Apple Looking to Launch Lower-Cost iMac in 2014

[itguy06]

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.

Really? Took me almost a year to figure out the optical drive in my MBP died when I dropped it. And then I plugged in an HP USB deal that works flawlessly. It even works great on my new 27" iMac.

And most consumers don't upgrade beyond maybe RAM. I used to do PC repair and outside gamers and those looking for bigger hard drives very few upgraded. Upgrades were a new computer.

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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!

Really? Then why are Apple machines almost always at the top of the benchmark curve? Outside GPU performance (matters little to non-gamers as they all are very adequate), Apple is the top of the game.

The specs on the box may look similar or better but there most definitely are different grades of components. It's the same way HP, Dell, Lenovo can sell a cheap home machine and a much more expensive business machine even though the specs looks similar.

Apple sells mid-high end computers that are the top of the class or near the top of the class. Last time Dell tried to compete with Apple with their Ultrabook it ended up more expensive than Apple!

 

[RichardI]

Cheaper??

Macs are not about cheaper. They're about MUCH better quality and reliability and a MUCH better OS, AND, much easier to look at. They are (for the most part) about design. Apple needs to stick to what it does best and the market will do what the market is going to do. Cheaper?

 

[spaceballl]

Keep it at the same price... just include fusion drive. Then we're good.

 

[TallManNY]

Really? a plastic phone with its predecessors hardware, that goes for $100 less, launched in parallel with a metallic 5S, which btw contains real upgrades and keeps the same price point as its predecessor... is not meant to be a cheaper iphone? So your theory is, because they didn't explicitly say it was meant to be a cheaper iPhone, the 5C is not - even when the phone itself implies it? Did they just intend to fulfill the deep desire of millions of consumers for plastic crocs-looking iPhone? Seriously...

Moral of the story: don't expect to read about everything you see. (of course Apple's ego wont let them publicly say they are putting out cheaper products!)

But I digress... IMO if Apple wants to go mainstream - past a 10-15% computer market share worldwide (currently they hold less than 8%) - they should do something really new in terms of brand positioning - instead of these half ass measures that just cheapen existing products but keep margins and prices high. If they don't want to do that, and keep being a premium product to justify those margins, then just stop messing around with the idea. But they just cant have it both ways: dramatically increase sales volumes and keeping the current margins and brand position. Thinking so seems as a strategy right out of Steve Jobs' legendary distortion field.

You are right. They have not kept iPhone and iPad margins while dramatically increasing sales volume. Just look at the static iPhone sales over the last five years.

 

[Ieo]

They need to focus on adding value rather than just making it cheaper. In my opinion, the biggest reason people buy Apple desktops is the OSX ecosystem - Other than that, there isn't much significant functional difference between an iMac and a PC. People buy macbooks for all sorts of reasons - status symbol on campus or in the coffee shop, durability (I switched to a macbook from a dell because I had the power port come unsoldered from the mobo three times - the magsafe is what brought me to OSX), looks, etc. None of that is relevant with a desktop because it sits on your desk at home and never moves.

So when people are browsing for desktops, they're thinking more about function over form. Consequently, they see an iMac for $2K, and a PC with the same or comparable specs for $1700...and they go for the PC. Just go to a best buy to see examples: without fail, a family will walk in, be drawn straight to the Apple display, see the price tags, and move on. Apple is going to have to take a hit to their "apple tax" if they want to shift more desktops IMO.

And please don't counter with nothing but anecdotes...I'm sure you bought your iMac because it's so beautiful and Johny Ive is Jesus reincarnate, but you've already demonstrated you're not an average consumer just by being here.

 

[Nahaz]

Apple would sell a LOT of desktop computers if only they would sell what buyers really want, a "normal" computer. A box bigger than the "mini" and much smaller then the current Mac Pro.

It needs to have room for a couple disk drives and be upgradable so it can last more than three years. It could even be made of plastic.

The thing that kills the iMac for most people is that you have to trash a perfectly good LCD monitor to upgrade the CPU.

