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Apple Announces New iMacs, Mac Minis, AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule

nm156 said:
I will check out thermaltake for my next build. But, I'm still considering the imac just to have for quality and reliability for school work and overall aesthetics. What do you think?
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I'm the wrong person to ask. After my brief flirt with Apple hardware I have absolutely nothing good to say about it. Seven logic board replacements on my iBook before it was stolen, three LB replacements on my DA Powermac.

I prefer DIY as I can:

a) fix my problems myself. And if stuff does die out of warranty, I'm not stuck paying near as much as the machine to replace it.
b) upgrade often and not have to entirely replace the machine. I'd feel bad about tossing an iMac because of the attached display. (I'm not a huge AIO fan)
 
organerito said:
That only matters if you are buying in a British store with American dollars. It is simply more money for them. Their salaries stayed the same. So, macs are more expensive.
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I do see that overnight macs have become substantially more expensive and as i said at first glance I was shocked, but if Apples strategy is not to lower prices in the current climate then the UK prices are correct. I'm from the UK by the way, but it seems ironic that when for once the prices in the UK are actually equal to or better than the US prices (after conversion) everyone moans more than ever, but when Apple was taking a massive "ripoff Britain" tax (when £1=$2), people got over it. Its difficult for Apple, I don't know what they could have done as technically they have lowered prices in the UK substantially, its just that the currency doesn't reflect that. I mean I'd be pretty angry if i had been waiting to buy a mac, but Apple isn't responsible for the value of the pound.

EXAMPLE

in november 2007 when the mac mini was last updated with leopard, the low end version cost £399. divide by 1.175 to take away tax then = £340

in dollars at the time this was about $680

in march 2009 low end mac mini, (with more features) costs £499. divide by 1.15 to take away VAT = £433

which converted to dollars at the current rate is $606.

TECHNICALLY. the UK has received a price cut, for more features. As I said, if you aren't happy with it, blame Darling.
 
jouster said:
Basically this thread is 32+ pages of proof that Apple's market is dominated by consumers with little knowledge of specs, but a preference for OS X or shiny design or buying something from the folk who make iPods.

The rest of us - who might know or care about FSBs, clock rates, GPU specs and so on - are no longer their target market. These iMacs will likely sell very well, as their predecessors have. Apple barely even differentiates their products at all, now: the laptops and iMacs are distinguished only by screen size.

I think that they feel that there are enough consumers doing consumer type things with iPhoto and iTunes (and other apps) to keep fueling sales indefinitely, or until the next big thing. This has pretty much been their strategy since the digital hub was first announced.
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Very good summary. Apple is a consumer electronics company now. They are making absolutely no effort to compete with other computer companies on hardware.

It's 2009 and I simply cannot bring myself to pay Apple prices for an iMac with only two processor cores, no way to easily upgrade the hard drive, and a re-branded, die shrunk 2007 video card.

My biggest problem is going to be convincing my wife that some PC I build myself and hack to run OS X is going to be as reliable as something from Apple.
 
jouster said:
Basically this thread is 32+ pages of proof that Apple's market is dominated by consumers with little knowledge of specs, but a preference for OS X or shiny design or buying something from the folk who make iPods.

The rest of us - who might know or care about FSBs, clock rates, GPU specs and so on - are no longer their target market. These iMacs will likely sell very well, as their predecessors have. Apple barely even differentiates their products at all, now: the laptops and iMacs are distinguished only by screen size.

I think that they feel that there are enough consumers doing consumer type things with iPhoto and iTunes (and other apps) to keep fueling sales indefinitely, or until the next big thing. This has pretty much been their strategy since the digital hub was first announced.
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Best post here. I agree with you 100%. I've had several friends buy iMacs in the past 2 years who care less about specs. All they wanted to do is move away from the PC, Surf the internet and use itunes and Iphoto. Something that pretty much every mac for the past 10 years can do.

