I think Apple needs to restructure the consumer, and education model slightly pretty soon. Consumer Mac needs a sprout of life, and the eMac update should follow shortly there after.
Expect a basic update in another 3 months, perhaps bumping the processor to +1.5Ghz and increasing the size of the hard drive. Maybe a VPU increase but don't coun't on it.
Wait for the next update...the possibility that a Freescale MPC86xx with improved architectural features will arrive in 2005 seems to be a good bet and that upgrade will see the eMac range given a new lease on life
Hi all. I'm new here. Been a long time Mac lover (aka shoulda-bought-a-Mac), but only recently have I got the money to upgrade, and naturally, having been bound to windows (98, <shudder>Me, and now 2k) for almost 6 years, i AM going to Switch. If I can. Hopefully.
Unfortunately, as I am now a student, I'm on a VERY tight budget, so an eMac is all I can afford, and only then by pushing it, and living on noodles for the nest semesta.
My point is, will Apple be killing off the eMac since there's apparently going to be an education iMac coming at the end of the month. Do I need to buy NOW to avoid having to go and getting another wintel 'computer'?
Apple knows better than that. They will keep offering a sub-1000 USD desktop computer. It's a great machine. I love using the eMacs at my school. I wish I had one.
Could also look at an iBook. Slightly more $ but a cool little laptop.
It all depends on the approach they take with the new iMac. If it is an AIO, forget it the eMac stays. Schools need cheap; they have no budget for these things. If they would release a $799 (retail) slim model (minus LCD/CRT of course) they would be golden in schools and businesses. Well, if they actively sought out sales in business that is.
With no CRT/LCD I'm thinking they could go lower, maybe 699.
True, plus the EDU discount. Why, oh why wouldn't they. They must have some real sheep in the EDU and Business sales departments. They could easily stick Mac OS X in buyers faces and tout the stability and near virii virgin-ness of the platform. Alas....
True, plus the EDU discount. Why, oh why wouldn't they. They must have some real sheep in the EDU and Business sales departments. They could easily stick Mac OS X in buyers faces and tout the stability and near virii virgin-ness of the platform. Alas....
If I could get such a machine for $699, I would order it immediately. I don't buy computers very often, although I have bought three in the past year (long story). The point being though, is that this $699 machine I would pick up immediately.
There's a lot of confusion about the "education iMac." Nowhere has it been said that this will be the only iMac Apple offers to education, nor that this will be the only desktop Apple offers to education. They're simply going to offer one iMac configured especially for the education market, and specifically for large institutional orders. This is a much smarter market share move than offering a headless eMac would be. Don't think about what you'd buy for yourself. Think about what you'd buy for your district if you wanted central administration of the machines (including the ability to push out application and system updates to all machines from one place) and if you had rampant problems with students putting all kinds of pirated material and distractions such as games onto your existing desktops. If you read about the Henrico iBook experiment, for instance, neither of these problems is uncommon or easy for schools to deal with.
I imagine Apple will keep the eMac around, just as they kept the old iMac around for a good while — except that the eMac is more purpose-built for education than the CRT iMac was, and therefor more likely to stick around. They might even be able to drop it to $699 (at least, to students) without losing the screen. And, let's face it: The eMac's appeal to education is the same as with nearly every other model Apple has made for education: It's a big, tough monolith. K-12 Schools have always wanted that. They might prefer a big, tough cheap monolith now more than before, as a result of slashed budgets, but nevertheless. Dell has gained share in education precisely because of the introduction of (laid off) corporate IT people into education. They take the reins, install what they know (Dell), and get rid of what they don't (Apple). Apple's best defense against this is to aggressively push their solutions as better suited to the job, which is what they're doing. But I watched Macs how abruptly and absolutely Macs got shut out of work environments in '95, and it's definitely an uphill battle for them.
Will the eMac handle non-linear video editing if I get its memory maxed out? I have a Firewire drive for extra storage. My problem is that I would like a PowerMac G5 but I also would like a new camcorder. I can only afford G5 by itself or eMac + cam.
