New eMacs

[MacRumors]

Apple announced (http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2004/apr/13emac.html) new eMacs today.

The new eMacs run at 1.25GHz G4 processors with 333 MHz DDR Memory, faster ATI Radeon Graphics and USB 2.0 connectivity. The Superdrive equiped system now starts at just $999.

[macdong]

looks like a good buy.
but where is the PowerBook? :confused:

[madrobby]

Wow! Now that has a meaning. Maybe new Powerbooks next Tuesday. Wait *arrrrgh* Dont hit me! :D

[settledown]

HOLY CRAP!!!!!

[leftbanke7]

Didn't somebody say this was going to happen with a lot of people telling him he was dead wrong? I guess all the "delays" have made people into a bunch of uber skeptics.

1 down, 4 more to go.

[jimsowden]

Apple announced (http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2004/apr/13emac.html) new eMacs today.

The new eMacs run at 1.25GHz G4 processors with 333 MHz DDR Memory, faster ATI Radeon Graphics and USB 2.0 connectivity. The Superdrive equiped system now starts at just $999.

I called this last night. Wheres my parade?
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=791558#post791558

[allpar]

The bus is faster, too - seems like they're equals of the tower G4 in speed overall (faster in DVDs!). These really are a good buy now, for the first time in emac history. Still want a pizza box version.

[Ja Di ksw]

send all congratulatory pepsi's to jimsowden

[stoid]

I called this last night. Wheres my parade?
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=791558#post791558

Really, no props to Jim for his excellent prediction (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=67473)?!? I'm shocked and appalled!

[CrackedButter]

UK store has not been updated yet it seems.

Btw, expect some of this:

But damn, i bought my emac 3 months ago, this is SO unfair and typical of Apple, how dare they release a brand new eMac without informing me in advance, this is out of order, the next machine i'm buying is a Hell!

[jelloshotsrule]

I called this last night. Wheres my parade?
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=791558#post791558

let me know when you call something exciting. ;)

[Oirectine]

I called this last night. Wheres my parade?
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=791558#post791558

Holy cow. How did you know??

*throws a parade for Jimsowden*

[g30ffr3y]

although im not particularly interested in an emac... its great to see the apple digital music company still makes computers... hooray for the apple computer company!!! now where are the dual 3gig powermac g5s and 30" monitors??? i suspect sooner than the powerbooks youre all waiting for... *crosses fingers*

[idkew]

i bet this will quiet quite a few whiners.

[macdong]

now iMac and eMac looks almost identical on specs except the screen and video card...

[howard]

lets through in something to rile up those skeptics...

this means imac G5's are coming out!

[wPod]

starting from the bottom and working their way up? next imac then ibook then pb then pm?

[macguymike]

now iMac and eMac looks almost identical on specs except the screen and video card...

Which means they need to update the iMac and drop the price a bit. :)

[paulypants]

New iMac G5's next week at NAB!! :p

i won't get my hopes up too high...

[the future]

i bet this will quiet quite a few whiners.

I had to read that twice...

[Photorun]

Seeing how the college I work for is now getting VERY skeptical of Dull Computer's quality, the prices and specs of these aren't too shabby, they're all in one, and the timing this week with some budgets approved means I can manage to get about 10 or more of these purchased at the EDU pricing which will is $749 and I think I'll get one Superdrive model which is $849. Hey they're no G5 but for admin people who don't NEED more power than to run Microsuck Orfice (school policy) and some other lightweight fare these MORE than fit the bill.

THANKS APPLE!!! :D

[eSnow]

So, the eMac has a faster SuperDrive than the top-of-the-line G5 tower? This sound strange ...

[Zaty]

Is this the comeback for the G4? I mean PBs and iMacs do need an upgrade sooner than later. With all the mess with the PMs I don't expect G5 PBs and G5 iMacs before the end of the year.

Nice update Apple!

[Sped]

Although clearly the eMac is not meant to compete with a Powerbook, I do have to say that the new eMac compared to the current lineup of Powerbooks makes you realize how outdated the PB offerings are. When I saw the new eMac specs, I had to say WOW! You are getting a nearly top of the line G4 and Superdrive for under a grand. Obviously the PB is a portable computer but the 15" is now more or less equal in performance to the eMac for goodness sake. I want a PB update pronto! Good choice for any of you who will buy this new eMac.

[Rex44]

Is there precedent for them announcing multiple updates at different times on the same day, or do they always "batch" their upgrade announcements? i.e. is there are snowball's chance that updates for iBooks, iMacs or other lines could be announced sometime today as well?

[Rex44]

Is there precedent for them announcing multiple updates at different times on the same day, or do they always "batch" their upgrade announcements? i.e. is there are snowball's chance that updates for iBooks, iMacs or other lines could be announced sometime today as well?

[sonicbaz]

Sounds good :)

[Sped]

Although clearly the eMac is not meant to compete with a Powerbook, I do have to say that the new eMac compared to the current lineup of Powerbooks makes you realize how outdated the PB offerings are. When I saw the new eMac specs, I had to say WOW! You are getting a nearly top of the line G4 and Superdrive for under a grand. Obviously the PB is a portable computer but the 15" is now more or less equal in performance to the eMac for goodness sake. I want a PB update pronto! Good choice for any of you who will buy this new eMac.

[rog]

Not bad. The most significant part of this is that it's the 512kb L2 G4 which gives more of a boost than would be expected from 250MHz alone. Probably a 30% speed boost. But given that it's taken 2 years for the eMac to go from 800 to 1250 Mhz, that's pretty lame, especially since the 800MHz G4 was very slow even for 2 years ago. But for $799 not bad. I wish the video card had 64MB, because 32 just won't be enough for new games. I'm also glad to see 256MB RAM so it will be somewhat usable out of the box. I told me office mate a few weeks ago to hold off and now I'll tell her she should get one! She'll be switching from a PC.

[Jason_Bryan]

I am I the only one to think that apple could find a lot of switchers if instead of an integrated system this spec of machine was available as a stand alone tower or desktop unit.

[sebisworld]

Now the eMacs have a faster SuperDrive than the PowerMacs. This just screams for more updates.

(BTW: Is there anybody here who uses a TFT and would ever want to switch back? I know I could never.)

[machan]

FINALLY!!!! :)

my coworker who's been waiting for 4 months ordered one within 10 minutes of seeing the updated apple site. my parents are also going to get one any day now that they've been updated. HOORAY!!! kudos to apple for dropping the price as well!

[Photorun]

Is there precedent for them announcing multiple updates at different times on the same day, or do they always "batch" their upgrade announcements? i.e. is there are snowball's chance that updates for iBooks, iMacs or other lines could be announced sometime today as well?

Batch, sadly. I'm afraid those looking for more will have to wait until next week to see.

[madrobby]

Hmm, got "an error occured while processing this directive" just now on Apple's homepage. Seems to work after reloading... :confused:

[Flyers486]

The iMac is dead. At this point it would seem unwise for apple to try to premier a new iMac with specs comparable to the new powerbooks (the new G4s at 1.5). More likely this spells the end of the iMac (in its current form) as we know it and a new product debuting at WWDC. The cube G5, anyone?

Greg

[a17inchFuture]

1.25 Ghz processors in the emac's?????

Congratulations, powerbook owners, your computers are now as advanced as the cheapest line apple makes, and only twice to three times as expensive!!!!!!

This is literally a spit in the face of powerbook owners, and is an insult to anyone considering buying a powerbook(so in other words, 15 inch PB superdrive buyers are paying the 1-2 THOUSAND dollar difference for bluetooth, airport, and a thin screen).

Steve, you complete a**hole . . . You and everyone at apple deserve to go belly up for this.

[CrackedButter]

Apple have partially updated the uk store and the emac looks to be £100 cheaper with the combo model, looks like they have taken into account the dollar and all, the euro price has dropped €50 as well on the combo model.

[Zaty]

Hmm, got "an error occured while processing this directive" just now on Apple's homepage. Seems to work after reloading... :confused:

Same problem here, perhpas Apple's has got more hits since the update than in the last 6 moths :)

[Sped]

Hmm, got "an error occured while processing this directive" just now on Apple's homepage. Seems to work after reloading... :confused:

Ditto here. I wonder what is going on?

[Some_Big_Spoon]

Welcome to the twilight zone... of Steve-Zone as we like to call it


So, the eMac has a faster SuperDrive than the top-of-the-line G5 tower? This sound strange ...

[Wash!!]

LACARS NEURO PACK COMPUTER CORE to announce already common Apple I just has to have one and have it out by next Tuesday, pleaseeeeee!!!! my
6 months old G5 1.8 is just not fast enough any more I need to be plug straight to my brain...

(in case you guys miss the point I'm been sarcastic, I tire of the cry babies)

BTW sky net goes on line next Tuesday too!!! end of the world here I come. :D

[bar italia]

from Macintouch:

Friends of mine who are resellers said that Apple has contacted dealers, requesting that they destroy iPod posters and collateral with the bright colors and white silhouettes. They have asked resellers to actually deface or cut up some of the larger items, sending to Apple select pieces of these items, to ensure that they don't end up on eBay!
* Sure sounds like a new iPod ad campaign is on the way, doesn't it?

[mklos]

I know this was said once already, but just in case someone skipped over it I'll say it again. I can't believe that the eMac has a faster SuperDrive than both the iMac G4 and the PowerMac G5! Either Apple's webmaster screwed up, or you will see product upgrades in both the iMac and the PowerMac. I don't think you will see a G5 iMac (this time!), but if we do see an iMac update then I think this will be the last G4 processor iMac you will ever see. If the PowerMac G5 gets updated before the iMac then there may be a slight possibility you could see a 1.6 to 1.8 GHz iMac G5, but again I wouldn't think so. If Apple were to update to iMac to a G5 then I think it will be introduced later on in the year, say around Seybold, or MacWorld Paris in September.

[CrackedButter]

1.25 Ghz processors in the emac's?????

Congratulations, powerbook owners, your computers are now as advanced as the cheapest line apple makes, and only twice to three times as expensive!!!!!!

This is literally a spit in the face of powerbook owners, and is an insult to anyone considering buying a powerbook(so in other words, 15 inch PB superdrive buyers are paying the 1-2 THOUSAND dollar difference for bluetooth, airport, and a thin screen).

Steve, you complete a**hole . . . You and everyone at apple deserve to go belly up for this.

Yeah i realised this and sold my PB 3 months ago and bought an emac, what was i thinking i don't know but never again will i opt for the top machine without 2 months umming and arring, i'll do it for 3 months this september.

[Zaty]

1.25 Ghz processors in the emac's?????

Congratulations, powerbook owners, your computers are now as advanced as the cheapest line apple makes, and only twice to three times as expensive!!!!!!

This is literally a spit in the face of powerbook owners, and is an insult to anyone considering buying a powerbook(so in other words, 15 inch PB superdrive buyers are paying the 1-2 THOUSAND dollar difference for bluetooth, airport, and a thin screen).

Steve, you complete a**hole . . . You and everyone at apple deserve to go belly up for this.

So true, the new eMac will beat the crap out of my little AlBook that is still a current model but twice as expensive :confused:

[Freg3000]

Is there precedent for them announcing multiple updates at different times on the same day, or do they always "batch" their upgrade announcements? i.e. is there are snowball's chance that updates for iBooks, iMacs or other lines could be announced sometime today as well?

Little chance I think. No rolling updates for Apple.

Like someone has said, 1 for 5....keep it going....

[Borg3of5]

This *IS* exciting news. This means the iMac and eMac are par on par now. Which LOGICALLY indicates a revised iMac lineup in the immediate future; maybe even a G5 in them!

I honestly believe that Apple would have a lot to gain from upping the processor in iMacs to G5's, as this would broaden the consumer use of a G5-based product. The next iteration of the G5 PowerMac would probably then be expected to go 2.5-3.0 GHz. It would be nice if single processor PowerMacs were deleted, and the lineup only included dual processors. In addition to making a low-end dual processor 2.0 GHz around $1,799 this would make the PowerMac lineup rule. I've been eyeing refurbished Dual 2.0s, as they seem to be available everyday, at least early in the day.

Combined with a 23" HDCD it would be AWESOME!

[liketom]

Apple site seems very crowded at moment or are they updating page ready for the next release today ???

[eSnow]

The cube G5, anyone?

The cube is even more dead :p

[a17inchFuture]

Ditto here. I wonder what is going on?

The online store has gone offline so the powerbook's features can be decreaased, and its price increased. Steve calls it the ultimate F-U to anyone who ever thought apple made good portables.

[Steven1621]

G5's and iMacs must be on the way!

[Some_Big_Spoon]

expect the next PB update to barely bring it's specs over the emac.. fun, no?

1.25 Ghz processors in the emac's?????

Congratulations, powerbook owners, your computers are now as advanced as the cheapest line apple makes, and only twice to three times as expensive!!!!!!

This is literally a spit in the face of powerbook owners, and is an insult to anyone considering buying a powerbook(so in other words, 15 inch PB superdrive buyers are paying the 1-2 THOUSAND dollar difference for bluetooth, airport, and a thin screen).

Steve, you complete a**hole . . . You and everyone at apple deserve to go belly up for this.

[RJWP]

Here's an idea. Let's create a "Reader's Guide" similar to the Buyer's Guide. It would rate rumor sites. All sites would start with a neutral rating, say a numeric value of 0. Accurate predictions earn them +1, false rumors earn them -1. When they get above, say, +10 they earn the designation "Trust Implicitly - Recently Accurate". When they fall below -10 they achieve "Don't Trust - Reality Soon".

So how do you guys think Appleinsider would rate? (I'd guess it's on its way to being EOL-ed.)

[Grimace]

1.25 Ghz processors in the emac's?????

Congratulations, powerbook owners, your computers are now as advanced as the cheapest line apple makes, and only twice to three times as expensive!!!!!!

This is literally a spit in the face of powerbook owners, and is an insult to anyone considering buying a powerbook(so in other words, 15 inch PB superdrive buyers are paying the 1-2 THOUSAND dollar difference for bluetooth, airport, and a thin screen).

Steve, you complete a**hole . . . You and everyone at apple deserve to go belly up for this.

Oh shut it! We know powerbook updates will come soon. Be happy for the eMac and realize the bigger picture - that all of the product lines are being updated. The eMac just came first. Jeez - some people take personal offense when Apple UPDATES a product line.

[a17inchFuture]

from Macintouch:

Friends of mine who are resellers said that Apple has contacted dealers, requesting that they destroy iPod posters and collateral with the bright colors and white silhouettes. They have asked resellers to actually deface or cut up some of the larger items, sending to Apple select pieces of these items, to ensure that they don't end up on eBay!
* Sure sounds like a new iPod ad campaign is on the way, doesn't it?