I use to love working on my old G4 and G5 box. The simplicity of just opening up the side and laying the guts down in front of you was great. You had easy access to RAM, PSU and Hard Drives.

I know the case design to some may look too much like a beige box but at least it was very serviceable. Apple could bring back something similar in a Micro ATX style case, and allow users to upgrade the stuff we all upgrade on a normal PC over time, including the Video Card. As they release OS X updates, they could include the new drivers for the latest video card, and they could make a deal with NVIDIA or AMD to have their reference cards compatible and sold by Apple.

The biggest turn off I am hearing from a lot of people I talk to is that Apple have virtually made their machines disposable. Once they reach a point where they are just too old and tired, you throw the whole thing away. You cannot keep any of the computer to use with the newer model (Maybe a HD or SSD) You throw away probably a good monitor, and maybe a decent machine if the graphics card was replaceable.

I hope Apple takes a good hard look at the Mac Pro and comes up with a modular solution for the rest of us in the normal iMac range.

 

[Count Blah]

Cheaper??

Macs are not about cheaper. They're about MUCH better quality and reliability and a MUCH better OS, AND, much easier to look at. They are (for the most part) about design. Apple needs to stick to what it does best and the market will do what the market is going to do. Cheaper?

Apple was also about buying a quality product that, if you took care of it, would last a long time. The justification was that you could keep it an additional year or two, compared to a PC. But now with glued in RAM, and non-upgradable(or 1 expensive option) HDD/SSD replacement, these MAcs are NOT going to last that extra year or two anymore.

Thankfully I bought a current gen cMBP so I can upgrade the RAM and HDD. My machine will last longer(in useability) for my usage, compared to a rMBP with 8Gigs of RAM.

Choosing design over function, AND increasing prices to get the thinnest desktop possible is not in the consumers best interests - no matter how much Apple tries to spin it, and the fanbois try to parrot the party line.

 

[s2mikey]

Really? Took me almost a year to figure out the optical drive in my MBP died when I dropped it. And then I plugged in an HP USB deal that works flawlessly. It even works great on my new 27" iMac.

And most consumers don't upgrade beyond maybe RAM. I used to do PC repair and outside gamers and those looking for bigger hard drives very few upgraded. Upgrades were a new computer.

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Really? Then why are Apple machines almost always at the top of the benchmark curve? Outside GPU performance (matters little to non-gamers as they all are very adequate), Apple is the top of the game.

The specs on the box may look similar or better but there most definitely are different grades of components. It's the same way HP, Dell, Lenovo can sell a cheap home machine and a much more expensive business machine even though the specs looks similar.

Apple sells mid-high end computers that are the top of the class or near the top of the class. Last time Dell tried to compete with Apple with their Ultrabook it ended up more expensive than Apple!

They may benchmark well but there is a reason they have a pretty smal chunk of the PC pie. Its because the pricing is NOT favorable. Huge upcharge for the asthetics and the status symbol. Thats fine - I like Apple stuff. I just dont find their laptops to be good values whatsoever.

Gaming is a HUGE reason people use their PCs these days so its a big part of the equation, IMO.

 

[eladnova]

24" iMac

Agree COMPLETELY with the folks that mentioned the 24" iMac.

The 21" is too small for me and although the 27" is a beauty, the cost is just too high considering I can't access the innards.

If Apple did a 24" iMac that came in at 1200 Euro incl VAt then I know for a fact that several of my friends would be buying. I'd even get my in laws to dump that awful Dell they have and join the Mac platform.

BTW Asus have released a new video of their latest AIO PC. Not a bad job. Don't know if it's upgradeable by the user.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dXIU0zKuD8

 

[neuropsychguy]

It's funny to read people's complaints about Apple's computers as if they are different complaints than people have had since the Mac came out in 1984. Ive's influence on the iMacs is exactly what Apple computers have always been about since the Mac was introduced (and even before the Mac).

