Xserves, Xsan & Display Price Drops Tuesday?

[MacRumors]

According to both AppleInsider (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=805) and MacShrine.com (http://www.macshrine.com/news.php?newsid=463), Apple is expected to release new higher-end Xserve 1U servers on Tuesday in the following configurations:

• Dual 2.3 Ghz G5 Server - 1 GB ECC Ram, 80 GB SATA HD, 2x Gigabit Ethernet, Combo drive and unlimited server license for $3999
• Dual 2.3 Ghz G5 Cluster node - same as above, without an optical drive & 10 user license for $2999
• Dual 2.0 Ghz G5 Server - 512 MB ECC Ram, 80 GB SATA HD, Gigabit Ethernet, 10 user license for $2699
• Single 2.0 Ghz G5 Server - 1 GB ECC Ram, 80 GB SATA HD, 2x Gigabit Ethernet, Combo drive and unlimited server license for $2999

Apple's network storage software solution Xsan is expected to be released on Tuesday, originally annouced by Apple to have been released in the Fall of 2004.

MacShrine (http://www.macshrine.com/news.php?newsid=463) also reports that a drop in display prices are likely tomorrow:
• 20" - $999
• 23" - $1799
• 30" - $3000

[*Y*]

Man its about time they drop the prices on those displays! :)

[jimsowden]

Alot of people were expecting that.

[iChan]

I've been planning on getting a display for about... oh, 3 months now... now i definitely gotta get one.

[timster]

2.3 eh?

Phew, my dual G5 2.5 is still the fastest. Nyah, nyah!

[stoid]

I'd love to see the displays drop in price. With the added education discount, I might just be able to convince myself to get one. Also, it makes a 23" iMac G5 a bit more reasonable.

[Sir_Giggles]

The difference between the 20" and the 23" are too great. It's a whole lot cheaper to buy 2 20" LCDs for just a little more.

2x20" LCD = $2000 = 3.53 million pixels.
1x23" LCD = $1800 = 2.30 million pixels.
1x30" LCD = $3000 = 4.01 million pixels.

[Hawthorne]

If they're going to drop a $500 Mac on us, they need a cheap display to accompany it, something like the screen from the 15 or 17 inch Powerbook, at a reasonable price point.

[AnewMac]

Should of sold my 17" last week!

[Sir_Giggles]

Hehe, of course, if money was no object

2x30" = $6000 = 8 million pixels!

[Flying Llama]

The difference between the 20" and the 23" are too great. It's a whole lot cheaper to buy 2 20" LCDs for just a little more.

2x20" LCD = $2000 = 3.53 million pixels.
1x23" LCD = $1800 = 2.30 million pixels.
1x30" LCD = $3000 = 4.01 million pixels.

from what i understood, the 23" is HD, the 20" isnt.

[crazzyeddie]

• Dual 2.0 Ghz G5 Server - 512 MB ECC Ram, 80 GB SATA HD, Gigabit Ethernet, 10 user license for $2699
• Single 2.0 Ghz G5 Server - 1 GB ECC Ram, 80 GB SATA HD, 2x Gigabit Ethernet, Combo drive and unlimited server license for $2999

So let me get this straight... they're going to package the Dual 2ghz with a 10 client license and sell it for less than the Single 2ghz with an unlimited license? Doesn't that seems awfully backwards? Plus why does the Dual 2ghz have specs lesser than the Single 2ghz?

[Devie]

Hmm, $999 USD for the 20"
They where $1299 USD and $2299 AUD.
I'm guessing it will be about $1,800 AUD... I might go for this over the Dell now.

[Steven1621]

Hehe, of course, if money was no object

2x30" = $6000 = 8 million pixels!

I saw the 30in in the Apple Store the other day. It was one of the greatest sites of my life. Simply amazing.

[JRM]

I do believe that there will be a drop except i think it will be $999 for the 20", $1599 for the 23" and $2799 for the 30". When Apple drop the prices on displays, they historically cut the prices drastically.

So I believe they will cut $300 off the 20", $400 off the 23" and $500 of the 30", This seems more logical than $300 off the 20", $200 off the 23" and $300 of the 30" as suggested by Macshrine. Regardless any price grop will be welcomed.

[JRM]

If Apple were to do this so close to MWSF it shows how much Steve has to get through in his Keynote

[Sir_Giggles]

It was one of the greatest sites of my life. Simply amazing.

12 years old. Up in an hay-strewn attic barn with a girl on a rainy warm day in Spring. ;)

[JRM]

Hmm, $999 USD for the 20"
They where $1299 USD and $2299 AUD.
I'm guessing it will be about $1,800 AUD... I might go for this over the Dell now.

It's still ridiculous how much we have to pay over here in Australia our currency means that we should only be paying AUD$1650 for them at the moment instead of $2299 and if they were to drop to US$999 we should only be paying AUD$1300

But anyway

[Freg3000]

This is good news, although I am not in the market for a new display right now. The only thing holding me back from buying the 20" display is, you know, miniscule problems like rationality and such.

Hopefully this fall...:)

P.S. Let me be the first [person after JRM] to say something along the lines of, "If MWSF was going to suck, Steve would definitely want to spend time talking about this stuff. But since they are getting it out of the way a week early....MWSF is gonna be awesome."

Hope it is true.

[patseguin]

I'd love to buy a 23" display but I won't. They have too many issues with pink tints and uneven backlights. EVERY 23" I saw in my local Apple Store had pink or even purple hues. Now, the guy who mentioned 2 X 20" may be onto something... ;)

[iGary]

Not in the market for a display (my ACD is only a year old), but it is nice to see the 20" below a grand now.

It wouldn't surprise me if they released a 17" monitor to go with the rumoured headless iMac though I'm no expert.

Please don't use whatever displays they use on the iBooks. I hate mine.

[Lord Blackadder]

Well, I still can't afford a display. :mad:

I wonder if MWSF will bring along a new 17" to anchor the bottom end, especially with the new headless iMac coming up.

