Will the 2017 iMac be ridiculously overpriced?

[prizm]

Just curious what the consensus is as I search for a desktop replacement. I love my 2007 iMac. Amazing machine that has served, and continues to serve me well. But it's time for an upgrade.

Why is the consensus on the probable pricing of a new/updated imac? Is it going to be a jaw dropper just like the MacBook pro update?

 

[maflynn]

Why is the consensus on the probable pricing of a new/updated imac? Is it going to be a jaw dropper just like the MacBook pro update?

I didn't think the MBP was draw dropping, It had some nice improvements, like the screen, not so nice changes (the keyboard) and debatable updates, like the USB-C and Touch Bar. I say debatable because that's what's occurring now, lots of discussion over both items.

As for the iMac, I wouldn't be surprised to see a price increase, since they did that with the MBP, but I'm not sure what they'll be doing, design wise.

 

[richinaus]

I didn't think the MBP was draw dropping, It had some nice improvements, like the screen, not so nice changes (the keyboard) and debatable updates, like the USB-C and Touch Bar. I say debatable because that's what's occurring now, lots of discussion over both items.

As for the iMac, I wouldn't be surprised to see a price increase, since they did that with the MBP, but I'm not sure what they'll be doing, design wise.

I actually do think the MBP was a jaw dropper [especially the 13"]. Such a better experience to use than the old models and really do love mine. I have tried not to get too involved in the discussions on Macrumors as they seem to be just arguments over personal preferences. Here are my opinions [and I hope they transfer to the iMac] :

Love the keyboard - my favourite after the magic keyboard. Go back to the old one from the new one and it feels like typing on sponge.
USB C is great - no issues for me [can appreciate others predicaments, but some are blown completely out of proportion].
Touch bar takes some getting used to, but has benefits [is better than a fixed function row for sure]
fantastic speakers
love the thinness
fit, finish and design best ever

The MBP basically got modernised. I hope the iMac gets the same.

Yes, I agree there will be a price increase, and also agree nobody knows about the design. Could be new and amazing or just an iteration of. It will be very interesting to see it and how it stacks up against the Surface Studio. I am operating system agnostic at work so am willing to go either way depending.

 

[namethisfile]

Just curious what the consensus is as I search for a desktop replacement. I love my 2007 iMac. Amazing machine that has served, and continues to serve me well. But it's time for an upgrade.

Why is the consensus on the probable pricing of a new/updated imac? Is it going to be a jaw dropper just like the MacBook pro update?

The new MBP's price aren't actually that much jaw-dropping. Last year's 2015 MBP with dGPU cost the same price as the base 2016 MPB. It's just that, the new MBP's have more higher-priced options this year. And, there is no non-dGPU or just iGPU option like last year's, which retailed for $1999....

There is also the Touchbar thing, which would definitely add a little bit to the cost.

UPDATED: Okay. I just realized you might have meant the jump in price of the 2016 13" TB MBP... and I was talking about the 15" version. In that case, my bad. The 2016 13" Touchbar MBP base model is, indeed, a lot more expensive than last year's models. But, there is that wide-gamut display, and touchbar thing. IDK. I guess Apple is asking people this year to either go high or low and not the middle?...

If there is a new iMac, the price will not be that jaw-dropping unless there's something in it that inherently will make it more so. Like, for example, a touch screen. But, I doubt Apple will add a touchscreen to the iMac anytime soon since MacOS is not touch-sensitive, yet. Nor, will Apple feel the pressure to add a touchscreen because MS is.

I mean, currently, you can option out an iMac to jaw-dropping prices. But, I'm sure you mean, the base models only. And, in that case, no I don't think so. I think Apple will release a new iMac and keep prices in line for many reasons.

Even, if there's a totally new design, I think.

PS... the iMac has always been per Steve Job's vision as something affordable for everyone.

PSS... ie, $1299 for the quad-core i5 21" one and there is even a $1099 with a weaker CPU... it's the smaller iMac but it's still an iMac....

PSSS... build-quality being strong point. Doesn't mean better build quality equals higher $$$... it means our product is good, it automatically has good build quality/feel as if for free because we are proud of our products kind of deal.

PSSSS.... not fake the $$$$ for better seeming "quality" like some companies do

 

[Flynnstone]

I doubt it.
I don't think the current ones are over priced. I bought a 27" iMac late last year. Awesome. Better than my 2009 24" iMac, but thats no surprise.
I think a $400 PC is ridiculously under priced. My first PC cost just over $2k in mid eighties.