 

[itguy06]

They may benchmark well but there is a reason they have a pretty smal chunk of the PC pie. Its because the pricing is NOT favorable. Huge upcharge for the asthetics and the status symbol. Thats fine - I like Apple stuff. I just dont find their laptops to be good values whatsoever.

Gaming is a HUGE reason people use their PCs these days so its a big part of the equation, IMO.

Again, compare them to business class laptops and you'll find that they are not that bad of a "value" at all. Especially when you consider longevity. I'm typing this on a 2008 Unibody MacBook Pro. Put a hard drive and battery in it and that's all. Still runs fine and will most likely be supported for another rev or 2 of OS X. Few 5 year old PC laptops have this kind of longevity. I only wanted an iMac when the drive in this died a couple months ago, not because I needed it.

Value is more than just hardware. Drop $1100 on a Macbook pro and you will have a machine that has superior battery life, better integration with your stuff (if you're on the Apple ecosystem), the industry's best support (as evidenced by just about every survey), awesome build quality, and good longevity.

And gaming is not a HUGE reason. It all depends on your circle of friends. Most people I know that game game primarily on their PS3, Xbox, etc.

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The 21" is too small for me and although the 27" is a beauty, the cost is just too high considering I can't access the innards.

Really? Buy the kit for $30 from iFixit and you're good to go. It's more than a few screws but not crazy and definitely do-able.

Want hard? Try opening op an iLamp iMac. Now that was a PITA and it was all screws...

 

[Irishman]

[url=http://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image[/url]


Apple may be preparing to release a cheaper model of the iMac in 2014, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo states in a new research note. The analyst believes that sales of recent iMac models have failed to meet expectations and that Apple may look to introduce a lower-cost option in order to bolster sales in critical foreign markets.

Image​

After a major redesign last year, the iMac was given a surprise refresh last month as Apple updated the line of desktops based on Intel's Haswell processors, faster PCI Express-based flash storage options, and new 802.11ac Wi-Fi capabilities. Currently, the entry-level iMac 21.5 inch iMac starts at $1,299, while the 27-inch iMac starts $1,799. Both models are $100 more expensive than the previous generation iMacs, which debuted in 2011.

Article Link: Apple Looking to Launch Lower-Cost iMac in 2014

Like the mantra about the cheap iphone that Apple simply MUST make? Why am I dubious about these prognostications everytime they come up?

 

[IJ Reilly]

USB sticks are removable media. So are SDXC cards.

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

Let's get rid of them.

I have already listed four reasons why I do need them, at least for now. You are welcome to not use them yourself, but no thanks on making that decision for me. I believe I can handle that one on my own.

Good point about flash drives, but they still won't work for at least three of the purposes I have already mentioned.

 

[bluesoverdrive]

Super expensive

iMac 21" starting at USD3139.00 at Brazilian Store . Would you buy it at this price?

Apple price is nonsense. IMHO.

 

[IJ Reilly]

iMac 21" starting at USD3139.00 at Brazilian Store . Would you buy it at this price?

Apple price is nonsense. IMHO.

Good thing they don't spend US dollars in Brazil, since they don't earn US dollars.

Hint: Brazil's currency is one of the world's most overvalued.

 

[/dev/toaster]

Apple has such high margins on their products. Instead of releasing a cheaper, lower quality version. Why not cut the price a little.

 

[bluesoverdrive]

Good thing they don't spend US dollars in Brazil, since they don't earn US dollars.

Hint: Brazil's currency is one of the world's most overvalued.

Brazilians earn in Reais which today is priced BRL$1,00 = USD0.46

 

[/dev/toaster]

The entire point being, the optical drive is not obsolete. No matter what Apple does or anyone says, it's still a needed device for a lot of people. For those people, buying a new iMac also means buying an external drive that previously was included.

Before anyone says this is just like Apple deleting the floppy drive, it isn't. When Apple dropped the floppy, they replaced it with an optical drive. Eliminating all removable media is a bigger step and makes a larger assumption about what people need.

Very few people actually need an optical drive. Sorry, but you are the minority.