[izzle22]

I hear they will also anounce a 50 inch Apple Plasma for $4500 ;)

[hob]

It's still ridiculous how much we have to pay over here in Australia our currency means that we should only be paying AUD$1650 for them at the moment instead of $2299 and if they were to drop to US$999 we should only be paying AUD$1300

But anyway

Surely the numbers don't translate? Is the exchange rate that similar? I'm no economics guru but AUD$1000 doesn't equal US$1000 or £1000 for that matter... right? :S

But I get your gip, it would probably be cheaper for me to buy all my apple stuff from the US (as long as customs didn't notice and charge import tax)...

The exchange rate here being pretty much US$2:£1, Apple seem to work it out at $1000:£700...

Oh, and my friend who just asked me to fix up his new XSERVES for his studio will not be pleased!!

Hob

[carlos700]

I hope the 20-inch goes down $799 -not likley though... :(

[narco]

I really do hope they drop the price. I paid $1400 for my 20" display, I'd probably sell it for a 23".

Fishes,
narco.

[DPazdanISU]

Yea i'd say this is a good thing. Also it is going along with all the rumors that apple is trying to get more of the pc market share. In order to do that they deffinately have to be priced lower and also come out with a 17" widescreen monitor for $399 :D If that happens i'll get the imac mini and a 17 widescreen monitor for my apartment at school cuz im in horrible need of a new mac (600mghz G3 ibook zzz)

[JRM]

Surely the numbers don't translate? Is the exchange rate that similar? I'm no economics guru but AUD$1000 doesn't equal US$1000 or £1000 for that matter... right? :S

But I get your gip, it would probably be cheaper for me to buy all my apple stuff from the US (as long as customs didn't notice and charge import tax)...

The exchange rate here being pretty much US$2:£1, Apple seem to work it out at $1000:£700...

Oh, and my friend who just asked me to fix up his new XSERVES for his studio will not be pleased!!

Hob

No but currently 1 US dollar is buying $1.28 AUD which means all you need to do is multiply the US price by 1.28 to get what would be a reasonable price of the thing in this case the 20" display, which means US$999 ahould equal about AUD$1300, this works for most companies products except Apple and Sony who seem to add a fair bit more to the price. And the argument of transporting the goods to Australia is baseless because most of this stuff is made in Asia which is a hell of a lot closer to Australia than America.

Also for England the US dollar buys .52 of a pound so you are right in saying you're getting ripped off as well

[jholzner]

Macshrines is also predicting new Powerbooks for tomorrow as well. They give a 2004 summary of their predictions and though I haven't been following their site at all (today is the first I've heard of them) they claim to have a good track record....gonna keep an eye on them for a while.

I'm assuming that Apple is going to get all the "smaller" updates out tomorrow and out of the way for the big stuff it next week!

[~Shard~]

Happy to hear those display prices are dropping! Does this perhaps have something to do with the impending headless iMac release, thereby making Apple monitors more affordable for prospective headless iMac buyers?

[swissmann]

I'd love to see the displays drop in price. With the added education discount, I might just be able to convince myself to get one. Also, it makes a 23" iMac G5 a bit more reasonable.

I feel exactly the same way. I am curious about the pink hue problem some of them have been having though.

[Earendil]

I second the opinon of seeing a new 17" monitor. It makes no sense to sell a new low priced Mac @ $500, and then have the only (Apple) monitor option be @ $1000. That puts entry level Mac at $1500, which isn't happening. The bottom market PCs are six or seven hundred WITH a monitor. I don't expect Apple to go that low, but they have to get at least as low as the eMac, don't they?

But here's hoping for a 20" Apple Display at $400 :D

-Tyler

[Rod Rod]

from what i understood, the 23" is HD, the 20" isnt.

The 23" is called HD, but the 20" can handle HD too.

That's accurate for the 1080i / 1080p flavors of HD, because they require 1920x1080.

However, 720p flavors of HD require 1280x720, meaning the 20" display has plenty of resolution to handle that. Even the discontinued 17" Apple Studio Display LCD at 1280x1024 can handle 720p HD natively.

Price drops on the displays will be great. Now if they would just reintroduce ADC for the 20" and 23" displays... (just kidding)

[SiliconAddict]

Happy to hear those display prices are dropping! Does this perhaps have something to do with the impending headless iMac release, thereby making Apple monitors more affordable for prospective headless iMac buyers?


A user who is going to spend $500 on a computer isn't going to go out and spend $1000 on a monitor. Esp when for $400 more you can get a 20" G5 iMac.

[Devie]

It's still ridiculous how much we have to pay over here in Australia our currency means that we should only be paying AUD$1650 for them at the moment instead of $2299 and if they were to drop to US$999 we should only be paying AUD$1300

But anyway
Yep, its the standard screw australia tax (SAT). From what I've seen, all you do is just double and take a bit out whatever the american price is and that's pretty much what we get. It's bs.

[~Shard~]

A user who is going to spend $500 on a computer isn't going to go out and spend $1000 on a monitor. Esp when for $400 more you can get a 20" G5 iMac.

Agreed. ;) Just engaging in some wild speculation. :cool: Looks like the display prices will have to drop quite sharply before this will be a viable option...

[themacman]

What is the difference between a pm g5 and an xserve g5 beside price

[Macmaniac]

I will bet money that if Apple releases a 17in display tomorrow for in between $299-399, this is the absolute sign of the $499-599 mac:)

[themacman]

did anyone notice that the exserve takes 10-15 business days to ship. I think this sounds like an update.

[Sir_Giggles]

How many of us actually owns an Xserve?

[Object-X]

from what i understood, the 23" is HD, the 20" isnt.

Yes, and that means it will work well with the new H.264 codec. That means HD DVD movies will look awsome!! In my office with Logitech Z-5500 THX 5.1 speakers and I'll never go home. :cool:

Now, what about my home Apple?

