Analyst Speculates on iMac Delays: Quad vs Dual Core?

[Anonymous Freak]

Regarding i7: We sell Intel and we had the 'training' for the i7. Their parting shot was 'sell the crap out of these chips and boards' to which I said 'What chips? What boards? We could get only one SKU of the chips and NO motherboards through our two distributors. Maybe things have gotten easier but the distro proce for the i7 was, if I remember correctly, somewhat north of $1,100! Yeah. Sell me that one...

It is quite different. There are three i7's, ranging in price from about $300 to $1000. There are many motherboards out there, with rumors of some as low as $200 being released 'any day now'. (The actual inherent cost doesn't have to be any higher than other motherboards; it's just that since i7 is the top-of-the-line, nobody bothers releasing cheap motherboards for it.)

I use a quad core processor right now with Vista (I know...) and I see very little difference and at the time, the price was not much more than a standard C2D. It's not 'server grade' but neither is the i7. According to the training from Intel: don't use the i7 for servers.

That's because Intel *NEVER* wants you to use "desktop" equipment in servers. For the simple reason that they also sell "server-grade" parts, and want you to buy those. Rumor sites say that the server-grade i7-based parts will be coming out in Q1 or Q2. There are a couple companies that sell "workstation" systems based on the current single-socket i7, that are true workstation-class motherboards, though. We just won't get dual-socket i7-family systems for a little while.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

It is quite different. There are three i7's, ranging in price from about $300 to $1000. There are many motherboards out there, with rumors of some as low as $200 being released 'any day now'. (The actual inherent cost doesn't have to be any higher than other motherboards; it's just that since i7 is the top-of-the-line, nobody bothers releasing cheap motherboards for it.)

Hey, they have some in stock at our distributors... Interesting.

That's because Intel *NEVER* wants you to use "desktop" equipment in servers. For the simple reason that they also sell "server-grade" parts, and want you to buy those. Rumor sites say that the server-grade i7-based parts will be coming out in Q1 or Q2. There are a couple companies that sell "workstation" systems based on the current single-socket i7, that are true workstation-class motherboards, though. We just won't get dual-socket i7-family systems for a little while.

They were asked about dual socket i7's and said "No. There are 'technical issues'.". Maybe it's changed? And we now show only three motherboards. 2 Asus and an Intel... All three are full ATX (BOO!)... But I'm loving the Intel board I just checked out. It has 12 USB ports! Compatred to the scant few on an iMac, this is like heaven...

Yeah, we have a couple of Celeron based servers at client sites... They aren't fast but they work...

 

[Eric S.]

Shrinking? How so? Macbook, Macbook Air, Macbook Pro, Mini, iMac, Mac Pro.

Out of those, you have 3 Macbooks, 5 Macbook Pros, 3 Macbook Airs, (currently) 2 Mini's, 5 different iMacs and 4 different Mac Pro models. 22 DIFFERENT models.

You can go hog wild in the number of selections... Uh, err... 'Options'...

Well of course I don't agree with your counting method. There are two Macbooks (and I'm very surprised Apple, given Apple's limitation of choices, that they've updated the white model) and one MBP. For those you have a very limited choice of HD, memory size, and CPU.

The mini in its current state is not an option for anyone. The Mac Pro is a niche product for power users. There is no option at all for anyone who wants a desktop of less power without an integrated screen.

Under the Mac Pro there is nothing that offers the expandability and upgradeability that was a standard Mac feature in the past. For customer choice, this is the worst computer lineup that Apple has offered in many years.

 

[Digital Skunk]

For customer choice, this is the worst computer lineup that Apple has offered in many years.

Correct indeed. Check the photo and see that the Power Mac G5 started out at $1499.

Also, the iMac started out at $1299 and still carried desktop class processors.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Well of course I don't agree with your counting method. There are two Macbooks (and I'm very surprised Apple, given Apple's limitation of choices, that they've updated the white model) and one MBP. For those you have a very limited choice of HD, memory size, and CPU.

The mini in its current state is not an option for anyone. The Mac Pro is a niche product for power users. There is no option at all for anyone who wants a desktop of less power without an integrated screen.