Will the eMac handle non-linear video editing if I get its memory maxed out? I have a Firewire drive for extra storage. My problem is that I would like a PowerMac G5 but I also would like a new camcorder. I can only afford G5 by itself or eMac + cam.
If you already have a camcorder that works for you, definately get the G5 and wait on the camcorder. The G5 is so much more future proof than an emac and you'll enjoy editing video on it a lot more (of course thats speculation, Ive only actually edited video on a G3).
If your camcorder just isnt doing it for you, than get a new camcorder and the emac should be fine, I wouldnt go that route myself, but thats me.
The G5 will be editing video, keeping up with the newest codecs , and support core video for all the neat filters you will want to try, for quite a long time.
The emac will do what it does right now, for the remainder of its existence, which could be a good thing, depending on what you want.
There's a lot of confusion about the "education iMac." Nowhere has it been said that this will be the only iMac Apple offers to education, nor that this will be the only desktop Apple offers to education. They're simply going to offer one iMac configured especially for the education market, and specifically for large institutional orders. This is a much smarter market share move than offering a headless eMac would be. Don't think about what you'd buy for yourself. Think about what you'd buy for your district if you wanted central administration of the machines (including the ability to push out application and system updates to all machines from one place) and if you had rampant problems with students putting all kinds of pirated material and distractions such as games onto your existing desktops. If you read about the Henrico iBook experiment, for instance, neither of these problems is uncommon or easy for schools to deal with.
I imagine Apple will keep the eMac around, just as they kept the old iMac around for a good while — except that the eMac is more purpose-built for education than the CRT iMac was, and therefor more likely to stick around. They might even be able to drop it to $699 (at least, to students) without losing the screen. And, let's face it: The eMac's appeal to education is the same as with nearly every other model Apple has made for education: It's a big, tough monolith. K-12 Schools have always wanted that. They might prefer a big, tough cheap monolith now more than before, as a result of slashed budgets, but nevertheless. Dell has gained share in education precisely because of the introduction of (laid off) corporate IT people into education. They take the reins, install what they know (Dell), and get rid of what they don't (Apple). Apple's best defense against this is to aggressively push their solutions as better suited to the job, which is what they're doing. But I watched Macs how abruptly and absolutely Macs got shut out of work environments in '95, and it's definitely an uphill battle for them.
I understand how the eMac fits in with education - easy to setup, big, tough, etc... What I don't understand is why Education/Businesses who leases most of this stuff anyway would prefer an eMac over a headless system? Granted you have to deal with plugging in a monitor, but come on. And as for price, it would definitely benefit them. Just give the option for VGA/DVI output and you are done. Tougher than an iBook in a classroom environment too. Not as strenuous to move around 100 of them at a time. How many eMacs can you move around on a cart versus a bunch of stackable slabs?
Since businesses are moving toward LCDs almost solely, Apple's product line doesn't fit well there. eMac? Ugh, no. Too heavy, bulky and a useless CRT when you have a bunch of LCDs listed underneath on the purchase order. iMac? Starting at $1300 is not a good entry point. Then again, Apple doesn't seem too concerned with business sales.
I agree Rhumgod. Perhaps they (Apple) don't care, but I do think what you're saying makes a lot of sense. A headless machine, with the performance similar to an emac, would be a great machine. Again, I would buy one immediately. They would be great for business, but I think many consumers would like them too. You can use your favorite LCD with it, but perhaps the fact that consumers would like it, makes it something we won't see. It would hurt the imac's sales tremendously.
You can use your favorite LCD with it, but perhaps the fact that consumers would like it, makes it something we won't see. It would hurt the imac's sales tremendously.
Could help convert PC users. So you've got your Dell or HP laying around. You put down $699 and get a headless eMac. Plug it into your old monitor. Of course, the setup looks a little ugly since the stupid Dell monitor is old and it's made of cheap black plastic, but you already have a new mac user. In a few months s/he may buy a 17-inch studio display or perhaps some alu display.