The only thing that could save this would be if it is a shift in focus, like from intunes and imusic store, to G5 powerbooks . . . .

[Some_Big_Spoon]

it's just going to be an empty box they send you now, and give them all your account numbers

Steve thinks this is a fantastic idea that all the apple nutcases will surely fork over for.

The online store has gone offline so the powerbook's features can be decreaased, and its price increased. Steve calls it the ultimate F-U to anyone who ever thought apple made good portables.

[stoid]

1.25 Ghz processors in the emac's?????

Congratulations, powerbook owners, your computers are now as advanced as the cheapest line apple makes, and only twice to three times as expensive!!!!!!

This is literally a spit in the face of powerbook owners, and is an insult to anyone considering buying a powerbook(so in other words, 15 inch PB superdrive buyers are paying the 1-2 THOUSAND dollar difference for bluetooth, airport, and a thin screen).

Steve, you complete a**hole . . . You and everyone at apple deserve to go belly up for this.

I bought a 15 inch Aluminum PowerBook days after it was debuted last year, and I'm insanely happy with my purchase! On the other hand, I would not even consider getting an eMac, even WITH these new kick ass specs. You see, I'm in college right now, and I'd imagine that lugging a 50+ lb eMac to classes every day would not be possible. However, for my parents and little brother, this machine would be a PERFECT replacement for their Quicksilver 733 tower and aging bargain monitor.

Perhaps you should consider different target consumers before you wildly bash Apple's product offerings.

[AirUncleP]

K-12 schools will eat these up. Apple's timing is perfect. It's buying season for schools.

[liketom]

On apple home page you see the g5 taking the large ad and emac only has little one ,,WHY ??? more updates today thats what i think iMac then iBook

tom

[a17inchFuture]

Oh shut it! We know powerbook updates will come soon. Be happy for the eMac and realize the bigger picture - that all of the product lines are being updated. The eMac just came first. Jeez - some people take personal offense when Apple UPDATES a product line.

Yeah, thats just the thing, the cheapest, lowest line should not be first!!!!!!!!!! And as someone who bought a powerbook a week ago, i DO take personal offense, because its insulting that the update is imminent, but held off so their profit margins are greater. Emacs can only go up, and thats why their being updated. PB's, on the other hand, are doing well, cause people want apple and portable, and dont care about the price/details. So Steve screws people like me and anyone who has recently put their PB's in 6th overall, and highest among comps.

So you shut it, i am right.

[ultimind]

This makes for the best $1000 DVD Authoring station money can buy...if you throw in DVD Studio Pro and max out the RAM, you're still talking less than $2000 for professional grade DVD Authoring.

This should compliment my current 15" AlBook nicely :D

[cxny]

I check MacRumors fairly often, but don't seem to recall this one coming.....(please correct me if I'm wrong) I guess Apple does a pretty good job of keeping a lid on their revisions!

[stoid]

K-12 schools will eat these up. Apple's timing is perfect. It's buying season for schools.

I know one high school that will be getting at least 26 of these new babies this summer! Likely more since the price is so nice.

[Some_Big_Spoon]

Well, he's got a point.. the PB is the same as the lowest consumer model, cept you can carry it around.. I would exactly call that "power".

Even if Apple left the clock speeds the same on the Pbooks and increased features, that would make it a pro-buy... maybe we just have to wait a couple hours, but as of 11:22am EST, 17" is dead on.



I bought a 15 inch Aluminum PowerBook days after it was debuted last year, and I'm insanely happy with my purchase! On the other hand, I would not even consider getting an eMac, even WITH these new kick ass specs. You see, I'm in college right now, and I'd imagine that lugging a 50+ lb eMac to classes every day would not be possible. However, for my parents and little brother, this machine would be a PERFECT replacement for their Quicksilver 733 tower and aging bargain monitor.

Perhaps you should consider different target consumers before you wildly bash Apple's product offerings.

[stoid]

Yeah, thats just the thing, the cheapest, lowest line should not be first!!!!!!!!!!

So you shut it, i am right.

Since all the products were desperately in need of updates, I'd say that Apple should not hold back the eMac just because they can't get the new PowerMacs cooling system to work right or enough video cards or whatever. I think that you just need to calm down a little bit 17inch, I'm sure the system you have been patiently waiting for will be updated soon.

[jimsowden]

I check MacRumors fairly often, but don't seem to recall this one coming.....(please correct me if I'm wrong) I guess Apple does a pretty good job of keeping a lid on their revisions!
Then you didn't read my post.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=791558#post791558

[Le Big Mac]

Yeah, thats just the thing, the cheapest, lowest line should not be first!!!!!!!!!!

So you shut it, i am right.

Wait, what's it first in? Having an 8x DVD-R? That's it. So the parts became available in time for this. Otherwise, none of the features are new. It's still the lowest end of the line, just not below other parts of the line.

Rest assured, the other models will be updated as well, almost for sure quite soon.

Besides, they probably want to get the emacs out for school orders this fall. don't they start buying at this time of year?

[DPazdanISU]

I say if the superdrive is an 8x dvd burner on the eMac and the current PowerMac G5s is only 4x, then there's definately an upgrade coming extremely soon. I'm sure they upgraded the eMac first because it is an educational line machine and soon after like next teusday they will upgrade the iMac, Powerbook, and G5s maybe all at once :)

[Mr.Hey]

Wow! Now that has a meaning. Maybe new Powerbooks next Tuesday. Wait *arrrrgh* Dont hit me! :D

:mad: :rolleyes: :D


Now this is an aggressive move for market-share. Go Apple!.

[stoid]

Well, he's got a point.. the PB is the same as the lowest consumer model, cept you can carry it around.. I would exactly call that "power".

Even if Apple left the clock speeds the same on the Pbooks and increased features, that would make it a pro-buy... maybe we just have to wait a couple hours, but as of 11:22am EST, 17" is dead on.

I know that my laptop is not as powerful as a desktop, but it's still very fast. Besides, it kicks the living trash out of my friends HP laptop, and not bad overall for a laptop. As soon as I get a job again this summer and can afford to max out my RAM so I can run multiple graphics apps at once, I'm sure that I will become more satisfied with my purchase.

[Zaty]

On apple home page you see the g5 taking the large ad and emac only has little one ,,WHY ??? more updates today thats what i think iMac then iBook

tom

It would be so nice if the Apple store went down again at 9am PST. Only 30 mins to go. Let's hope :)

[swissmann]

I guess we can pretty safely say that all desktop models will now have an 8x superdrive with all new revisions. I wonder if Apple is going to sell 8x media and drop their 4 speed media in a move similar to the one they made a bit ago when they dropped their 2 speed media. By the way my two dual 1 GHz towers have 2 speed drives (DVR-104) and will only burn 4x media at 1x. So apple has left stuck me at burning at 1x because they only sell 4x media (burns at 1x) and they don't offer a firmware update so the drive can burn 4x media at 2x. The same drive on the PC side has that firmware so more and more manufacturers are just producing 4x instead of differentiating and producing 2x as well. Does anyone know a work around for this? Does anyone else think that in a little while their current G5's will be stuck in a similar situation?

[cabes]

UK store has not been updated yet it seems.

Btw, expect some of this:

But damn, i bought my emac 3 months ago, this is SO unfair and typical of Apple, how dare they release a brand new eMac without informing me in advance, this is out of order, the next machine i'm buying is a Hell!

I bought three months ago also. Love the thing. Also, didn't they drop the price of the SuperDrive model by $100 USD? Plus they increased the ComboDrive model's RAM from 128 to 256MB. :cool:

[SlowX]

I never really considered getting an eMac, but at that price I must admit I'm tempted to upgrame my Umax SuperMac...

[eSnow]

Here's an idea. Let's create a "Reader's Guide" similar to the Buyer's Guide. It would rate rumor sites.

Well, after the aluminium shortage blurb, MacRumors would get a solid -8 by me...

[swissmann]

I guess we can pretty safely say that all desktop models will now have an 8x superdrive with all new revisions. I wonder if Apple is going to sell 8x media and drop their 4 speed media in a move similar to the one they made a bit ago when they dropped their 2 speed media. By the way my two dual 1 GHz towers have 2 speed drives (DVR-104) and will only burn 4x media at 1x. So apple has left stuck me at burning at 1x because they only sell 4x media (burns at 1x) and they don't offer a firmware update so the drive can burn 4x media at 2x. The same drive on the PC side has that firmware so more and more manufacturers are just producing 4x instead of differentiating and producing 2x as well. Does anyone know a work around for this? Does anyone else think that in a little while their current G5's will be stuck in a similar situation?

[cabes]

UK store has not been updated yet it seems.

Btw, expect some of this:

But damn, i bought my emac 3 months ago, this is SO unfair and typical of Apple, how dare they release a brand new eMac without informing me in advance, this is out of order, the next machine i'm buying is a Hell!

I bought three months ago also. Love the thing. Also, didn't they drop the price of the SuperDrive model by $100 USD? Plus they increased the ComboDrive model's RAM from 128 to 256MB. :cool:

[SlowX]

I never really considered getting an eMac, but at that price I must admit I'm tempted to upgrame my Umax SuperMac...

[stoid]

This eMac is so very nice, I would argue that it competes very well with even Dell in terms of price. $1000 buys a Dell that has a better video card, but can't write optical media, and has a separate tower and monitor taking up far more space than the eMac all-in-one solution.

Go Apple for competing with Dell on price!

[CmdrLaForge]

Holy cow. How did you know??

*throws a parade for Jimsowden*

Coke ! Thats what he wants ! Coke. :D

Anyway. Great Job Jim !

[a17inchFuture]

Perhaps you should consider different target consumers before you wildly bash Apple's product offerings.

Thats just it. the demographice for the emac line is cheap so its cheap. Yet the Pb line demogrpahic is of a higher spending bracket, so despite the facts that there is VERY little difference between the machines, they charge more to the pro line users.

Its truly offensive to me.Wait, what's it first in? Having an 8x DVD-R? That's it. So the parts became available in time for this. Otherwise, none of the features are new. It's still the lowest end of the line, just not below other parts of the line.

Rest assured, the other models will be updated as well, almost for sure quite soon.

Besides, they probably want to get the emacs out for school orders this fall. don't they start buying at this time of year?

they are first-to be updated, not in anything.

[Freg3000]

On CNBC they just did a Biz Brief on the new eMacs, saying, "looking for a cheap computer? Apple has you covered."

:D

[tpjunkie]

The emac is truly a good buy, as it can now directly compete with entry level offerings in the PC world on a price point comparison. I think we can expect a lot of new hardware offerings on the 18th at NAB.

[hughdogg]

On apple home page you see the g5 taking the large ad and emac only has little one ,,WHY ??? more updates today thats what i think iMac then iBook

tom

Not today...too late for a media release. Everyone needs to remember that they usually release info to the media early to get interest.

From the PR newswire site

TUE Apr 13, 04, 8:30 AM
Apple Announces a Faster, More Affordable eMac
MON Apr 12, 04, 8:04 AM
PowerSchool Announces Version 2004
THU Mar 25, 04, 8:31 AM
Apple Moves iPod mini Worldwide Availability to July
WED Mar 24, 04, 6:00 PM
FileMaker Pro 7 Experience Now a Free Download
TUE Mar 23, 04, 8:31 AM
Apple Begins Shipping Xserve G5 to Customers
MON Mar 15, 04, 8:32 AM
iTunes Music Store Downloads Top 50 Million Songs

See, almost all of them are before 8:30 a.m. eastern. The only time they are not around 8:30 ish is when there is an event (Macworld, etc.) I doubt we'll see another update today (I wish we would though).

Cheers,
hughdogg

[NicoMan]

Yeah, thats just the thing, the cheapest, lowest line should not be first!!!!!!!!!! And as someone who bought a powerbook a week ago, i DO take personal offense, because its insulting that the update is imminent, but held off so their profit margins are greater. Emacs can only go up, and thats why their being updated. PB's, on the other hand, are doing well, cause people want apple and portable, and dont care about the price/details. So Steve screws people like me and anyone who has recently put their PB's in 6th overall, and highest among comps.

So you shut it, i am right.
I guess you shouldn't take offense anyway. You have been reading and posting on these forums, so you should be (and I'm sure you are) perfectly aware that PBs (among others) are to be updated soon. When? I wouldn't know. But what can I say. You took a risk. Deal with it and chill. Maybe the PBs won't be updated for another 2 months (I sincerely hope not) and your investment will prove wise...

[Trimix]

The iMac is dead. At this point it would seem unwise for apple to try to premier a new iMac with specs comparable to the new powerbooks (the new G4s at 1.5). More likely this spells the end of the iMac (in its current form) as we know it and a new product debuting at WWDC. The cube G5, anyone?

Greg

that would be a shame - i love the imac and i am still lusting for a single g5, 20' version. i am ready to order, >polishes amex<

[stoid]

Thats just it. the demographice for the emac line is cheap so its cheap. Yet the Pb line demogrpahic is of a higher spending bracket, so despite the facts that there is VERY little difference between the machines, they charge more to the pro line users.

Its truly offensive to me.

Call it a hunch, but I think that Apple IS working on faster PowerBooks. However, working out new laptop technology has many more hurdles than desktop technology. I realize that the PowerBooks might be a bit underpowered and overpriced, but I'm not going to begrudge Apple releasing new models of one line as they continue to work on others. That kind of attitude sounds like a very young child who is jealous that their little sibling got a better birthday present or something. Grow up and understand that Apple doesn't control the laws of physics and is trying to make money by release new products as quickly and economically as possible.

[pkradd]

NAB is a pro show so don't expect iMacs which are consumer machines to be introed there. There will be some new software from Apple and others at NAB and possibly an speed bump on the Powerbooks. It looks like the next iMac will be a revised form factor so I don't think we'll see a website-only posting. A special event would probably be in order.

[Bhennies]

from Macintouch:


* Sure sounds like a new iPod ad campaign is on the way, doesn't it?That's awesome! I really need a new ipod for my video editing, music production and photoshop! I mean...my 7 month old 30 gig is starting to run out of CPU power (sarcasm intended).

[Mr. MacPhisto]

The upgrade in video card is nice, though it would have been nice to give a 64MB option. Still big improvement over the previous Radeon 7500.

This is also using the 130nm Moto G4 chip. The iMac used the old 180nm chips. If you look at the tech specs, you'll see the eMac has 512K L2 cache vs. the iMac's 256K L2.

The 8x Superdrive is the kicker. This machine is actually a good deal at $999. Throw 1GB of RAM in it and it should move pretty fast. I agree, it'd be nice to just have a desktop offering with these specs, maybe dropping $100-$150 off the price, but definitely a nice purchase for schools.