Under the Mac Pro there is nothing that offers the expandability and upgradeability that was a standard Mac feature in the past. For customer choice, this is the worst computer lineup that Apple has offered in many years.

If you want to get into picking nits, there are '2' Macbooks, but the differences between those '2' models make for '3' different Macbooks. The low end is different than the other one and each of the aluminum models offer different features and different processors making the number of Macbooks '3'. To say that there are only '2' Macbooks is rather ignorant, sorry... Similar changes are in the other models. I feel each stands as a 'choice'.

I'm happy with the models offered, I just wish I had more money to be able to buy some more Macs. I'd love a Mac Pro but can't afford one. :-(

 

[Eidorian]

Correct indeed. Check the photo and see that the Power Mac G5 started out at $1499.

Also, the iMac started out at $1299 and still carried desktop class processors.

I remember when each of those models had several versions below that.

Hardware choices from Apple!

 

[Samwisefan]

If that's the case, I guess I'll be building a Hackintosh. I can't survive 5 more months with the 2-gig RAM maximum of my original Intel iMac.

I agree. I have the same exact problem.

 

[dwl017]

Correct indeed. Check the photo and see that the Power Mac G5 started out at $1499.

Also, the iMac started out at $1299 and still carried desktop class processors.

What a joke and they have the nerve to put the Mini in the line up. One would get the impression that they dont even give a damn anymore. Seems to be all iPhones and laptops these days and F--- the rest of the loyal fan base.

 

[chrisdee]

A site based on rumors (macrumors.com) says that another dude's trackrecord in ruming is unreliable. Haha.

Anyway, Apple is hanging behind not having a quad core imac avalible yet

 

[Umbongo]

A site based on rumors (macrumors.com) says that another dude's trackrecord in ruming is unreliable. What a joke.

The role of Wu and Macrumors in the Apple rumour mill are very different.

 

[Digital Skunk]

I remember when each of those models had several versions below that.

Hardware choices from Apple!

Right, what gets me is that IT'S ONLY A $200 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE STARTING iMAC AND POWER MAC G5!

Which gives users the choice of an all in one for desk space or a tower for customization. This is what I mean when I say a Pro doesn't always need 8 cores and up to 32GB of RAM. I would love that for my HD rendering, but not for my RAW toning and cataloging.

Even if we couldn't get the desktop class quad core I would love to have the laptop chips from the iMac with at least the ability to put in PCI and a few internal HDDs.

Ideally we want what Aiden Shaw has been posting. Headless with different configs for different users at different price points, add to that starting barebones (absolutely NOTHING inside except the mobo, CPU and maybe install discs; letting us grab HDDs, RAM, GPU, etc. elsewhere or just migrating the parts from a previous system.)

What a joke and they have the nerve to put the Mini in the line up. One would get the impression that they dont even give a damn anymore. Seems to be all iPhones and laptops these days and F--- the rest of the loyal fan base.

The truth is they don't. If a company is making more money selling polished turds, then they will invest in the turd devision and leave little going elsewhere.

Apple is selling their toy machines like hotcakes, leaving most Pro thinking they NEED a Mac Pro with 8 cores and that it's best for them and that the price is just right. Many are convinced about it as well, and sadly tell others that they NEED it as well.

Apple will continue throwing money at the iPhone and app store, and maybe some OSX R&D as well as kid software. Leaving the Professional stuff to rot (i.e. DVD Studio Pro last updated three years ago, as well as Shake.) Soon they will cut off the Xserve, which I hear is a joke anyway, and just stop selling the high end Xsan and OSX server software with it.

I could rant for hours.... but will resist.

p.s. There may actually be a day when I completely switch back to Windows, I knew that there'd alway be one, I am just moving towards it a lot sooner.

 

[AidenShaw]

__________________
17" MacBook Pro w/Nehalem; Dual 500GB HDDs; Dual 3.0 GHz proc; Dual FW800 ports; WiFi & Sprint WiMax ...SOON

Let me fix your .sig...

