$499 Headless iMac?

[toe puff]

The description of this sounds a little like a mockup I did a month or two ago:

This is a terrible design. Which way do you put the CD in the drive? You'll have hundreds or thousands of "cup holder CD drive" grannies calling Apple Support because they can't access their CDs.

Just because its pretty, doesn't mean it has to be non-intuitive. Read Donald Norman's "The Design of Everyday Things" to catch my full drift.

 

[ICEBERG]

Good move on Apples part. Very Smart. I sure will get one. I hope it will have a decent video card.

 

[dicklacara]

If it's a (cheese) pizza box, and it's cheap, call it the mac&cheese! (That's what we call Kraft Dinner, for you non-USA types)

Pasta Frommage'

 

[SeaFox]

Article changes

Does anyone else notice the way the article keeps being changed. I don't see any information about the size of the new Mac as the article sits on AppleInsider right now:

Apple to introduce headless iMac, iPod speakers

By Kasper Jade
Published: 11:35 AM EST

Early next year Apple is expected to introduce a sub-$600 Macintosh along with its own brand of iPod speakers.

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Apple Computer next month is expected to introduce a G4 iMac sans monitor that will retail for below (US) $600, multiple independent sources tell AppleInsider. The unit will easily plug into any display or television, sources said.

The computer, which is reportedly code-named Q88, is currently under production in Asia by manufacturing contractor HonHai, otherwise known as Foxconn. HonHai currently produces Apple's Power Mac and AirPort Express products.

While sources did not provide specific clock-speeds, the new iMac will reportedly boast a low-end G4 processor, 256MB of RAM, one FireWire 400 port, two USB 2.0 ports, 10/100Base-T Ethernet, DVI and VGA with dongle, a 56K modem, and a low end graphics card. The computer will reportedly draw power through an external power brick, similar to those that ship with Apple laptops.

According to sources, the headless iMac was to include a built in iPod dock, though sources say this feature was scrapped and may reappear in future versions of the headless iMac.

Along with the new iMac, reliable sources say the company will also debut its own brand of powered iPod speakers.

Both announcements are expected to take place during the annual Macworld Expo Conference that kicks-off during the second week of January.

Also, I see "sub $600", not $499. And there are no statements by sources about it "not taking a rocket scientist to create a bare-bones PC" as in the Macrumors quoted material.

But this is good news. I'll probably buy one just to replace my aging desktop and so I can keep up to date with working in OSX while I save for a Powerbook.

Lets call it the lcMac.

 

[Rob_Merritt]

Hello,
This is my first time posting here and the way things are looking, it may not be the last.

First, here is my pitch for a name of the headless mac: MyMac

I work with a fairly large group of Engineers (around 100). Most also enjoy using computers at home and work. Many people I showed this story to were interested. The past two years with Windows XP have not been kind. They still want to access the net and use a computer at home. Most probably would not switch just because there isn't a version of Solidworks on anything but Windows. Two years ago, people would just ran away without looking. Interesting to note, EVERYONE and I do mean EVERYONE who had an Ipod (about 15 people) said they "gotta get" this new Mac. Some of them weren't even sure why but they love their Ipods that much that anything that would expand the experence "in that price range" they would get.

Myself, I'm the system admin for the team. I tell you what, if true, there are some employees that only use their computers for email, I will get one of these things to put on their desk. Out of 130 some systems, the only 3 systems that don't give me much flack are 2 powermacs (g4 and a g5) and my sun server. At home I have been rather Mac timid. I'm not a big Windows fan. (in fact I still miss my beloved os/2) but the sticker shock and "being one of the crowd" mentality keep me on the wintel upgrade latter. I have a PM 7200 that sort of works that I picked up from a yard sale but it wasn't powerful enough to do anything at the time I bought it. Anyways, I'm sick of Microsoft security patches. Out side of games (which most if not all game companys are going towards consoles) the only thing I use my computer for is web, email, word processing and Itunes. So yes, I will get one of these computer. If I grow attached, maybe next cycle I'll get powermac.

