'Brilliant Savings' Promo

[MacRumors]

Apple has launched a new promotion called Brilliant Savings:

Between March 28, 2004, and June 26, 2004, purchase a Power Mac G5 and a 23-inch Cinema HD Display at the same time -- and get $500 back by mail.

The promotion runs until 2 days before WWDC (June 28th) 2004. Early rumors had claimed LCD price drops this week... it's unclear if this promotion is related to that rumor.

[robbieduncan]

Originally Posted by Macrumors

Apple has launched a new promotion called Brilliant Savings:



The promotion runs until 2 days before WWDC (June 28th) 2004. Early rumors had claimed LCD price drops this week... it's unclear if this promotion is related to that rumor.

Queue the "No New PowerMacs till WWDC" rumours. Add the "No New Displays" rumour to the same list.

p.s. You are missing a "t" in the title.

[isgoed]

Yep, this spells no Powermacupdates. Will we see the 3.0Ghz at WWDC than? I really had a feeling about 30 march....

[CmdrLaForge]

This really looks like no updates until WWDC ! Not good news at all. How can they not update the G5s for a complete year !

[Chaszmyr]

Originally Posted by CmdrLaForge

This really looks like no updates until WWDC ! Not good news at all. How can they not update the G5s for a complete year !

I agree it totally sucks... But the current powermacs are still good and they dont NEED an update, we would all just really like an update. I'm hoping this is just trying to push sales of 23'' displays and doesn't mean no powermac updates thuogh

[centauratlas]

Originally Posted by Macrumors

Apple has launched a new promotion called Brilliant Savings ...

They also extended the "More memory for less" promo until June 26th from March 27th. (see http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Im...emory_con.html and http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Im...emory_0327.gif).

To me that is even more telling than the display rumor. It looks like WWDC will be big. It includes the iMac, PM, and Xserve G5s, but not PBs.

p.s. And the "t" is still missing. :-)

[Chaszmyr]

Does MacRumors still believe that PowerMac updates are imminent?

[JasonL]

I hate mail-in rebates. It is just away to make it so that not everyone will get the $500 off. Just take $500 off the price up front I say.

This might not have anything to do with the G5 being delayed (although it may well be until June). The 23" display is due for a major price drop IMHO and the $500 rebate could really stem from that alone.

Well, looks lilke we've got a whole bunch of 'should I wait until after WWDC to buy my new system' threads to look forward to!

[CmdrLaForge]

Originally Posted by centauratlas

They also extended the "More memory for less" promo until June 26th from March 27th. (see http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Im...emory_con.html and http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Im...emory_0327.gif).

To me that is even more telling than the display rumor. It looks like WWDC will be big.

Agree. It really means even more than the display rumors. And I really don't care if WWDC wil be a big event. What if there will be only minor speed bumps and no 3GHz ? No update for a year is IMHO tooo long.

What happen with the PB and iMac and eMac ? No updates as well ?

[J-Squire]

Originally Posted by CmdrLaForge

This really looks like no updates until WWDC ! Not good news at all. How can they not update the G5s for a complete year !

Well.....techinically there was ONE update....the dual 1.8. But that is still pretty pathetic. I was quietly confident that there wouldn't be updates till WWDC. It seemed strange that Apple would so actively promote the current G5's (ie, website main page), and then upgrade them only weeks later. Consumers would feel ripped off. The more likely scenario is they had decided not to update them till June, and so began a new marketing campaign to try to increase sales of the current models.

At least this gives me a bit more faith that we will get 3.0GHz machines in June

[rdowns]

Let the BitchFest continue. With the RAM offer extended and 23" CD promo til end of June, no new models. Apple must be having some major problems with the new G5s. Looks like a full year without an update.

[CmdrLaForge]

Originally Posted by JasonL

I hate mail-in rebates. It is just away to make it so that not everyone will get the $500 off. Just take $500 off the price up front I say.

Could you please explain a little bit more detailed what you mean that not everyone will get $500 off ? I don't understand it.

P.S. Best thing is in February someone here at Macrumors asked if he should better give his newly purchased G5 1.6GHz back. And wait for updated machines. Most people told him to do so (including me ) I will never give the advice to wait for any update again.

[javabear90]

ok... thats it. I think I'm gonna buy on the 30th of march. Updates or No. Damn. I should have bought it in December.

[centauratlas]

Originally Posted by CmdrLaForge

No update for a year is IMHO tooo long.

I agree. I can see that they may be constrained for some reason (e.g. perhaps by 970s or something - as they seem to be by drives in the iPod mini), but people are used to frequent updates once you create a behavior and expectation it takes a long time to train people differently. :-)

[Veldek]

Originally Posted by CmdrLaForge

Agree. It really means even more than the display rumors. And I really don't care if WWDC wil be a big event. What if there will be only minor speed bumps and no 3GHz ? No update for a year is IMHO tooo long.

What happen with the PB and iMac and eMac ? No updates as well ?

OMG, this would be a catastrophe! Imagine Steve Jobs announcing a 2.6 GHz PowerMac one year after the first ones and at the exact date that 3 GHz PowerMacs should be out.