Wants: 17" MacBook Pro w/Nehalem; Dual 500GB HDDs; Dual 3.0 GHz proc; Dual FW800 ports; WiFi & Sprint WiMax

Gets: 17" MacBook Amateur w/Merom; single 160GB HD, 2.33 GHz dual core; no FireWire, WiFi N crippled by an aluminum shell, no 3G, proprietary monitor connector, one USB 2.0 port, runs too hot, battery non-replaceable

- but only .69" thick!​

Apple makes great "designer" toys and mid-range prosumer stuff. They no longer have any focus on creative professionals.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Let me fix your .sig...

Wants: 17" MacBook Pro w/Nehalem; Dual 500GB HDDs; Dual 3.0 GHz proc; Dual FW800 ports; WiFi & Sprint WiMax

Gets: 17" MacBook Amateur w/Merom; single 160GB HD, 2.33 GHz dual core; no FireWire, WiFi N crippled by an aluminum shell, no 3G, proprietary monitor connector, one USB 2.0 port, runs too hot, battery non-replaceable

- but only .69" thick!​

Apple makes great "designer" toys and mid-range prosumer stuff. They no longer have any focus on creative professionals.

LMAO

That's pretty much what we got with this current revision.

 

[zirngast99]

what for?

Let me fix your .sig...

Wants: 17" MacBook Pro w/Nehalem; Dual 500GB HDDs; Dual 3.0 GHz proc; Dual FW800 ports; WiFi & Sprint WiMax

Gets: 17" MacBook Amateur w/Merom; single 160GB HD, 2.33 GHz dual core; no FireWire, WiFi N crippled by an aluminum shell, no 3G, proprietary monitor connector, one USB 2.0 port, runs too hot, battery non-replaceable

- but only .69" thick!​

Apple makes great "designer" toys and mid-range prosumer stuff. They no longer have any focus on creative professionals.

Hi, maybe I'm just not catching on your joke, but am I understanding it right: your asking for a full blown moon-rocket the size of a small fridge?

Beside that, what do you need it for? Dual 500GB drives in a portable? Can't think of any circumstances where one could need that, except a fashion photographer shooting only RAW with his LEAVE-back @ 50mpixels and a 1.000 pics a day at a very remote island, or my dear astronaut on his way to the mars who brings his entire music and video-collection (for some understandable reasons...)

This thing is consuming so much energy that you would need a small nuclear power plant and it is heavy to carry around.

Does anybody honestly need a 17" laptop? Have a 15" and it's far to heave to have it always around.

Thought that creative people make a living from their creative ideas not from the size of the laptop they use as a tabletop...

Maybe one day there will be a family van with 8 passenger seats and a giant trunk, the size of a ferrari (hopefully they get the look right as well). As people here tend to say: "Hope is the last to die."

So long, then.

 

[Shivetya]

The role of Wu and Macrumors in the Apple rumour mill are very different.

Yup. Wu gets cited by sites like MacRumors and others while MacRumors gets... uh, well... gets to bitch about Wu

 

[AidenShaw]

Beside that, what do you need it for? Dual 500GB drives in a portable? Can't think of any circumstances where one could need that, except a fashion photographer shooting only RAW with his LEAVE-back @ 50mpixels and a 1.000 pics a day at a very remote island

Yes, those photographers, or videographers who want to do editing on location, or sound engineers on location. The whole set of people who'd rather bring a larger laptop than a Mac Pro in their luggage.

Just because you aren't in the market for a mobile workstation, doesn't mean that some people aren't.

Note this press release on Lenovo's quad core dual spindle mobile workstation:

http://www.lenovo.com/news/us/en/2008/08/w700.html

Lenovo Unleashes PC Beast on Mobile Workstation Market with ThinkPad W700

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – August 12, 2008: Lenovo today introduced the ThinkPad W700, a 17-inch widescreen mobile workstation engineered with game-changing technologies and innovations to exceed the demands of the most data and graphics-intensive users. Lenovo brings the industry’s first built-in digitizer and color calibrator to a mobile workstation and combines these innovations with first-in-market technologies such as new NVIDIA® Quadro FX mobile graphics and supporting the upcoming Intel® mobile quad core processor. Other features such as optional dual hard drives with RAID configurations, up to 8 GB of high speed DDR3 memory, a range of wireless connectivity options and excellent multimedia capabilities including an optional Blu-ray™ DVD burner/player make the ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation the standard-bearer for power and performance in a mobile workstation.