[IMAGJE]

This makes for the best $1000 DVD Authoring station money can buy...if you throw in DVD Studio Pro and max out the RAM, you're still talking less than $2000 for professional grade DVD Authoring.

...

hello? how many people do professional grade DVD editing on a single "quote Apple tech specs for super-new emac: 16-inch viewable flat CRT"?!

if Apple wants to keep serious DVD editing, music/film/DTP clients on Mac, Apple needs to come out with some new G5s, PBs and perhaps flatscreens soon. no matter how many specs - a CRT display is history, why would anyone buy one these days - looks damn old and definatly NOT Apple-like.
I don't agree with the other bitching postings about "*whine*my-PB-is-not-outdated-yet-why-is-there-a-new-eMac-bla" , and welcome ANY product update, but still I think it is annoying to look at basically a year old product on the homepage (ie. the "old" G5). And with that frontpage-G5 right now, how will they show off a NEW G5 PowerMac "soon" and expect people to take note of it? I love iPod Mini (once the sucker finally arrives, that is) & iTunes, but still that's all just fun - we want to do pro work as well, and that is something where there is a lot left to be done for Apple the coming months.

but I'm hopeful and gladly expecting serious, dramatic, mega-machines soon. maybe. seriously.

J. ;)

[dukemeiser]

This is just what I've been waiting for. I think I'll get one for my girlfriend.

[eSnow]

Call it a hunch, but I think that Apple IS working on faster PowerBooks.

You don't say? :D

[numediaman]

Just about the whole line is due for an update. So complaining as soon as an update occurs is silly. I recommend that anyone who buys a new Mac and still hangs out at a rumor site must be masochistic.

I wish they had updated the G5 -- but I'll take anything at this point. I just wish Apple would give us some guidance on their relationship with IBM to reassure both their customers and their stockholders that everything is OK. (maybe tomorrow during the conference call)

[a17inchFuture]

Call it a hunch, but I think that Apple IS working on faster PowerBooks. However, working out new laptop technology has many more hurdles than desktop technology. I realize that the PowerBooks might be a bit underpowered and overpriced, but I'm not going to begrudge Apple releasing new models of one line as they continue to work on others. That kind of attitude sounds like a very young child who is jealous that their little sibling got a better birthday present or something. Grow up and understand that Apple doesn't control the laws of physics and is trying to make money by release new products as quickly and economically as possible.

You must know some intelligent "very young children", because I thought I was making sound arguments based on fact, not acting like a child.

Oh, and simply because I choose to use profanity doesnt make me a child, so beyond that I can't imagine what would lead you to that comparison.

[mambodancer]

With the eMac announcements made today I think you will probably see the following in the next week or two:

Powerbooks will be speed bumped. The 12" will jump to 1.25GHz, the 15" to 1.25GHz combo/1.33GHz superdrive and the 17" to 1.42GHz. You may or may not see faster HD's or Optical drives. I don't expect to see in new tech or price reductions.

iBooks...I wouldn't be surprised to see the entry level price drop to $999 with a small shift in processor speeds.

iMacs...probably the iMac 17" and 20" will be speed bumped to 1.42GHz and faster super drives. The 15" iMac may go away but not before the price is reduced (I would guess to about $1099) in its current configuration. Look for the 15" to be discontinued completely by the Fall. I would expect price reductions of the 20" to $1999 and the 17" to $1599. Again, no real new technology introduced with these systems.

Powermac G4 will probably be discontinued with no replacement. OS9 is done. Apple will sell through inventory.

Powermac G5...As usual, the high end becomes the midrange so we may likely see the entry level become a single processor 1.8Ghz, mid-range will be the dual 2GHz, and the high end likely to be either a dual 2.2or 2.5GHz machine. It would be nice to see pricing slide down by $200 per machine. $1599/$2299/$2799. Again, faster DVD burners for all, 512Mb standard w/160Gb SATA HD's.

I'd love to see a small footprint G5...a headless iMac if you will with a single PCI slot priced at $1299 (G5 1.6GHz).

Displays. Don't expect price reductions on the displays. They are already price/feature competitive with anything else in the analog LCD world at these sizes let alone the quality. Certainly we will see an aluminum redesign. We also might see a 17" wide screen replace the current 17" and the addition of the long rumored 30". I would guess this would be priced at $3499. It would be great to see DVI models as well. I would love to be able to have 2 apple displays connected without a DVI/ADC adapter. Wall mount would be a nice option too.

Finally, wouldn't an Appleworks that was more tightly integrated with the iApps be nice? I bet we see this updated before too long with a possible name change to iWorks.

[arn]

Here's an idea. Let's create a "Reader's Guide" similar to the Buyer's Guide. It would rate rumor sites. All sites would start with a neutral rating, say a numeric value of 0. Accurate predictions earn them +1, false rumors earn them -1. When they get above, say, +10 they earn the designation "Trust Implicitly - Recently Accurate". When they fall below -10 they achieve "Don't Trust - Reality Soon".

So how do you guys think Appleinsider would rate? (I'd guess it's on its way to being EOL-ed.)

At the moment, it's very easy.

Of the rumor dedicated sites out there... there are only 3 worth following:

MacRumors
AppleInsider
ThinkSecret

I'll refrain from rating MacRumors, since I may be biased... but ThinkSecret ranks higher than Appleinsider.

All other rumor dedicated sites are not worth reading since the others are either always wrong or make up rumors to draw traffic.

arn

[TomSmithMacEd]

I don't know what to say. It is a great machine for the price, but now my eMac isn't top of the line anymore. But good for Apple, this is what hapens when you buy a computer. Oh well. I wish I could sell this one and buy the new cheaper one, then buy an external hard drive for all the more room I need.

[bokdol]

just a note. for all you guys to see how awesome this deal is.

OWC Mercury Extreme G4/1.25-1.33GHz 2MB SDR L3 Processor Upgrade for PowerMac G4 AGP Graphics. $389.99

thats just a processor

now throw in a whole computer with monitor. and you get amazing deal from apple... for only twice the cost...

[macomposer]

I manage a lab of 12 eMacs at the university where I teach. In July we repopulated the lab with brand new 1 GHz eMacs, and since then, 4 of them have been in for service. [And, Apple has been a pain to get to provide warranty service, but that is a gripe for another thread.]

33% needing service in the first year? I have no interest in introducing that sort of headache to my home, nor would I encourage anyone else to do so, lest I look like an idiot for making such a recommendation.

That said, I love my 15" AlBook (and consider features comparisons between that and eMacs to be silly, it is "apples and oranges", so to speak), and have a 400MHz G4 tower that is now over 3 years old, and has never given me a spot of trouble.

[Bhennies]

...anyone who buys a new Mac and still hangs out at a rumor site must be masochistic.
That's hilarious! Exactly what I was thinking! As soon as I buy my updated gear...I'm taking a long vacation from rumor sites.

[crees!]

1.25 Ghz processors in the emac's?????

Congratulations, powerbook owners, your computers are now as advanced as the cheapest line apple makes, and only twice to three times as expensive!!!!!!

This is literally a spit in the face of powerbook owners, and is an insult to anyone considering buying a powerbook(so in other words, 15 inch PB superdrive buyers are paying the 1-2 THOUSAND dollar difference for bluetooth, airport, and a thin screen).

Steve, you complete a**hole . . . You and everyone at apple deserve to go belly up for this.

I don't see anyone else putting their eMac in their backpack and carrying around all day to use it where ever they go. I have no regrets in my PB purchase... at least I have my computer and I'm not wishing and waiting like others (which I once was too, but that was 7 months ago).

[Knox]

Thats just it. the demographice for the emac line is cheap so its cheap. Yet the Pb line demogrpahic is of a higher spending bracket, so despite the facts that there is VERY little difference between the machines, they charge more to the pro line users.

I hate to state the obvious, but the size of the computer, possibly?

The fact that you take personal offense to a computer manufacturer updating or not updating their products is slightly worrying IMHO.

[a17inchFuture]

Just about the whole line is due for an update. So complaining as soon as an update occurs is silly. I recommend that anyone who buys a new Mac and still hangs out at a rumor site must be masochistic.

I wish they had updated the G5 -- but I'll take anything at this point. I just wish Apple would give us some guidance on their relationship with IBM to reassure both their customers and their stockholders that everything is OK. (maybe tomorrow during the conference call)

haha, I am not the only one, but I know what you mean. The truth is I got the computer friday, so am waiting the ten days in hopes of an upgrade. So today was really my last chance, and yes, I do have personally invested emotions, and I think that at very least they should have lowered the prices of powerbooks today or somewhere along the way(note that the changing of priceswould not help me, so i hope that wont be misinterpretted as me whining).

[arn]

Well, after the aluminium shortage blurb, MacRumors would get a solid -8 by me...

I don't think you understand the purpose of Page 2, and should probably avoid it in the future. :)

arn

[CmdrLaForge]

At the moment, it's very easy.

Of the rumor dedicated sites out there... there are only 3 worth following:

MacRumors
AppleInsider
ThinkSecret

I'll refrain from rating MacRumors, since I may be biased... but ThinkSecret ranks higher than Appleinsider.

All other rumor dedicated sites are not worth reading since the others are either always wrong or make up rumors to draw traffic.

arn


You missed Jim !

[PretendPCuser]

My fiancé's mother has been talking about getting a new compy and asked me about the Mac. Perhaps this would be the way to go...talk about good timing.

heh heh heh, converting PC users, one at a time.

And now! Everyone bow down to Jim!!!
Good job, mate!

[jxyama]

Thats just it. the demographice for the emac line is cheap so its cheap. Yet the Pb line demogrpahic is of a higher spending bracket, so despite the facts that there is VERY little difference between the machines, they charge more to the pro line users.

Its truly offensive to me.

if you can't stomach faster/better/cheaper things coming out within a year of your purchase, you shouldn't buy any computers.

i have a feeling you would have said the same thing if eMac had been updated a few months from now: "man, it's only been half a year since I got my PB and the lowest end eMac has the same specs and is third of the price." :rolleyes:

if iBook had been boosted and had the same spec as the PB, i can see why you'd complain. but this is eMac - it's a desktop. you pay a premium for portability. unless you consider 50 lbs "portable," then it's not even a valid comparison.

when you go to a gourmet restaurant with beautiful decorations, serene atmosphere and great service, are you going to complain that a cheaper, take-out restaurant in town serves a similar dish using pretty much the same ingredients for less?

[stoid]

You must know some intelligent "very young children", because I thought I was making sound arguments based on fact, not acting like a child.

Oh, and simply because I choose to use profanity doesnt make me a child, so beyond that I can't imagine what would lead you to that comparison.

I say "childish" because you wished the death of a company because they did not update the product line YOU wanted. I know of many people that will be able to benefit from this eMac boost. Be happy for them and know that Apple is capable of working on multiple products and will release them when available.

I argue this point no further.

[jelloshotsrule]

because its insulting that the update is imminent, but held off so their profit margins are greater.

so you can read minds/motivations?

what am i thinking right now?

[liketom]

i agree with the responses that apple does not do more releases unless it is a event ie macworld but WHY? has'nt the eMac got the center space on the apple home page ?????????
i stick to my guns and say another release is comming TODAY

Tom

[a17inchFuture]

I say "childish" because you wished the death of a company because they did not update the product line YOU wanted. I know of many people that will be able to benefit from this eMac boost. Be happy for them and know that Apple is capable of working on multiple products and will release them when available.

I argue this point no further.

I said they "should go belly up", as in the company go out of business. So, i guess you need to read the posts more carefully, huh?

[CmdrLaForge]

i agree with the responses that apple does not do more releases unless it is a event ie macworld but WHY? has'nt the eMac got the center space on the apple home page ?????????
i stick to my guns and say another release is comming TODAY

Tom

Definitly not. It has been like this often before. Same when new iBooks came out. Not on the main center.

[crees!]

I manage a lab of 12 eMacs at the university where I teach. In July we repopulated the lab with brand new 1 GHz eMacs, and since then, 4 of them have been in for service. [And, Apple has been a pain to get to provide warranty service, but that is a gripe for another thread.]

33% needing service in the first year? I have no interest in introducing that sort of headache to my home, nor would I encourage anyone else to do so, lest I look like an idiot for making such a recommendation.

That said, I love my 15" AlBook (and consider features comparisons between that and eMacs to be silly, it is "apples and oranges", so to speak), and have a 400MHz G4 tower that is now over 3 years old, and has never given me a spot of trouble.

I would have to say that open computers such as in a university setting see much more use/wear-and-tear than the average home user. For instance the service bureau at my school really has some of our machines ********. Final Cut Pro doesn't even launch on them. There are a lot of variables to consider in a network setting like that. Granted some things just do break.

[rt_brained]

I called this last night. Wheres my parade?
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=791558#post791558
Your parade, sir.

[stoid]

I don't think you understand the purpose of Page 2, and should probably avoid it in the future. :)

arn

Hahaha, good point!

Although, the aluminum shortage was probably borderline Page 3. ;)

[stoid]

I said they "should go belly up", as in the company go out of business. So, i guess you need to read the posts more carefully, huh?

And the difference is a company dying and going out of business would be....?

[the future]

It seems Apple can truly never satisfy everyone. When the consumer machines are not updated, we get post after post of "they deliberately cripple eMac/iMac/iBook" whining, if they are updated, we get post after post of "but now the eMac/iMac/iBook is almost as fast as my pro machine" whining. And it's really tiresome. Every update is a good update, simple as that.

[bar italia]

Do eMacs support monitor spanning?

[kgarner]

Just some notes on the differences between the eMac's and the Powerbooks:
eMac Powerbook
ATI 9200/32MB ATI 9600/64MB
FW400 FW400 & FW800
10/100 Gigabit
$50 Bluetooth Built-in Bluetooth
VGA Mirroring DVI Spanning
$20 TV out S-Video out
bottom-line HD top-line HD (for laptops)
Desktop Portable

I think for me, I will get one soon to replace my venerable, but ailing Rev B iMac, and wait for a g5 Powerbook next year.

[ingenious]

The iMac is dead. At this point it would seem unwise for apple to try to premier a new iMac with specs comparable to the new powerbooks (the new G4s at 1.5). More likely this spells the end of the iMac (in its current form) as we know it and a new product debuting at WWDC. The cube G5, anyone?

Greg

that would be sooo awesome

[a17inchFuture]

And no, I dont read minds, but i think most would agree the specs on this model indicate that others updates are imminent.

And as far as an ibook coming out several months from now and upsetting me, the onyl thing that really bothers me about this whole thing is that I just got my computer a week ago, and today it has been nearly matched, by a product that is supposedly their least advanced line. Yes, I know, there are better cards, portability, thinness, but still, I can't help but feeling a bit shafted they chose this update first.