I'm a Mac Fanboy who hates Microsoft with a passion.
 
HLdan said:
That's such BS! It's been no secret that Apple charges a lot for their computer and there was no mention that they might be lowering prices with the new hardware. So if you're gonna lie, you might want to tell one that we can believe. :p
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No kidding! The volume of whining and complaining in this thread is truly pathetic.
 
Getinkedtattoos said:
I just bought a Brand New iMac 24" 1 1/2 weeks ago @ Best Buy, I have had it for 11 days now and the return policy is 14 days!!! Thank GOD!!! Now I have to erase everything I have put on here in the past 11 days (apx. 220 GB) and take myself back up to the Best Buy CS Desk, get my refund (Which unfortunately gets snail mailed back to me 10-14 BUSINESS DAYS!!!!!) Then I can order the iMac that I have been waiting for!!! I am Very Stoked about the upgrades, although I JUST ordered 4 GB of RAM 2X2gb for my current iMac... I will just have to either get the guy to cancel the RAM order or sell it (Anyone looking for 4 gb ram for iMac 2.8??) I really don't know why everyone seems so upset, I realize why all of you UK people are pissed off but everyone else, stop crying, these are decent upgrades, their not STELLAR upgrades but worthwhile to say the least!!!
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Don't forget the lovely 15% restocking fee BB is going to deduct from your snail mail refund.
 
The Mac mini doesn't make sense, why does it have mini DVI? Mini DisplayPort does everything mini DVI does, and both need an adaptor... Why not just do 2 x mini DisplayPort?
 
iEdd said:
The Mac mini doesn't make sense, why does it have mini DVI? Mini DisplayPort does everything mini DVI does, and both need an adaptor... Why not just do 2 x mini DisplayPort?
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I agree but I think the logic to make the Mini appear to be more compatible with a range of displays...though that's still not a very good argument.

The mini has increased in price by $400 in NZ. I should be able to sell mine for more than I bought it for 2 years ago because of that :D
 
Lancetx said:
No kidding! The volume of whining and complaining in this thread is truly pathetic.
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Imagine if Microsoft or Sony raised the price of the 360 or PS3 by 30% (what the Mac mini in the UK saw). You just don't do that, especially in a recession. Apple didn't lower the prices much when it was £1 -> $2 but hey, look it's gone down now, charge them more mwahahaha. ;)
 
Lancetx said:
No kidding! The volume of whining and complaining in this thread is truly pathetic.
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I know it's twisted, but I look forward to release dates just to read the forums. I am happy with my 18-month old MacBook and plan on at least another 3 years with it so new releases should not interest me in the slightest. I just can't keep away...
 
wetrix said:
I agree but I think the logic to make the Mini appear to be more compatible with a range of displays...though that's still not a very good argument.
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It doesn't make it more compatible, as there's not a single display that uses a mini-DVI port. All it does is make it so that you can't run 2 of the mini DisplayPort displays, so you have less functionality than just having 2 mini DisplayPorts.
 
BlizzardBomb said:
Imagine if Microsoft or Sony raised the price of the 360 or PS3 by 30% (what the Mac mini in the UK saw). You just don't do that, especially in a recession. Apple didn't lower the prices much when it was £1 -> $2 but hey, look it's gone down now, charge them more mwahahaha. ;)
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Why would apple want to respond to the recession when it has proven to be one of the most recession resistant companies around?:confused:
 
1 Gb Ram standard on the $599 model is absurd. No computer should come with less than 2Gb standard.
With or without Jobs Apple is still frustrating:mad:
 
Surprised not too much mention of the dual display support on Minis. Finally! You don't have buy a Pro anymore for this functionality. Hallelujah!
 
hipsheik said:
Surprised not too much mention of the dual display support on Minis. Finally! You don't have buy a Pro anymore for this functionality. Hallelujah!
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Yup, ordering two for work tomorrow. Excellent office to office video conferencing.
 
rhpenguin said:
I'm the wrong person to ask. After my brief flirt with Apple hardware I have absolutely nothing good to say about it. Seven logic board replacements on my iBook before it was stolen, three LB replacements on my DA Powermac.