[pimentoLoaf]

Just went online to check on my order placed earlier today (for Rise of Nations (http://www.apple.com/games/articles/2004/12/riseofnations/) and something else) and the Apple Store is down for a "scheduled update".

Wonder how long the update is gonna be? ;) :D

[Object-X]

I will bet money that if Apple releases a 17in display tomorrow for in between $299-399, this is the absolute sign of the $499-599 mac:)

What makes you think they will introduce it tomorrow and not wait for the keynote? If they do, I bet it is white and looks like an iMac. But I just bought an iMac!

[rendezvouscp]

Yes, and that means it will work well with the new H.264 codec. That means HD DVD movies will look awsome!! In my office with Logitech Z-5500 THX 5.1 speakers and I'll never go home. :cool:

Now, what about my home Apple?

Almost any display is going to work well with the H.264/AVC codec, however, you're right that the HD flat panels will be beautiful showing movies.
-Chase

[Sir_Giggles]

from what i understood, the 23" is HD, the 20" isnt.

Actually, HD native pixel counts vary by the format.

HD formats.

HDV is 1440x1080i
DVCPRO HD is 1280x1080
HDCAM is 1440x1080 and that is just for 1080i.

There are also the 720P flavours of HD with vary in size, but mostly 1280x720 pixels.

So a 23" LCD is not really HD anymore than a 20" LCD is.

All HD formats get stretched to 1920x1080 on playback, although the resolution remains at the most, 1440x1080. The only time you may need the 23" is when you are working with Viper Filmstream HD, which comes in at the full HD resolution. I believe only 1% of the HD market can afford this level of quality.

[Spock]

I will bet money that if Apple releases a 17in display tomorrow for in between $299-399, this is the absolute sign of the $499-599 mac:)

That is why that will not happen

[Asama]

...And the argument of transporting the goods to Australia is baseless because most of this stuff is made in Asia which is a hell of a lot closer to Australia than America.


Yes...most of the stuff is made in Asia...but as far as I know they will ship the finished product to Headquarter (i.e. US) and redistribute to other places / countries. That's explain why the price in certain country is not equal to the price in US after the currency conversion because you've already paid for the shipping charge from the manufacturing plant to US then from US to your country.

The point is, not only Apple have this practice but most company do. A good example is the company I work here is one of the distributor of Griffin products in Hong Kong, we always suffer from not getting good enough stock just because of this: the product is made in China, then ship the stock back to US via Hong Kong then from US to Hong Kong. Even though they have wearhouse in Hong Kong about 30 mins drive from our company, they refuse to ship the stuffs directly from the wearhouse.

Well in terms of inventory tracking is perfect but it's not a very good way, not only increase the cost of the product but it also make the deliver lead time much much more longer. :( :( :(

[Devie]

Yes...most of the stuff is made in Asia...but as far as I know they will ship the finished product to Headquarter (i.e. US) and redistribute to other places / countries. That's explain why the price in certain country is not equal to the price in US after the currency conversion because you've already paid for the shipping charge from the manufacturing plant to US then from US to your country.

The point is, not only Apple have this practice but most company do. A good example is the company I work here is one of the distributor of Griffin products in Hong Kong, we always suffer from not getting good enough stock just because of this: the product is made in China, then ship the stock back to US via Hong Kong then from US to Hong Kong. Even though they have wearhouse in Hong Kong about 30 mins drive from our company, they refuse to ship the stuffs directly from the wearhouse.

Well in terms of inventory tracking is perfect but it's not a very good way, not only increase the cost of the product but it also make the deliver lead time much much more longer. :( :( :(

Shipping costs do not cost an extra 40% or so on the overall price.

[AidenShaw]

What is the difference between a pm g5 and an xserve g5 beside price

XServe has noisy computer-room fans, and is flattened into a rack mount. XServe has fewer PCI-X slots.

XServe doesn't do high-end graphics.

[Sir_Giggles]

Xserve is a server... :o

basically designed for long uptimes with a high reliability than desktops. Thats also the reason why they have ECC RAM and electronics to monitor HD temps, fan temps, MB temps, etc, etc.

[gekko513]

So let me get this straight... they're going to package the Dual 2ghz with a 10 client license and sell it for less than the Single 2ghz with an unlimited license? Doesn't that seems awfully backwards? Plus why does the Dual 2ghz have specs lesser than the Single 2ghz?
I think that's a bit strange, too, but it looks like the dual 2ghz at $2699 is the same as the dual 2.3ghz cluster node just slower (no optical drive, just one drive slot and just a 10 client license). If the dual 2ghz cluster node is directed at use in high performance computing and the single 2ghz server is ment to be used as a high I/O server the specs make more sense.

[Xtremehkr]

I would say that this is still too much for displays, but that was before the new design come out. Though I don't understand the large difference in price between the 20 and 23", the price for the 30" is not too outrageous. Having gone from a G3 iMac to a G5 20" though I am more than happy with the current size of the screen. Probably update when there is a G7 23" iMac.

[Daveway]

I'm glad Apple is dropping FP prices. They were wayyyyy over priced and there was much bit**ing about the fact that a better Dell monitor was $600 cheaper.

[dontmatter]

No but currently 1 US dollar is buying $1.28 AUD which means all you need to do is multiply the US price by 1.28 to get what would be a reasonable price of the thing in this case the 20" display, which means US$999 ahould equal about AUD$1300, this works for most companies products except Apple and Sony who seem to add a fair bit more to the price. And the argument of transporting the goods to Australia is baseless because most of this stuff is made in Asia which is a hell of a lot closer to Australia than America.

Also for England the US dollar buys .52 of a pound so you are right in saying you're getting ripped off as well

Yes, tis true, tis true, and not limited to australia. But, i can say that tariffs, etc. can interfere. And, here's the other thing-I know that the company I work for tried to open a store in japan a while ago, and failed rediculously, because all the stuff was made in asia, but they didn't have enough of a buisness in Asia to set up distribution there, and so stuff was shipped from asia to the US and back again, and paid taxes in both the USA and Japan. Combined with the cost of real estate in japan, it was a total bust.