 

[Object-X]

Does anybody else see this as a sign of less expensive displays? Surely Apple doesn't expect a switcher to walk into an Apple Store and take home this new $499 box hitched to a $1299 display.

Regardless, I can think of three people I know who will jump all over this. They're in love with their iPods, sick of Windows, but not willing to pop $1500 for a nice iMac G5.

-Drew

I hope so. Dell is now selling a 20" wide cinema display for about $700. That is almost 50% what Apple is selling theres for. Now Apple's look better but $700 is a lot of money. And what about the 17" space? Could Apple come out with a 17" cinema display to add to the new headless iMac? Bring in the total price at a few hundred less than the entry level G5 iMac and there you go.

 

[toe puff]

A cockroach can survive for two weeks without its head, eventually dying only because without its head it can't drink or eat. In fact, if you were to lop the head of one of these ugly bugs, the body could still skitter around your house for days.

so.....

iCockroach

Or just... iCock?







You knew it was coming.

 

[CubaTBird]

emac emac! where does it fit into all this

 

[Object-X]

This is a terrible design. Which way do you put the CD in the drive? You'll have hundreds or thousands of "cup holder CD drive" grannies calling Apple Support because they can't access their CDs.

Just because its pretty, doesn't mean it has to be non-intuitive. Read Donald Norman's "The Design of Everyday Things" to catch my full drift.

It goes in with the bottom facing right..duh!

 

[krykert]

$500? How terribly crass

Oh no, here come the proles. The tasteless rabble. The masses who see nothing past the price tag. Of course you can’t blame them if their trust funds aren’t large enough to provide them with life’s very finest—they wouldn’t appreciate it anyways—but surely Apple should know better than to serve the poor peasants la crème de la vie on the discount rack at Sears.

There was a time, not long ago, when you could tell everything that mattered about a person by his or her choice of operating system. You would notice a man at the local bistro with his titanium PowerBook and a deep garnet Merlot, and you instinctively knew: here is a man with a certain flair, a je ne sais quoi that makes his company worth your while. You’d wonder if the dark-clad woman striding down the street was your type; then you’d notice tucked under her arm a Duo 2300c, so retro and so delicously delicate, and you’d be smitten, simply devastated. You’d go for coffee along Bedford and the two of you would talk about the next East Village gallery opening, or the latest collection from Philippe Starck, or how Frank Lloyd Wright had ruined American architecture.

And it wasn’t just about being able to identify like-minded individuals. As a Mac user yourself, you belonged to an exclusive club of discriminating individuals and creative geniuses. Artists like Picasso. Activists like Teresa Heinz. Revolutionaries like Václav Havel. Writers like Dave Eggers. Actresses like Chloë Sevigny. I remember at a cocktail party in SoHo once—it must have been in the mid-’90s—Susan Sontag, Haruki Murakami and I spent hours debating the merits of Mac OS 8’s new “Platinum” theme. Those were fine times, indeed.

But ever since the introduction of the mass-produced iMac and iBook, it’s been getting harder to distinguish the aesthetically conscious literati from the unwashed masses. It started with the yuppies, and now it’s moving on to state-school students and former Dell buyers. On Bedford Avenue, L Café is gone, replaced by a Baby Gap. Soon it will be smelly Linux enthusiasts (ugh!), if it isn’t already, popping their pimples over translucent keyboards and lickable widgets.

We Mac users were willing to forgive Apple the iPod’s popularity, but this... if this rumor is true, then this is going too far. Mon Dieu! Apple, why do you want to sell to these poor peasants? These people don’t appreciate beauty and elegance. They don’t understand it. They probably even voted for Bush—all four times.

Mr. Jobs, please establish eligibility requirements for the purchase of a new Mac. A good start would be to disqualify anyone who listens to Ashanti or anything they play on K-Rock. You could also disqualify people who think digital watches are cool, as well as all objectivists. In America, don’t even bother selling to the lower Midwest. Don’t accept applications postmarked from trailer parks. Ban the entire Hilton family.