“Lenovo has engineered a new breed of mobile workstation with the ThinkPad W700,” said Peter Hortensius, senior vice president, Notebook Business Unit, Lenovo. “No other PC manufacturer has a mobile workstation that delivers the sheer power, performance and cutting-edge innovation that Lenovo has packed into the ThinkPad W700. The ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation flat out delivers the command performance our customers demand at the desk as well as in the field."

According to IDC, the compound annual growth rate for the worldwide mobile workstation market has been more than 60 percent per year since 2002. The ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation extends Lenovo’s commitment to workstation users, complementing Lenovo’s W500 mobile workstation and ThinkStation S10 and D10 workstations. As workers in fields such as digital content creation, computer-aided design and manufacturing, digital photography and science fields including the oil and gas industries become increasingly mobile, they are demanding the full-featured performance of a desktop workstation in a mobile workstation.

First-in-Industry Engineered Innovation

The ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation takes customer driven innovation to a new level with an optional built-in palm rest digitizer and color calibrator. Lenovo and Intel collaborated to integrate the color calibrator and digitizer into the ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation. Designed for digital content creators and users, the mobile workstation’s digitizer helps them easily configure an image, either mapping it to the entire screen or to an area defined by the user. High performance users, especially digital photographers, will benefit from models with the built-in color calibrator as color continues to play an important role in their work. The calibrator automatically adjusts the display’s color in up to half the time of many external calibrators and with higher accuracy, resulting in the most accurate, true-to-life images in an integrated package. Together with the upcoming Intel® mobile quad core processor, multimedia designers and animators now have outstanding quad-core processor performance and true color replication that is critical for realistic digital creations and workflow efficiencies.

Super-Charged Performance Unleashed

Supporting the latest Intel processor technologies including the upcoming mobile quad core processor, the mobile workstation can be configured with up to 8 GB of memory with an additional 2 GB of Intel Turbo Memory. Lenovo also offers models with Intel® vPro™ technology for complete manageability. The mobile workstation can be equipped with dual internal hard drives, including solid state drive storage. The ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation offers both the NVIDIA® Quadro® FX 2700M and 3700M Open GL graphics processors with up to 1 GB of dedicated video memory for exceptional graphics performance in a 17-inch mobile workstation. The hard drives can be configured for RAID 0 to help users access and save their data faster than traditional disk-writing methods, or users can choose RAID 1 for mirrored data redundancy.

The mobile workstation includes WiFi wireless connectivity. Additionally, users can connect to other devices wirelessly using mobile workstation models featuring Bluetooth and ultra wideband technology. Models supporting WiMAX will be available later this year. [also has 1394 and optional 3G cellular radios]

New Heights in Display Technology and Multimedia Excellence

As the company’s first product with a 17-inch display, the ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation delivers an unparalleled viewing experience with a combination of leading technologies. Its optional 400-nit WUXGA display provides up to twice the brightness of earlier ThinkPad mobile workstation models, and the 72 percent wide color gamut provides more than 50 percent greater color intensity. The high resolution, extreme brightness and wide color gamut coupled with the NVIDIA Quadro FX MXM graphics solution results in a user experience unequalled in a mobile workstation today. For external connectivity, the ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation provides support for Dual Link DVI, Display Port and VGA. A 7-in-1 multicard reader, and five USB ports give users flexibility in transferring and accessing digital content. Additionally, the workstation comes with an optional compact flash reader and Blu-ray™ DVD burner/player. An optional mini-dock extends the mobile workstation’s capabilities with eSATA and digital audio ports as well as convenient cabling for power, external monitors and peripherals.

Packed for extreme performance, the mobile workstation also features BIOS/port disablement and an optional fingerprint reader, a smartcard reader and hard drives with full-disk encryption. It will carry more than 20 certifications from independent software vendors.

