Apple lowers price of 5K iMac, adds new $1,999 configuration

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 51
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    inkling wrote: »
    This customer doesn't "love" any iMac. I owned one and learned to loathe it. I'm one of the creative professionals that used to be important to Apple. I live in a small college town far from any Apple store. Fixing a broken Mac though a local third-party, they tell me, will take about a week because they can't keep parts in inventory. I can't afford to be not working for that long.

    sounds like your complaint is you live in a remote area with inadequate repair services offered.

    For those in my line of work, the all-in-one design of the iMac is a disaster waiting to happen. Everything is in one virtually impossible-to-repair box. If one thing breaks, the entire system is down for that week. As a former electrical engineer, that stinks. It's like owning a plane that has every hatch and engine access point welded shut.

    yes, thats why we pros can get the "Pro" mac gear, and leave the casual-user-oriented devices to...casual users. so, if your living depends on your tools -- get the right tools. you know, like a carpenter.

    Yet what is Apple doing? It seems to have forgotten that we creative professionals exist. More and more, Apple's Mac products seemed to target people who're like the Eloi in H. G. Wells The Time Machine. Their Macs are simply entertaining toys. When that iMac breaks, they buy another.

    ah, the "toys" troll line. so lazy. ok, no, apple's devices are not "toys", theyre "tools" -- what you do with your tool is up to you, and is what makes it useful or not. if you own a hammer, but dont do anything with it, does that make the hammer a "toy"? uhh, no. also -- i dont know anybody who doesnt get their equipment repaired, rather than disposing of it. unless its very old, of course.

    And its for them that Apple is turning the once useful Mac mini into little more than a duded up Apple TV, with soldered in RAM.

    next youll be complaining that you cant install more memory in your iphone.

    Apple is forgetting an important part their market, people like me who stuck with them through the difficult early-to-mid 1990s. We need a Mac mini that's a useful tool not a silly toy.

    again, if your tools are toys, then the problem is with you. real pros will spend the money to have the added ram. i know i did for my rMBP, and never thought about it again.

    man, what a load of nonsense.
    .
  • Reply 22 of 51
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
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  • Reply 23 of 51
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
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  • Reply 24 of 51
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    frank777 wrote: »
    Yes, but he has a point. Apple recalled the iMacs a couple years ago and I lost mine for six days.

    For a creative professional, that's a frustrating experience. Even if you have a backup machine to check the web and email, all your files are on the iMac. Ideally there'd be a low end version of the Mac Pro and a 27" screen to cure this problem, but so far not.

    I think any professional has more than one machine if it's bringing in their paycheque. And who in their right mind only has their files on their main machine? No backup, be it external HDD or some cloud solution?

    The low end Mac Pro is their Mac Mini (quite a fast thing, actually) and they do sell 27" screens.
  • Reply 25 of 51
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    philboogie wrote: »
    Point taken¡

    i occasionally run into problems on AI where it sits & spins on post submit...if I refresh or try-again it posts dupes. i dont experience this problem elsewhere, so i think it's something to do w/ the client-side nature of AI's forum architecture.
  • Reply 26 of 51
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    nolamacguy wrote: »
    ^ post

    No need to explain; point taken. I think AI is using the most infuriating forum software ever written. I actually wish they'd go back to vBulletin.
  • Reply 27 of 51
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post





    I think any professional has more than one machine if it's bringing in their paycheque. And who in their right mind only has their files on their main machine? No backup, be it external HDD or some cloud solution?



    The low end Mac Pro is their Mac Mini (quite a fast thing, actually) and they do sell 27" screens.

     

    Of course I have a backup, actually two. But if you reinstall your Time Machine backup onto your laptop and use it for a week, when your new machine comes back you have to wipe the hard drive and reinstall everything again. That's complicated, risky, and takes a lot of time (at least the last time I reinstalled a TM backup it was.)

     

    Conversely, you used to be able to open the iMac, remove the hard drive and go about your business. Bam, you're back at work.

     

    His point was that the new Mini is now locked down for hard drive replacements.

    So your only option for quick machine swaps is now the Mac Pro.

  • Reply 28 of 51
    icoco3icoco3 Posts: 1,474member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by fruitstandninja View Post





    Fair but for one, I'm not being paid to write. Also, I'm no grammar Nazi. I only pointed out something of factual error that has relevance to the story. I meant nothing by it.

     

    No need to defend, just laugh and move along...

  • Reply 29 of 51
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    frank777 wrote: »
    His point was that the new Mini is now locked down for hard drive replacements.
    So your only option for quick machine swaps is now the Mac Pro.

    Ah, ok. Well, it actually is still doable, but I certainly get your point. Except for the MP: that has a SSD stick inside. Do you consider that an easy replacement nonetheless?
  • Reply 30 of 51
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Inkling View Post



    This customer doesn't "love" any iMac. I owned one and learned to loathe it. I'm one of the creative professionals that used to be important to Apple. I live in a small college town far from any Apple store. Fixing a broken Mac though a local third-party, they tell me, will take about a week because they can't keep parts in inventory. I can't afford to be not working for that long.