But, here's the deal-it might be from apple's stupidity, or it might be from apple's lack of size, but it's likely that the cost for apple of doing buisness in australia is actually signifigantly higher, and of course, all the middle men take a cut, too... so you can estimate that if the cost is higher by x, the additional add on is probably 2x.

[BWhaler]

God I hope the Xserve data is wrong.

We have been waiting to buy XServes to move entirely to a Mac company, but those specs are at best confusing.

BUT, the BIG mistake is changing the licenses on the Server. This is Apple being stupid and greedy. The unlimited license is a HUGE selling point for Apple, and the risk is still high buying their products in the mind of many CIO's.

They are not at the point where they can give up this ground on new XServe purchases.

I can live with all of the other specs tomorrow, but it's gotta be unlimited licenses for us to feel good about Apple.

(And yes, I know MS, et al, is a ton more. But no one gets fired for picking MS. I hate to say it, but Apple needs to understand CIO's are putting their necks out going with Apple.)

[virus1]

ah... good. this proves that they are becoming more capable of cramming g5 into small spaces. next step is seeing it in a powerbook..

[nutmac]

Actually, HD native pixel counts vary by the format.

HD formats.

HDV is 1440x1080i
DVCPRO HD is 1280x1080
HDCAM is 1440x1080 and that is just for 1080i.

There are also the 720P flavours of HD with vary in size, but mostly 1280x720 pixels.

So a 23" LCD is not really HD anymore than a 20" LCD is.

All HD formats get stretched to 1920x1080 on playback, although the resolution remains at the most, 1440x1080. The only time you may need the 23" is when you are working with Viper Filmstream HD, which comes in at the full HD resolution. I believe only 1% of the HD market can afford this level of quality.

It is true that most 1080i ATSC HDTV broadcasts are indeed at 1440x1080, largely due to 19.2 Mbps bandwidth. 19.2 Mbps is simply insufficient for compressing 1920x1080 interlaced 60-frames-per-second using MPEG-2 without major artifacts.

That does not change the fact that the spec still calls for 1920x1080 resolution and both HD-DVD and Blue-Ray high definition DVDs will resolve 1920x1080 (interlaced) resolution.

That said, Apple's 20-inch Cinema Display's 1680x1050 resolution is sufficient for resolving HDTV (even 1920x1080) with satisfying detail. At any rate, I think plenty of folks would prefer to own one 23-inch Cinema HD Display over two 20-inch Cinema Displays (e.g., higher vertical resolution, lower cost, occupies less physical space, to be used with PowerBook or upcoming "iMac mini").

[Stella]

ah... good. this proves that they are becoming more capable of cramming g5 into small spaces. next step is seeing it in a powerbook..

Unfortunately you can't compare XServes to laptops.
XServes:
- They probably have very good large fans / heat sinks
- Doesn't matter about power usage - its a server so its on all the time.
- Doesn't matter too much if they get a little warm

Where as on PBs, they can't consume lots of power - due to battery life, and they have to remain quite cool for obvious reasons and the fans and heat sinks have to be small.


I'm surprised Apple won't do a 2.5Ghz XServe...

[Sir_Giggles]

Unfortunately you can't compare XServes to laptops.
XServes:
- They probably have very good large fans / heat sinks
- Doesn't matter about power usage - its a server so its on all the time.
- Doesn't matter too much if they get a little warm

Where as on PBs, they can't consume lots of power - due to battery life, and they have to remain quite cool for obvious reasons and the fans and heat sinks have to be small.

So I take it it will be quite a challenge producing a G5 PowerBook. :eek:

[BWhaler]

The more I think about this, the less I think these XServe specs are correct.

Example:

Take the 2 different D2.3Ghz servers.

If you take the lowered price one, add in the memory, drive, and server upgrade, it's less than the $1000 price difference.

Accordingly, there would be zero reason to buy the high end server when you can get the same spec doing a BTO and save $200-400.

Also, I find it highly dubious that Apple is going to drop the server down to 512MB of memory. This is a server, and anyone wanting a D2.3 machine is going to need more memory for even their most basic of needs.

[nagromme]

Throw in an eMac G5 and we're all clear for MacWorld :)

I have my eye more and more on that 23".... 30" is too cool, but who wants to haul the mouse (and my head!) that far anyway? And the 23" will work with my PB... I won't have to wait until I buy a tower.

[macridah]

i hope the lcds go even lower!

[Zaty]

That would be a good start into the new year. As for PowerBook updates, I don't think they will happen, too. If remember correctly, they were in good supply before the holidays. Since I don't think they sold like hot cakes, it is probably to early for an update. My guess is it will happen in 3-4 weeks.

[dantec]

Damn...

I just bought a 23" Cinema Display on Sunday... Is there anyway that I can get this price reduction? Does Apple have a policy whereby products which have been purchased and have their prices changed a few days later, allow customers to get a refund for the difference ?

I have already opened the box and installed, it so I can't return it unless I pay the 10% restocking fee.

What about Apple's Price Match Policy... Would it fall under that ?

[MacFan25863]

Dosn't look like the update happened...

[thecombatwombat]

Is there anyway that I can get this price reduction? Does Apple have a policy whereby products which have been purchased and have their prices changed a few days later, allow customers to get a refund for the difference ?


Yes, you have 10 days.

" Should Apple reduce its price on any shipped product within 10 calendar days of shipment, you may contact Apple Sales Support at 1-800-676-2775 to request a refund or credit of the difference between the price you were charged and the current selling price. To receive the refund or credit you must contact Apple within 14 business days of shipment."

You should have an email from apple with a subject like "Your Apple Invoice # . . . " This bit can be found at the bottom of that email. So hope they do this tomorrow and not later.