“Our engineers use Lenovo ThinkStation workstations to help them design the next-generation Williams - Toyota FW31 race cars, aiming to make them faster and more agile, with greater performance than the competition," said Chris Taylor, IT manager, AT&T Williams. “We’re thrilled to see Lenovo deliver the workstation performance we’ve come to rely on - now in a mobile, portable solution.”

Product pages at http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...5634AE8AB0F26CCAC867854&tab=2#tab-container-4

There's even a dual-screen model - it has a second builtin 10.6" screen:

Contrast with Apple's press release for its 17":

Measuring just 0.98-inches thin and weighing 6.6 pounds, the 17-inch MacBook Pro is the world’s thinnest and lightest 17-inch notebook.

Imagine Lenovo's story rewritten, and say "Apple" instead of "Lenovo", and say "MacBook Workstation" instead of "ThinkPad W700". Wouldn't that be nice to have Apple bragging about the function of their laptops, rather than the form? And of course, the thin MacBook Pros would still be around. DigitalSkunk and some others want the option of portable power.

 

[iMacmatician]

Imagine Lenovo's story rewritten, and say "Apple" instead of "Lenovo", and say "MacBook Workstation" instead of "ThinkPad W700". Wouldn't that be nice to have Apple bragging about the function of their laptops, rather than the form? And of course, the thin MacBook Pros would still be around. DigitalSkunk and some others want the option of portable power.

Precisely. Given that the MacBook and MacBook Pro are now so similar, they might as well combine them into one "MacBook" line, and redefine the MacBook Pro as something like this.

Three distinguishable lineups. MacBook Air: thin and light, MacBook: regular thin notebook, MacBook Pro: powerful.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Hi, maybe I'm just not catching on your joke, but am I understanding it right: your asking for a full blown moon-rocket the size of a small fridge?

Aiden Shaw nailed it, and I will just put salt on the open wound for ya.

Yes creative pros make their living off of their creativity. I make money off creativity. But I also make money off of the number of jobs I accept and complete in a timely manner.

Cutting footage on your system disk is a big NO-NO, especially full 1080p. Having a second HDD as a scratch disk would be wonderful, but instead I have to connect an external from FW800 which tends to fall out on the bumpy road or during air travel (yes, you can use a 17" MBP in those places) or eSata which has to be added via an express card adaptor.

I usually cut on a Mac Pro for my real job yes, but when I freelance I am usually never home or near a Mac Pro and 23" ACD, so the lappy is the next choice. The 15" MBP sucks to edit on for most cutters, so it's 17" hi rez or nothing. And frankly the 17" MBP is a toy compared to the other options on the market.

There's one thing to buy a $5000 laptop and just use it at home, another to buy a $5000 laptop to take with you on remote shoots and cutting on the go. It's a lot easier to carry a 10 lbs laptop on a flight than a 30 lbs Mac Pro or iMac just to get that quad core that ALL other PC laptops have.

Imagine Lenovo's story rewritten, and say "Apple" instead of "Lenovo", and say "MacBook Workstation" instead of "ThinkPad W700". Wouldn't that be nice to have Apple bragging about the function of their laptops, rather than the form? And of course, the thin MacBook Pros would still be around. DigitalSkunk and some others want the option of portable power.

I talk a little about the W700 and Dell Covet in this thread here and I think many say the same thing. It's one thing to have the best OS and apps around, and another to have real performing hardware to go with the OS.

Apple lags far behind in innovation and offering the top tech or even mid range tech, especially at a decent price. The Lenovo W700 shows what can be done if a company markets toward a certain market. It's not only made for photographers, it's also for video pros that use some Sony XDCAMs that use CF for capture. Rob Gailbraith puts the accuracy of the screen above the 15" MBP, and in fact puts the Dell Mini 9 above the 15" MBP further making it a useless option for anyone that actually does work with their machines.