 

[The Doctor11]

Just curious what the consensus is as I search for a desktop replacement. I love my 2007 iMac. Amazing machine that has served, and continues to serve me well. But it's time for an upgrade.

Why is the consensus on the probable pricing of a new/updated imac? Is it going to be a jaw dropper just like the MacBook pro update?

I think this is a impossible question to answer as I think whether something is over/under/fairly priced is simply a matter of opinion. My 2015 iMac cost me almost $3,000, and to me it was fairly priced. I do all of my work and learning on this computer, its fast, it has an outstanding display, and I expect this computer to last me a long time.

Assuming you got your iMac when it first came out, you've had it for 8 or 9 years, and its served you well so that was probably a fairly priced machine. Depending on what you want to do with your new iMac, which one you get, how much you want to pay, and how long you use it will determine whether or not it is fairly priced to you.

 

[tubeexperience]

Of cause it will.

This is the Tim Cook era.

 

[Gmouse]

Agree--it will be overpriced, and...it will probably still not have much room inside, so the components will overheat with use, so the CPU and Video chip will be throttled causing poor performance. I don't understand why Apple doesn't make a serious, high-performance iMac, like just about ANY Windows computer you can buy. Since Apple doesn't really allow for upgrades (except for RAM), it needs to come from the store VERY powerful, and the design, while maybe cool looking, needs to be modified to allow for the components to receive sufficient cooling, so they don't have to be throttled.

There should also be some "loyalty" program, where if a person with an iMac buys a new one, they can sell their old one back to Apple (or a third-party) and both receive a discount and get a cheaper price. They REALLY don't need the extra money from us that they get by ridiculous overpricing.

 

[colodane]

I expect the pricing to follow the normal Apple paradigm. To many it will seem "overpriced". Others will not blink when they click on the Purchase Now button.

They will most certainly have one low-end version that is about the same price as the current low end model so they can promote its price in their marketing campaign. Most of us will not want that model.

They will hopefully offer BTO options, and some of these, like the current price for memory upgrades will no doubt seem "overpriced".

Without knowledge of exactly what the specs, options and pricing will be, nobody can answer your question at this point.

As a point of reference, I will be buying a new BTO this year to replace my 2011 iMac. I expect the model I end up with will be middle to high-end, but not completely maxed out. I've set aside $2500 to $3500 for this purchase and expect it to fall somewhere in that range. I see that price as "acceptable". Others may call it "overpriced".

 

[purplehaze0]

I'd be disappointed if it wasn't ludicrously priced. It would deprive Macrumours forums of content........for a day.

 

[ThisBougieLife]

I consulted the Magic 8 Ball:

It might not be "ridiculously overpriced" and I do suspect SSD upgrades will be less, but count on a price increase for sure.

 

[CWallace]

I expect pricing similar to what we have now as the only changes I expect are the CPU/GPU/TB3/USB-C. So unless Intel and AMD are charging significantly more for their new chips, there is not much changing / added in comparison to what happened to the MacBook Pros to support a significant price increase.

 

[fokmik]

Knowing Apple, the answer is simple.
Yes if the imac has a redesign
No if the imac gets just internals updates

 

[Icaras]

If there happens to be a redesign, then I would imagine a price increase, following the same trend as the MBP (and really all new and most newly redesigned Macs in the past), but probably not as dramatic of a price increase. I would guess $100-$200.

And definitely expect to pay more if you want to add a new Touchbar Keyboard or choose a configuration that comes with it.
[doublepost=1485215039][/doublepost]

Knowing Apple, the answer is simple.
Yes if the imac has a redesign
No if the imac gets just internals updates

Yep, pretty much, with future iterations of the new design dropping in price over time.

 

[tomwvr]

I doubt it.
I don't think the current ones are over priced. I bought a 27" iMac late last year. Awesome. Better than my 2009 24" iMac, but thats no surprise.
I think a $400 PC is ridiculously under priced. My first PC cost just over $2k in mid eighties.

My first PC was a MAC SE.
In 1988 it cost ---3900 + 675 for an immagewriter printer + another 1000 for various pieces of software....

 

[macmee]

but I'm not sure what they'll be doing, design wise.

You're not thinking thin enough my friend.

 

[phrehdd]

I love my Mini iMac. I cracked off the screen from my 2015 rMBP and mounted it on a stand that only has tilt. It is THIN and beautiful.

