especially when the expandability falls short of what you can get in the PC world. Equally ridiculous is $2000 for a laptop with decent graphics.
The Apple paradigm can be carried to a point with a solid OS, quality applications, slick designs, and effective marketing. They've gone quite far as it is. However, on a larger scale, their approach is contradictory to the general-purpose nature of the personal computer and is an inherent limiting factor in their growth. The "pro/consumer" distinction in their lineup, for example, is artificial and meaningless. People and the way they use computers can't be neatly divided up like that.
Frankly, they could take a lesson from the Apple II, the ultimate do-everything platform that propelled Apple to success in the first place (and paid its bills even as the first Macs sold like crap).
... But I really have a hard time reconciling with the fact that Apple could not sell more Macs with a Mac that directly compete with low-end $500-600 PCs.
End of rant, and time to do real work ;-)
Maybe Apple chooses not to be in the low-end (low profit) commodity pc business... so they can devote their valuable resources to the greater benefit: ROI to the company, investors, and the best possible products and services to their customers.
Makes a lot of sense to me as a customer and sharehoder!
Dick Applebaum
I woudn't say that. In the '90s, we had a Clinton in the White House instead of Dubya. That alone makes the '00s a huge downgrade in a lot of ways.
Plus, in the '90s... a lot less Britney Spears and Paris Hilton!
In the 90s, we had M.C. Hammer, Spice Girls, HANSON, Full House, "I tried Marijuana once, I did not inhale," "I did not have sexual relations with that woman," "I did have an inappropriate relationship with that woman," Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman...
Need I progress?
Every era has things they aren't proud of. Dubya will likely be the 00's.
-Clive
....
Not true at all.
The best gamer motherboard (Striker II): $300
The best Quad-Core CPU: $550
The best DDR3 RAM: $500
nVidia 8800 GTX (x3) (SLI): $1350
DL DVD-Burner w/lightscribe: $50
Water-cooling system: $150?
This all totals to $2400 and would absolutely STOMP a MacPro at gaming. Triple SLI, high-throughput DDR3 RAM? Man, it's making me salivate. If only I was a hard-core gamer.
The myths about gamers are completely false, BTW. I consider myself a moderate-core gamer and I'll only spend a few hundred dollars every 3 or 4 years for new hardware. Gaming is very cheap these days. The second-best graphics card on the market these days can be had for $200.
Shove that in your scope and frag it.
-Clive
Well that explains how you can get by so cheaply on your gaming computers.
...... "I tried Marijuana once, I did not inhale," "I did not have sexual relations with that woman," "I did have an inappropriate relationship with that woman,"
...
-Clive
Ah, the good old days. Bill had everything most men want: the opposite sex all over him.
The Apple paradigm can be carried to a point with a solid OS, quality applications, slick designs, and effective marketing. They've gone quite far as it is. However, on a larger scale, their approach is contradictory to the general-purpose nature of the personal computer and is an inherent limiting factor in their growth. The "pro/consumer" distinction in their lineup, for example, is artificial and meaningless. People and the way they use computers can't be neatly divided up like that.
And yet, Apple's growth has outperformed the industry as a whole even as their ASPs have increased. Perhaps Apple is onto something: Simple sells. People who hang around these forums seem to not understand how differently they view technology than the vast majority of consumers.
Call it a marketing triumph if you must but, in the end, what matters is what sells and, in that regard, Apple seems to be making very effective choices overall.
Perhaps a vacation to New Jersey (no tax) is in order. Better yet, have your boss come instead. Kill three birds with one stone.
Yeah, it would be wonderful. America is great! New Jersey or San Fransisco... I Get wet, by imagining!
But I don't want to give up my fingerprint or tell if I'm gay or if I'm a commie or so on... You have to, if you want to visit your country, you know :-(
But I used to love the Mac, I used to resist working on PCs before I discovered the Mac.
(Sorry bout the expressiveness. Been out drinkin')
Well that explains how you can get by so cheaply on your gaming computers.
Ok Mr. Hard-core gamer, exactly what qualifies as a "true" gaming machine? The one Clive spec'd out seems loaded to me and, at $2400, out of the price range of most gamers.
Most gamers get by with some generic case and PS, $125 MB, $100 worth of dual channel PC6400, $250 CPU and a $200 video card (600MHz 8800GT 512MB). In fact, since gaming mostly measures the skill of the player not the size of his wallet, I'm willing to bet kids with faster reflexes and more time to practice using $800 PCs regularly kick your "hard-core" ass.