Apple products are becoming very toy-ish and only for users that just d!ck around with their computers. To me, right now, Apple only has one high end top notch professional caliber machine... the Mac Pro and that's it. Everything else is meh.

p.s. Also, the Dell Covet would be considered the video editor's workstation, if the W700 is the photogs. It supports up to....... 16GB of RAM for a laptop.... and has a jog shuttle wheel and seriously every connection I could imagine. Plug it up to a reference monitor and you're done for the most part. Even has a full PC Card slot for those expensive Panasonic P2 cards.

 

[TheAshMan]

Cutting footage on your system disk is a big NO-NO, especially full 1080p. Having a second HDD as a scratch disk would be wonderful, but instead I have to connect an external from FW800 which tends to fall out on the bumpy road or during air travel (yes, you can use a 17" MBP in those places) or eSata which has to be added via an express card adaptor.

I'm not a creative pro, but wholeheartedly agree with this. I do a lot of virtualization of Windows VMs for my job and I like to have them run on a separate drive. That second drive is also good for other things like backup. I wish Apple would add eSata connector for iMacs. l use it on PCs (via PCI adapter) and it is great. I have 3 Gbps on an external Buffalo-Tech 1 TB drive, I wish I could do that on my Mac at work and home.

 

[galstaph]

I agree with aidenshaw and digital skunk as well. I'm glad I bought my 17 1.5 years ago, when it was near top of the line available (and it's still no slouch). I wouldn't trade it for anything, but now, looking for another for home use (as I am using this one more or school) I am having the hardest time deciding from an iMac, which would do 90% of my work easy, or a mac pro which would o everything. I do 3d rendering and design (architecture and aggregations in maya, rhino, autocad, maxwell render, etc.) so although my 17 can handle it, when it comes to rendering video or images, I really don't feel like watching it render a frame per hour....
IF there was a good middle ground I'd be snapping it up in a heartbeat

 

[Digital Skunk]

I agree with aidenshaw and digital skunk as well. I'm glad I bought my 17 1.5 years ago, when it was near top of the line available (and it's still no slouch). I wouldn't trade it for anything, but now, looking for another for home use (as I am using this one more or school) I am having the hardest time deciding from an iMac, which would do 90% of my work easy, or a mac pro which would o everything. I do 3d rendering and design (architecture and aggregations in maya, rhino, autocad, maxwell render, etc.) so although my 17 can handle it, when it comes to rendering video or images, I really don't feel like watching it render a frame per hour....
IF there was a good middle ground I'd be snapping it up in a heartbeat

Yup, and I know your pain brother. I would love to not have to wait HOURS for footage to render in FCP on my 17" especially when pumping multi-layered Motion files through.

The iMac would be an improvement over the G5 tower I have, but I would still run into issues with expansion, external drives, and PCI. The Mac Pro is top notch and would be preferred, but I wouldn't mind paying half as much for a desktop class quad core.

It's a very simple matter of offering that percentage of pro users what they actually need, and not what Apple says they should buy.

 

[Sehnsucht]

Quad core, Dual core, either one is "too much" for the average Apple user.
My biggest hope is that Apple goes with Atom processors across thier product range from Mac Mini to iMac, and including all notebooks.
Anything more might cannibalise Mac Pro sales.

Heeheehee!

 

[Eric S.]

Precisely. Given that the MacBook and MacBook Pro are now so similar, they might as well combine them into one "MacBook" line, and redefine the MacBook Pro as something like this.

Three distinguishable lineups. MacBook Air: thin and light, MacBook: regular thin notebook, MacBook Pro: powerful.

Fine, as long as they offer a 13" (or smaller) MBP.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

While it would be nice if Apple released a true "mobile workstation", ironically, for a notebook, I'd rather have two of their current notebooks shrunk to the next size down:

An 11.5" MacBook Air. Everything the MBA is (and isn't,) only made so that it is exactly as wide as required for the keyboard. I have calculated that it would need an 11.5" 16:10 screen to accomplish that. This is the way the 12" PowerBook G4 was; exactly as wide as required for the keyboard, no more. In this small of a machine, I would happily sacrifice the missing bits.

A 15.4" MacBook Pro with the exact same properties as the new 17". The intergrated battery providing 7 hours of life (I imagine some life would be given up in the move to 15", but not much,) three USB ports.

