Apple Adds New 256 GB and 512 GB Flash Storage Options to iMac

[Xiroteus]

Yes, but just remember it's based on their future, not ours

Overall their future really just appears to be anything that pushes iTunes or other services on people. Any company that was so about about the future would have more up to date tech in their computers.

 

[notthedark]

Send your iMac to NewEgg and have them install their SSD. I'd be interested to know what they'd charge.
Do you really think Apple should be selling you a fitted SSD for the same price that some third-party mail-order warehouse churns them out in grubby little brown cardboard packages?
Not everyone wants to be a do-it-yourself SSD installer.

The rationale for posting the price comparison isn't about doing the upgrade yourself. It's pointing out the consumer cost of the component. Apple is charging over a 100% consumer markup for an item (the 256GB SSD) that they are buying at below consumer price. I think it's fair to say Apple is paying below $150 for the drive they are selling to you for $420.

Glamorous Apple store sells milk they buy from farmer John for $7/gallon and box store also sells milk they buy from farmer John but for $3/gallon. Would you argue that the bright shiny stores milk is more nutritious? Keep in mind both Apple and box store are paying less than $1/gallon for that Milk.

Or perhaps what is needed is an ISP price comparison. If Apple were an ISP I can imagine they would charge $300/month for the same 50mb service I presently pay $50/month for. But, because the service from Apple it's somehow a better service.

Why do you feel the need to defend price gouging?

 

[Razeus]

Reasonable? Are you crazy?

Maybe if it were in addition to the regular hard drive..... not in place of.

You clearly missed my follow up post.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Yes, but when it turns out that what one is getting performs as well as what one was asking for then one should be satisfied

That's how I felt when I learned last year about how 5400 drives had improved to the point of what I was really asking for. I used to complain about them being in the iMacs too but once someone told me that I was like "oh, my mistake."

The new 5400rpm drives perform as well as the 7200rpm drives of several years ago. The new 7200rpm drives perform better than the new 5400rpm drives. The cost difference is small. Why wouldn't someone want the maximum performance available at the same price point?

 

[Small White Car]

The new 5400rpm drives perform as well as the 7200rpm drives of several years ago. The new 7200rpm drives perform better than the new 5400rpm drives. The cost difference is small. Why wouldn't someone want the maximum performance available at the same price point?

This conversation made more sense a few years back when the choice was solely between different hard drives. In that world 7,200 existed as the high end option and 5,400 as the low end.

But now 7,200 is nothing compared to SSDs. It's not the high end anymore, it's actually the middle. So Apple still offers a high and low options, it's just that 7,200 drives no longer represent either of those spaces.

Now the people who care about speed get SSDs. And the people who don't care about speed, well, they don't care about speed. Who needs the middle option?

Who is this middle-ground person in the center of that venn diagram? Someone who cares about speed, but not enough to get an SSD?

I think at that point you're talking about a very small group of people.

 

[AppleScruff1]

This conversation made more sense a few years back when the choice was solely between different hard drives. In that world 7,200 existed as the high end option and 5,400 as the low end.

But now 7,200 is nothing compared to SSDs. It's not the high end anymore, it's actually the middle. So Apple still offers a high and low options, it's just that 7,200 drives no longer represent either of those spaces.

Now the people who care about speed get SSDs. And the people who don't care about speed, well, they don't care about speed. Who needs the middle option?

Who is this middle-ground person in the center of that venn diagram? Someone who cares about speed, but not enough to get an SSD?

I think at that point you're talking about a very small group of people.

Why not just make the 7200rpm standard? I personally don't see the point of a low end option when something better is almost the same cost.

 

[Xiroteus]

Why not just make the 7200rpm standard? I personally don't see the point of a low end option when something better is almost the same cost.

This one hundred percent!

This conversation made more sense a few years back when the choice was solely between different hard drives. In that world 7,200 existed as the high end option and 5,400 as the low end.

But now 7,200 is nothing compared to SSDs. It's not the high end anymore, it's actually the middle. So Apple still offers a high and low options, it's just that 7,200 drives no longer represent either of those spaces.

Now the people who care about speed get SSDs. And the people who don't care about speed, well, they don't care about speed. Who needs the middle option?

Who is this middle-ground person in the center of that venn diagram? Someone who cares about speed, but not enough to get an SSD?

I think at that point you're talking about a very small group of people.

