i agree the top end is most desireable, but actually, i think the lowline has a lot to recommend it.
it has the same processor & the same hard drive as the midline.
the only two things it lacks are pro speakers and DVD playback. for $60 you can get a set of altec sats with a sub that will blow away the pro speakers. that only leaves DVD playback and if you only want to watch movies, the $200 difference will buy you a totally decent DVD player for your tv.
even more bizarre...the CDRW drive in the low end model actually burns cd's twice as fast as the combo drive (24x vs. 12x).
It is certainly nice to have the top-of-the-line, bragging rights included, and all of the little extras are worth it, but in my case I can't justify $500 for 20GB of HD, a crappy 128MB of RAM, 100MHz, $59 Pro Speakers, and a SuperDrive I'll never use the DVD read or write portions of...
I'm just going to get the $1299 iMac, max out the RAM (or at least get close), and BTO some Pro Speakers. I don't do the digital video thing and probably won't even be able to afford to during the life of the iMac, so I might as well not waste my money on a DVD-R. And a 700MHz G4 is plenty fast for me. I'll spend the money on other neato hardware.
The only other crappy thing with the $1299 model is the 128 MB of RAM - Apple says you have to take it into an authorized repair center to have it upgraded. Only the second RAM slot is user-accessible.
If you have no use for a Superdrive then obviously the top model is not a good deal. Of course, you could probably eventually build-to-order one with a CDRW instead for $400-450 less.
<strong>The only other crappy thing with the $1299 model is the 128 MB of RAM - Apple says you have to take it into an authorized repair center to have it upgraded. Only the second RAM slot is user-accessible.</strong><hr></blockquote>
That was one issue I was wondering about, murbot. Does Apple's page say that an authorized dealer can indeed upgrade the factory installed RAM? That's a really good thing to know - you may have to get it serviced, but at least you have access to both slots.
<strong>My only complaint about the imacs is he fact that the low-end model doesn't come with speakers. That just seems cheap to me.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Actually that's about the ONLY thing that would make the new iMacs attractive to business/enterprise. How many shops want to hear the startup sound going on all day?
Not many places that use PCs have a bunch of speakers blaring away. (At least not places that consider other people in a courteous manner.
<strong>If you ask me, that's just Apple's little way of saying "Yep, we want more of your money". There's no way they can't ship the other two machines at the same time. Apple is pulling a fast one here.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I thought the exact same thing and I think you are 100% correct.
Comments
it has the same processor & the same hard drive as the midline.
the only two things it lacks are pro speakers and DVD playback. for $60 you can get a set of altec sats with a sub that will blow away the pro speakers. that only leaves DVD playback and if you only want to watch movies, the $200 difference will buy you a totally decent DVD player for your tv.
even more bizarre...the CDRW drive in the low end model actually burns cd's twice as fast as the combo drive (24x vs. 12x).
<strong>And truthfully, the $1799.00 model has the best bang for the buck.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Definitely agreed. Not much premium to pay for the Superdrive, faster processor, 50% more hard drive, and more RAM than the low-end model.
I'm just going to get the $1299 iMac, max out the RAM (or at least get close), and BTO some Pro Speakers. I don't do the digital video thing and probably won't even be able to afford to during the life of the iMac, so I might as well not waste my money on a DVD-R. And a 700MHz G4 is plenty fast for me. I'll spend the money on other neato hardware.
<strong>The only other crappy thing with the $1299 model is the 128 MB of RAM - Apple says you have to take it into an authorized repair center to have it upgraded. Only the second RAM slot is user-accessible.</strong><hr></blockquote>
That was one issue I was wondering about, murbot. Does Apple's page say that an authorized dealer can indeed upgrade the factory installed RAM? That's a really good thing to know - you may have to get it serviced, but at least you have access to both slots.
[ 01-08-2002: Message edited by: Big Mac ]</p>
<strong>My only complaint about the imacs is he fact that the low-end model doesn't come with speakers. That just seems cheap to me.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Actually that's about the ONLY thing that would make the new iMacs attractive to business/enterprise. How many shops want to hear the startup sound going on all day?
Not many places that use PCs have a bunch of speakers blaring away. (At least not places that consider other people in a courteous manner.
<strong>If you ask me, that's just Apple's little way of saying "Yep, we want more of your money". There's no way they can't ship the other two machines at the same time. Apple is pulling a fast one here.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I thought the exact same thing and I think you are 100% correct.