[Sir_Giggles]

Dosn't look like the update happened...

5 more hours..... :rolleyes:

[msp]

5 more hours..... :rolleyes:

Apple Store DE is down ATM

[EDIT]

Also the french, the norway, ... seems like europe is going down :)

[xStep]

It's still ridiculous how much we have to pay over here in Australia our currency means that we should only be paying AUD$1650 for them at the moment instead of $2299 and if they were to drop to US$999 we should only be paying AUD$1300

But anyway

Have you accounted for the import duties? Is the GST included in the pricing in Australia, or separate visible tax?

[Sir_Giggles]

Have you accounted for the import duties? Is the GST included in the pricing in Australia, or separate visible tax?

Australians should move to US or Canada. :p

[backspinner]

BUT, the BIG mistake is changing the licenses on the Server.
For $499 you can upgrade from 10 clients to unlimited clients!

[Sir_Giggles]

For $499 you can upgrade from 10 clients to unlimited clients!

In big business, $500 is pocket change. This change may have been implemented to get more money out of mid-sized businesses.

[MacsRgr8]

Apple Store DE is down ATM

[EDIT]

Also the french, the norway, ... seems like europe is going down :)

Yep!

NL too.

:cool:

[Sir_Giggles]

It's 2 am here!!

[msp]

It's 2 am here!!

Maybe its just a software update?
I can not do a side by side comparison as the german one is down, but it looks to me as if the usa store has some software features more like a thumbnail view of the cart to the right while browsing the store and such. Maybe the european division is rolling out this update?

[Edit]
speling

[MacsRgr8]

It's 2 am here!!

Good night then!

[Sir_Giggles]

I cant sleep now. Might as well stay up another 22 hours.

[MacMyDay]

La-la-la. Please have new PowerBooks.....mine just got destroyed and the insurance are paying out as we speak. Would be rather marvelous to get back a better one, especially without the 2 week delay of getting the HD upgraded if the rumours are true.

[aussie_geek]

Hmm, $999 USD for the 20"
They where $1299 USD and $2299 AUD.
I'm guessing it will be about $1,800 AUD... I might go for this over the Dell now.

Yeah, I am hoping for that kind of price drop as well. Don't hold your breath though- -Apple Australia is notorious for their exuberant prices that are not proportional to the US. :rolleyes:

Anyone care to speculate on AU prices? :confused:

aussie_geek

[msp]

I cant sleep now. Might as well stay up another 22 hours.

Well I called apple germany and innocently asked what happend to the online store. The only told me to wait, and didn't tell me what will be changed, but updates are comming :)

[Zaty]

The stores are down earlier than usual, they usual go off line at around 1.30 PM CET. The US store is still up.

[Zaty]

Well I called apple germany and innocently asked what happend to the online store. The only told me to wait, and didn't tell me what will be changed, but updates are comming :)

Did they telly you updates were coming? As long as the US store is still up, we don't know if something is coming. It possible though that they're changing the European sites and introduce new hardware same time, that could be the reason why the European stores went down so early.

[msp]

Did they telly you updates were coming? As long as the US store is still up, we don't know if something is coming. It possible though that they're changing the European sites and introduce new hardware same time, that could be the reason why the European stores went down so early.

No they told me that i should wait, they can't tell me yet what will be changed -> updates are coming

[MacSA]

The UK Apple store is still down. ;)

[Rod Rod]

The UK Apple store is still down. ;)

A minor question is, with the possible new products coming to the store, how will the tsunami relief links on the front page be affected, if at all? I'm guessing it either won't, or there will be a little banner added on the bottom. (I know, I'm hedging).

[Platform]

from what i understood, the 23" is HD, the 20" isnt.
Yes the 23 is HD and the 20 isnt

[MacMyDay]

With the US Store not having been down, it does make it seem rather unlikely that these new updates will appear. Unless Apple suddenly decide that the US aren't important anymore....

EDIT: Even the Japan store is up, so it seems Europe is somewhat blessed today

[Rod Rod]

With the US Store not having been down, it does make it seem rather unlikely that these new updates will appear. Unless Apple suddenly decide that the US aren't important anymore....

EDIT: Even the Japan store is up, so it seems Europe is somewhat blessed today

maybe it's a Europe-only product release! j/k :)

[Zaty]

maybe it's a Europe-only product release! j/k :)

Perhaps they adjust European prices according to the current exchange rates :)

[denm316]

I saw the 30in in the Apple Store the other day. It was one of the greatest sites of my life. Simply amazing.


I saw it as well the other day, I thought it was funny having to almost turn my head to look at the other half of the screen.

[MacMyDay]

Perhaps they adjust European prices according to the current exchange rates :)

Oh, that'd be a nice treat. My £1381 laptop for £1015 based on the exchange rate. :D

[Platform]

Why no liquid cooled 2.5Ghz Xserve :confused:

[Zaty]

European stores still down, rest of the world still up-what is taking them so long? This is the time when European stores go down when updates are being prepared. The US stores usually follows about half an hour later. So if nothing happens within the next 30-45 minutes, we won't see any updates today.

[MacsRgr8]

Hmmm.... the European stores are down for allmost 3 hours now....

:confused:

[Zaty]

EDIT: It was down for a sec but it seems to be up again, weird.

[Sir_Giggles]

UK up. whats changed?

[MacsRgr8]

UK up. whats changed?

2.3 GHz G5 Xserve

[Eric_Z]

UK up. whats changed?

Prices are down (in the Swedish Apple store atleast) and the new xServes are out (2.3Ghz)

[cal6n]

30" down £450 to £2099

:eek:

[Zaty]

From the Swiss store:

[cal6n]

:confused:

[MacsRgr8]

Now they're down again!

NL and UK

[Zaty]

Now they're down again!

NL and UK

US down again, too

[Eric_Z]

US down again, too

And the Swedish one.