Maybe a combo of speed and price, they surely would not mind a 7200RPM drive yet are not comfortable with the high cost of Apple's SSDs.

 

[aneftp]

Apple owns the all in one desktop market.

What are u choices? HP's All in One isn't cheap?

Dell's all in one isn't cheap either.

Configure those all in ones and compare them to Apple. You aren't saving much.

If you want high performance on the cheap. Buy a desktop tower and build your own machine with high end everything for around $1400 for the tower only. Than add a 27 inch IPS monitor for around $700. You will still end up spending $2100 and change without the all in one look.

 

[Xiroteus]

Apple owns the all in one desktop market.

What are u choices? HP's All in One isn't cheap?

Dell's all in one isn't cheap either.

Configure those all in ones and compare them to Apple. You aren't saving much.

If you want high performance on the cheap. Buy a desktop tower and build your own machine with high end everything for around $1400 for the tower only. Than add a 27 inch IPS monitor for around $700. You will still end up spending $2100 and change without the all in one look.

Not just Apple, some of these systems are not even true all in ones anymore.

 

[luffytubby]

Harddrive is the first component to fail in a computer. Given the limited upgrading capabillities, it's crazy not to go for SSD. Fusion is not the solution. Stick to SSD and get external USB3 Drives.

 

[Arfdog]

You can always bash something and praise the other thing like crazy. Nothing is perfect, and so does iMac.

If I want to bash iMac, I could do it easily too, you know? Owning something like an iMac is like having a sexy computer, but no matter what, you're risking all your eggs in one basket.
A generic cardboard computer tower is easier to maintain, also cheaper to fix and upgrade. And in my experience, PC components could come with better support so that you don't care too much if it devaluates quickly.

For example: I could get 27" Dell U2713HM display (it's 27" and 2560x1440 too) for $700 and it already come with 3 years warranty. No AppleCare needed. While it's made of plastic and might not as sexy as an iMac or Apple Thunderbolt Display, it works great with both Mac and PCs (ironic, huh?) and having multiple inputs is a breeze.

One simple thing breaks inside .. and ...

Image
The ugly cardboard desktop survives ​

I'm not above bashing what can be bashed. But the later iMacs raised the game for PCs, new one is no exception. One thing is for sure, you do not get better customer support than with Apple. It's not perfect but try getting support from a PC vendor and it's night and day.

The iMac raises the game because you dont have to worry about maintenance, repair, or big upgrades. It just works all the time. So it's not really putting your eggs in one basket, since that basket has some strong ass handles and won't break.

----------

The rationale for posting the price comparison isn't about doing the upgrade yourself. It's pointing out the consumer cost of the component. Apple is charging over a 100% consumer markup for an item (the 256GB SSD) that they are buying at below consumer price. I think it's fair to say Apple is paying below $150 for the drive they are selling to you for $420.

Glamorous Apple store sells milk they buy from farmer John for $7/gallon and box store also sells milk they buy from farmer John but for $3/gallon. Would you argue that the bright shiny stores milk is more nutritious? Keep in mind both Apple and box store are paying less than $1/gallon for that Milk.

Or perhaps what is needed is an ISP price comparison. If Apple were an ISP I can imagine they would charge $300/month for the same 50mb service I presently pay $50/month for. But, because the service from Apple it's somehow a better service.

Why do you feel the need to defend price gouging?

Yeah your example is missing a few aspects.

To be more accurate in the analogy, the Apple milk lasts about 10x longer, tastes much better, has more nutritional value, and probably makes your skin glow.

The Apple ISP actually is 100 mb service, has better customer service, has free HBO, has a really intuitive channel guide interface, is wireless, and has free DVR backup.

----------

This conversation made more sense a few years back when the choice was solely between different hard drives. In that world 7,200 existed as the high end option and 5,400 as the low end.

But now 7,200 is nothing compared to SSDs. It's not the high end anymore, it's actually the middle. So Apple still offers a high and low options, it's just that 7,200 drives no longer represent either of those spaces.

Now the people who care about speed get SSDs. And the people who don't care about speed, well, they don't care about speed. Who needs the middle option?

Who is this middle-ground person in the center of that venn diagram? Someone who cares about speed, but not enough to get an SSD?

I think at that point you're talking about a very small group of people.

Now that's some sensible logic.

 

[iSayuSay]

^^

Obvious fanboy is ....