I built my last Windows PC back in 2002 hoping that I can get high quality parts and high-end performance for less money. Well, I ended up paying more that what I paid for my current iMac. The CPU alone was more than $1200 plus 15" LCD monitor, Wireless mouse and keyboard, and speakers totaling almost $1900. A year after that, my PC became obsolete. I switched to Mac in 2006 and I have to admit that I never regret spending $1800 on my iMac. Almost 2 years without going obsolete. Thats the beauty of Mac.
I did the same exact thing...my friend convinced me to build a pc, though i had a powerbook at the time. At day 1 it was a screamer, but after that it was all downhill! my story is nearly identical to yours! I had a worthless piece of crap PC exactly one year later....my Powerbook G4 however lasted 5 years and ran faster than ever when I installed Tiger. I later sold that PB for $500 i think
Yeah, it would be wonderful. America is great! New Jersey or San Fransisco... I Get wet, by imagining!
But I don't want to give up my fingerprint or tell if I'm gay or if I'm a commie or so on... You have to, if you want to visit your country, you know :-(
But I used to love the Mac, I used to resist working on PCs before I discovered the Mac.
(Sorry bout the expressiveness. Been out drinkin')
Sorry Röntgenman, but I would suggest that you be sober the next time you respond. I am sure your perception may have been compromised. Perhaps a few 'nachspiel' coffees would have helped.
Skol.
Ok Mr. Hard-core gamer, exactly what qualifies as a "true" gaming machine? The one Clive spec'd out seems loaded to me and, at $2400, out of the price range of most gamers.
Most gamers get by with some generic case and PS, $125 MB, $100 worth of dual channel PC6400, $250 CPU and a $200 video card (600MHz 8800GT 512MB). In fact, since gaming mostly measures the skill of the player not the size of his wallet, I'm willing to bet kids with faster reflexes and more time to practice using $800 PCs regularly kick your "hard-core" ass.
I don't game at all, but you must be referring to gamers with very limited incomes who have to piece together parts and get by with what they can. The gamers I speak of are in their late 20s and early 30s who have above average income and don't have to skimp and pinch pennies just to say they are gamers.
The only reason Apple is still in business and remains capable of producing the products that they do is because of their higher than average margins.
I honestly have to wonder about the sincerity of some of those who come on here and balk about the price of Macs and how it is an outrage that Apple charges more while offering less.
Get over yourself!
You know how the saying goes... if you have to ask about the price, then maybe you shouldn't be buying it.
If you are that concerned about how much Apple is charging for their machines, then there are plenty of econo-boxes out there that offer much worse performance than even a Mini.
The only reason one would balk about the price is because they feel there are alternatives out there, which again - makes me question their sincerity. Frankly, for me - there are no alternatives out there as Windows/Linux is NOT an alternative to the Mac... therefore, I have no problem paying the prices Apple charges... and if I do - I'll just go out and buy a used machine.
The fact remains, the Mini offers attractive specifications at an attractive price. What some of you seem to forget is that many of those $399 econoboxes are powered by say - a Pentium D for crying out loud!
I just don't get it.... I just don't get why someone would come on here and balk about the price of Macs. It serves no constructive purpose whatsoever. Why? Because no one on here cares if someone is cheap and more importantly - Apple doesn't care either.
And while the argument can be made that since market share is up, Apple must be doing something right, one might argue what numbers they could have if they had a reasonably price tower.
I don't game at all, but you must be referring to gamers with very limited incomes who have to piece together parts and get by with what they can. The gamers I speak of are in their late 20s and early 30s who have above average income and don't have to skimp and pinch pennies just to say they are gamers.
Only wannabe gamers use pre-built Alienware PCs. All true gamers are completely unsatisfied with Alienware and vouch to build/customize their own.
The system that I priced out is THE best possible system for February 2008 (Actually the Striker II Mo Board isn't even out yet so perhaps April 2008?). Any gamer would orgasm seeing a setup like this.
-Clive
Only wannabe gamers use pre-built Alienware PCs. All true gamers are completely unsatisfied with Alienware and vouch to build/customize their own.
The system that I priced out is THE best possible system for February 2008 (Actually the Striker II Mo Board isn't even out yet so perhaps April 2008?). Any gamer would orgasm seeing a setup like this.
-Clive
I don't know... I'd kind of avoid any system that doesn't include a hard drive, case or power supply.