Simply put, it seems less necessary a revision than the PB's, and so in my opinion, choosing to do this is a way to get them more money, at the expense of the consumer.

And I really don't understand why apple doesnt offer sales beyond "buy something else too and you can save a little" . . . just reduce the price of the computers, thats what a sale implies, you are taking a smaller cut in order to move products.

[NicoMan]

At the moment, it's very easy.

Of the rumor dedicated sites out there... there are only 3 worth following:

MacRumors
AppleInsider
ThinkSecret

I'll refrain from rating MacRumors, since I may be biased... but ThinkSecret ranks higher than Appleinsider.

All other rumor dedicated sites are not worth reading since the others are either always wrong or make up rumors to draw traffic.

arn
Also, if you speak french, you might want to take a look at croquer.free.fr (http://croquer.free.fr/), which, I suspect, is an offshoot of macBidouille to avoid them getting hassle from Apple...

[Zaty]

i agree with the responses that apple does not do more releases unless it is a event ie macworld but WHY? has'nt the eMac got the center space on the apple home page ?????????
i stick to my guns and say another release is comming TODAY

Tom

European stores still not updated. So you might be wright but if more is coming I would expect to happen in the next hour or so as it is alreday 9 am PDT.

[paulypants]

Yeah, thats just the thing, the cheapest, lowest line should not be first!!!!!!!!!! And as someone who bought a powerbook a week ago, i DO take personal offense, because its insulting that the update is imminent, but held off so their profit margins are greater. Emacs can only go up, and thats why their being updated. PB's, on the other hand, are doing well, cause people want apple and portable, and dont care about the price/details. So Steve screws people like me and anyone who has recently put their PB's in 6th overall, and highest among comps.

So you shut it, i am right.

who says? You? Somehow from the tone of your posts I highly doubt
you possess any marketeing credentials... portables have always been comparitively more expensive than desktops so just live with it, just because you purchased a "top-of-the-line" model months ago doesn't mean that apple, or any company for that matter, should never update their product line again so that yours will always be "the best"--even if apple did update the powerbooks first and then the eMacs--it won't change the speed of current powerbooks owners machines--so stop whining already

[Mr.Hey]

1.25 Ghz processors in the emac's?????

Congratulations, powerbook owners, your computers are now as advanced as the cheapest line apple makes, and only twice to three times as expensive!!!!!!

This is literally a spit in the face of powerbook owners, and is an insult to anyone considering buying a powerbook(so in other words, 15 inch PB superdrive buyers are paying the 1-2 THOUSAND dollar difference for bluetooth, airport, and a thin screen).

Steve, you complete a**hole . . . You and everyone at apple deserve to go belly up for this.






hahahahahahahaha We here at Apple love you too my brother. If you cant say anything nice, don't say anything at all. I'm getting a new eMac!!!! :D

[adamberti]

Anyone got a link for Apple's price / return policy? Picked one up for my mother on Friday.... yes, just 4 days ago :eek:. Son of a Gun, had it been for me, I would have been more upset, but she's not going to see a difference between her current machine and another new one, but I'd like to see a difference on the bill.

Strangely enough, almost bought it 12 days ago, but for some reason the store had misplaced it's only eMac in stock, and I couldnt go get it until last Friday, one week later.

At least that went right for me, give's me some more breathing room in this whole price/return thingy. :)

[wrldwzrd89]

This update caught me completely by surprise. None of the rumor sites I check caught wind of an impending eMac update until the update happened! And before you ask, yes, I did miss that post predicting this very update (I haven't been using the forums as actively lately as in the past). I don't need a new computer right now, but an eMac update can only be good news for Apple! 8x SuperDrives first in the eMac??? I'm quite frankly shocked that Apple would do this.

[Mr.Hey]

Do eMacs support monitor spanning?

Yes I think it does.

[micvog]

This was enough for me, so I have switched. Just replaced my 2.0GHz P4 with the 1.25 GHz G4 eMac SuperDrive, with 1GB RAM, 160GB HD and Bluetooth. FWIW, the estimated ship time is 1-3 days. Looks like this is NOT a paper launch! With .edu discount it came to $1,236.

[jxyama]

And as far as an ibook coming out several months from now and upsetting me, the onyl thing that really bothers me about this whole thing is that I just got my computer a week ago, and today it has been nearly matched, by a product that is supposedly their least advanced line. Yes, I know, there are better cards, portability, thinness, but still, I can't help but feeling a bit shafted they chose this update first.

ok, are you going to feel better if PB got updated? it's been a week since you got your PB and it's already updated... that would make you feel better than this eMac update?

i didn't say iBook update in a few months. i said i have a feeling you'd complain even if this eMac update occurred in a few months.

do you really feel eMac and PB are comparable? why didn't you get an eMac to begin with then?

[a17inchFuture]

ps, its 9 in cupertino, so no more updates, prob

[teksmex69]

as a geek who owns several computers and as a geek who consults for small companies and individuals, I can say with complete certainty that integrated displays, ala the imac and emac, are losing strategies.

period.

the only display that i want to see integrated is in a notebook.

an inexpensive toaster size aluminum chassied stand alone box taking style hints from the G5 Powermacs (something like the form factor made popular by shuttle). It needs to start at $500 base (with addons up to the $1000 range)

[Sonofhaig]

This is great for those looking for a cheaper Mac. Good price with some good features! I still think we're looking at a slow period though... I don't think we'll see anything else until The Summer Show. Of course I could be wrong too!

[jxyama]

Anyone got a link for Apple's price / return policy? Picked one up for my mother on Friday.... yes, just 4 days ago :eek:. Son of a Gun, had it been for me, I would have been more upset, but she's not going to see a difference between her current machine and another new one, but I'd like to see a difference on the bill.

Strangely enough, almost bought it 12 days ago, but for some reason the store had misplaced it's only eMac in stock, and I couldnt go get it until last Friday, one week later.

At least that went right for me, give's me some more breathing room in this whole price/return thingy. :)

call apple. they should give you some credit or an upgrade.

[cait-sith]

The eMac got a lot of little bumps to make it on par with an entry-level model. This is where it should have been 6 months ago.

The last eMac update wasn't an update, it was a price cut. So hardware updates are MORE due for the eMac than for a powerbook.

Just cause Apple has pro customers (which they love), doesn't mean they should ignore their consumer-end customers in favour of the pro customers constantly. They've done top-down updating for a long time. So the stepchild got to sit in the front seat of the car on the way home. Let him.

Way to go Steve.

[Mr.Hey]

Anyone got a link for Apple's price / return policy? Picked one up for my mother on Friday.... yes, just 4 days ago :eek:. Son of a Gun, had it been for me, I would have been more upset, but she's not going to see a difference between her current machine and another new one, but I'd like to see a difference on the bill.

Strangely enough, almost bought it 12 days ago, but for some reason the store had misplaced it's only eMac in stock, and I couldnt go get it until last Friday, one week later.

At least that went right for me, give's me some more breathing room in this whole price/return thingy. :)

You have ten days to return any Apple product but if you opened it then a restocking fee will apply. I'd return it if I were you and get the newer tech.

[machan]

Anyone got a link for Apple's price / return policy? Picked one up for my mother on Friday.... yes, just 4 days ago :eek:. Son of a Gun, had it been for me, I would have been more upset, but she's not going to see a difference between her current machine and another new one, but I'd like to see a difference on the bill.

Strangely enough, almost bought it 12 days ago, but for some reason the store had misplaced it's only eMac in stock, and I couldnt go get it until last Friday, one week later.

At least that went right for me, give's me some more breathing room in this whole price/return thingy. :)


better check fast because the return policy on upgraded models is only 14 days.

edit: maybe it is only 10 days. last time i asked apple was about a year ago.

[garybooberry]

I think the two models are pretty sweet deals for under a grand.

Good processor, good HDD, just a little more RAM and bingo...a good, solid desktop machine.

Perfect for the internet, home photo, e-mail and home video crowd.

Nicely done.

[a17inchFuture]

stoid, when you said death of a company, i thought you meant the deaths of the people in it.

I know, here it comes, I guess i need to read more carefully, blah blah . . . its hard when there are so many talking to me at once, and i hav eso much to say.

I thought you were done with this topic though?

[latergator116]

Anyone got a link for Apple's price / return policy? Picked one up for my mother on Friday.... yes, just 4 days ago :eek:. Son of a Gun, had it been for me, I would have been more upset, but she's not going to see a difference between her current machine and another new one, but I'd like to see a difference on the bill.

Strangely enough, almost bought it 12 days ago, but for some reason the store had misplaced it's only eMac in stock, and I couldnt go get it until last Friday, one week later.

At least that went right for me, give's me some more breathing room in this whole price/return thingy. :)

Here ya' go..:

RETURN & REFUND POLICY
If you are not satisfied with your Apple purchase of a pre-built product, please call 1-800-676-2775 for a Return Material Authorization (RMA) request within 10 business days of the receipt of the product. If the item is returned unopened in the original box, we will exchange it or offer you a refund based on your original method of payment. The product must be returned to the Apple warehouse within 10 business days of the issuance of the RMA. All products must be packed in the original, unmarked packaging including any accessories, manuals, documentation and registration that shipped with the product. A 10% open box fee will be assessed on any opened hardware or accessory. If you purchased your order using an Apple Instant Loan or an Apple Business Lease, you may be asked to provide a major credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover) for Apple to assess the 10% open box restocking fee.

Please note that Apple does not permit the return of or offer refunds for the following products:
Product that is custom configured to your specifications

Personalized iPods

Opened memory

Opened software

Electronic software downloads

Software Up to Date Program Products (SW upgrades)

NOTE: Apple recommends that you (1) use a carrier that offers shipment tracking for all returns and (2) either insure your package for safe return to Apple or declare the full value of the shipment so that you are completely protected if the shipment is lost or damaged in transit. If you choose not to (1) use a carrier that offers tracking and (2) insure or declare the full value of the product, you will be responsible for any loss or damage to the product during shipping. Please note that the United States Postal Service (USPS) offers limited tracking capabilities and that there is a 30-calendar-day waiting period before the USPS will initiate a trace.

[jxyama]

an inexpensive toaster size aluminum chassied stand alone box taking style hints from the G5 Powermacs (something like the form factor made popular by shuttle). It needs to start at $500 base (with addons up to the $1000 range)

please read other threads here at MR. this kind of idea has been discussed many, many times - cheap, headless eMac/iMac. it's apparently not in apple's interest to make such a thing - and since apple is one of the few profittable computer companies, who's to say they are wrong?

[e-coli]

Wow...It's going to be a GREAT Mac year!

:rolleyes:

[Zaty]

This was enough for me, so I have switched. Just replaced my 2.0GHz P4 with the 1.25 GHz G4 eMac SuperDrive, with 1GB RAM, 160GB HD and Bluetooth. FWIW, the estimated ship time is 1-3 days. Looks like this is NOT a paper launch! With .edu discount it came to $1,236.

Congratulations and welcome to the world of Macintosh! You won't regret switching. :)

[Mr.Hey]

This was enough for me, so I have switched. Just replaced my 2.0GHz P4 with the 1.25 GHz G4 eMac SuperDrive, with 1GB RAM, 160GB HD and Bluetooth. FWIW, the estimated ship time is 1-3 days. Looks like this is NOT a paper launch! With .edu discount it came to $1,236.

Congratulations Micvog, and welcome to the lightside of the force. :) I'll also be buying one for myself and my mother plus two iSight cams. :) :)

[groovebuster]

OWC Mercury Extreme G4/1.25-1.33GHz 2MB SDR L3 Processor Upgrade for PowerMac G4 AGP Graphics. $389.99

thats just a processor
... and it is still a hefty price for an old chip with yesterdays specs. For that kind of money you can get a PIV 3GHz with an 800MHz bus which is in the same league as the G5.

Or you can get a complete computer (including a 17" monitor & Windows XP) with a Celeron 2.4 GHz that still blows the G4 of the eMac out of the water...

An update like that for the eMac can only mean one thing... we shouldn't expect a lot for the other products the next few months. I would love to be wrong...

Well, at least they did update something, even though the update is lame.

groovebuster

P.S.: I dodn't get why anybody would wet their pants about that product update...

[ingenious]

oops, double post again. Sorry, but the wheel keeps spinning and spinning and after 60 seconds Safari says it cannot connect. MacRumours seems to be pretty busy on the day 2004 began for Apple :)

yes there are TONS of double posts today..... How many servers does macrumors run off of?

[liketom]

i have gone divy with the news that its a cheap mac thats a intel killer at the price , can not wait until the next release .


bit busy on here !!!!!!!!!

well done apple


Tom

[arn]

Also, if you speak french, you might want to take a look at croquer.free.fr (http://croquer.free.fr/), which, I suspect, is an offshoot of macBidouille to avoid them getting hassle from Apple...

it falls in the unreliable/madeup category.

arn

[a17inchFuture]

Here ya' go..:

RETURN & REFUND POLICY
If you are not satisfied with your Apple purchase of a pre-built product, please call 1-800-676-2775 for a Return Material Authorization (RMA) request within 10 business days of the receipt of the product. If the item is returned unopened in the original box, we will exchange it or offer you a refund based on your original method of payment. The product must be returned to the Apple warehouse within 10 business days of the issuance of the RMA. All products must be packed in the original, unmarked packaging including any accessories, manuals, documentation and registration that shipped with the product. A 10% open box fee will be assessed on any opened hardware or accessory. If you purchased your order using an Apple Instant Loan or an Apple Business Lease, you may be asked to provide a major credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover) for Apple to assess the 10% open box restocking fee.

Please note that Apple does not permit the return of or offer refunds for the following products:
Product that is custom configured to your specifications

Personalized iPods

Opened memory

Opened software

Electronic software downloads

Software Up to Date Program Products (SW upgrades)

NOTE: Apple recommends that you (1) use a carrier that offers shipment tracking for all returns and (2) either insure your package for safe return to Apple or declare the full value of the shipment so that you are completely protected if the shipment is lost or damaged in transit. If you choose not to (1) use a carrier that offers tracking and (2) insure or declare the full value of the product, you will be responsible for any loss or damage to the product during shipping. Please note that the United States Postal Service (USPS) offers limited tracking capabilities and that there is a 30-calendar-day waiting period before the USPS will initiate a trace.


When they say "only pre-built" does that mean it excludes comps with faster drives installed at apple?

[Bhennies]

I can say with complete certainty that integrated displays, ala the imac and emac, are losing strategies.

period.

the only display that i want to see integrated is in a notebook.

an inexpensive toaster size aluminum chassied stand alone box taking style hints from the G5 Powermacs (something like the form factor made popular by shuttle).Very well said. I agree.