Something like iMac or rMBP is a perfectly sealed computer. It only works as long as it works.
Oh yes I've had my old iMac repaired too many times to remember until Apple replaced my machine.

If a Mac just works all the time, no errors or failures, why Apple needs Genius Bar, ASP, and AppleCare at all?
Why my iMac breaks too many times until it needs to be replaced?
Why there's something called "Kernel Panic" if it never has errors?

Sounds like in your imaginary world, Apple products are 100% works and worry-free all the time. Not in my world, mister.

You cannot extend or get another AppleCare beyond 3 years support. As long as you're covered then you're okay. But I can't imagine how expensive it would be once I run out of AppleCare? How hard it would be if I just want to replace my rMBP battery or increase my SSD once Apple does not cover your machine anymore?

 

[Arfdog]

^^

Obvious fanboy is ....

Something like iMac or rMBP is a perfectly sealed computer. It only works as long as it works.
Oh yes I've had my old iMac repaired too many times to remember until Apple replaced my machine.

If a Mac just works all the time, no errors or failures, why Apple needs Genius Bar, ASP, and AppleCare at all?
Why my iMac breaks too many times until it needs to be replaced?
Why there's something called "Kernel Panic" if it never has errors?

Sounds like in your imaginary world, Apple products are 100% works and worry-free all the time. Not in my world, mister.

You cannot extend or get another AppleCare beyond 3 years support. As long as you're covered then you're okay. But I can't imagine how expensive it would be once I run out of AppleCare? How hard it would be if I just want to replace my rMBP battery or increase my SSD once Apple does not cover your machine anymore?

... And they work almost all the time. If it does fail (rare), they take care of you. Not many OEMs do that. Did you modify your Mac?

As for expansion, just go external SSD or whatever you desire and hook it up via USB 3 or Thunderbolt. I don't see the fascination with opening up your PC/Mac and replacing everything inside? Are you just longing for the 80's, 90's, and 00's??

 

[AidenShaw]

Dude, you should get a Dell.

Because if it does fail (rare), they take care of you. No other OEM does that.

Dude, you should get a Dell.

Standard on Latitudes is a three year next business day on-site repair.

AppleCare really sucks compared to that - you have to take your Apple to Apple, whereas Dell comes to your home or office.

And AppleCare is an expensive add-on - Dell includes the NBD on-site repair.

 

[etrinh]

I see. I never had an issue with my Apple devices pas thet warranty so I cannot say I understand you. I guess all my issues were during the warranty period.

Not if its out of warranty and the fact that you can only buy 3 Years for the crazy price of $350 and cant buy anymore, is a problem. This is one reason businesses stay away from Apple.

Expensive, movement back to proprietary hardware, and warranty coverage length is not there.

 

[Ender17]

That is not relevant. 1TB 2.5" 7200 rpm drives do not exist as of today. The 21.5-inch models use laptop 2.5" drives, not 3.5" drives that come in 1TB 7200 rpm variations.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145875

 

[Arfdog]

Dude, you should get a Dell.

Standard on Latitudes is a three year next business day on-site repair.

AppleCare really sucks compared to that - you have to take your Apple to Apple, whereas Dell comes to your home or office.

And AppleCare is an expensive add-on - Dell includes the NBD on-site repair.

OK i'll revise. "Because if it does fail (rare), they take care of you. Not many OEMs do that."

 

[iSayuSay]

... And they work almost all the time. If it does fail (rare), they take care of you. Not many OEMs do that. Did you modify your Mac?

As for expansion, just go external SSD or whatever you desire and hook it up via USB 3 or Thunderbolt. I don't see the fascination with opening up your PC/Mac and replacing everything inside? Are you just longing for the 80's, 90's, and 00's??

No I did not modify my iMac hardware in any way. It fails automagically. In fact all Macs (4 so far) I ever had at least failed once or twice. The worst was my iMac, 5 frickin times before it's replaced .. and no, it's not exactly a rare case. The Apple forum confirmed this, my local Apple technician confirmed this.

No I do not enjoy opening my Macs either. But if it fails, what would Apple do? Wave the magic wand and fix it?