My next iMac will also be THIN and Beautiful. It will also have laptop guts, a great screen but be so elegant with maybe 1-2 ports only and I can be truly excited about all the amazing dongles out there and dock/bus devices I can shop for as an after market affair. I find this experience akin to paying 500-1000 dollars so I can enter a store to buy "thin STUFF" at retail and know I am in with the in crowd.

The last rMBP was indeed a jaw dropper. Either one's jaw dropped as they were so excited about the changes or their jaw dropped to the floor seeing stuff they didn't care about but had to pay a premium. In short, quoting the less intellectually inclined, there are different opinions out there and just need to bring it to everyone's attention.

As for the upcoming iMac, we all know based on Apple and the economy, at least some models will cost more but we'll just have to wait and see what the changes are. Sorry if I am really saying nothing here of real substance but it was important to be a voice for the mundane and less inclined.

 

[jpine]

My first PC cost just over $2k in mid eighties.

Mine was closer to $3K (late 80's). Part of that price was the upgraded "SX" 386 processor to the "DX" processor which had a "math coprocessor" I needed to run a stats program, if you can imagine that. Oh, I "upgraded" the video card to a whopping 1MB.

 

[Sam_S]

I hope not, Apple seems to be increasing prices for absolutely no reason at the moment. You can even blame the NZD to USD exchange rate, every time they release something they put up the price for fun... The 2012 iMac I have cost $1900, the equivalent model is now $2,200.

As long as they aren't stupid with their redesign (Make it stupidly thin and useless) I am sure that any price increase that happens will be small maybe $100-$200. That's my guess.

 

[phrehdd]

Mine was closer to $3K (late 80's). Part of that price was the upgraded "SX" 386 processor to the "DX" processor which had a "math coprocessor" I needed to run a stats program, if you can imagine that. Oh, I "upgraded" the video card to a whopping 1MB.

Glad you got over to the DX. Just some trivia here - 386 sx was a 32/16 setup as in 32bit internal/core but to the rest of the system it ran 16bit only. The 486sx actually had the co-processor on board but was intentionally defeated. It appeared that it was cheaper to include and defeat during manufacturing. For many, running 16bit "out" was not a problem given how many software was 16 bit in the market.

 

[cynics]

This is too subjective of a question to answer because its based on an individuals values.

I don't feel current Macs are overpriced because I find value in what they offer. However someone that doesn't appreciate what the Mac offers will find no value in it and will feel its overpriced.

That said, hardware wise its still tough (impossible?) to beat an iMac without compromise. No other AIO offers a 5k screen so there are compromises right out of the gate. And even if you built a PC you'd likely need to compromise somewhere PCI-e based storage, 5k screen, webcam.....something. Plus you would need to use a video card capable of 5k@60 which will add onto the total.

Most people will start compromising things like getting a sata based SSD or a 4k monitor which is fine but that means they didnt find the value in those things to begin with aka felt it was overpriced.

However if you want to point to something that is obviously overpriced is the SSD's in the current iMac. PCI-e based storage IS expensive however the iMac is a using PCI-e based SSD with read and write speeds of 2000 and 1500 ish respectively. The new MacBook Pro is using PCI-e based SSD with speeds of 3100 and 2100 mbps ish. The same can be said about the RAM (1867 vs 2133mhz). Yet they are both the same price when upgrading.

To answer your question the maxed out iMac will be more expensive then the current iMac. Like the new MacBook Pro it will likely have a 2tb PCI-e SSD option which isn't currently available in the iMac. So I would expect the maxed out version to be at least 800 dollars more than the current maxed out. Most other models will likely be about the same assuming Apple doesn't including a new must have (aka you are getting it whether you like it or not) feature.
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Mine was closer to $3K (late 80's). Part of that price was the upgraded "SX" 386 processor to the "DX" processor which had a "math coprocessor" I needed to run a stats program, if you can imagine that. Oh, I "upgraded" the video card to a whopping 1MB.

Wow, nostalgia. I remember my father and I upgrading my Packard Bell with a 486sx2. I think I convinced myself Doom ran better.

 

[richinaus]

Just on pricing, people seem to forget what a commodity computers have become in comparison to the 90's and early 2000's. My first decent Mac was the titanium G4 Powerbook [after using PC's for 10 years] and that cost me a small fortune - way more than any MBP now, and I was earning a lot less too.

 

[Sam_S]

Just on pricing, people seem to forget what a commodity computers have become in comparison to the 90's and early 2000's. My first decent Mac was the titanium G4 Powerbook [after using PC's for 10 years] and that cost me a small fortune - way more than any MBP now, and I was earning a lot less too.