[Photorun]

as a geek who owns several computers and as a geek who consults for small companies and individuals, I can say with complete certainty that integrated displays, ala the imac and emac, are losing strategies.

period.

the only display that i want to see integrated is in a notebook.

an inexpensive toaster size aluminum chassied stand alone box taking style hints from the G5 Powermacs (something like the form factor made popular by shuttle). It needs to start at $500 base (with addons up to the $1000 range)

Which works for you and your small companies but you clearly don't have a bigger picture to know I know companies that ARE willing to buy these machines. It's not a fluff-n-fold situation and/or a one size fits all computer market. Some people are perfectly happy with these all in ones. Now maybe you, in your biased opinions TELL these companies "blah blah all-in-ones are dead don't buy them blah" but that doesn't make it right. These machines fit needs and I've already seen tentative sales of the new machine in the double digits from people I know. They will sell, regardless of your opinion.

Shuttle is a different business model than the eMacs, you're clearly tuned into the peecee mentality, may need to tune out for a while.

[srobert]

That kind of attitude sounds like a very young child who is jealous that their little sibling got a better birthday present or something. Grow up and understand that Apple doesn't control the laws of physics and is trying to make money by release new products as quickly and economically as possible.

You read my mind :) Maybe you truly are Yoda.

Sorry a17inchFuture but you're just plain scary right now. I'm not used to see such virulent posts on macrumors. Just take a deep breath and think what is the best for Apple and it's customers.

[mrsebastian]

maybe i just need more coffee this morning, but what the [bleep] is that?! everyone run and get your emacs! all i know is apple better have something fantastic to show this summer for the consumer line (imac) and possibly powerbooks, as well as g5 updates. come on steve, you love to ooh and ahh us with your showmanship, but we ain't seen nuthin in a long time that has anything to do with computers... i'm off to get my coffee and subsequently a better mood. thank you.

[latergator116]

When they say "only pre-built" does that mean it excludes comps with faster drives installed at apple?

Hmmm... Im not really sure. That might fall under the "custom configured" categoty. Call apple and ask them about it.

[jxyama]

Or you can get a complete computer (including a 17" monitor & Windows XP) with a Celeron 2.4 GHz that still blows the G4 of the eMac out of the water...

(emphasis mine)

how's that complete? XP? i'd say that makes the computer quite incomplete... ;) :D

[Ja Di ksw]

If you don't like your pb and you just bought it, return it. Laptops are going to be slower than desktops, and honestly, you want them to screw over eMac people b/c they can't get the pb out yet? Here's what it all boils down to, no one made you buy your computer when you did, Apple does not "owe" you anything, especially to tell you when they are going to release something, and your computer did not somehow get slower now that these new eMacs are out. Updates are GOOD things.

[wrldwzrd89]

... and it is still a hefty price for an old chip with yesterdays specs. For that kind of money you can get a PIV 3GHz with an 800MHz bus which is in the same league as the G5.

Or you can get a complete computer (including a 17" monitor & Windows XP) with a Celeron 2.4 GHz that still blows the G4 of the eMac out of the water...

An update like that for the eMac can only mean one thing... we shouldn't expect a lot for the other products the next few months. I would love to be wrong...

Well, at least they did update something, even though the update is lame.

groovebuster

P.S.: I dodn't get why anybody would wet their pants about that product update...
I certainly don't think the eMac update is lame - it makes good business sense for Apple to update the eMacs the way they did. Of course the update has a faster processor, but realize also that the L2 cache, built-in RAM, SuperDrive, and Mac OS X version were also bumped up (L2 cache doubled from 256K to 512K, built-in RAM also doubled from 128MB to 256MB, SuperDrive speed doubled as well from 4X to 8X, and the preinstalled Mac OS X version was bumped to 10.3 from 10.2). All these changes, when put together, make for MUCH faster eMacs than we would have gotten if only the processor speed was increased. The fact that Apple gave the new eMacs 8X SuperDrives means that the new SuperDrives are ready for other Mac lines when they get updated, namely the iMacs, PowerBooks, and PowerMacs (excluding the PowerMac G4). Also, switchers know that the price of the computer is far less important than time spent making the computer work - this is why many of them (including myself) would never buy a Windows machine unless absolutely necessary (for development or use of Windows-only software or development of Windows ports of Mac-first applications, in my case).

[365]

The new eMac is not available to order in the UK until the 19th April..

[jettredmont]

1.25 Ghz processors in the emac's?????

Congratulations, powerbook owners, your computers are now as advanced as the cheapest line apple makes, and only twice to three times as expensive!!!!!!

This is literally a spit in the face of powerbook owners, and is an insult to anyone considering buying a powerbook(so in other words, 15 inch PB superdrive buyers are paying the 1-2 THOUSAND dollar difference for bluetooth, airport, and a thin screen).

Steve, you complete a**hole . . . You and everyone at apple deserve to go belly up for this.


Wow. Dude. Ease up on the coffee. No one is forcing you to spend a couple thousand for portability. If you want eMac specs, buy an eMac. If you want a better PowerBook, hold on for a few more months and you should be able to ...

It's always perplexing that people get pissed at Apple for updating one of their products. It's not an insult to their customers to offer a better product. It's not a personal insult to you or anyone who bought the previous model in the last week. It's called offering more for your customers who are going to buy in the future. Obviously when you bought whatever you bought, it was worth the money to you (or you are a fool and the parting of your money was inevitable anyways).

[macomposer]

I would have to say that open computers such as in a university setting see much more use/wear-and-tear than the average home user. For instance the service bureau at my school really has some of our machines ********. Final Cut Pro doesn't even launch on them. There are a lot of variables to consider in a network setting like that. Granted some things just do break.

Very true on all counts, though 33% is an awfully high "just break"-ing rate, IMHO. The disconcerting thing with these eMacs is that two of them went down in the first month, and that this is not a heavily-used lab. Of the four machines that went down, two had bad hard drives, and two had dead backup batteries. (Sounds like cheap components to me.) The latter problem is not such a big deal in a machine that is easy to service, but the eMacs are a pain to take apart and reassemble. Of course, that means even a simple RAM upgrade is a hassle as well.

[MacPearl]

Which means they need to update the iMac and drop the price a bit. :)

Totally agree!!! Good things will come for those who wait :p

[pgwalsh]

Apple finally updated one of it's computer products. Yea!

Now, for those compairing eMacs to PowerBooks. One is a desktop and the other is a portable. Go ahead and compare the PowerBook to an iBook or PC laptop, but not to a desktop. Seems like a waste of time..

This forum is moving so fast, I couldn't keep up to post.. damn!

[Parikh1234]

a couple of things. I love how they are still mainly advertising the same g5 image theyve had for weeks. Seems like apple is like heres an update at the bottom of the page so shut up and stop whinning.

Great the emac is now at 1.25Ghz. I know a couple of things aside, its almost as fast as a powerbook. POWERbook. Ha. I rather get a emac and carry it around if its gonna save me 2 grand.

[jxyama]

The latter problem is not such a big deal in a machine that is easy to service, but the eMacs are a pain to take apart and reassemble. Of course, that means even a simple RAM upgrade is a hassle as well.

dunno about taking apart the eMac... did you grease back the thermal paste?

i didn't think upgrading the RAM was any worse than any other PCs... flip over, unscrew the covers and voila, there are the slots... not sure how to make it easier than that for a desktop.

[wdlove]

It's great to see a Tuesday that has a significant upgrade by Apple. Hopefully the newly detailed eMac will encourage education sales and new switchers.

[jxyama]

I rather get a emac and carry it around if its gonna save me 2 grand.

i'm sure you will rack up 2 grand in chiropractic therapy sessions pretty quickly. ;)

(or you will get into one heck of a shape.)

[Kenny Pollock]

This is probably going to be like it was at MWSF last year. It started with the eMacs, and a new product update every week until the whole lineup was new.

Also; I didn't read all the posts.. but if Apple updates all Superdrives to 8x DVD burning, then they don't have to drop their slower media as someone suggested.. drives can burn slower. I however think Apple's media is too expensive, as I buy a 20 pack of DVD's for $20 with the dvd-style case from Office Depot for my other DVD Burners.

[Trowaman]

Since the based moved up and closed the gap, sounds to me the top of the line and middle have to move up now.


eMacs are now better than iMacs in every way (except being a widescreen on a stick) and are as good as the low powerbooks. This tells me it is time for Powerbooks and iMacs to receive a major overhaul, ready for a major puch forward.

WWDC is shaping up to be a very VERY good event.

Show us the Tiger that will be in our new Powerbooks, iMacs and PowerMacs which we will see on new LCDs.

[clonenode]

I guess we can pretty safely say that all desktop models will now have an 8x superdrive with all new revisions. I wonder if Apple is going to sell 8x media and drop their 4 speed media in a move similar to the one they made a bit ago when they dropped their 2 speed media.
Yes they are supposedly adding 8x DVD-R disks to their product listings today.

[Trowaman]

One more thing . . .

Are we just going to leave the iBooks behind or will they upgraded soon? I would guess new iBooks in a month.

NAB will be pro software and iBooks should be soon after, end of the month or beginning of next.

[stefan_km]

One more thing . . .

Are we just going to leave the iBooks behind or will they upgraded soon? I would guess new iBooks in a month.

NAB will be pro software and iBooks should be soon after, end of the month or beginning of next.

Yeah, I really hope we see new iBooks soon too, will have to buy one soon :cool:

[Torajima]

Or you can get a complete computer (including a 17" monitor & Windows XP) with a Celeron 2.4 GHz that still blows the G4 of the eMac out of the water...


Not quite. The 1 GHz eMac is comparable in speed to the Celerons. We have both at my company. I'm slowly switching us over to Macs because I'm tired of dealing with viruses, worms, and anti-virus software (which turns out to be almost as bad as the viruses themselves).

Prices are comparable too, *if* you compare apples to apples. The only real price difference at this point is Microsoft Office... buy a Dell, and you can get it for $100 - $150 extra. Buy a Mac, it costs $350.

If Appleworks is ever updated to truly match Office's functionality, I suspect my company will never buy a PC again.

And for those of you who don't understand the point of an all in one unit... they make a heck of a lot of sense when being used as public kiosks, or when being used by school children.

[AppleJustWorks]

the new eMacs have 8x SuperDrives, and the G5's only have 4x SuperDrives. I believe that this is good evidence that a New G5 is coming soon...I mean, they can't have a low-end model Mac with a faster drive than the top-end Mac....Can they?At least not for 3 months! Maybe for 5 days(NAB) but not for 3 months~~~~!!!

i also just realized that the eMacs have a faster super drive than the iMacs....This may mean that iMac updates are also soon!

[a17inchFuture]

Wow. Dude. Ease up on the coffee. No one is forcing you to spend a couple thousand for portability. If you want eMac specs, buy an eMac. If you want a better PowerBook, hold on for a few more months and you should be able to ...

It's always perplexing that people get pissed at Apple for updating one of their products. It's not an insult to their customers to offer a better product. It's not a personal insult to you or anyone who bought the previous model in the last week. It's called offering more for your customers who are going to buy in the future. Obviously when you bought whatever you bought, it was worth the money to you (or you are a fool and the parting of your money was inevitable anyways).

dude, what are you talking about?you can't understnad someone being upset they spent 2000 more dollars on something that is slightly better and has a thin screen and body? I think it would be pretty understandable, actually, and I have sympathized with others on this matter before.

It not that an update upsets me, in fact i am happy to see something going on at apple. But the emac being updated to near pb levels when the pb's are ten months old and original price is annoying.

And as I said earlier, their sale policy leaves something to be desired as well . . . .

All in all, it points to a compnay that cares less about its customers than its profit margins.

[wrldwzrd89]

the new eMacs have 8x SuperDrives, and the G5's only have 4x SuperDrives. I believe that this is good evidence that a New G5 is coming soon...I mean, they can't have a low-end model Mac with a faster drive than the top-end Mac....Can they?At least not for 3 months! Maybe for 5 days(NAB) but not for 3 months~~~~!!!

i also just realized that the eMacs have a faster super drive than the iMacs....This may mean that iMac updates are also soon!
Don't forget the SuperDriven PowerBooks! Those will need to be updated also to take advantage of the new SuperDrives.

[reyesmac]

8x superdrive is good for people who make DVD's more than once a month. The extra whopping 250mhz will add a bit more pep to flash animations. I can't get too exited though, a 1.25 Powermac G4 has been available for educational buyers for $1,199 for about a year I think. And the G4 processor they are using has been out for like two years. Why do people complain about getting so much speed at a lower price than the powerbooks? You know the longer Apple keeps using the same technology the cheaper it gets. Yes, they are making a killing on iBooks and Powerbooks, but, is anyone really surprised? I just wish Apple would tell us what PC's the eMacs should be compared to and then test the speed of both systems for us. That way we know just how much better the eMac is than that ol' eMachines. I am tired of not seeing comprehensive speed tests on their machines. It would be nice if they showed us how much faster these are than previous Powermacs.
One last comment. Get rid of the monitor and put the guts of the machine in an upgradable plastic tower and maybe then your market share will go up a little. Apple has everything they need to truly compete and show they are better than the competition, but they keep designing their computers for just a few markets. The general public has already decided that the only all-in-one computers they will buy in mass are laptops.

[mklos]

To all of those people who wining about PowerBooks, you want some cheese with that wine? You people are the biggest bunch of winers I've ever seen! Do you think Apple has one hardware team? No, they have a separate team the eMac, and one for the iMac, iBook, etc... When Apple gets processors from IBM that don't take up as much heat/power and then they make a logic board to go with them, they will release new PowerBooks with G5's in them. Until then, shut the **** up and quit wining. Its not getting you anywhere is it! When Apple does come out with G5 PowerBooks you'll find something else to bitch about.I have a 1 GHz Flat Panel iMac that is outdated and do you see me wining? There is no pleasing you people!

[jxyama]

And as I said earlier, their sale policy leaves something to be desired as well . . . .

man, you are coming over here too? :D

what do you want apple to do? give you a free upgrade? a refund? hold back eMac update?

when you bought your computer, the only thing apple promised you is that you get what you decide to pay for. and you did. you bought a PB for a price you perceived to be at a reasonable level. that's it. apple didn't promise you that your PB will remain top of the line. apple didn't promise you that your PB specs will not be matched by an eMac. (by the way, eMac was not exactly light years behind PB before this update. if you think now eMac "matches" PB then you should have seen before the update that eMac is significantly cheaper than PB for not much less specs.)

buyer's remorse, perhaps. that's understandable. but that's your problem, not apple's. you are upholding apple to a promise it never made.

[autrefois]

On CNBC they just did a Biz Brief on the new eMacs, saying, "looking for a cheap computer? Apple has you covered."

