Apple Looking to Launch Lower-Cost iMac in 2014

[mozumder]

So does Intel Core ULV used on Haswell Macbook Air.
http://ark.intel.com/products/75033/Intel-Core-i5-4350U-Processor-3M-Cache-up-to-2_90-GHz

ARM is all about ultra low power that's why it's so popular. If you need to increase the clock and TDP on it to reach certain performance, I just don't see it has any edge over Intel Core in your case.

The point of this discussion is Apple saving costs by manufacturing their own CPU's.

How would Apple using Intel Haswell CPU's help Apple save costs, especially since the A7 is as fast as a low-end Haswell?

Apple will have to use their own CPUs to save costs for a cheap laptop.

 

[Santabean2000]

Sorry mate, but you're dead wrong.

EVERY time I sell an iMac or go to sell an iMac, the comment is - "Oh, that DOESN'T come with a DVD drive??...that sucks".

The 'average buyer' thinks the exact opposite to what you're saying.

It's all well and good to try and explain the world is moving away from optical media. But the cruxt of it is -

a) In Australia, our internet isn't fast enough for proper downloadable digital delivery.

b) The exclusion of a SuperDrive is REALLY only a means to drive sales to the MAS. Thinner AIO desktop computers? Nobody cares.

c) People want a ****ing DVD player / writer.

Simple.

I can hear your Aussie twang in your post. Funny.

I know what you're saying though, but the truth is, of all the parts in the iMacs past and present, the component that failed most was the ODD. They're also large, slow and cumbersome. And hey, Apple wants you to suck down through iTunes; to hell with your data cap.

Tim: "Want a DVD player..? buy a DVD player"

I think apple stuffed up big time, with the new imacs.[/B]

I agree. The ultra slim design has come with too many trade-offs.

Or at least they could shipped Fusion as standard...

 

[mozumder]

True. A sturdy, high-quality aluminum box with space for two hard drives, a couple of PCIe slots, four RAM slots, a decent power supply and i5/i7 quad CPUs would really sell.

Unfortunately that kind of machine does not fit into one of Jony Ive's perverted thinness wet dreams. The guy has done some fine work but it is time for him to go out on his own and make ugly desks and reduced-functional cameras.

Nobody buys mid-range desktops anymore. There isn't a market for it.

 

[Woyzeck]

Apple is correct. You don't need Optical drives.

How dare you and Apple tell me if I need optical disks any more or not.

Fact is that the iMac once - when it had a reasonable price - was a consumer device. And consumers still have plenty of CDs, DVDs and Blu Rays around.

What consumers don't have is Thunderbolt drives and special tools to dig through glue.

 

[iSayuSay]

The point of this discussion is Apple saving costs by manufacturing their own CPU's.

How would Apple using Intel Haswell CPU's help Apple save costs, especially since the A7 is as fast as a low-end Haswell?

Apple will have to use their own CPUs to save costs for a cheap laptop.

If that's the case, Apple would stop outsourcing their chips long ago and build their own ARM fabrication facility long ago.

IMO, price point should not be a problem for Intel chips either. If Apple wants to go cheap, they'd just pick last year's Intel chip or go with lower spec Core i3. That ought to be enough for anybody buying the "cheap" Macbook.

If anything, I would say 3 or 4 years from now Intel chips could be used even on iPhone and iPad once the TDP threshold passed. Intel is getting really aggressive on power saving over the last few years.

 

[mozumder]

How dare you and Apple tell me if I need optical disks any more or not.

Fact is that the iMac once - when it had a reasonable price - was a consumer device. And consumers still have plenty of CDs, DVDs and Blu Rays around.

What consumers don't have is Thunderbolt drives and special tools to dig through glue.

Yah you don't need an optical drive at all. You can figure out something else. Thanks.

----------

If that's the case, Apple would stop outsourcing their chips long ago and build their own ARM fabrication facility long ago.

IMO, price point should not be a problem for Intel chips either. If Apple wants to go cheap, they'd just pick last year's Intel chip or go with lower spec Core i3. That ought to be enough for anybody buying the "cheap" Macbook.

If anything, I would say 3 or 4 years from now Intel chips could be used even on iPhone and iPad once the TDP threshold passed. Intel is getting really aggressive on power saving over the last few years.

Yah that's not going to happen. Apple isn't going to pay 3x-4x more for an Intel part.

 

[Nightarchaon]

Maybe putting in a door so users can swap out the memory and SDD/HDD themselves, and using a standard "off the shelf" 2.5" SSD/HDD would help "bolster" sales, i know several people, myself included, that have abandoned the mac as a platform altogether due to the shift to sealed units across the desktop/laptop lines (That includes the horrible horrible new mac pro)

 

[Woyzeck]

Yah you don't need an optical drive at all. You can figure out something else. Thanks.

Ok, so how would you want to rip an audio CD without a drive ? Watch a Blu Ray ? Install Windows or Office ?

Apple redefined the AOI from All-In-One to Almost-In-One.