Offer an option and you could connect your headless eMac to your projector or HDTV. (Okay, this is just wishful thinking on my part.)
You can use your favorite LCD with it, but perhaps the fact that consumers would like it, makes it something we won't see. It would hurt the imac's sales tremendously.
Wouldnt want to give the consumers what they want !
I work at a school, and we love the emac. This summer we added another 2 computer labs of 25 eMacs each lab, and 13 for the library. One new emac lab replaces a lab of PCs (yea! ). This was in addition to the other lab of 25 emacs we already had. The one important aspect is the fact that they are all-in-one and they don't have a ton of wires all over the place (whereas a tower would have a monitor cable, maybe monitor power plug, speakers). The monitor/tower thing is ugly + it takes up space. If they do anything to the eMac, they should make it faster and more compact. Oh, and a little quieter.
I understand how the eMac fits in with education - easy to setup, big, tough, etc... What I don't understand is why Education/Businesses who leases most of this stuff anyway would prefer an eMac over a headless system? Granted you have to deal with plugging in a monitor, but come on.
If you can plug it, some kid can unplug it, or yank the cable in such a ways that it bends or breaks pins. Or they can knock the monitor of your personal choice to the floor.
If you want a "big, tough" childproof machine, it is an AIO. Period. The eMac is a 45-pound, self-contained, armored beast with no fragile bits or sharp corners. Its principle advantage is lost entirely as soon as you go headless.
Quote:
And as for price, it would definitely benefit them.
Since when do a set of individual components cost less than an integrated unit, all else being equal? And, of course, all else can't be equal, because the eMac enjoys the advantage of being a smooth, armored monolith.
Quote:
Tougher than an iBook in a classroom environment too.
But nowhere near as tough as an eMac.
Quote:
Not as strenuous to move around 100 of them at a time. How many eMacs can you move around on a cart versus a bunch of stackable slabs?
Who's moving eMacs around? You install them once, and there they are. That's the way computer labs have been since I first walked into a room full of Apple ][s.
Besides, who'd move just the headless part around? I'd rather move eMacs than slabs and monitors, thank you.
Quote:
Since businesses are moving toward LCDs almost solely, Apple's product line doesn't fit well there.
The eMac doesn't, although it's nevertheless shown up in cost-conscious businesses like publishing. The iMac will likely be a much better business client. We don't know what the starting price of the new line will be, but at any rate nobody buying iMacs in enterprise volumes is paying anything near retail, so that really doesn't matter. In enterprise sales, you make money off the support contracts, not the hardware.
When I read threads like this, one thing always comes to mind: Do you think we can get to a day when Macs double the reach they currently have with consumers? What is the Mac's reach now? Do you think Apple has the ability to in the next few years, get into a lot more homes?
Of course, I want them to get into more and more businesses and schools too. All the schools I've seen in the past ten years have went 100 percent PC. It makes me cringe. However, you get more in the homes, and the businesses and schools will follow. Of coruse, the opposite applies too. You get more Macs in businesses/schools, and there will be more who want one for the home.
I wonder, do we really want everyone on a Mac though? Don't we sometimes like knowing we are some of the lucky ones?
Comments
Wait for the next update...the possibility that a Freescale MPC86xx with improved architectural features will arrive in 2005 seems to be a good bet and that upgrade will see the eMac range given a new lease on life
Looks like Freescale might actually be free of the yo-yos at Moto!
Unfortunately, as I am now a student, I'm on a VERY tight budget, so an eMac is all I can afford, and only then by pushing it, and living on noodles for the nest semesta.
My point is, will Apple be killing off the eMac since there's apparently going to be an education iMac coming at the end of the month. Do I need to buy NOW to avoid having to go and getting another wintel 'computer'?