The only two things I'd like to see added to both is eSATA and Wireless USB. There are 'combo eSATA/USB' ports on some notebooks already, so eSATA wouldn't have to add ANY space, and Wireless USB is an official standard of the USB Interface Forum that wouldn't add *ANY* space if properly implemented on the motherboard. It would also let the MBA be as truly wireless as humanly possible for any conceivable interface other than power and video. (And there is wireless HDMI, so if they were to throw that in, all the better! Although they have committed to DisplayPort instead of HDMI, so I doubt that would happen.) You could have high-speed USB 2.0 hard drives connected to a W-USB hub, your iPhone connected to the hub, etc. If you don't use an external monitor, the only plug you would ever care about is power.

Finally, a mid-level desktop Mac. Something that uses a single high-end desktop chip and chipset instead of the laptop chips in the iMac, and server/workstation chips in the Mac Pro.

It could be an 'iMac Pro', with the higher-powered chips in a slightly thicker iMac enclosure; or it could be a 'Mac Pro Lite', just throwing a different motherboard in a Mac Pro chassis. Doesn't matter. I just want a high-powered single-socket desktop.

And, really, the iMac enclosure is too thick already. I mean, it has the same guts as the 17" MacBook Pro, with a 3.5" hard drive instead of a 2.5" hard drive. There is no reason it needs to be that thick. Or have that huge chin on it. Yeah, the power supply takes up some room, but *THAT* much? They could throw a power brick on instead of that, or something. There should be a way to thin the iMac. Maybe the current thickness one could become my desired 'Pro', and thin out the current guts to make the consumer-level iMac out of notebook parts.

I'm not asking for much, really.

 

[WeegieMac]

Most Former Buyers NOW fall into these major identifiable categories:

* The "rich" but not-as-rich anymore

* The beginning to look over their shoulder before parting with their dough

* The formerly able to purchase luxuries and conveniences
and who are now focussing upon bare essentials.

During Recession, Almost Everyone "cuts back" because

they either have no choice

or,

they feel that they'd better do so...

I feel I had to reply to this comment because for me it applies to me almost identically.

I'm currently on my third iMac, having owned the G4 iMac, a G5 17" iMac (non-iSight/FrontRow), and currently use a 17" Intel Core Duo iMac. As I hurtle towards my 30th birthday this year, the recession is very much taking its toll on me and my family. I bought a house with my (then) girlfriend in 2006 and got married to my (now) wife in April 2008, so I no longer have the kind of income that enables me to throw cash away on "luxuries". Every new "gadget" that came out I would buy on day one ... the last time I done so was when Xbox 360 launched, and that system has long since been sold to see of harder times when my wife was made redundant in October last year. Thankfully, she's back in employment now, but on a salary below what she used to be on.

I have in the past 3 months began my career as a freelance web designer, after quitting my laborious office job of 6 years, and have developed three sites so far and am currently developing another two as we speak.

Thanks to my website income I have been able to put money aside for a new iMac to replace my ailing 17" Core Duo model which has a knackered Matshita SuperDrive in it. And, while CS3 runs nice enough on my current iMac, I know that my work would be so much easier (and faster) on a new model of iMac. I would love to put my money towards a Mac Pro and Apple Cinema Display, but the fact is that an iMac remains the most cost-effective way for me to get a) more screen real estate and b) better hardware specification.

I currently have £800 set aside from my recent projects for a new iMac and am waiting intently on an update. However, I am stuck at a crossroads. When Apple launch the new model of iMac it's more than likely that the price will change for the entry level model, which currently costs £782 here in the UK. The introduction of a Quad Core, possible Logic Board change, possible chassis redesign to accommodate extra heat, etc can only push that price up and after seeing the Macbook redesign push up the entry level price on that range, I think it's reasonable enough to presume the iMac will also see a hike in cost.

3 years ago I'd have laughed and paid the extra without thinking about it. Today, I've got a budget I can scarcely afford to wander too far from ... if at all.

So with this in mind I am tempted to go and get a new iMac now while the cost remains £782, but I'm holding off for now "just in case".