One way or another, something must be done to preserve the Macintosh community. Anguished but unified, we cry out with one voice. Dam the river, close the gates, pull up the portcullis, keep out the tasteless proles. Please, Mr. Jobs, don’t wait until it’s too late.

 

[MacNeXT]

I wonder if Apple leaked some info to AppleInsider to set expectations about price. They need to avoid a situation similar to when the ipod mini price was announced.

I haven't got experience with AppleInsider's trustworthiness, but here's another theory:

AppleInsider made up some slight differences and additions, just to get some site traffic. Two USB ports is a safe guess, it's probably true, and 100 usd off the price is something to get away with.

The iPod dock is a nice one: no one can claim they were/are wrong because they supposedly aren't gonna do it after all.

It also sounds kind of unlikely that Apple considered this idea in the first place. Doesn't every iPod model need a differend dock "socket"? Which one would they include? And what about future iPod models? Nahh... the more I think of it, the more it smells like a hoax.

I could be wrong ofcourse.

 

[GFLPraxis]

Graphics card?

What kind of graphics card will it have? I wish the article specified

If it has a Radeon 9200, 32 MB, like the eMac...meh.
If it has a Geforce FX 5200 Ultra like the iMac, I will be very, very happy, and probably start saving for this

If it has an upgradeable graphics card, I will be happy, but probably not buy it right away.

 

[virus1]

The description of this sounds a little like a mockup I did a month or two ago:

are you sure you don't work for apple? that thing kicks ass. id buy that for $1000

 

[ProApple05]

I hope thats true. It will end all whining from PC people, and I'll pick up 10 of em...

 

[ccuilla]

wonder if Apple leaked some info to AppleInsider to set expectations about price. They need to avoid a situation similar to when the ipod mini price was announced.

Do you mean runaway demand?

 

[SiliconAddict]

This is beyond lame. I love the concept. But a 1.25 Ghz G4 is simply far too slow,

For what? Browsing the net? Ripping music from your CDs? Writing a document? Reading your e-mail? Watch a video? All of these things are defined as basic tools of a computer and all of which would run perfectly fine on such a system. People need to pay attention to the price tag. $499 is going to be for those who simply want to do the basics. The people looking to do such things do not need a 1.5Ghz CPU.

30% of the speed of a $500 PC.

Again why? The reality is you don't need the top of the line or even a midrange system to run the apps many users are looking to run. Again when you are looking at a $500 computer you are looking at a different set of criteria. When you spend $2000 on a computer people have a tendency to look at performance specs and benchmarks. Heck they do the same for $800 computers as well but at the price point of $499? Its no longer about performance. No one in their right mind should expect blazing speed out of a $500 computer and by and large most people don't. People in the market for a $500 computer are looking for basic functionality. Period. Now take that cheap price point with the name Apple, couple it with OS X Tiger, wrap it in a sexy design and you have yourself a winner.

 

[serpico]

I'll get one of these if it's true. Anything will be better than my current iBook G3 700. I would use it as an entertainment hub as well, if possible. Forget Media Center XP or a linux box sitting by the tv.

My PC wife loves her U2 ipod, and this maybe the thing that switches her off using the pc at home. If I use it as the entertainment hub, she'll have no choice but to use it ! Perhaps she will grow to like mac's too.

 

[TWinbrook46636]

The iPod dock is a nice one: no one can claim they were/are wrong because they supposedly aren't gonna do it after all.

It also sounds kind of unlikely that Apple considered this idea in the first place. Doesn't every iPod model need a differend dock "socket"? Which one would they include? And what about future iPod models? Nahh... the more I think of it, the more it smells like a hoax.

I believe the socket is the same for all the current iPods. There was the rumor of an iPod "SuperDock" going around for a while that would feature A/V outputs, hard drive and remote control. Maybe someone caught a glimpse of this new computer with built-in iPod dock and assumed that was what it was.