Removing the optical drive is exactly like the floppy drive. There was a minority of people clinging on to it when it didn't make sense anymore. It is outdated. In the US at least, most people have access to high speed connections. Just download the content or data you need.

USB drives are also significantly faster then optical. That is the replacement right there. You can also wirelessly transfer the data at high speed. Use a service like Dropbox.

I am very happy Apple is the first smart manufacture to start killing it off. It is better for the environment and really reduces the weight in portable devices. You couldn't have a laptop as small as the air with an optical drive. Same thing goes with the rMBP and iMac. Optical drives are big, bulky and slow.

Someday these exact same arguments will be used with the hard disk. Flash memory will at some point become cheaper. And there will be a minority who want to cling on to it.

 

[TyPod]

iMac [C]?

 

[IJ Reilly]

Brazilians earn in Reais which today is priced BRL$1,00 = USD0.46

I know what the Brazilian currency is called. The point is the value of the U.S. dollar is very weak and the value of the Brazilian currency quite strong. This imbalance will always have affect of making products priced in U.S. dollars seem relatively cheap. But this is really just an illusion, since we all earn and spend our own currencies, not those of other nations. A person can take advantage of a strong currency in their own country by traveling to countries where the currency is weak.

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Very few people actually need an optical drive. Sorry, but you are the minority.

Removing the optical drive is exactly like the floppy drive. There was a minority of people clinging on to it when it didn't make sense anymore. It is outdated. In the US at least, most people have access to high speed connections. Just download the content or data you need.

USB drives are also significantly faster then optical. That is the replacement right there. You can also wirelessly transfer the data at high speed. Use a service like Dropbox.

I am very happy Apple is the first smart manufacture to start killing it off. It is better for the environment and really reduces the weight in portable devices. You couldn't have a laptop as small as the air with an optical drive. Same thing goes with the rMBP and iMac. Optical drives are big, bulky and slow.

Someday these exact same arguments will be used with the hard disk. Flash memory will at some point become cheaper. And there will be a minority who want to cling on to it.

Not really. I have already listed four reasons why optical drives are still useful. Your suggestion that "very few people" actually need them is just the imposition of your needs on everyone else.

 

[Nightarchaon]

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

i want a usable computer system, not a diamond edged rare-earth metal razor

 

[Sardonick007]

They should be less expensive, they're clearly over priced, but PLEASE NO PLASTIC! I'd rather max out a credit card than have to buy an HP with an Apple logo on it.

 

[AlexisV]

I am very happy Apple is the first smart manufacture to start killing it off. It is better for the environment and really reduces the weight in portable devices. You couldn't have a laptop as small as the air with an optical drive. Same thing goes with the rMBP and iMac. Optical drives are big, bulky and slow.

Someday these exact same arguments will be used with the hard disk. Flash memory will at some point become cheaper. And there will be a minority who want to cling on to it.

1. The iMac isn't portable
2. They're big bulky and slow because of the job they do - run DVD's. A DVD is still 4.3gigs and a lot of us take half an hour to 1 hour to download just 1 gig. Yes they'll die eventually, but it feels like it's too early just yet.
3. There is no difference in usage between a HD and Flash memory. The point is only relevant in the case of DVD / Blu-ray drives surely?

 

[taxiapple]

maybe some people were also turned off by the lack of optical drive, non user expandable ram and the low repairability score.

 

[fat jez]

Again, compare them to business class laptops and you'll find that they are not that bad of a "value" at all. Especially when you consider longevity. I'm typing this on a 2008 Unibody MacBook Pro. Put a hard drive and battery in it and that's all. .

Try doing that on a retina MBP my 2011 MBP has had a memory upgrade (twice, from 4GB->8GB->16GB as my needs have changed) and I've upgraded the hard disk from the standard 750GB 5400RPM drive to a 240GB Samsung SSD. I also use my DVD drive to install MS Office 2011 and Photoshop Elements 10, as well as ripping CDs

The way things are going with Apple I won't have the option to do any of those in the future without either selling my machine or buying an external optical. Oh and did I mention I have an ethernet cable plugged in too?