Cheers
It all depends on the approach they take with the new iMac. If it is an AIO, forget it the eMac stays. Schools need cheap; they have no budget for these things. If they would release a $799 (retail) slim model (minus LCD/CRT of course) they would be golden in schools and businesses. Well, if they actively sought out sales in business that is.
Originally posted by monkeyastronaut
With no CRT/LCD I'm thinking they could go lower, maybe 699.
True, plus the EDU discount. Why, oh why wouldn't they. They must have some real sheep in the EDU and Business sales departments. They could easily stick Mac OS X in buyers faces and tout the stability and near virii virgin-ness of the platform. Alas....
Originally posted by Rhumgod
True, plus the EDU discount. Why, oh why wouldn't they. They must have some real sheep in the EDU and Business sales departments. They could easily stick Mac OS X in buyers faces and tout the stability and near virii virgin-ness of the platform. Alas....
If I could get such a machine for $699, I would order it immediately. I don't buy computers very often, although I have bought three in the past year (long story). The point being though, is that this $699 machine I would pick up immediately.
I imagine Apple will keep the eMac around, just as they kept the old iMac around for a good while — except that the eMac is more purpose-built for education than the CRT iMac was, and therefor more likely to stick around. They might even be able to drop it to $699 (at least, to students) without losing the screen. And, let's face it: The eMac's appeal to education is the same as with nearly every other model Apple has made for education: It's a big, tough monolith. K-12 Schools have always wanted that. They might prefer a big, tough cheap monolith now more than before, as a result of slashed budgets, but nevertheless. Dell has gained share in education precisely because of the introduction of (laid off) corporate IT people into education. They take the reins, install what they know (Dell), and get rid of what they don't (Apple). Apple's best defense against this is to aggressively push their solutions as better suited to the job, which is what they're doing. But I watched Macs how abruptly and absolutely Macs got shut out of work environments in '95, and it's definitely an uphill battle for them.
No problem with an eMac.
Originally posted by ic1male
Will the eMac handle non-linear video editing if I get its memory maxed out? I have a Firewire drive for extra storage. My problem is that I would like a PowerMac G5 but I also would like a new camcorder. I can only afford G5 by itself or eMac + cam.
If you already have a camcorder that works for you, definately get the G5 and wait on the camcorder. The G5 is so much more future proof than an emac and you'll enjoy editing video on it a lot more (of course thats speculation, Ive only actually edited video on a G3).
If your camcorder just isnt doing it for you, than get a new camcorder and the emac should be fine, I wouldnt go that route myself, but thats me.
The G5 will be editing video, keeping up with the newest codecs , and support core video for all the neat filters you will want to try, for quite a long time.
The emac will do what it does right now, for the remainder of its existence, which could be a good thing, depending on what you want.
Originally posted by Amorph
There's a lot of confusion about the "education iMac." Nowhere has it been said that this will be the only iMac Apple offers to education, nor that this will be the only desktop Apple offers to education. They're simply going to offer one iMac configured especially for the education market, and specifically for large institutional orders. This is a much smarter market share move than offering a headless eMac would be. Don't think about what you'd buy for yourself. Think about what you'd buy for your district if you wanted central administration of the machines (including the ability to push out application and system updates to all machines from one place) and if you had rampant problems with students putting all kinds of pirated material and distractions such as games onto your existing desktops. If you read about the Henrico iBook experiment, for instance, neither of these problems is uncommon or easy for schools to deal with.
I imagine Apple will keep the eMac around, just as they kept the old iMac around for a good while — except that the eMac is more purpose-built for education than the CRT iMac was, and therefor more likely to stick around. They might even be able to drop it to $699 (at least, to students) without losing the screen. And, let's face it: The eMac's appeal to education is the same as with nearly every other model Apple has made for education: It's a big, tough monolith. K-12 Schools have always wanted that. They might prefer a big, tough cheap monolith now more than before, as a result of slashed budgets, but nevertheless. Dell has gained share in education precisely because of the introduction of (laid off) corporate IT people into education. They take the reins, install what they know (Dell), and get rid of what they don't (Apple). Apple's best defense against this is to aggressively push their solutions as better suited to the job, which is what they're doing. But I watched Macs how abruptly and absolutely Macs got shut out of work environments in '95, and it's definitely an uphill battle for them.