[isgoed]

Originally Posted by Chaszmyr

But the current powermacs are still good and they dont NEED an update

Don't need?? what are you talking about. AMD is at 2.4Ghz on a 13nm process. I want to see a battle of the titans. Bring on the benchmarks.

Originally Posted by CmdrLaForge

What happen with the PB and iMac and eMac ? No updates as well ?

Very well pointed out. I am actually not waiting for a PM, but for a cheap iMac G5. For that to happen, the G5 first needs an upgrade, then the iMac G5 needs to be released, then the iMac G5 must be out a while to get cheap and then i can buy it.....That is still a long time away.

Originally Posted by J-Squire

At least this gives me a bit more faith that we will get 3.0GHz machines in June

Well it gives me less faith.

[Raveny]

perhaps that is only for the displays... apple says that ANY powermac G5 can be combined with a 23" display. An update for G5 isn't impossible. Imagine, on this tuesday apple releases the new powermac and this encourages to buy a display from apple to sell more displays. This is not a promotion to sell more powermacs... or do you buy a display as a main buying and you notice the promo from apple and because of the 500$ discount you buy an extra powermac? i don't think so...

[Stoffel]

Huh. No new powermacs until wwdc? I hope we will see new powerbooks soon.

[centauratlas]

Originally Posted by CmdrLaForge

Could you please explain a little bit more detailed what you mean that not everyone will get $500 off ? I don't understand it.

I think what he meant was that lots of people will forget or neglect to send in their coupons on time and even if it is 10 or 20%, that is a large number of people who won't get the $500 off.

That is why they do the mail in rebates vs instant rebates - because they know plenty of people won't comply with the terms.

[thatwendigo]

Originally Posted by CmdrLaForge

Could you please explain a little bit more detailed what you mean that not everyone will get $500 off ? I don't understand it.

P.S. Best thing is in February someone here at Macrumors asked if he should better give his newly purchased G5 1.6GHz back. And wait for updated machines. Most people told him to do so (including me ) I will never give the advice to wait for any update again.

Most companies that issue mail-in rebates are hoping that the customers won't jump through the necesasry hoops to claim it. In essence, it's making the discount a hassle so that it's more likely that people will buy in expectation of saving, but not actually apply for the cash.

Dell's famous for their difficult process, as if that's surprising.

[thatwendigo]

Originally Posted by isgoed

Very well pointed out. I am actually not waithing for a PM, but for a cheap iMac G5. For that to happen, the G5 first needs an upgrade, then the iMac G5 needs to be released, then the iMac G5 must be out a while to get cheap and then i can buy it.....That is still a long time away.

Go stand in line with DHM, then. The iMac isn't going to be a cheap G5, unless something major happens on the supply side of things. It's running at $1,500 right now, and a lot of the components used in the newer architechture are more expensive than the old ones. That doesn't even start to touch on the R&D needs, the cooling, and so on...

[Windowlicker]

as long as they release new powerbooks/ibooks before the fall i'm happy.. i'm planning to buy a 12"er, but want to wait till new models are available.

[xsmi]

Could the delays be related to Hypertransport 2.0 which is supposed to ship in the 2nd half of this year? With PCI Express Video Cards shipping Q2 of this year (according to ATI) could Apple be waiting to do the entire upgrade in design all at once? Just a thought. I too am dissapointed. But if this is the case, I can wait.

[centauratlas]

Originally Posted by Windowlicker

as long as they release new powerbooks/ibooks before the fall i'm happy.. i'm planning to buy a 12"er, but want to wait till new models are available.

I am buying something.

What I want is: a dual 2.6 to 3.0 G5 PM (to replace my older dual 800 G4) and a PB G5, any speed on the PB (to replace my really old - 11 year old 540c PB that hasn't worked in 3 years). I can wait on the desktop (but Apple shouldn't be waiting) but I want the PB sooner so I can use it wireless out by the pool this summer without using it via bluetooth and t-mobile. I am afraid I will have to wait on both though, but will do so because I am not going to get another G4 now that the G5 is out. The only way I'd get a G4 is to get the low end with the expectation of trading up as soon as the PB G5 is out.

One thing I do hope is that Apple will announce AND *ship* the PM right away. The "announce and ship 2 months later" plan is a bad idea for obvious reasons.

I think IF this really means that the PM updates are delayed until WWDC (and that is what it seems to be) that we'll be more likely to see something like dual 2.4, dual 2.6 and dual 3.0s announced then, with the 2.4 and 2.6 being immediately available and the 3.0s "shipping in 6-8 weeks".

[CmdrLaForge]

Originally Posted by thatwendigo

Most companies that issue mail-in rebates are hoping that the customers won't jump through the necesasry hoops to claim it. In essence, it's making the discount a hassle so that it's more likely that people will buy in expectation of saving, but not actually apply for the cash.

Dell's famous for their difficult process, as if that's surprising.

Even if I can't really believe how someone can forget $500 I think you are right. I would definitly prefer instant rebate.

This has been a really slow quarter for Apple. When they released the G5 6 month ago I had really hopes that the slow moto time is gone and things are changing. But with latest news on the iPodmini for rest of the world and this news now I lost these hopes.

I am not in the market for a PM G5, but I hope that Apple is able to release cute new products that helps them to get their marketshare up which helps to get loyal other companys developing products for the Mac market.