In 2004 a PowerBook G4 15" Base model was $1,999 USD

• a Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive;
• 256MB of 333 MHz DDR SDRAM;
• AirPort Extreme wireless networking and internal Bluetooth;
• DVI, VGA, S-video and composite video support;
• Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T);
• two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 and 800; and
• a 60GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive.

That would be using CPI inflation calculator roughly $2,539 in today's prices. The base 15" costs $2,400 so roughly a $140 difference

The top of the line PowerBook G4 was $2,499 USD

• a 4x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) optical drive;
• 512MB of 333 MHz DDR SDRAM;
• AirPort Extreme wireless networking and internal Bluetooth;
• DVI, VGA, S-video and composite video support;
• Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T);
• two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 and 800;
• a Backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor; and
• a 80GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive.

That would be roughly be $3,175 in today's prices. The top of the line 15" costs $2,800 so a difference of $375.

They are slightly cheaper today in regards to buying power, however Apple has come a long way since 2004 and refined its manufacturing processes and reduced costs.
I would expect the 2016 MBP it to be cheaper then what it is now.

 

[richinaus]

In 2004 a PowerBook G4 15" Base model was $1,999 USD

• a Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive;
• 256MB of 333 MHz DDR SDRAM;
• AirPort Extreme wireless networking and internal Bluetooth;
• DVI, VGA, S-video and composite video support;
• Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T);
• two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 and 800; and
• a 60GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive.

That would be using CPI inflation calculator roughly $2,539 in today's prices. The base 15" costs $2,400 so roughly a $140 difference

The top of the line PowerBook G4 was $2,499 USD

• a 4x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) optical drive;
• 512MB of 333 MHz DDR SDRAM;
• AirPort Extreme wireless networking and internal Bluetooth;
• DVI, VGA, S-video and composite video support;
• Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T);
• two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 and 800;
• a Backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor; and
• a 80GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive.

That would be roughly be $3,175 in today's prices. The top of the line 15" costs $2,800 so a difference of $375.

They are slightly cheaper today in regards to buying power, however Apple has come a long way since 2004 and refined its manufacturing processes and reduced costs.
I would expect the 2016 MBP it to be cheaper then what it is now.

In the US it was that much...... I recall it was about 3000 pounds in the UK. I was earning about 28k at the time. So it was more and you have not allowed for wage inflation.

In 2004 a PowerBook G4 15" Base model was $1,999 USD

• a Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive;
• 256MB of 333 MHz DDR SDRAM;
• AirPort Extreme wireless networking and internal Bluetooth;
• DVI, VGA, S-video and composite video support;
• Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T);
• two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 and 800; and
• a 60GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive.

That would be using CPI inflation calculator roughly $2,539 in today's prices. The base 15" costs $2,400 so roughly a $140 difference

The top of the line PowerBook G4 was $2,499 USD

• a 4x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) optical drive;
• 512MB of 333 MHz DDR SDRAM;
• AirPort Extreme wireless networking and internal Bluetooth;
• DVI, VGA, S-video and composite video support;
• Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T);
• two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 and 800;
• a Backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor; and
• a 80GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive.

That would be roughly be $3,175 in today's prices. The top of the line 15" costs $2,800 so a difference of $375.

They are slightly cheaper today in regards to buying power, however Apple has come a long way since 2004 and refined its manufacturing processes and reduced costs.
I would expect the 2016 MBP it to be cheaper then what it is now.

Maybe it is because I earn 3 times more than I did then that they seemed expensive...... you are right though, just looked at the prices.
And yes, with better manufacturing they should be cheaper.

 

[Sam_S]

In the US it was that much...... I recall it was about 3000 pounds in the UK. I was earning about 28k at the time. So it was more and you have not allowed for wage inflation.



Maybe it is because I earn 3 times more than I did then that they seemed expensive...... you are right though, just looked at the prices.
And yes, with better manufacturing they should be cheaper.

Yes Macs tend to be more expensive everywhere else! I'm from NZ and they are just getting stupid, well the new MacBooks certainly are!

Those prices where from the media release when they were announced.

I don't mind paying a premium (owned 5 Macs over the years) but the new MacBook Pros are stupidly expensive a $500NZD increase from what I paid in 2013 for pretty much the same specs, (I know the overall package is slightly better) but I really can't justifiy $3k on a new machine. (I have a 2.6GHz i5, 8GB, 256GB cost $2.5k NZD in 2013).

However my old iMac is certainly more in need of an upgrade so I am hoping the new machines aren't over priced! Or I will build a hackintosh...