I prefer DIY as I can:

a) fix my problems myself. And if stuff does die out of warranty, I'm not stuck paying near as much as the machine to replace it.
b) upgrade often and not have to entirely replace the machine. I'd feel bad about tossing an iMac because of the attached display. (I'm not a huge AIO fan)
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This is truth. It's definitely an advantage to be able to crack into your own stuff and fix it. But, I get tired of it after a while. When you think about the shipping charges and costs of new components adding up it could come to equal that of a more reliable machine. Applecare is nice because it takes care of that hassle, although only for 3 years. After years of doing my own PC stuff though, I'm having the mac debate.

To the guy who says buy a name brand retail machine. Well, I suppose I could, but they don't offer performance tweaking options (OC'in, etc), not that the imac does either :)...

I guess what it all comes down to is the looks and the hassle I mentioned above. I may just pick up a refurb since the only difference is the ddr3 (8gb though)...I can get a 24" 2.8 imac for 1199, which is decent. Or I can go with a new imac with the student discount and get hosed on the shared video.
 
Ok, I think this thread is definite proof that the majority of Apple enthusiasts have little business acumen, and are overly concerned with specifications.

YES, Macs are more expensive, and now seem highly pricey in the UK economic climate, but Apple is not catering to teenagers and/or college students on a budget.

For their target market, Core 2 Duo nearing 3Ghz is truly BLAZING fast, and for the majority of their customers the graphics card never goes beyond iMovie.

Moreover, they have no obligation to make their computers more affordable for anyone. It is their prerogative to lose customers but make a higher profit per machine. In fact, it could be a deliberate ploy, since it is much easier to maintain a smaller user base while maintaining profits.

I don't agree with it, as a matter of principle, but it is very solid business strategy, because the people willing to pay over the odds for a mac without grumbling are the people who will come back in 2-3 years time for another, and will be most aware of the imac screen size, rather than the number next to the $ sign.

Everyone swearing blind about price is honestly not in Apple's target market, sorry.
 
In the UK at least, I suspect this move will cost Apple in the long term.

I am a Software Consultant who works in an industry consumed by Windows users and Windows systems. Die-hard Apple fans like me do a good job of sparking interest in potential switches - god knows how much Apple owe me in commission for the free promotion I give them!

But my brand loyalty only goes so far, and the UK iMac pricing is an unmitigated disgrace.

I cannot recommend these machines to anyone at these prices. Furthermore, I won't be spending my own hard-earned on the 24" iMac I've been planning to buy for over 6 months.

Poor show Apple.
 
danp said:
In the UK at least, I suspect this move will cost Apple in the long term.

I am a Software Consultant who works in an industry consumed by Windows users and Windows systems. Die-hard Apple fans like me do a good job of sparking interest in potential switches - god knows how much Apple owe me in commission for the free promotion I give them!

But my brand loyalty only goes so far, and the UK iMac pricing is an unmitigated disgrace.

I cannot recommend these machines to anyone at these prices. Furthermore, I won't be spending my own hard-earned on the 24" iMac I've been planning to buy for over 6 months.

Poor show Apple.
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Isn't the 24" now cheaper?
 
Hugely disappointed with this update to the line.

tiny speed increase, double the ram, hard disk, and only on the base models slightly better graphics.

If you are in the UK, this is a crappy deal, pay more and get the same, really rethinking whether I can bother to by another mac...
 
lucab1982 said:
Hugely disappointed with this update to the line.

tiny speed increase, double the ram, hard disk, and only on the base models slightly better graphics.

If you are in the UK, this is a crappy deal, pay more and get the same, really rethinking whether I can bother to by another mac...
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Those two contradict, but by all means continue ranting.
 
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