:D

THANK YOU APPLE for coming up with a very strong low-end model!! :)

I own a Powerbook, and I'm not complaining one bit; I'm very happy that Apple is not forgetting schools and people who love Macs but don't have tons of money to blow on a computer. This is a great computer, both the Combo and SuperDrive models. I think it will definitely be competitive against the Dells of the world.

Good for Mac lovers; good for people considering switching to Mac. Isn't that what's important?

[wrldwzrd89]

8x superdrive is good for people who make DVD's more than once a month. The extra whopping 250mhz will add a bit more pep to flash animations. I can't get too exited though, a 1.25 Powermac G4 has been available for educational buyers for $1,199 for about a year I think. And the G4 processor they are using has been out for like two years. Why do people complain about getting so much speed at a lower price than the powerbooks? You know the longer Apple keeps using the same technology the cheaper it gets. Yes, they are making a killing on iBooks and Powerbooks, but, is anyone really surprised? I just wish Apple would tell us what PC's the eMacs should be compared to and then test the speed of both systems for us. That way we know just how much better the eMac is than that ol' eMachines. I am tired of not seeing comprehensive speed tests on their machines. It would be nice if they showed us how much faster these are than previous Powermacs.
One last comment. Get rid of the monitor and put the guts of the machine in an upgradable plastic tower and maybe then your market share will go up a little. Apple has everything they need to truly compete and show they are better than the competition, but they keep designing their computers for just a few markets. The general public has already decided that the only all-in-one computers they will buy in mass are laptops.
I believe the eMac was intended for those Mac buyers that are in education or are on a budget, which is going to be small anyway (compared to the rest of the Mac market), so it makes sense for Apple to update the eMac now to both foreshadow future updates and cash in on buyers in the market for an eMac. Also, Apple may not want to hugely increase their market share. After all, there are downsides to being the biggest by far (just look at Microsoft and all the trouble they're having).

[taylan]

i have been using an emac for the last 1.5 years and it is a great machine, i did all my video editing, web design and 3d animation projects on it, it never let me down. i am sure that these new models are great buys, but i am selling my emac right now, and i know that i will never buy one again. the only reason is that emac is the most noisy computer i have ever used. it is impossible to live in the same room with an emac, and when it is working, you can hear it from far far away. leaving it open during the night, which is crucial for the 3d renders i make, is impossible, because you can't sleep.

so, if you are thinking about buying one, please take the fan noise into account. i didn't know about it before i bought it, and i was simply shocked when i first used it in my room.

cheers,
taylan
http://portfolio.orangeslices.net/

[VicMacs]

the market for these emacs are schools and youngsters... get the point? early, before school ends.. now kids can go 'mom can i get this for next year?' the powerbooks are like someone said.. 2 times more expensive but they are PORTABLE! and there is a diffence between a desktop and a portable... sure, one emac owner can tell you 'my emac can do waht your pb cand do and even faster' but a pb user can say 'but can you do it in a bus, a taxi, a plane?' its just not comparable... the 8x superdrive is an awesome thing now, you can only expect apple to upgrade ALL other desktops and put a 4x superdrive on powerbooks, and make the ibook superdrive too...

this is what i predict...

g5 imacs in single processors... 1.6 1.8 2.0 and 8x superdrive
g5 powermacs in dual fashion 2.0 2.4 2.8 or 3.0 even and 8x superdrive
g5 powerbooks in single processors 1.2 1.4 1.6 and 4x superdrive
g4 ibooks in g4 1.0-1.33

seems balanced...


lets wait and see, then i can have my parade

waht do you guys think?

:D

[jxyama]

i have been using an emac for the last 1.5 years and it is a great machine, i did all my video editing, web design and 3d animation projects on it, it never let me down. i am sure that these new models are great buys, but i am selling my emac right now, and i know that i will never buy one again. the only reason is that emac is the most noisy computer i have ever used. it is impossible to live in the same room with an emac, and when it is working, you can hear it from far far away. leaving it open during the night, which is crucial for the 3d renders i make, is impossible, because you can't sleep.

so, if you are thinking about buying one, please take the fan noise into account. i didn't know about it before i bought it, and i was simply shocked when i first used it in my room.

cheers,
taylan
http://portfolio.orangeslices.net/

well, perhaps you should consider getting a G5 PM if you need to render overnight. ;)

anyway, it's hard. because eMac is an all-in-one, you can't tuck the tower away. eMac has to be on the desk and there's no way to hide the noisy part...

[j_maddison]

Am I the only one who thinks this is a rubish update. 1.25Ghz processors were ok a few years ago, but i really do belive Apple should have just thrown in the fastest processors they have with the biggest caches and fastest FSB they can muster. and i think its a mistake not to bring back the colour. I'm of hte opinion that the eMac has the potential to outsell the other product lines and capture a decent sized share of the consumer market.

and 256 meg of ram is still really really week

jay

[a17inchFuture]

man, you are coming over here too? :D

what do you want apple to do? give you a free upgrade? a refund? hold back eMac update?

when you bought your computer, the only thing apple promised you is that you get what you decide to pay for. and you did. you bought a PB for a price you perceived to be at a reasonable level. that's it. apple didn't promise you that your PB will remain top of the line. apple didn't promise you that your PB specs will not be matched by an eMac. (by the way, eMac was not exactly light years behind PB before this update. if you think now eMac "matches" PB then you should have seen before the update that eMac is significantly cheaper than PB for not much less specs.)

buyer's remorse, perhaps. that's understandable. but that's your problem, not apple's. you are upholding apple to a promise it never made.

You are soo annoying. I don't want to trade in my comp, i dont want my money back.

i am expressing my opinion about the way apple does business, and of course i hav eno insider information, so who knows what the hold up is, could be nothing.

BUT, what we do know is the PB's are outdated (as evidenced by todays emac release) and yet the PB's are still full price.

When you acknowledge something like this emac 1.25 does, you have to relase incentive to buy the older, outdated product. And yet, they don't, even though there are mroe people wasting money on PB's than on any other comp.

This is evidence of a company that cares not about their customer.

[3-22]

Looks like a great deal to me. As low as $749/$899 with student discount. 1.25GHz, 80GB, 17" Monitor, 8x DVD burner, etc. not bad. Sure it's not real expandable but the price is right, and you are better off selling it in a few years anyway and buying the next generation instead of upgrading.

Too bad the video card is a little skimpy but I guess it would suffice for most occasional "gamers".

I'd imagine iMac and other updates are on the way with the eMac now on the same level.

[jxyama]

You are soo annoying. I don't want to trade in my comp, i dont want my money back.

i am expressing my opinion about the way apple does business, and of course i hav eno insider information, so who knows what the hold up is, could be nothing.

BUT, what we do know is the PB's are outdated (as evidenced by todays emac release) and yet the PB's are still full price.

When you acknowledge something like this emac 1.25 does, you have to relase incentive to buy the older, outdated product. And yet, they don't, even though there are mroe people wasting money on PB's than on any other comp.

This is evidence of a company that cares not about their customer.

well, your whining is rather annoying to me too. ;)

if PBs are outdated, apple will sell less of it because people won't buy. it's up to the customers. if apple felt it's necessary to sell more PBs, then they would lower the prices. etc. standard business practice. i don't see what the problem is.

you may feel bad, but that doesn't mean apple means to personally screw you or that "apple does not care about their customers." speak with your wallet and not buy a Mac next time you purchase a computer.

[Parikh1234]

i'm sure you will rack up 2 grand in chiropractic therapy sessions pretty quickly. ;)

(or you will get into one heck of a shape.)

At least i wont have to pay for a gym membership then :D

[jxyama]

At least i wont have to pay for a gym membership then :D

i'd still go to a gym. need the cardio exercise, not just strength training... :D

[mklos]

Am I the only one who thinks this is a rubish update. 1.25Ghz processors were ok a few years ago, but i really do belive Apple should have just thrown in the fastest processors they have with the biggest caches and fastest FSB they can muster. and i think its a mistake not to bring back the colour. I'm of hte opinion that the eMac has the potential to outsell the other product lines and capture a decent sized share of the consumer market.

and 256 meg of ram is still really really week

jay

Doing what you said creates problems! What happens 8 months down the road when its time to update the eMac again and there aren't any faster G4 processors? Then what do you do? I guess one would answer put a G5 in it, but I think that will be a while. I'd expect the eMac to be the last computer to ever get a G5 processor. Apple did put the fastest bus possible in the eMac. The 167 MHz FSB is currently the fastest possible for the G4 processor. Apple needs a little room for improvement in the future. Maybe the G4 iMac was capable of doing 1.5 GHz a long time ago but why Apple didn't put it in it was because Apple needs a little room for later improvements. All computer companies are skimpy on RAM. 256MB is actually pretty good. At least now you can take it out of the box and actually use it unlike yesterday's eMac which came standard with 128 MB. The eMac is for schools, and very low end consumers. People like that don't need 1 GB of RAM to browse the internet, check e-mail, and use a word processor. The school I work in the computers only have 128 MBs of RAM and they all run Windoze XP Pro. Some even have 64 MB. So to ship a low end machine with 256 is actually a blessing to schools.

[Krrill]

To all of those people who wining about PowerBooks, you want some cheese with that wine? You people are the biggest bunch of winers I've ever seen! Do you think Apple has one hardware team? No, they have a separate team the eMac, and one for the iMac, iBook, etc... When Apple gets processors from IBM that don't take up as much heat/power and then they make a logic board to go with them, they will release new PowerBooks with G5's in them. Until then, shut the **** up and quit wining. Its not getting you anywhere is it! When Apple does come out with G5 PowerBooks you'll find something else to bitch about.I have a 1 GHz Flat Panel iMac that is outdated and do you see me wining? There is no pleasing you people!

I am not complaining about your message, I just gotta do this though... Win a powerbook! Where? How!? And for all you powerbook people, we know your winners, rock on, and keep trying to drive down the street and hop on people's bandwagons! (Internet) And I dunno if your winning or not, but cause you aren't winning, can I have the prize instead! =)

Sorry man, had to do it, too tempting =) BTW, whine! Not win! =) LOL <--- Can't please me ;-) Atleast not till the new G5's come out =)

[3-22]

Am I the only one who thinks this is a rubish update. 1.25Ghz processors were ok a few years ago, but i really do belive Apple should have just thrown in the fastest processors they have with the biggest caches and fastest FSB they can muster. and i think its a mistake not to bring back the colour. I'm of hte opinion that the eMac has the potential to outsell the other product lines and capture a decent sized share of the consumer market.

and 256 meg of ram is still really really week

jay

So you want a eMac with a 2.0GHz G5, 1Ghz Bus, and color case for $999? Yeah, that be great but why would they ever do that?

1) They would loose money...
2) It would destroy the PowerMac line....
3) I don't think apple has grand plans of capturing the market. They see themselves as the exotic sports car of computer's not the economy car. Producing the cheapest "widget" and making money on quantity is not Apple's business model.

[PretendPCuser]

I manage a lab of 12 eMacs at the university where I teach. In July we repopulated the lab with brand new 1 GHz eMacs, and since then, 4 of them have been in for service. [And, Apple has been a pain to get to provide warranty service, but that is a gripe for another thread.]


What kind of service were they in for? THat's a pretty vague statement. As someone who might be considering an eMac (as a recommendation for someone else) please be more specific about the problems you encountered? Were they hardware related? Software? Kids pounding on them?

Thanks for the feedback.

[stoid]

dunno about taking apart the eMac... did you grease back the thermal paste?

i didn't think upgrading the RAM was any worse than any other PCs... flip over, unscrew the covers and voila, there are the slots... not sure how to make it easier than that for a desktop.

Yeah, upgrading eMac RAM is a simple flip and unscrew. I added 512MB chips to a whole lab of eMacs in under an hour last summer.

[manu chao]

Yap, somebody should write something similar for your Superdrive (this one is for Powerbooks only):
http://superdrive.cynikal.net/


I guess we can pretty safely say that all desktop models will now have an 8x superdrive with all new revisions. I wonder if Apple is going to sell 8x media and drop their 4 speed media in a move similar to the one they made a bit ago when they dropped their 2 speed media. By the way my two dual 1 GHz towers have 2 speed drives (DVR-104) and will only burn 4x media at 1x. So apple has left stuck me at burning at 1x because they only sell 4x media (burns at 1x) and they don't offer a firmware update so the drive can burn 4x media at 2x. The same drive on the PC side has that firmware so more and more manufacturers are just producing 4x instead of differentiating and producing 2x as well. Does anyone know a work around for this? Does anyone else think that in a little while their current G5's will be stuck in a similar situation?

[CubeHacker]

Bah! I just bought an eMac a month ago. I know I shouldn't be complaining, but I can't help feel a bit jealous. Especially about the Radeon 9200 and DDR memory. Ahh well, my eMac is still faster anyway :D

[AirUncleP]

OK...Great low end model built for the average user.

Too bad the average user will not know it exists.

When was the last time you saw an Apple computer advertised on TV?

[Bhennies]

Am I the only one who thinks this is a rubish update. 1.25Ghz processors were ok a few years ago, but i really do belive Apple should have just thrown in the fastest processors they have with the biggest caches and fastest FSB they can muster. and i think its a mistake not to bring back the colour. I'm of hte opinion that the eMac has the potential to outsell the other product lines and capture a decent sized share of the consumer market.

and 256 meg of ram is still really really week

jayI don't think it's a rubbish update, and I consider myself a pro user. This is an update for schools, students, light users and administrators as well as Internet terminals. Cheap and somewhat decent (could be a little cheaper, but it's good enough that they were updated). However, Apple NEEDS to update pro gear as well as something a little more professional than the imac (cue threads of headless imac here). Seriously, a fixed monitor comp. for 1,500 bucks in the pro-sumer world isn't going to cut it for too much monger.

[agentmouthwash]

I bought a 15 inch Aluminum PowerBook days after it was debuted last year, and I'm insanely happy with my purchase! On the other hand, I would not even consider getting an eMac, even WITH these new kick ass specs. You see, I'm in college right now, and I'd imagine that lugging a 50+ lb eMac to classes every day would not be possible. However, for my parents and little brother, this machine would be a PERFECT replacement for their Quicksilver 733 tower and aging bargain monitor.

Perhaps you should consider different target consumers before you wildly bash Apple's product offerings.


well said.
I bought a 15inch alum powerbook back in september as well and I am so happy with it. Apple could of released 3.0 ghz emacs today and I still wouldn't care. it's good for apple. In the mean time my Powerbook does exactly what i need - video editing, music creating, surfing the internet, working on my website.

sure the powerbook is more money, but it's a portable masterpiece!

[a17inchFuture]

Bah! I just bought an eMac a month ago. I know I shouldn't be complaining, but I can't help feel a bit jealous. Especially about the Radeon 9200 and DDR memory. Ahh well, my eMac is still faster anyway :D

how do you have a 1.4 ghz emac?