[Sir_Giggles]

u guys are so funny :D

[MacsRgr8]

Did someone make a mistake?
:)

[Zaty]

I guess European stores are not allowed to be updated before the US store...

Edit: Apparently, the Xserve and display rumours were correct, are we getting new PBs, too?

[Platform]

And the norwegian and us and sweden

[Stella]

Perhaps they adjust European prices according to the current exchange rates :)

Apple will *raise* ( :-) ) all non us market prices in response to the weak dollar, and so they can reduce their market share in all markets accordingly.

:D

[Platform]

Apple will *raise* ( :-) ) all non us market prices in response to the weak dollar, and so they can reduce their market share in all markets accordingly.

:D

That's what anti mac people are hoping for I hope it does not happen :eek:

[cal6n]

... but:

20" £699 (£300 off. Seen on the front page)

30" £2099 (£450 off. The item I looked at)

So I would guess that the 23" will be £1199 (£350 off)

By the time I'd posted and got back, it'd gone.

:mad:

[tny]

... but:

20" £699 (£300 off. Seen on the front page)

30" £2099 (£450 off. The item I looked at)

So I would guess that the 23" will be £1199 (£350 off)

By the time I'd posted and got back, it'd gone.

:mad:


Now if they'd just do something sensible and bring the 20" down to $899 . . .

[jdechko]

US Store is down! :rolleyes:

[Zaty]

... but:

20" £699 (£300 off. Seen on the front page)

30" £2099 (£450 off. The item I looked at)

So I would guess that the 23" will be £1199 (£350 off)

By the time I'd posted and got back, it'd gone.

:mad:

If they don't change their mind ( :) ), that's quite a reduction

[ts1973]

Just to let you know : (European) Price drops in Powermacs, Powerbooks too : DP2.5 @ €2999. Store is down again however.

[Platform]

If they don't change their mind ( :) ), that's quite a reduction

All kinds of price drop are welcome with me :D

[Zaty]

Just to let you know : (European) Price drops in Powermacs, Powerbooks too : DP2.5 @ €2999. Store is down again however.

Reduced PBs, too? That would be weird.

[mpw]

But I get your gip, it would probably be cheaper for me to buy all my apple stuff from the US (as long as customs didn't notice and charge import tax)...

Hob

There’s no import duty on laptops or desktops but the iPod’s got a 2% import duty and DVI equipped displays should be have an extra 14% if the custom officer’s on the ball (they often aren’t). Then of course there’s 17.5% VAT on top.

Interestingly the iPod has it’s own customs tariff listing in addition to that for generic mp3 players, cultural phenomenon.

[JupiterTwo]

Just to let you know : (European) Price drops in Powermacs, Powerbooks too : DP2.5 @ €2999. Store is down again however.

yeah - UK stuff I saw:

iBooks - £699 to $999
Powerbooks - £1099 to £1899 (£1699 for the 15" SD etc)
Powermacs from £999
Middle Cinema was £1249

Must be a good sign for the headless mac with the 20" screen hitting £699

[mootpoint]

Reduced PBs, too? That would be weird.

Base Powerbook down from £1149 to £1099. Ibook base now £699. imac base now £899.

More to follow.

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

The iBook's prices were reduced in the brief look I got before they went down again: a 12" was NOK 8790, down from NOK 9490...

My year old iBook G4@800MHz was NOK 10490 in November 2003... :( ;)

The baseline eMac was down from NOK 7490 to NOK 6990, too...

[Zaty]

yeah - UK stuff I saw:

iBooks - £699 to $999
Powerbooks - £1099 to £1899 (£1699 for the 15" SD etc)
Powermacs from £999
Middle Cinema was £1249

Must be a good sign for the headless mac with the 20" screen hitting £699

Aha, that means we won't see new PBs and PMs anytime soon. That they dropped prices on the iBook again is really nice, makes them even a better value.

Edit: I wonder if they drop the eMac's price as well. If they do, we know the headless Mac won't materialise, if they don't, everything's still possible.

[Poff]

Apple store US and Norway is down. Does this mean the rumors are true?

Oops.. guess I should have read the thread before posting.. ;)

[MacsRgr8]

Apple store US and Norway is down. Does this mean the rumors are true?

Scroll back in this thread.
;)

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Apple store US and Norway is down. Does this mean the rumors are true?

There was a server entry under "Nytt i butikken"/"new to the store", yes, but the pulled the page to soon for anyone to get the full picture...

[Platform]

Apple store US and Norway is down. Does this mean the rumors are true?

look up on the page :cool:

[MacsRgr8]

can't connect :(

[Zaty]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050104/sftu059_1.html

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

can't connect :(

Same here...

Any second now... :)

[Platform]

Same here...

Any second now... :)

US in up

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Store's open for business... :)

[Zaty]

No changes in the US store, but prices dropped in the Swiss store!!

Thank you Apple!

Edit: iBook now starts at CHF 1399 (was CHF 1499)
PB now starts at CHF 2249 (was CHF 2499)
iMac starts at CHF 1799 (was CHF 1949)
Displays start at 1419 (can't remember the original price)
eMac: I believe prices dropped, too. I can't remember the original prices, though.
PM base configuration down to CHF 1999 from 2299

[IscariotJ]

UK Store is back.

20" Display is now £699
23" is now £1249
30" is now £2099

J

[Sir_Giggles]

Store's open for business... :)

Homepage hasn't changed. Bravo Apple!

[Platform]

Cheaper displays $999 20" and faster xserves 2.3 Ghz same as old 2.0 price :D

[ruud]

Xsan is now available in the apple store for $999 with estimated shipping of 1-2 business days.

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Hey... the iPod mini has dropped in price...

A full NOK 10 (under $2)... :D

Edit: (Or was it 2290, all along, just that they now prices it to 2289,99?) No joke intended...

[Zaty]

Hey... the iPod mini has dropped in price...