You act as if Apple is the perfect saint company, while it's not. Like I said, PC vendors like Dell provides an equally good (if not better) customer service. With Dell high end products, 3 years warranty comes standard so I don't have to buy another warranty like AppleCare. And they will come to my place to do the repair job. With Apple, home services are limited and hit or miss. LOL

Now compared to even if you buy a $5,000, $10,000, or $50,000 Mac computers, Apple doesn't care, it would only come with 1 year warranty. You want more? Pay for AppleCare, pay for One-to-One service, pay pay pay. You can't beat the greed in that .. you just can't

 

[DisMyMac]

Buyers need to keep up their stinginess. Don't let Apple get away with their usual lame pricing schemes.

 

[barkmonster]

LOL. All of yall compaining about Apple's "Apple tax" .... you're acting 'leet, you think you're "power users" and know-it-alls.

So you buy a third-party SSD for less (which is about 10x more massive than the iMac's SSD). What are you going put it in?

Your generic full-tower with "custom" everything (which is actually just a cluster of commoditized PC parts) that has 4 fans, puts out about 150W of heat, is noisy, looks like a cardboard box, has 10 OPEN drive bays, memory slots, and expansion slots, and has neon lights? All feeding a 27" Hanns-G monitor. LMAO

Yeah great purchase, what a bargain! You saved loads. Now try selling it. The resale price is what speaks to the real value of your gaming rig.

I think you're confusing only having the 2 options of whatever Apple give you or chosing some generic PC box and then jumping in with barbed comments that amount to "Why don't you get a PC if you don't like it" with what a lot of people want, which is Apple offering fair prices for trading components from their standard configs for better components at the point of sale to their customers that actually reflect the component costs, not the "Apple Tax" prices.

You're also confusing having upgradability built in, like the easily access RAM in a lot of their laptop and desktops or the drive sleds in the Mac Pro with having either a sealed unit with whatever RAM and storage Apple says you can have for the price or having to go off and buy a PC if you don't like it.

 

[Captnroger]

And I just read that the iPhone was the #1 profitable product. $300 UPCHARGE for 256gb SSD? Sounds like the crap they were doing back in the 80s with the prices of their hardware. Way to go Timmay

 

[Arfdog]

You act as if Apple is the perfect saint company, while it's not. Like I said, PC vendors like Dell provides an equally good (if not better) customer service. With Dell high end products, 3 years warranty comes standard so I don't have to buy another warranty like AppleCare. And they will come to my place to do the repair job. With Apple, home services are limited and hit or miss. LOL

So when are you buying your Dell?

Apple is not a saint company, is not free of all vices. But they have the fewest vices and are by far the best PC company in my opinion, especially with regard to the quality and design of their PCs.

Apparently you think Dell makes better computers, has better service, and better warranty. Post pics of your next Dell!

 

[Arfdog]

I think you're confusing only having the 2 options of whatever Apple give you or chosing some generic PC box and then jumping in with barbed comments that amount to "Why don't you get a PC if you don't like it" with what a lot of people want, which is Apple offering fair prices for trading components from their standard configs for better components at the point of sale to their customers that actually reflect the component costs, not the "Apple Tax" prices.

You're also confusing having upgradability built in, like the easily access RAM in a lot of their laptop and desktops or the drive sleds in the Mac Pro with having either a sealed unit with whatever RAM and storage Apple says you can have for the price or having to go off and buy a PC if you don't like it.

How do you propose they fit a drive sled in an iMac? Same example goes for removability of other components, like why Iphones don't have removable batteries. It takes (wasted) time and materials to make removable components. Yes RAM which is always demanded, should be replaceable. But HDs, not so much. The rest of the computing population doesn't care as long as it's big enough. Want speed? Get the Fusion (which really works well).

Why design a system of hinges, locks, screws and magnets for the 0.1% who upgrade their HDs and other things yearly?

IMacs are designed for regular people who don't care about 50 choices. If you want cracking power and expansion galore, obviously go Pro. If you want fine gradations of BTO options... go Dell. They probably have about 50 unique model #s of the Latitude line alone.

I'm not an Apple fanboy. I was converted because i'm damn tired of Windows' problems and embarrassing resale. Let's see what Macs offer. Lo and Behold it's damn, really damn good.

 

[Toltepeceno]

Don't feel bad up there guys. On the apple mexico site a base imac 27" is 2500.00 us (1700.00 to you) and the 512 ssd upgrade is 800.00 (600.00 to you).

That's a thousand US dollars usd more here in mexico than the US. The Apple MX site is ran in the US and stuff shipped from there.

No cutting slack to 3rd world wage earners.

 

[Haribokart]

Any comments/reviews from people with these out there yet? I imagine they fly with an SSD in there.