[stoid]

When was the last time you saw an Apple computer advertised on TV?

The G5 commercial where the guy gets blown through his house. Before that the FP iMac had some nifty ads. Apple has really been pushing iTMS lately, and rightly so since they need to keep their high market share if they want to stay competitive there. I think that once the Pepsi promo is over and the one year anniversary is past at the end of this month, Apple will return their greater focus to the Mac.

[Zaty]

Doing what you said creates problems! What happens 8 months down the road when its time to update the eMac again and there aren't any faster G4 processors? Then what do you do? I guess one would answer put a G5 in it, but I think that will be a while. I'd expect the eMac to be the last computer to ever get a G5 processor. Apple did put the fastest bus possible in the eMac. The 167 MHz FSB is currently the fastest possible for the G4 processor. Apple needs a little room for improvement in the future. Maybe the G4 iMac was capable of doing 1.5 GHz a long time ago but why Apple didn't put it in it was because Apple needs a little room for later improvements. All computer companies are skimpy on RAM. 256MB is actually pretty good. At least now you can take it out of the box and actually use it unlike yesterday's eMac which came standard with 128 MB. The eMac is for schools, and very low end consumers. People like that don't need 1 GB of RAM to browse the internet, check e-mail, and use a word processor. The school I work in the computers only have 128 MBs of RAM and they all run Windoze XP Pro. Some even have 64 MB. So to ship a low end machine with 256 is actually a blessing to schools.

Anyway, it's very likely this is the last upgrade for the eMac. Apple usually updates the eMac only once a year (the October update doesn't count as they just speed bumped the low end configuration). I'm not sure Apple will still be able to buy CRTs for a resonable price in a year because the PC market has abandoned CRT long time ago. I know, there are still CRTs around but those are probably leftovers. I'm also aware that the CRT with its weight and its less delicate screen is a great option for schools but as I said at some point Apple will have to drop the eMac because no one will produce CRTs anymore

[jayb2000]

... and it is still a hefty price for an old chip with yesterdays specs. For that kind of money you can get a PIV 3GHz with an 800MHz bus which is in the same league as the G5.

Or you can get a complete computer (including a 17" monitor & Windows XP) with a Celeron 2.4 GHz that still blows the G4 of the eMac out of the water...

First, a Celeron will not blow the G4 away, especially on home use.
Second, a comparable Hell is more!

eMac 1.25GHz/256SD/40G/Combo/56K $799.00
eMac Tilt & Swivel Stand $59.00
APP for iMac/eMac - Enrollment Kit $169.00
iLife '04 $49.00 (new) Subtotal
$1,067.0

Hell Dimension 4600 Series
Intel ® Pentium® 4 Processor 2.8GHz w/533MHz FSB
Microsoft Windows® XP Professional *
Combo: Microsoft® Plus! for Windows XP and Digital Media Edition
Integrated Intel® Extreme Graphics
40GB Ultra ATA/100 Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
Single Drive: 48x CD-RW / DVD-ROM Combo Drive
RecordNow!Deluxe: Burn,Copy CD Music/Data,Backup, Labeling
3 Year Limited Warranty plus 3 Year At-Home Service
McAfee Security Center w/VirusScan,Firewall and Privacy,1-year subscription
Stereo Speakers
Dell Picture Studio, Photo Album Premium
Dell Jukebox PLUS powered by MUSICMATCH
Now from
$1,130

So, for 60 dollars more for the Hell, you get a hodgepodge of multimedia software, slower bus, worse video, worse monitor, and bigger unit with worse aesthetics.

No, its not a $499 machine, but once again, for a comparable machine, Apple is very competitive AND you get iLife and OS X instead of the Rube Goldberg contraption of Dell, Music-Match, and Microsoft.

[updateed rant]
OK, $110 cheaper for the eMac! - That's halfway to an iPod Mini or the price difference for Office (if you want that) and you still get a better OS and hardware!
:D

[stoid]

sure the powerbook is more money, but it's a portable masterpiece!

Yes, I wouldn't get all those looks of jealousy in class if I had an eMac. The 15 inch PowerBook is quite possibly the sexiest laptop ever!

The eMac on the other hand, when flipped screen side down resembles Steve Balmer's balding head. :D

[stoid]

First, a Celeron will not blow the G4 away, especially on home use.
Second, a comparable Hell is more!

eMac 1.25GHz/256SD/40G/Combo/56K $799.00
eMac Tilt & Swivel Stand $59.00
APP for iMac/eMac - Enrollment Kit $169.00
iLife '04 $49.00
Subtotal
$1,076.00

Doesn't iLife come pre-installed? Knock off that $49, and the price difference is $110 instead of $60...

[wrldwzrd89]

how do you have a 1.4 ghz emac?
I think DOACleric probably did one of those void-your-warranty-but-make-your-eMac-faster upgrades mentioned in another thread on Mac Rumors (I'm not about to search for it). I did read that thread, but I never thought an eMac could be upgraded past 1.33 GHz anyway (judging by what was in that thread). Therefore, I'm wondering too - just how did DOACleric get that eMac to go past 1.33 GHz to 1.4 GHz?

[mambodancer]

iLife '04 comes preinstalled on all Macintosh CPU's that are now shipped from Apple. In fact, last month an Apple rep came into our store and inserted iLife '04 into all Macintosh boxes Microcenter had in stock.

[CubeHacker]

how do you have a 1.4 ghz emac?

Overclocked. The eMacs used the same exact processor found in the dual 1.4ghz Powermacs - only underclocked. Therefore, getting it up to 1.4ghz is as simple as a drop of solder. a $500 eMac 800mhz -> 1.4ghz eMac was quite a bargain!

[Diatribe]

I say it's gonna be a
1,6GHz G5 in the iMac
2,5GHz G5 in the Powermac
1,25Ghz G4 in the iBooks
1,6 Ghz G4 or G5(although unlikely) in the powerbook

That's my prediction. All in the next 3-4 weeks.

[DaBuzz]

You are soo annoying. I don't want to trade in my comp, i dont want my money back.

i am expressing my opinion about the way apple does business, and of course i hav eno insider information, so who knows what the hold up is, could be nothing.

BUT, what we do know is the PB's are outdated (as evidenced by todays emac release) and yet the PB's are still full price.

When you acknowledge something like this emac 1.25 does, you have to relase incentive to buy the older, outdated product. And yet, they don't, even though there are mroe people wasting money on PB's than on any other comp.

This is evidence of a company that cares not about their customer.

You use conjecture as "evidence" that Apple doesn't care about its customers? Please. You are right - not only do you have no insider information, you have no information whatsoever.

Apple doesn't update ALL of its consumer and/or pro lines at the same time. Does IBM update its ThinkPad lines at once? No. (I won't even mention Dell because they make cheap computers - IBM and HP are the only vendors who make quality Wintel machines approaching Apple's quality.) Blasting Apple (and wishing they would go out of business) is simply stupid and moronic. I'm sure you are one of those MacRumors daly readers who gets high-blood pressure each Tuesday when Apple doesn't release a G5 PowerBook.

Do you have any concept of what it takes to design a notebook vs. desktop? For example, do you know of any manufacturers who can make 7200 RPM, 80Gb+ drives of the form factor in the current PowerBook lines? Or any 4x or 8x drives designed for notebooks? Nope. Did you stop to consider the engineering it takes to make a notebook that balances speed, heat, components, battery life, etc.? It seems not.

Use common sense: if you want a PowerBook now, get it - you won't be disappointed (I haven't been). If all you want to do is bitch and moan and wish Apple would go belly-up, then....maybe head on over to Dell's forums.

Until then, take a Valium, and chill out.

[jxyama]

The 15 inch PowerBook is quite possibly the sexiest laptop ever!

i think 12" PB is even sexier... ;)

[daddy-mojo]

Yeah, thats just the thing, the cheapest, lowest line should not be first!!!!!!!!!! And as someone who bought a powerbook a week ago, i DO take personal offense, because its insulting that the update is imminent, but held off so their profit margins are greater. Emacs can only go up, and thats why their being updated. PB's, on the other hand, are doing well, cause people want apple and portable, and dont care about the price/details. So Steve screws people like me and anyone who has recently put their PB's in 6th overall, and highest among comps.

So you shut it, i am right.

so if they had released new PB's you would have complained, new emacs=complain, imacs=complain & powermacs...I'll go with complain. :rolleyes:

[macomposer]

What kind of service were they in for? THat's a pretty vague statement. As someone who might be considering an eMac (as a recommendation for someone else) please be more specific about the problems you encountered? Were they hardware related? Software? Kids pounding on them?

Thanks for the feedback.

No problem. Did not want to clog the thread with details unless someone asked. Two machines had bad hard drives, and two had the backup batteries go dead... not at all a situation of abuse. One of each problem occurred within the first month the lab was open, the others popped up in the following months. It is a carefully monitored lab, and used just a few hours a day: I would expect a home machine to get more use than one of the lab eMacs does in an average day.

My assistant and I spent hours on the phone with Apple (no exaggeration, I was on the phone for 90 minutes once), mostly on hold, trying to get these defective machines serviced, and it was like pulling teeth each time. Had they been my personal machines, I would have just said "screw it" and fixed them myself, but being a state university and all, it is important to create a paper trail on these things so that next time we buy computers, I can give good reason for stepping up to something better.

Before the eMacs, we had the early version iMacs in the lab for more than two years, and NEVER needed a single one of them serviced. That's why I am leery of the eMacs.

[wrldwzrd89]

Overclocked. The eMacs used the same exact processor found in the dual 1.4ghz Powermacs - only underclocked. Therefore, getting it up to 1.4ghz is as simple as a drop of solder. a $500 eMac 800mhz -> 1.4ghz eMac was quite a bargain!
I suspected it was overclocked; I just didn't think the eMac in any form was capable of reaching 1.4 GHz safely (including the newest models released today).

[Marlon_JBT]

Aww, crap. It is Tuesday. I was expecting PowerBook updates. Does this mean the eMac has taken over Tuesday? :)

Sorry if this has been mentioned already, but there was previous rumor that relates to this one, on Page 2.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=64751

iMac and eMac EOL'd.

[Zaty]

I say it's gonna be a
1,6GHz G5 in the iMac
2,5GHz G5 in the Powermac
1,25Ghz G4 in the iBooks
1,6 Ghz G4 or G5(although unlikely) in the powerbook

That's my prediction. All in the next 3-4 weeks.

My guess is no PMs until WWDC and 1.5 GHz G4 in PBs. The iMac will also be speed bumped to 1.5 GHz (G4).

[Diatribe]

My guess is no PMs until WWDC and 1.5 GHz G4 in PBs. The iMac will also be speed bumped to 1.5 GHz (G4).

I guess time will tell. ;)

[Zaty]

i think 12" PB is even sexier... ;)

I'll second that!

[wrldwzrd89]

My guess is no PMs until WWDC and 1.5 GHz G4 in PBs. The iMac will also be speed bumped to 1.5 GHz (G4).
I agree. Do you agree with Diatribe's prediction for iBooks?

[Zaty]

I guess time will tell. ;)

Right you are! I wouldn't be disappointed if you were right :)

[Fukui]

Did anyone notice thier also not charging extortion prices for RAM upgrades anymore? 512 for +75$ or +67 on education? Nice!
I guess they realized its better to get some money than none at all...

[Zaty]

I agree. Do you agree with Diatribe's prediction for iBooks?

IMO the iBook line up will look like this:

12" 1 GHz
14" 1 GHz
14" 1.25 GHz

[stoid]

Well, since they shoe horned a 2.0 Ghz G5 into the xServe, I don't think it's out of line to expect PowerBook G5s to start at 1.6 Ghz G5s. I think that it's the chip shortage on the 750fx's that is the reason we don't have PowerBooks today as well. *shudder* remembers Motorola's G4 problems *shudder* Apple simply wants to wait until they can keep up with demand, as I'm sure many people are waiting for the G5 PowerBooks!

[blueflame]

I saw the emac toay and was like, wow, it really looks like an ipod version of what could be the tablet. very simple, right look, i like it. mabye someone can make a better mockup?
the apple symbol area would be the touchpad with the "1" button beneath

[benpatient]

steve jobs said that they do good to break even on every iTMS song they sell after they pay the RIAA off, but they keep selling and pushing it, don't they? why? because it sells more iPods, which are over 50% pure profit for apple.

in apple-land, percieved value is much more important than actual value, whereas in the rest of the world, competition creates a much better balance of "paying for what you get."

the eMac/iMac/PBook price-to-performance discrepancies clearly illustrate this. Apple makes the most money on the products that are clearly the least "bang for the buck"

PC's aren't insanely cheaper because they are (in general) made with cheaper things or less "know-how." No, they are cheaper because they have to compete with other companies building the same things with the same materials. Apple uses the same RAM, hard drives, monitors, interface ports (mostly), graphics cards, power supplies, fans, etc., that you'll find in the average PC. They put a pretty face on it and run OS X, and expect us, their loyal customers, to pay a premium for the honor of using their stuff.

you know how much OS X is worth? 129 dollars.

Most companies exist because of their customers, and good companies appreciate the relationship, and the importance of the customer. to be honest, apple's sales/service/marketing approaches over the last couple of years have been MUCH more oriented towards profit than they have been towards customer satisfaction. They are taking advantage of our dependence on their OS and the lack of a solid, appealing alternative for the everyday creative professional.

i've started to feel a bit used of late. yes, apple needs to be competitive and yes, they need to be profitable, but just realize that steve jobs' financial security is not in question, and that apple is bringing in a lot more money than they NEED to be bringing in. If all that cash pool were being used towards development of new products, that would be one thing...but it's just sitting in the bank. The technology world needs to be constantly pushed forward, actively. In the last 6 months we've gotten, outside the software realm, very little from apple. the mini iPod, the greatest rip-off in company history, the long-overdue G5 Xserve, and now a speed-bumped eMac. Wow.

I guess i am just worried that apple is going to kill themselves and i'll be stuck without a machine to run their OS on in the future...

make no mistake, the iPod and iTMS will become a liability in the near future. the copy protection and the cost of business combined will turn the iPod's popularity into a "2000's fad" that people look back on and shake their heads about. 128k songs for a dollar a piece? bah.

[daddy-mojo]

You must know some intelligent "very young children", because I thought I was making sound arguments based on fact, not acting like a child.

Oh, and simply because I choose to use profanity doesnt make me a child, so beyond that I can't imagine what would lead you to that comparison.

your actions.