 

[fixyourthinking]

Really???

Most people on the PC-side don't even know what video memory is. Most computer users use their computers to write an assignment or a little letter in Word, surf the internet or check their weekly schedule on it's learning or some other university web-service.

Of all my friends, I can only think of 5 or 6 who would think about vid ram, all the others I know wouldn't know the difference between that and a hdd.

Really??? The #1 complaint about Macs I get is they don't have a budget gaming system. The gamers (mac or pc) KNOW how VRAM is important.

It matters on relatively simple games too.

I see these as being a hit in ad agencies as well - where VRAM will play a roll in Photoshop, etc etc.

 

[SeaFox]

Does anyone else notice the way the article keeps being changed. I don't see any information about the size of the new Mac as the article sits on AppleInsider right now:

Also, I see "sub $600", not $499. And there are no statements by sources about it "not taking a rocket scientist to create a bare-bones PC" as in the Macrumors quoted material.

Oh, wait. The article is from ThinkSecret!

 

[TimDaddy]

So, think they'll drop the price after six months, give it a speedbump, or add the iPod dock? Or all of the above?

What to do... Buy now, or wait!

I'll go start a new thread on the subject!

 

[Rob_Merritt]

Really??? The #1 complaint about Macs I get is they don't have a budget gaming system.

Ah, who is wanting to buy a Mac for gaming much less waiting for a budget mac to do so? I could see someone getting a mac and splurging for the latest video card and hardware to run WoW or Doom 3 before someone forgoes a pc to play games like Rollercoaster Tycoon on a mac.

 

[Object-X]

A Mac for small businesses

I am a system admin and programmer for a small company of about 30 users. Last year I switched to the OS X platform after curiosity got the best of me and I bought a Mac to try. I now use it exclusively and have got several people at my company to buy iMacs for their homes. The company is seriously considering my request for a couple Xserves to run the company. The issue however has been client support and what to do about that. They desprately want to rid themselves of Windows and all of the security headaches. Linux is too time consuming for me to support, but $1300 a pop for an iMac is too high a price, especially since we have monitors already; but $499 is really the sweet spot and is what they pay now for a Dell workstation. If this rumor turns out to be true, I could easily see the entire company drop Windows outright and switch to Apple (client and server).

Though it uses a G4 now, it wont be long until it is sporting an IBM G5 and Powermacs and iMacs will have the new IBM multi-core chips. Could IBM at that time start marketing a headless Mac to their corporate clients? Could this signale a move by Apple to go for the Microsoft juggular? Windows sucks, everyone knows it, and Apple has the best kept secret in the world of computers -- OS X. Though iPods get all the buzz, OS X is the real story. I think small businesses will start looking very carefully at Apple and OS X if they can get a cheap client workstation at $499.

The winds of change are blowing strongly and Apple is powering ahead.

 

[Rootman]

I really wish Apple would just reintroduce the old iMac G4 LCD sans monitor.

Two domes on a desktop would definitely appeal to the male psyche.

That would be the long-rumored iRack.

 

[ccrandall77]

Not impressed

Why introduce an obsolete system that really isn't much cheaper than the eMac (which should be getting a boost with a G5-1.6)? So you drop $500 on the iMac and then another $300 for a decent LCD... $800 for a system with lesser specs than a G5 eMac. I only really see this appealing to people who already have a monitor, want to buy a cheap monitor separate from the system, or just want a cheap server w/o a monitor.

I think what would make more sense would be a set-top box for $500. The specs given on Thinksecret sound about right for a set-top box. There's no reason a set-top couldn't act as a headless iMac either (unless the system was locked down like TivoS2 or there was no VGA/DVI out).

A set-top box is what I've been waiting for. I want something to replace my Tivo so I can use all the HMO features for free (no I don't get them for free since I have free Tivo Basic) and be able to use it as a web server.

If this doesn't happen, I hope that they upgrade the AX to support video in addition to audio and Apple creates a suite to perform Tivo-ish operations and video streaming.