    For those in my line of work, the all-in-one design of the iMac is a disaster waiting to happen. Everything is in one virtually impossible-to-repair box. If one thing breaks, the entire system is down for that week. As a former electrical engineer, that stinks. It's like owning a plane that has every hatch and engine access point welded shut.



    That's why I use the latest-but-one Mac mini. It's so ideal for what I do, I thought of sending a pizza coupon to the design team at Apple in thanks. Because its modular and accessible, I can fix problems myself quickly. And because the RAM was user-replacable, I was able to upgrade mine to 16 Gig for less that what Apple would have charged me to upgrade an inadequate 4 Gig to 8 Gig. Do the bean counters at Apple think we're so stupid we don't know of rip-offs like that? No, we know and we loathe the game they're playing.



    That Mac mini has more than enough power for my use. I can have several Adobe apps running at the same time with no memory issues and the CPU use rarely rises about 10%. There are far better ways for me to spend my money than spending it on a pricey Mac Pro.



    Yet what is Apple doing? It seems to have forgotten that we creative professionals exist. More and more, Apple's Mac products seemed to target people who're like the Eloi in H. G. Wells The Time Machine. Their Macs are simply entertaining toys. When that iMac breaks, they buy another. And its for them that Apple is turning the once useful Mac mini into little more than a duded up Apple TV, with soldered in RAM.



    Apple is forgetting an important part their market, people like me who stuck with them through the difficult early-to-mid 1990s. We need a Mac mini that's a useful tool not a silly toy.



    Apple doesn't have to give it a large advertising budget. They'll still sell lots of iMacs to the Eloi. But they shouldn't forget a crucial part of their customer base.



    Yeah right.  "Real" creative professionals would be using a Mac Pro.  Now wait... you say your "Mac Mini" has more power for your use?  Please enlighten me what kind of "pro" work you do?  Mac-minis are fine for general consumers and hobbyists, but for serious work that requires an iMac and up in-my-opinion.



    iMacs are dependable machines.  Mine certainly has been.  I've opened it up twice to upgrade the hard drive, optioning for a 1TB SSD in the end, and replaced the RAM with zero issues.



    Anyone that is used to opening up PC-garbage-cans has more than enough technical skill to open-up an iMac.  It's a great design and one that rarely requires a reason to open up. 

  • Reply 31 of 51
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post





    Ah, ok. Well, it actually is still doable, but I certainly get your point. Except for the MP: that has a SSD stick inside. Do you consider that an easy replacement nonetheless?



    I guess so.

     

    I've never used a Mac Pro, but if you can remove the SSD stick and put it into another machine or expansion box, it would qualify as an immediate hard drive replacement. Right?

  • Reply 32 of 51
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    frank777 wrote: »
    I guess so.

    I've never used a Mac Pro, but if you can remove the SSD stick and put it into another machine or expansion box, it would qualify as an immediate hard drive replacement. Right?

    While that certainly is a valid point, if your issue is software related, Apple will want that (bootable) Mac in order to tackle the problem.

    Disclaimer: I may be going off topic here as I haven;t scrolled back to see what the issue with the OP was about. Sorry 'bout that. Also, I'm signing off, hoping to see a new movie on my 'old' AppleTV.
  • Reply 33 of 51
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member

    One thing is certain. If Apple elected to release MacBook Pro and iMac updates within 2 weeks of WWDC, they must be really confident that whatever they are going to announce at WWDC will go over very well.

  • Reply 34 of 51
    brlawyerbrlawyer Posts: 828member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Inkling View Post



    This customer doesn't "love" any iMac. I owned one and learned to loathe it. I'm one of the creative professionals that used to be important to Apple. I live in a small college town far from any Apple store. Fixing a broken Mac though a local third-party, they tell me, will take about a week because they can't keep parts in inventory. I can't afford to be not working for that long.



    For those in my line of work, the all-in-one design of the iMac is a disaster waiting to happen. Everything is in one virtually impossible-to-repair box. If one thing breaks, the entire system is down for that week. As a former electrical engineer, that stinks. It's like owning a plane that has every hatch and engine access point welded shut.



    That's why I use the latest-but-one Mac mini. It's so ideal for what I do, I thought of sending a pizza coupon to the design team at Apple in thanks. Because its modular and accessible, I can fix problems myself quickly. And because the RAM was user-replacable, I was able to upgrade mine to 16 Gig for less that what Apple would have charged me to upgrade an inadequate 4 Gig to 8 Gig. Do the bean counters at Apple think we're so stupid we don't know of rip-offs like that? No, we know and we loathe the game they're playing.



    That Mac mini has more than enough power for my use. I can have several Adobe apps running at the same time with no memory issues and the CPU use rarely rises about 10%. There are far better ways for me to spend my money than spending it on a pricey Mac Pro.