[ibook_g4_user]

So, the eMac has a faster SuperDrive than the top-of-the-line G5 tower? This sound strange ...

and emac is the cheapest computer.. this must mean that iMac, Powerbook and Powermac will soon see an upgrade with an 8x superdrive..and I think that there will be an g5 in them.

[wrldwzrd89]

IMO the iBook line up will look like this:

12" 1 GHz
14" 1 GHz
14" 1.25 GHz
Yes! That's EXACTLY what I want to see in an iBook update (even though I don't need an iBook). I think it would do Apple a world of good to get all the chips Apple uses in their Macs at 1 GHz or greater.

[Wuddel]

The eMac sucks IMHO. 32 MB-video card is way to slow for "home use gaming". The HD is to small as well.

[Zaty]

Well, since they shoe horned a 2.0 Ghz G5 into the xServe, I don't think it's out of line to expect PowerBook G5s to start at 1.6 Ghz G5s. I think that it's the chip shortage on the 750fx's that is the reason we don't have PowerBooks today as well. *shudder* remembers Motorola's G4 problems *shudder* Apple simply wants to wait until they can keep up with demand, as I'm sure many people are waiting for the G5 PowerBooks!

But you forget that the xServe's case is much bigger than the even the 17" PB not to mention the 12". Even an underclocked 970FX would be too hot.

[wrldwzrd89]

steve jobs said that they do good to break even on every iTMS song they sell after they pay the RIAA off, but they keep selling and pushing it, don't they? why? because it sells more iPods, which are over 50% pure profit for apple.

in apple-land, percieved value is much more important than actual value, whereas in the rest of the world, competition creates a much better balance of "paying for what you get."

the eMac/iMac/PBook price-to-performance discrepancies clearly illustrate this. Apple makes the most money on the products that are clearly the least "bang for the buck"

PC's aren't insanely cheaper because they are (in general) made with cheaper things or less "know-how." No, they are cheaper because they have to compete with other companies building the same things with the same materials. Apple uses the same RAM, hard drives, monitors, interface ports (mostly), graphics cards, power supplies, fans, etc., that you'll find in the average PC. They put a pretty face on it and run OS X, and expect us, their loyal customers, to pay a premium for the honor of using their stuff.

you know how much OS X is worth? 129 dollars.

Most companies exist because of their customers, and good companies appreciate the relationship, and the importance of the customer. to be honest, apple's sales/service/marketing approaches over the last couple of years have been MUCH more oriented towards profit than they have been towards customer satisfaction. They are taking advantage of our dependence on their OS and the lack of a solid, appealing alternative for the everyday creative professional.

i've started to feel a bit used of late. yes, apple needs to be competitive and yes, they need to be profitable, but just realize that steve jobs' financial security is not in question, and that apple is bringing in a lot more money than they NEED to be bringing in. If all that cash pool were being used towards development of new products, that would be one thing...but it's just sitting in the bank. The technology world needs to be constantly pushed forward, actively. In the last 6 months we've gotten, outside the software realm, very little from apple. the mini iPod, the greatest rip-off in company history, the long-overdue G5 Xserve, and now a speed-bumped eMac. Wow.

I guess i am just worried that apple is going to kill themselves and i'll be stuck without a machine to run their OS on in the future...

make no mistake, the iPod and iTMS will become a liability in the near future. the copy protection and the cost of business combined will turn the iPod's popularity into a "2000's fad" that people look back on and shake their heads about. 128k songs for a dollar a piece? bah.
Apple knows what they're doing as a business; I don't doubt that - the problem is that Apple gives us very little information about its future plans. (But then again, without this secrecy MacRumors wouldn't exist!) Also, a 128kbps bitrate is all that's needed to equal the quality of 160kbps MP3, and the music labels probably want it that way.

[stoid]

The eMac sucks IMHO. 32 MB-video card is way to slow for "home use gaming". The HD is to small as well.

Yes, with new video cards now reaching to 256MB on the Windows side, 32 is rather lame. It would be great to be able to get a BTO for at least a 64MB card.

[wrldwzrd89]

The eMac sucks IMHO. 32 MB-video card is way to slow for "home use gaming". The HD is to small as well.
The eMac isn't meant for that kind of gaming anyway - that's why Apple made the iMac. As Apple sees it, only educational customers or Mac buyers on a budget will be getting eMacs, not home-use gamers.

[sw1tcher]

Yeah, thats just the thing, the cheapest, lowest line should not be first!!!!!!!!!! And as someone who bought a powerbook a week ago, i DO take personal offense, because its insulting that the update is imminent, but held off so their profit margins are greater.

Exactly. Steve should have sent you a personal letter telling you to hold off on your purchase because of imminent updates. He should've even told you when each of the updates will be released, that way you'll know exactly when to make your purchase. The nerve of Apple updating their products whenever it's feasible and while at the same time trying to make a profit so they can stay in business. Shame on them!

Emacs can only go up, and thats why their being updated. PB's, on the other hand, are doing well, cause people want apple and portable, and dont care about the price/details. So Steve screws people like me and anyone who has recently put their PB's in 6th overall, and highest among comps.

So you shut it, i am right.

Emacs and PowerBooks. Two completely different lines of computers designed for two completely different types of users. Besides the fact that desktops are typically updated first and then when the technology is ready, trickles down to laptops. That's how things usually go. It's always more difficult and expensive to create parts for portables because of heat, power, performance, etc.. issues. That's one reason why your PB is more expensive than the emac, among many others. If you felt the PB was too expensive, then you should've bought an emac or an imac. If you needed something portable, there are other options: ibook, dell, ibm, sony, toshiba, etc. You *didn't have to* get a PB you know?

And as an Apple user, you should already be fully aware that you will always pay a premium for their products.

[Zaty]

Yes! That's EXACTLY what I want to see in an iBook update (even though I don't need an iBook). I think it would do Apple a world of good to get all the chips Apple uses in their Macs at 1 GHz or greater.

Some people think that the 12" might only a get a 933 MHz CPU but with the 12" PB moving to 1.25 GHz there is no reason why Apple should keep one sub-1 GHz configuration. After all, 1 GHz looks so much better than 933 MHz.

[jnasato]

Finally an update! This is great. With such an update to the eMac, Apple's other hardware updates will hopefully be as nice.

[johnnyjibbs]

Just got in and fired up. Tired. Sorry, haven't read rest of thread.

Good call! £100 off the cheapest Mac, plus it's 25% faster, has twice the base RAM (not 128MB) and all the other goodies (Airport Extreme, USB 2, Bluetooth, etc), and £150 off the Superdrive version!!! Now £699 gets you a Superdrive - good pricing by Apple for UK! Normally, a $999 machine retails for £799 in the UK, not the £550 that the exchange rate should dictate!

A Mac can now be got for £525 that is easily comaprable with a similarly specced Dell, ish. Good work Apple. And with I can really see this being the taster before new PowerBooks and PowerMacs next week at or to coincide with NAB. I'll be off to the US that week, so I'll check them out in person in the Apple Stores! :)

[cubist]

So how come Apple's website front page still shows the G5 graphic they've had up for like 3 weeks now?! This is a big improvement to the eMac line, you'd think they'd be bragging about it.

[512ke]

The "big" news:

Apple has an $800 computer.

Most people that I know care only about that number.

"I want an Apple but they're too expensive."

The more people buy, the larger Apple's market share becomes.

If it were $500 instead of $800...that would be "huge" news.

That's just my uninformed unsolicited two cents.

And "cents" are more important than specs for most consumers I know.

[Diatribe]

Right you are! I wouldn't be disappointed if you were right :)

Hehe, the reason why I said this the way I did is the following:
If they don't upgrade the Powermac until June they cannot update the imac to G5s either, which would make them obsolete compared to the new emacs. If they get faster, meaning 1,5/1,6GHz G4s, processors then this would mean another HUGE delay for the iMacs getting G5s which would mean that they would basically continue to be a no buy for a while.
So all I said I said for a reason. ;)
At least this is what would make sense from an economical and marketing perspective.
As I said time will tell, though if you're right.... then I think Apple would miss out on catching up with the x86 world once again... as they always did.

[ipirate]

I don't understand why everyone is so down on the eMac. Yeah, its not a gaming machine, but can you really call any mac a "gaming machine"? With the upgrade its possbile to use Final Cut Express 2 to edit your video and burn it to a DVD, you can also do most of the audio cration apps and so forth. I would get an eMac to complement my iBook, I think I would love to have it. I consider myself a "power user" and I think the eMac would work fine for me, just like my iBook. No, you can't do ALL of the things that a dual G5 PowerMac system could do, but its not like I'm animating for Pixar out of my home here. I do much more than the average user, but alot of the advanced things are done via my server, like most power users. The eMac can be a very valuable tool! (check this article (http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/cultofmac/index.blog?entry_id=284321) about it on the Mac Blog @ Wired, he agrees with me)

Plus, its cheap compared to other Macs...I wouldn't mind at all to add an eMac as my primary machine.

[Zaty]

So how come Apple's website front page still shows the G5 graphic they've had up for like 3 weeks now?! This is a big improvement to the eMac line, you'd think they'd be bragging about it.

The G5 banner will be replaced next week with the ad for the new superfast (G4) PowerBooks :)

[Bendit]

So how come Apple's website front page still shows the G5 graphic they've had up for like 3 weeks now?! This is a big improvement to the eMac line, you'd think they'd be bragging about it.

Apple doesn't want this to be big news. They were relunctant to sell this model to the general public but had to due to overwhelming demand. They don't want to put it center stage and take away sales from the iMac which everyone knows to be a dead product except for Apple
(except for movie set decorators of course!). Very stubborn.

And they are probably going to announce something more interesting than an upgrade to the low end education computer that will take the center spot in a few days.

[wPod]

I am I the only one to think that apple could find a lot of switchers if instead of an integrated system this spec of machine was available as a stand alone tower or desktop unit.

switchers, what about current users? man take 100-200 off for the integrated monitor and your left with 600-700 for a small elegant and powerful box. id buy one in a second. . . and one for my parents and one for my little bro! and think of all of the people especially large organizations (like a university) that normally re-uses monitors theyd love it, especially with the power of a 1.25ghz G4.

but man that looks like a great deal for anyone who wants an e-mac!

[Parikh1234]

i'd still go to a gym. need the cardio exercise, not just strength training... :D

Maybe i should start running with the emac strapped to my backpack....see how anti-skip it is :cool:

[macridah]

New iMac G5's next week at NAB!! :p

i won't get my hopes up too high...

if they release a 20" iMac G5, i'll buy on the sameday, which means i'll get it 6 weeks later.

[Wash!!]

steve jobs said that they do good to break even on every iTMS song they sell after they pay the RIAA off, but they keep selling and pushing it, don't they? why? because it sells more iPods, which are over 50% pure profit for apple.

in apple-land, percieved value is much more important than actual value, whereas in the rest of the world, competition creates a much better balance of "paying for what you get."

the eMac/iMac/PBook price-to-performance discrepancies clearly illustrate this. Apple makes the most money on the products that are clearly the least "bang for the buck"

PC's aren't insanely cheaper because they are (in general) made with cheaper things or less "know-how." No, they are cheaper because they have to compete with other companies building the same things with the same materials. Apple uses the same RAM, hard drives, monitors, interface ports (mostly), graphics cards, power supplies, fans, etc., that you'll find in the average PC. They put a pretty face on it and run OS X, and expect us, their loyal customers, to pay a premium for the honor of using their stuff.

you know how much OS X is worth? 129 dollars.

Most companies exist because of their customers, and good companies appreciate the relationship, and the importance of the customer. to be honest, apple's sales/service/marketing approaches over the last couple of years have been MUCH more oriented towards profit than they have been towards customer satisfaction. They are taking advantage of our dependence on their OS and the lack of a solid, appealing alternative for the everyday creative professional.

i've started to feel a bit used of late. yes, apple needs to be competitive and yes, they need to be profitable, but just realize that steve jobs' financial security is not in question, and that apple is bringing in a lot more money than they NEED to be bringing in. If all that cash pool were being used towards development of new products, that would be one thing...but it's just sitting in the bank. The technology world needs to be constantly pushed forward, actively. In the last 6 months we've gotten, outside the software realm, very little from apple. the mini iPod, the greatest rip-off in company history, the long-overdue G5 Xserve, and now a speed-bumped eMac. Wow.

I guess i am just worried that apple is going to kill themselves and i'll be stuck without a machine to run their OS on in the future...

make no mistake, the iPod and iTMS will become a liability in the near future. the copy protection and the cost of business combined will turn the iPod's popularity into a "2000's fad" that people look back on and shake their heads about. 128k songs for a dollar a piece? bah. :rolleyes:


Move on to use windblows, linux, solaris, or make your own and become the next "Apple computer".
I make my living using Macs, and I tried the oh so great "95%" and unless they do a complete 180º on the way it works I wouldn' t use.. heck I said it before I'll use chalk, and abacus and piece of paper before getting one of the "better, faster, boxes" people are so spoiled :rolleyes: faster, faster, bigger, bigger, and now, now where is my 1000000000000MHz machine how come I don't have one in my desk I need it a week a go :rolleyes:

[Zaty]

Hehe, the reason why I said this the way I did is the following:
If they don't upgrade the Powermac until June they cannot update the imac to G5s either, which would make them obsolete compared to the new emacs. If they get faster, meaning 1,5/1,6GHz G4s, processors then this would mean another HUGE delay for the iMacs getting G5s which would mean that they would basically continue to be a no buy for a while.
So all I said I said for a reason. ;)
At least this is what would make sense from an economical and marketing perspective.
As I said time will tell, though if you're right.... then I think Apple would miss out on catching up with the x86 world once again... as they always did.

Well, they can put faster CPUs and GPUs into iMacs and drop prices. This would help improve iMac sells, which are not great at the moment. With the PM delay whose reason still remains a mystery, I'm not sure if the G5 wouldn't run too hot in the iMac. They would certainly use the PPC 970 (to spare the 970FXs for PMs and Xserves). So you see, I also have reason to be skeptical.

[Penman]

and emac is the cheapest computer.. this must mean that iMac, Powerbook and Powermac will soon see an upgrade with an 8x superdrive..and I think that there will be an g5 in them.

The more I think about this the clearer it gets. The G4 has nowhere to go really. If they move the iMac to 1.5GHz and the PB's get the same processor Apple will have broken their upgrade structure (with PB's a generation behind desktops and equal to their entry-level offering).

I don't know about speeds but I think that the iMac's going 1.5 GHz (soon) and the WWDC will reveal G5 PB's (running what exact processor I don't know) and Desktop upgrades. Even more likely will be G5 iMacs as I don't think Apple want to commit to a 'new' 1.5 G4 (they've had a long time to bump the G4's to 1.42 and haven't - the difference is minor).

As for drives - I don't see why they'd hold back from the fastes +/- drives available.