The iMac once was a consumer PC (this was the time when you had to spend under USD 1.000 for it). People were happy to buy it because it looked fresh and it was a real alternative to the beige PC boxes of that time. Slightly more expensive, but definitely nicer.
Today's iMac costs a fortune and there are only few families that are willed to pay that for a personal computer. Instead their budget goes into an iPad and maybe a cheap PC (again, there was once a product for them - the Mac Mini).

Why would they want to buy an iMac at twice the price of a PC that even can't play DVDs ? Because it's thinner ?

 

[k995]

Count myself among these, new Imacs are overdesigned, underspecced and too expensive.

For 400 (NUC i5) + 500 (27/29" 2560* screen) +100 (rest) I have practicly the same with barely any desktop to speak of and almost half as cheap.

Yes it doesnt look as nice, but I am not going to spend 800 on better design and give up any easy upgradability .

 

[tom vilsack]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the Imac's,it's just the market place has moved away from all desktop computers.Even making a cheaper model won't help sales.Maybe apple should consider making a smaller 17" Imac with a detachable screen that then becomes a tablet!

 

[downpour]

News just in... Analysts predict that Apple will start selling flying iPigs in 2014. This is based on the fact that there is a gap in the flying pig market.

 

[iCole]

How about they just lower the price for once instead of removing features or using older technology. The 27 inch model is way to expensive. I'd like to stay with Apple and get me another iMac in a few months-years but those prices

 

[835153]

Instead of producing crappier versions of products to fill the gaps Apple need to continue making the best products like they have in the past. That was the key to their success. A small focus and 'insanely great' products.

It's the very first thing Steve Jobs did when he went back to Apple. Refocus and cut out the crap.

They are getting off brand now and producing crappier stuff to try and corner every market. It will be their downfall as they are diluting the brand. Initially it will make them a bit of money but in the long run the damage to the brand will be irreversible.

 

[Dambuster43]

Removing the DVD is one of the best moves Apple made with the iMac.

I've had one sing January and love it, not missed the DVD. And the few occasional times I've needed one, like installing software I just shared one on the LAN. No DVD makes the iMac quieter, cooler and more reliable. If you really can't live without it then buy the external and let it collect dust. I was planning on getting a BluRay burner but 9 months in I have no need for that either.

FYI you can't have the 2012 iMac as they don't have DVD, you much have the 2011 bought in 2012.

ETA - the iMac without LCD thats a good idea, lets call it the Mac Mini, oh wait they already have that!

Thats the point...Apple saved money by removing the DVD....but my local Apple store now has a bigger stock of external drives...next, will Apple remove power cables and make them an option..ditto mouse...ditto keyboard.

 

[Macini]

what for? Make IMAC Cheaper for what ?Now the NEW 21.5inch Imac($1,299) ( (EDUCATION $1,249) Already STANDARD For MAC USER , then the cheap one make for who use ??

MAYBE After this will come out MAC PRO , MACBOOK PRO , MACBOOK AIR And
MAC MINI CHEAP EDITION ...

 

[ghettochris]

I can tell you as someone whom looked at buying three iMac's this year (21" for two of my kids and a 27" for myself), it was NOT just about the cost! It was about the repairability and design! My wife's 2010 iMac is a thing of beauty; both to look at and to repair/upgrade. I was able to relatively easily upgrade the machine, adding an SSD and more RAM, without paying the extortionate upgrade process for these items from Apple. One look at the glue-based mess that is the new iMac design was enough to turn me off. For goodness sake, the 21" iMac does not even have accessible RAM. Ive's my ass. Rubenstein would shake his head in disgust!

At the end of the day I chose to buy Mac mini's instead. I can only hope Apple rethinks the design of the iMac in the next release.

repairability/upgradability is becoming irrelevant as tech advances, I used to upgrade my PC's 10 years ago, now I don't even get a new laptop battery before I buy a new one and sell the old one on ebay after 2-3 years, and I never upgrade ram or hard drives either. they are always enough to get me through 2-3 years, and any cost to uprgrade is best put towards replacement at that point, and hanging on to a computer more than 3 years is painful to even browse the internet for me. get applecare if you're worried about repairs, but in my experience everything usually breaks within one year (covered by warranty) or after 3 (not covered by applecare).

 

[till213]

c) People want a ****ing DVD player / writer.

Simple.

This!

 

[everything-i]

I can tell you as someone whom looked at buying three iMac's this year (21" for two of my kids and a 27" for myself), it was NOT just about the cost! It was about the repairability and design! My wife's 2010 iMac is a thing of beauty; both to look at and to repair/upgrade. I was able to relatively easily upgrade the machine, adding an SSD and more RAM, without paying the extortionate upgrade process for these items from Apple. One look at the glue-based mess that is the new iMac design was enough to turn me off. For goodness sake, the 21" iMac does not even have accessible RAM. Ive's my ass. Rubenstein would shake his head in disgust!

At the end of the day I chose to buy Mac mini's instead. I can only hope Apple rethinks the design of the iMac in the next release.