I understand how the eMac fits in with education - easy to setup, big, tough, etc... What I don't understand is why Education/Businesses who leases most of this stuff anyway would prefer an eMac over a headless system? Granted you have to deal with plugging in a monitor, but come on. And as for price, it would definitely benefit them. Just give the option for VGA/DVI output and you are done. Tougher than an iBook in a classroom environment too. Not as strenuous to move around 100 of them at a time. How many eMacs can you move around on a cart versus a bunch of stackable slabs?
Since businesses are moving toward LCDs almost solely, Apple's product line doesn't fit well there. eMac? Ugh, no. Too heavy, bulky and a useless CRT when you have a bunch of LCDs listed underneath on the purchase order. iMac? Starting at $1300 is not a good entry point. Then again, Apple doesn't seem too concerned with business sales.
Originally posted by ibook911
You can use your favorite LCD with it, but perhaps the fact that consumers would like it, makes it something we won't see. It would hurt the imac's sales tremendously.
Could help convert PC users. So you've got your Dell or HP laying around. You put down $699 and get a headless eMac. Plug it into your old monitor. Of course, the setup looks a little ugly since the stupid Dell monitor is old and it's made of cheap black plastic, but you already have a new mac user. In a few months s/he may buy a 17-inch studio display or perhaps some alu display.
Offer an option and you could connect your headless eMac to your projector or HDTV. (Okay, this is just wishful thinking on my part.)
Originally posted by ibook911
You can use your favorite LCD with it, but perhaps the fact that consumers would like it, makes it something we won't see. It would hurt the imac's sales tremendously.
Wouldnt want to give the consumers what they want !
Now thats the way to do business
Originally posted by Rhumgod
I understand how the eMac fits in with education - easy to setup, big, tough, etc... What I don't understand is why Education/Businesses who leases most of this stuff anyway would prefer an eMac over a headless system? Granted you have to deal with plugging in a monitor, but come on.
If you can plug it, some kid can unplug it, or yank the cable in such a ways that it bends or breaks pins. Or they can knock the monitor of your personal choice to the floor.
If you want a "big, tough" childproof machine, it is an AIO. Period. The eMac is a 45-pound, self-contained, armored beast with no fragile bits or sharp corners. Its principle advantage is lost entirely as soon as you go headless.
And as for price, it would definitely benefit them.
Since when do a set of individual components cost less than an integrated unit, all else being equal? And, of course, all else can't be equal, because the eMac enjoys the advantage of being a smooth, armored monolith.
Tougher than an iBook in a classroom environment too.
But nowhere near as tough as an eMac.
Not as strenuous to move around 100 of them at a time. How many eMacs can you move around on a cart versus a bunch of stackable slabs?
Who's moving eMacs around? You install them once, and there they are. That's the way computer labs have been since I first walked into a room full of Apple ][s.
Besides, who'd move just the headless part around?
Since businesses are moving toward LCDs almost solely, Apple's product line doesn't fit well there.
The eMac doesn't, although it's nevertheless shown up in cost-conscious businesses like publishing. The iMac will likely be a much better business client. We don't know what the starting price of the new line will be, but at any rate nobody buying iMacs in enterprise volumes is paying anything near retail, so that really doesn't matter. In enterprise sales, you make money off the support contracts, not the hardware.
Of course, I want them to get into more and more businesses and schools too. All the schools I've seen in the past ten years have went 100 percent PC. It makes me cringe. However, you get more in the homes, and the businesses and schools will follow. Of coruse, the opposite applies too. You get more Macs in businesses/schools, and there will be more who want one for the home.
I wonder, do we really want everyone on a Mac though? Don't we sometimes like knowing we are some of the lucky ones?