>The only things I can think of off the top of my head are upgrading the video card (which over 90% of all computer purchasers never do), upgrading the CPU (ditto), or adding PCI boards. Of course, then you have to ask what PCI boards they're adding... oh, right... FireWire, for one, Gigabit Ethernet for another, etc, etc.<
I sell computers. I also sell video cards, and PCI upgrade cards. The video cards get sold at about 20/week. Not a huge amount, but multiply that but all the stores in the country and you get a pretty decent number. I actually still like my Powermac 8100 enough that if I could buy a better graphics card I would and keep it a few more years. Unfortunately I don't have PCI slots. I would feel just as frustrated with an all in one if i didn't have options.
The PCI upgrade cards let you keep up with changing times. When firewire 2 comes out you're out of luck with the all in ones, what if USB2 catches on? etc etc.
It doesn't hurt to have upgrade options and whether you like it or not, people want that option. I know this by listening to what my customers want. It would be nice if Apple started doing the same..........................................
>ust like Apple doesn't exist merely for SJ, they don't just exist for you. What would you like to see anyway? Have you sent in a feedback form? They read them, you know? A large number of changes in 10.2 came as a direct result of user feedback online. <
I send them feedback all the time.
>Funny, they seem to be good at selling all-in-one computers where noone else has succeeded. They must be doing _something_ right. <
We have no choice! At least those of us on a budget. There isn't an option for an inexpensive tower so its pretty easy to be successful selling all in ones when thats all you sell.
>The "idiots" you describe enjoy screwing around with their computers. <
And those are some of the idiots we need to switch over!............................................. ..
Mom & pop running Word, checking email and surfing the web? No.
The first two groups are well served with a tower, but for the third, it's a waste. And the third group is the only one that would even remotely be interested in a $999 tower form in the first place. <
Thats fine-the all in ones defintely have a place and noone is suggesting that Apple stop selling them. Just add the choice of the cheap tower so Apple reaches a very important market segment..................
I think I'm a bit confused, if someone can enlighten me that'd be great. How fast can PCI send data through... 266MB/s? What difference would there be in using Firewire 2 (which I think is supposed to be 800 MB/s) over current Firewire (400 MB/s) on a PCI slot? From the little I've read, I think PCI express is coming out next year which is supposed to do something more like 2 GB/sec, which is much higher and would be great for graphics, video and hard drive items. But you'll have to get a whole new computer (or new motherboard) to take advantage of it. Just random thoughts... someone please clear it up for me.
<strong>I think I'm a bit confused, if someone can enlighten me that'd be great. How fast can PCI send data through... 266MB/s? What difference would there be in using Firewire 2 (which I think is supposed to be 800 MB/s) over current Firewire (400 MB/s) on a PCI slot?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Can't help you with the PCI bandwidth, but the speed-figures for FireWire are actually megabits, not megabytes. That translates to roughly 50 MB/sec for the current standard and for roughly 100 MB/sec for the next revision. Your PCI speed is probably correct IIRC, so there's really no bandwidth problem here, unless of course the PCI bus is saturated by other peripherals and/or expansion cards.
3. Pure number envy BS.... "somebody else's number is bigger, I'm so embarrassed." I had a friend who visited my home, saw my stereo setup and asked "How many watts?" When I told him my Rotel amp is 150 watts per channel, he said "Hmmpf, my Pioneer home theater amp is 450 watts and it only cost me $250." Same thinking. A dual 867 is much better than a Celeron 1.4 or whatever, despite the size of the numbers involved.
<hr></blockquote>
Heheh. Good analogy. I'll take the Rotel any day of the week over a POS, Best Buy Pioneer. Just like I'd take a lower clocked PM over a POS, Best Buy HP.
Comments
I sell computers. I also sell video cards, and PCI upgrade cards. The video cards get sold at about 20/week. Not a huge amount, but multiply that but all the stores in the country and you get a pretty decent number. I actually still like my Powermac 8100 enough that if I could buy a better graphics card I would and keep it a few more years. Unfortunately I don't have PCI slots. I would feel just as frustrated with an all in one if i didn't have options.
The PCI upgrade cards let you keep up with changing times. When firewire 2 comes out you're out of luck with the all in ones, what if USB2 catches on? etc etc.
It doesn't hurt to have upgrade options and whether you like it or not, people want that option. I know this by listening to what my customers want. It would be nice if Apple started doing the same..........................................
I send them feedback all the time.
>Funny, they seem to be good at selling all-in-one computers where noone else has succeeded. They must be doing _something_ right. <
We have no choice! At least those of us on a budget. There isn't an option for an inexpensive tower so its pretty easy to be successful selling all in ones when thats all you sell.
>The "idiots" you describe enjoy screwing around with their computers. <
And those are some of the idiots we need to switch over!............................................. ..
Mom & pop running Word, checking email and surfing the web? No.
The first two groups are well served with a tower, but for the third, it's a waste. And the third group is the only one that would even remotely be interested in a $999 tower form in the first place. <
Thats fine-the all in ones defintely have a place and noone is suggesting that Apple stop selling them. Just add the choice of the cheap tower so Apple reaches a very important market segment..................
<strong>I think I'm a bit confused, if someone can enlighten me that'd be great. How fast can PCI send data through... 266MB/s? What difference would there be in using Firewire 2 (which I think is supposed to be 800 MB/s) over current Firewire (400 MB/s) on a PCI slot?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Can't help you with the PCI bandwidth, but the speed-figures for FireWire are actually megabits, not megabytes. That translates to roughly 50 MB/sec for the current standard and for roughly 100 MB/sec for the next revision. Your PCI speed is probably correct IIRC, so there's really no bandwidth problem here, unless of course the PCI bus is saturated by other peripherals and/or expansion cards.
ZoSo
3. Pure number envy BS.... "somebody else's number is bigger, I'm so embarrassed." I had a friend who visited my home, saw my stereo setup and asked "How many watts?" When I told him my Rotel amp is 150 watts per channel, he said "Hmmpf, my Pioneer home theater amp is 450 watts and it only cost me $250." Same thinking. A dual 867 is much better than a Celeron 1.4 or whatever, despite the size of the numbers involved.
<hr></blockquote>
Heheh. Good analogy. I'll take the Rotel any day of the week over a POS, Best Buy Pioneer. Just like I'd take a lower clocked PM over a POS, Best Buy HP.