From a general usability standpoint the new iMac is a poor design in my opinion where style has trumped function. Ive et al need to realise that many of these machines are used in situations where they need to be much, much simpler to get into if something simple goes wrong or for simple upgrades. Not even being able to access the RAM in the 21" is totally indefensible. Gluing the whole thing shut is also not acceptable when the magnetic solution from the previous model could have been used with only a small increase in edge thickness. I really fear for the future of the computers side of Apple with this approach and what I have seen of the new pro and retina pro it seems that looks are killing overall utility with cleaver design to get both being absent.

 

[sofila]

Once Apple computers had been the gateway to other consumer products, see every 1st and 2nd generations of iPod, iPhone and some iPad too.
Now Apple computers (less remunerative) seem to be just a burden to carry on.

 

[AlexisV]

The iMac used to start at £999, which was a far more attractive price point than £1149.

Apple stuff has always been expensive, but I think they might have just pushed the price a little too far now.

£999 gets people going "go on then".

£1149 is a little harder to justify I think, especially as you need an external DVD now.

 

[OllyW]

The iMac used to start at £999, which was a far more attractive price point than £1149.

Apple stuff has always been expensive, but I think they might have just pushed the price a little too far now.

£999 gets people going "go on then".

£1149 is a little harder to justify I think, especially as you need an external DVD now.

It used to start at a lot less than that but I agree with you about hitting the £999 price mark.

 

[435713]

Maybe putting in a door so users can swap out the memory and SDD/HDD themselves, and using a standard "off the shelf" 2.5" SSD/HDD would help "bolster" sales, i know several people, myself included, that have abandoned the mac as a platform altogether due to the shift to sealed units across the desktop/laptop lines (That includes the horrible horrible new mac pro)

I have been saying that for awhile to people. I wouldn't have minded the optical drive going outside the box if we could upgrade the hard drives. Been sweet to have 2 slots on the 27" and you could load up a 256SSD and a larger standard. Anyone who upgrades already will know how to manage the memory. Those who don't aren't going to upgrade the machine obviously.

Also would have liked them to throw an external DVD drive into the box. Thought that would have been pretty sweet and it's good to have.

It's thin though, I mean look at those edges!! They should raise the price with that marvel of tapered edge technology.

 

[n-evo]

How about they just sell it without a display?

Then you're left with a huge gaping hole, exposing all hardware. What good will that do?

 

[Lancer]

Thats the point...Apple saved money by removing the DVD....but my local Apple store now has a bigger stock of external drives...next, will Apple remove power cables and make them an option..ditto mouse...ditto keyboard.

In a year do a survey and ask who actually used the DVD and how much, I'm betting a large majority used it a few times, maybe install some software and not much more.

I agree in a lot of places Internet speeds are not great for streaming but that's improving and my point was the majority won't use the computer to watch movies, they'll use a DVD play on their TV.

Yes it pushes up the sale of external DVDs but it's the suckers thinking they need one that Apple is catching. Personally if I need an external drive I'll get BluRay when the time comes.

 

[s2mikey]

Ok, so how would you want to rip an audio CD without a drive ? Watch a Blu Ray ? Install Windows or Office ?

Apple redefined the AOI from All-In-One to Almost-In-One.

The iMac once was a consumer PC (this was the time when you had to spend under USD 1.000 for it). People were happy to buy it because it looked fresh and it was a real alternative to the beige PC boxes of that time. Slightly more expensive, but definitely nicer.
Today's iMac costs a fortune and there are only few families that are willed to pay that for a personal computer. Instead their budget goes into an iPad and maybe a cheap PC (again, there was once a product for them - the Mac Mini).

Why would they want to buy an iMac at twice the price of a PC that even can't play DVDs ? Because it's thinner ?

I agree - weve been comtemplating a Mac laptop of some sort to replace some aging windows based laptops but everything you point to is a problem. The Mac laptops and desktops seem under-powered & overpriced for what you get. At least Apple wants to get something out there cheaper. Thats a start. But, they are so stingy with hardware! Geesh!

You are also correct that even though clouds and offline storage are the new rage, I WANT a disc drive in my laptop. How can we watch blu-rays/DVDs? How do we install software? How do we rip tunes from CD into MP3's?

The answer to all of the above questions is "you dont".

Instead of producing crappier versions of products to fill the gaps Apple need to continue making the best products like they have in the past. That was the key to their success. A small focus and 'insanely great' products.

It's the very first thing Steve Jobs did when he went back to Apple. Refocus and cut out the crap.

They are getting off brand now and producing crappier stuff to try and corner every market. It will be their downfall as they are diluting the brand. Initially it will make them a bit of money but in the long run the damage to the brand will be irreversible.

You are correct that Apple doesnt like to play in the discount market. I have no problem with that. I dont like low-end junk either. But, they also cant keep skimping badly on hardware at such high price points. They(Mac laptops/desktops) are terrible values and Apple seems to know this - hence the lower-cost systems they are working on. Offering quality products at fair prices isnt "dumbing" the brand down. Its called being smart and doing the right thing.