A full NOK 10 (under $2)... :D

Must be a joke, no drops in Switzerland

[Poff]

Hey... the iPod mini has dropped in price...

A full NOK 10 (under $2)... :D


where did you see that price? I get the regular 2.289,99. If they have it on a link with NOK 10 I'll try to order one..!

Oh, though you said it had dropped to NOK 10. If they hade made that mistake, I'd exploit it at once!

[MacsRgr8]

MacRumors.com homepage not updated yet?!? :D

[BWhaler]

No longer a rumor...

New Xserves and cheaper displays now at Apple.com

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Must be a joke, no drops in Switzerland
where did you see that price? I get the regular 2.289,99. If they have it on a link with NOK 10 I'll try to order one..!

Sorry, I might have been carried away...

Apparently I don't have all the prices in my head... thought the old price was NOK 2299,99 and not 2289,99... Sorry about that... :o

[Poff]

Sorry, I might have been carried away...

Apparently I don't have all the prices in my head... thought the old price was NOK 2299,99 and not 2289,99... Sorry about that... :o


Sorry, I got your post wrong. I thought you said they had made a mistake and priced the iPod mini at 10 kr, but I could only find the regular priced version.

[Sir_Giggles]

WOW!!!

Previous CDN store pricing.

20" $1799 now $1249 :eek:
23" $2799 now $2299 :eek:
30" $4699 now $3799 :eek:

[MacMyDay]

Hmm, wonder why they'd reduce the prices of the PowerBooks if new one's are coming soon

[Poff]

Hmm, wonder why they'd reduce the prices of the PowerBooks if new one's are coming soon


Guess we'll have to wait till summer-time for those babies..

[Badradio]

Hmm, wonder why they'd reduce the prices of the PowerBooks if new one's are coming soon
Think you answered your own question there.

Good news if you're in the market for a new wired or BT mouse/keyboard; a thin silver lining in the powerbook cloud though.

[MacMyDay]

Guess we'll have to wait till summer-time for those babies..

As long as I have a 15" G5 by September, I shall be truly grateful. Seems to me a bad decision to delay even minor updates on the PB end. The 12" graphics card really does die under pressure - though still outperforms most of my friends blazing fast laptops due to their useless graphics cards. Would of been nice if the Page 2 Rumour was true. That and a backlit keyboard.

[Rod Rod]

Hmm, wonder why they'd reduce the prices of the PowerBooks if new one's are coming soon

That must be a currency thing, because in the U.S. there's no change in PowerBook pricing.

[spikeovsky]

So, Xsan's been released, and all that that entails. My question is: What does that entail? Or, more simply, what the hell does it do??? I've been trying to read the Xsan website, but I haven't a clue what it means. Anyone willing to offer a relatively simple explanation? I haven't felt like this since .Net was first announced.

[iJoe]

Wow, I'm surprised the iMac has been reduced! It now goes for £899, £999, and £1299.

[MacMyDay]

That must be a currency thing, because in the U.S. there's no change in PowerBook pricing.

Oh, so there is a God. Bring on the updates! ;) I have a large cheque and need to use it

[The Bartender]

Long-time lurker (since soon after MacRumors went live), but I think this is the first time I've posted.

So, Xsan's been released, and all that that entails. My question is: What does that entail? Or, more simply, what the hell does it do??? I've been trying to read the Xsan website, but I haven't a clue what it means. Anyone willing to offer a relatively simple explanation? I haven't felt like this since .Net was first announced.

Xsan is a filing system for Storage Area Networks (SAN). My best guess it that it's similar to Filemaker Pro.

[nagromme]

New goodies just as rumored... but Apple.com still has ONLY Tsunami-relief info. Good for them. (And iTMS now has Red Cross donation built right in--one-click giving!)

[captain kirk]

Almost all the apple mac line up has been reduced in price, ibooks & powerbooks down by £50, imacs down by between £20 & £50, powermac g5's down by between £50 and £200, and the monster savings on displays that were predicted.

[joed]

Is it just me, or has NOTHING changed in the Australian store?

The xserves still show up as 2.0GHz. No 2.3GHz to be seen. Can someone please verify?

[Rod Rod]

My question is: What does that entail? Or, more simply, what the hell does it do??? I've been trying to read the Xsan website, but I haven't a clue what it means. Anyone willing to offer a relatively simple explanation? I haven't felt like this since .Net was first announced.

Xsan is important for situations when you need the same information available to many people simultaneously. For example, you just shot 30 hours of video. You load the video onto disk. If that disk is a SAN, you and a few other people can begin editing that 30 hours of material without getting in each other's way, even if you're calling up the same shot as someone else at the same time in your respective systems. Does that make sense?

[nagromme]

Xsan lets you pool mass amounts of storage together and share it across multiple computers/servers--efficiently, reliably and FAST (using Fibre Channel connections)--with lots of cross-platform standards-compatibility. SAN = Storage Area Network. Much better than just networking a bunch of servers and drives together on a conventional LAN.

There are many applications, from serving large files to large-scale redundant backup solutions. That's my limited understanding.

http://images.apple.com/xsan/images/indexstoragepool04192004.jpg

See:
http://www.apple.com/xsan/

One notable feature: like Xserve RAID, Xsan has an unusually low price vs. competitors.

Xsan, Xgrid, Xserve, Xserve Cluster Node, and Xserve RAID, and OS X Server are becoming a pretty decent enterprise toehold for Apple, I'd say.

[MacSA]

Almost all the apple mac line up has been reduced in price, ibooks & powerbooks down by £50, imacs down by between £20 & £50, powermac g5's down by between £50 and £200, and the monster savings on displays that were predicted.


The G4 eMac is still £549 lol.......... the superdrive version dropped £20 though - £679

[spikeovsky]

Xsan is a filing system for Storage Area Networks (SAN). My best guess it that it's similar to Filemaker Pro.