    Yet what is Apple doing? It seems to have forgotten that we creative professionals exist. More and more, Apple's Mac products seemed to target people who're like the Eloi in H. G. Wells The Time Machine. Their Macs are simply entertaining toys. When that iMac breaks, they buy another. And its for them that Apple is turning the once useful Mac mini into little more than a duded up Apple TV, with soldered in RAM.



    Apple is forgetting an important part their market, people like me who stuck with them through the difficult early-to-mid 1990s. We need a Mac mini that's a useful tool not a silly toy.



    Apple doesn't have to give it a large advertising budget. They'll still sell lots of iMacs to the Eloi. But they shouldn't forget a crucial part of their customer base.



    Indeed. All one can say is: these "updates" are as relevant as the last speed bump for the cMP before nMPs were released.

     

    "Underwhelming" would be the understatement of the year, not to mention more restricted choices since the 780M is not even availlable for the iMac anymore.

     

    P.S.: What about the RIDICULOUS price increases for the now-obsolete Mac Pro in Europe? Jacked-up by up to 600 EUR!!! Amazing, Mr Cook.

  • Reply 35 of 51
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    frank777 wrote: »
    Of course I have a backup, actually two. But if you reinstall your Time Machine backup onto your laptop and use it for a week, when your new machine comes back you have to wipe the hard drive and reinstall everything again. That's complicated, risky, and takes a lot of time (at least the last time I reinstalled a TM backup it was.)

    Conversely, you used to be able to open the iMac, remove the hard drive and go about your business. Bam, you're back at work.

    swapping hard drives? cmon, what pro isn't using cloud syncing or a speedy, portable external? even my VMs run on an external thunderbolt SSD now
  • Reply 36 of 51
    echosonicechosonic Posts: 462member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by fruitstandninja View Post



    There is a typo in the beginning: "AMD Radeon R0 M290"  It should read R9 M290.



    That being said, can domeone explain the difference between....

    Oh, the irony.  ;)

  • Reply 37 of 51
    konqerrorkonqerror Posts: 685member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Inkling View Post


    Fixing a broken Mac though a local third-party, they tell me, will take about a week because they can't keep parts in inventory. I can't afford to be not working for that long.

     

     

    That's your problem. Call up Apple direct and ask them for on-site support. They'll overnight the parts and dispatch the same contractors Dell and HP use.

  • Reply 38 of 51
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Frank777 View Post

     

     

    Of course I have a backup, actually two. But if you reinstall your Time Machine backup onto your laptop and use it for a week, when your new machine comes back you have to wipe the hard drive and reinstall everything again. That's complicated, risky, and takes a lot of time (at least the last time I reinstalled a TM backup it was.)

     

    Conversely, you used to be able to open the iMac, remove the hard drive and go about your business. Bam, you're back at work.

     

    His point was that the new Mini is now locked down for hard drive replacements.

    So your only option for quick machine swaps is now the Mac Pro.




    In today's day-and-age, keeping all your data on your host machine is just asking for trouble.  It doesn't matter if you're "pro" or not.



    Pro's and folks that really depend on their machines/data will keep data off their machines, or synced.  I keep all my documents on Dropbox, and major files are backed-up on time-machine, and also stored on a NAS server.  Done.



    A couple months ago, my 2009 iMac mysteriously crashed.  I honestly thought it finally took the dump.  I depend on that machine at home for all my away-from-office-workstation duties.  I simply re-installed OSX machine came right up.   Downloaded needed apps via the App Store, or NAS and I was up and running in an hour.  



    If you're keeping your data on your primary machine with no plan B to re-install data, you're the problem.  It's just inexcusable in today's day and age - especially on Apple machines - with so many data-archiving options available to lose your data when your machine takes a dump.

  • Reply 39 of 51
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Frank777 View Post

     

     

    Of course I have a backup, actually two. But if you reinstall your Time Machine backup onto your laptop and use it for a week, when your new machine comes back you have to wipe the hard drive and reinstall everything again. That's complicated, risky, and takes a lot of time (at least the last time I reinstalled a TM backup it was.)


    You don't have to go to all that trouble to stay productive for a week. My TM backup wouldn't even fit on my MBP.

     

    If you wanted to you could use the same external drive for a new MBP Time Machine. It will start a new archive, but your old archive is still searchable. Then when you get your iMac back from the shop, you just copy the files you worked on back into their original location using a memory stick or something. That doesn't take long at all.

     

    Who doesn't juggle multiple machines and locations these days?

  • Reply 40 of 51
    sennensennen Posts: 1,472member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by davidosus View Post

     



    In Canada, the cost of configuring a Retina iMac is more expensive across the board.

     

     

    The cost of this configuration has increased from $4014 to $4249, an extra $235.

     


     

    As I posted on another thread, $400 increase overnight in Australia for a fairly maxed out iMac R5K (4GHz, 16g RAM, 4gb R9, 512gb). Damn currency.

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