So...please excuse my ignorance, but what, precisely, are "Storage Area Networks"? And isn't Filemaker still something of an Apple subsidiary? If so, why would Apple release something to go head-to-head with Filemaker Pro? If not, I hang my head in shame :D.

I get the impression that Xsan's a way to share high-speed storage over a high-speed network to allow real-time collaboration on projects. Something like that?

[mrzippy]

It looks like Apple is playing hardball now with this wave of price cuts, maybe they finally decided to take on the PC market.

UK Store price cuts noticed:

iMac G5 1.6 GHz - £919 to £899
iBook G4 12" - £799 to £699
PowerMac G5 1.8 GHz single - £1099 to £999
PowerBook 12" combo - £1149 to £1099
20" Display - £999 to £699

Just a summary of the main price changes on bottom models, WOW that are some major reductions here!!!!

May be time to get my credit card out, although I think I'll wait until Macworld first ;)

[zaphoyd]

Xsan is a storage area network. It allows you to "network" fibre channel storage devices with computers who use them. Without Xsan you could plug an Xserve raid (all 5+ terrabytes) into one computer, and use it. If you had two computer that needed to use that space, you could either share over ethernet (slow and yucky) swap cables (still yucky) or use SAN software to group all of your XServe Raids into a pool that all of the attached fibre channel computers can use. You no longer have to worry about allocating disk space to projects, moving disks or cables around, etc.



pretty nifty stuff

Xsan is the software that coordinates the storage network, like a software router in a sense.

Filemaker is NOT a SAN filemaker is a sad excuse for a database. I am a database administrator for a place that uses filemaker. Seriously it would be easier for me to print out all the data on paper and whenever anyone wanted data they just called me on the telephone and asked for it.

[aussiemac86]

Is it just me, or has NOTHING changed in the Australian store?

The xserves still show up as 2.0GHz. No 2.3GHz to be seen. Can someone please verify?

yeh im seeing nothing new, prices appear to be the same as well

[Gil]

Previous CDN store pricing.

20" $1799 now $1249 :eek:
23" $2799 now $2299 :eek:
30" $4699 now $3799 :eek:

It seems they've adjusted the pricing on all sorts of things to reflect the stronger CDN dollar. For example a dual 2ghz PM used to be C$3,499 (1.40 exchange) now it's C$3,149 (1.26 exchange) compared with US$2,499. That's pretty good, considering the exchange rate is around 1.20 today. They've even adjusted the pricing for upgrades like memory, hard drives, etc. Judging by some other posts, it seems Apple has adjusted prices for all countries to better reflect current exchange rates.

On behalf of all non Americans, thank you Apple!

[spikeovsky]

Xsan is important for situations when you need the same information available to many people simultaneously. For example, you just shot 30 hours of video. You load the video onto disk. If that disk is a SAN, you and a few other people can begin editing that 30 hours of material without getting in each other's way, even if you're calling up the same shot as someone else at the same time in your respective systems. Does that make sense?

Absolutely clear - thanks!

[topofthawoz]

Is it just me, or has NOTHING changed in the Australian store?

The xserves still show up as 2.0GHz. No 2.3GHz to be seen. Can someone please verify?

yes apple australia still seem to believe that all australians who use computers are loaded.....
or they are slack and wont update until tomorrow morning :p

[rhpenguin]

Also for England the US dollar buys .52 of a pound so you are right in saying you're getting ripped off as well

Canadians are getting ripped off on pricing points as well. If i were to take the 1 hour drive to Michigan to buy my next iMac/Powermac or display I would save myself about $300+/- CAD per purchase...


**Edit... Looks like Apple took into effect the rising Canadian dollar and also lowered pricing on the iMac and Powermac too!!!

iMac (1.6GHz 17") started at $1749.99 and is now $1599.... And the same trend in the Powermac line.. Brings us almost on par with our American neighbours!

[Zaty]

Hmm, wonder why they'd reduce the prices of the PowerBooks if new one's are coming soon

First, keep in mind this was an adjustment due to the fact that the US Dollar has lost ground against the Euro, the Pound Sterling, the Swiss Franc and against the Scandinavian currencies. So what it means for the PBs is that we can now rule out an update at MWSF next week because the wouldn't lower the prices for one week unless this is the beginning of the clearance sale and the new models will be introduced at the old prices. But that's rather unlikely. The price adjustments don't rule out an update towards the end of this month. Secondly, Apple has to start to get rid of the current models sometime. Since the PBs have not been updated since last April, their European prices were to high in comparison to the iBooks and the competition.

[Poff]

yes apple australia still seem to believe that all australians who use computers are loaded.....
or they are slack and wont update until tomorrow morning :p

Sorry, no updates for Australia. With all these price-cuts, Apple has to make money somewhere!

[joed]

Australia:

20" was $2299 now $1599
23" was $3499 now $2899
30" was $5999 now $4899

12" ibook was $1695 now $1599

PM single 1.8GHz was $2699 now $2399
PM dual 1.8GHz was $3599 now $3199
PM dual 2.0GHz was $4499 now $3999
PM dual 2.5GHz was $5999 now $4899

iMac 17" 1.6GHz was $2199 now $1999
iMac 17" 1.8GHz was $2499 now $2399
iMac 20" 1.8GHz was $3199 now $2999

woo Apple. Now I will be getting a 20" Display :D

[mdriftmeyer]

This should answer your question.

http://images.apple.com/server/pdfs/20050104_Xsan_Getting_Started.pdf

More information:

http://www.apple.com/server/documentation/

So...please excuse my ignorance, but what, precisely, are "Storage Area Networks"? And isn't Filemaker still something of an Apple subsidiary? If so, why would Apple release something to go head-to-head with Filemaker Pro? If not, I hang my head in shame :D.

I get the impression that Xsan's a way to share high-speed storage over a high-speed network to allow real-time collaboration on projects. Something like that?

[Platform]

Guess we'll have to wait till summer-time for those babies..

Hope not :eek: