Apple Looking to Launch Lower-Cost iMac in 2014

[Poisonivy326]

My friend got a 2012 21.5" imac that I tried to use. It was such a pain in the ass, with all the ports being in the back. Small things like plugging in a USB drive became a pain with me having to gingerly rotate the iMac panel (didn't want to break anything!). I think that's what people mean when they say "form over function."

 

[69650]

I would like to see them revamp the iMac with three models instead of the current two with screen sizes of 20", 24" and 28" with the 20" starting at $999.

Also dramatically reduce the overall size by removing the chin and reducing the thickness of the bezel around the screen.

I would also like to see to them add some form of height adjustment mechanism but I doubt they will.

 

[9000]

I really wouldn't mind if they brought back the colorful iMacs and in plastic. Would love to have a glossy white one in particular.

Same. I don't like the new aluminum ones as much as the white ones. The two-tone bothers me.

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That's the trend. Take gut after gut out of the former "all in one" but keep the price about the same. Eventually, we'll be buying a glorified thunderbolt hub called an iMac and having to attach everything to it to make a computer. It will be spun as the "thinnest and lightest" iMac ever but we'll need to bring everything to the hub to actually get a working computer.

Then, someone will point out that it's just a thunderbolt hub.

And 500 guys will call him a Samsung troll... and praise this as the "headless Mac we've always wanted", the brilliance of Apple and on and on. We all know how it goes.

😉

This is why I didn't like that they got rid of the DVD drives on iMacs. So what if it's hardly needed? The consumer doesn't save any money buying one without a DVD drive because the price is still the same. Of course, it's much sleeker without it, but I don't care (but others do, so I'm outvoted).

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Anyway we know what "lower-cost" means now.
It means old model, cheaper for Apple to manufacture, with less features, fewer options and lower quality.
But same or higher price 🙁

=> Better margin for Apple, no benefits for the customers.

Where are you getting this from?

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Not so fast. I own an older game that demands an original CD to play. Not a major factor in my life, but it would be a drag to have to buy an external optical drive or never play it again. Also I have the Netflix DVD delivery service because Netflix's catalog of classic movies is very weak. Clients occasionally send me DVDs of large files. I also rip CDs into iTunes, not so much as I used to, but it still comes up once in awhile. Those who believe that optical drives are no longer useful are expressing their own needs. The rest of us aren't ready to give them up just yet.

Since you seem to have so many needs for DVDs and CDs, wouldn't buying a $20 external DVD drive be worth it? I actually got a few for free.

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Go buy a motherboard and look in the box to see what the drivers come on, surprise a DVD. When high speed internet covers every corner of the globe then maybe you'd have a case, but it isn't. Oh, and have you ever tried using Microsofts DVD/USB Tool? Well I have, and out of the 6 USB flash drives I have, none of them worked. I'm forced to burn the Windows ISO to DVD cos it's the only reliable way to get the OS installed. The world doesn't live inside the Infinite loop bubble, remember that.

If you're buying a motherboard at all, you aren't an average user. You're especially not an average Mac user. It's easier to be without a DVD drive if you're using a Mac than if you're using Windows, but the drives are still useful to have on Macs occasionally. As for the motherboard drivers thing:

I went through the process of upgrading an old PC with my friend (which was his computer), and we ran into a problem because his DVD drive wouldn't work with the motherboard. The Microsoft DVD/USB tool worked perfectly for putting Windows 7 on a flash drive, then I took the drivers from the CD and put them on the flash drive as well. Installed Windows, installed the drivers, and everything was fine. Or as fine as it can be running Windows.

 

[imageWIS]

Bring back the white macbook, idc if its a repackaged mini. It should retail at $599. But knowing apple we'll be lucky if it sits below $999.

And they should do that, why??

 

[verpeiler]

I would love to see a Mac for gaming... The platform (OSX) is quite nice for gaming, especially since many games are being released for OSX too; it just lacks the right hardware for it. iMacs fail at the GPU, even with the highest model it's just mediocre performance (and it's way too expensive). The MacMini is nothing for gamers. And gaming on notebooks sucks. So, bring a nice desktop Mac, again. ;-)

 

[imageWIS]

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.

Yeah, how's that webOS working out for Rubenstein?

 

[Mactendo]

I hear it will use colorful plastic instead of aluminum but only be priced $100 less while encompassing this year's technology. Then, apparently people will say "for only $100 more" and buy the aluminum one instead because it has the latest tech. 🙄

iMac "C"
or iMac "P" (plastic)

 

[Macboy Pro]

That's the trend. Take gut after gut out of the former "all in one" but keep the price about the same. Eventually, we'll be buying a glorified thunderbolt hub called an iMac and having to attach everything to it to make a computer. It will be spun as the "thinnest and lightest" iMac ever but we'll need to bring everything to the hub to actually get a working computer.

Then, someone will point out that it's just a thunderbolt hub.

And 500 guys will call him a Samsung troll... and praise this as the "headless Mac we've always wanted", the brilliance of Apple and on and on. We all know how it goes.

😉

Probably the funniest and "right on" post I have seen in a long time. Fell over laughing !! Thanks!

The problem with this trend is there are only like 3 way overprice TB drives and nothing else that uses it 🙂

 

[APPLENEWBIE]

I really feel that the ultra thin iMac is a flawed design. Who cares if a desktop is ultra thin? Not me. Also I wonder how many people forego purchasing an iMac due to its lack of an optical drive. In my business I am constantly being sent data CDs. I know you could by an external optical drive but that is just another complication at purchase and adds more clutter to my work surface. And my work surface has plenty of clutter already!

 

[WilliamLondon]

Go buy a motherboard...

Haven't been in the world of Windows for a few years, is this something the masses there do, or something that world requires even one person to do often? 🙄

 

[AppleScruff1]

Nobody cares about DVDs anymore. Apple is right about the DVD. Its dead. Let it go. You'll be a lot happier. Thunderbolt rocks by the way. ;-p

Actually I don't see where I was complaining about a lack of DVD drive. Nothing to let go. 😉 It was merely an example to show that Apple does what they want, not what the consumer wants. And I stand by what I said, IMO more people use DVD's than they do Thunderbolt or Firewire.

 

[UK-MacAddict]

This is what happens when you take away features and charge a higher price. Especially the UK prices.

Still can't believe they won't supply a blu-ray drive, not even an external one. I will never go to digital media unless physical versions are completely no longer an option.

 

[wallysb01]

Probably the funniest and "right on" post I have seen in a long time. Fell over laughing !! Thanks!

The problem with this trend is there are only like 3 way overprice TB drives and nothing else that uses it 🙂

Don't forget the $1000 monitor/hub Apple sells.

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I really feel that the ultra thin iMac is a flawed design. Who cares if a desktop is ultra thin? Not me. Also I wonder how many people forego purchasing an iMac due to its lack of an optical drive. In my business I am constantly being sent data CDs. I know you could by an external optical drive but that is just another complication at purchase and adds more clutter to my work surface. And my work surface has plenty of clutter already!

On a laptop I understand the removal of the optical drive, on a desktop....not so much. At least not just for the sake of making it smaller. If it means you add a HDD/SSD, OK. But just to save 1/2 inch? Why?

They removed functionality, made it thinner (which is of no benefit for a desktop), and increased the cost. Shocker, its not selling well.

 

[Rizzm]

Maybe if they stop developing all these ridiculous proprietary parts and actually make their "desktop" a desktop, where parts are upgradeable, the chassis is expandable, and it's not using mobile hardware. The iMac is a joke.

 

[MacDarcy]

Actually I don't see where I was complaining about a lack of DVD drive. Nothing to let go. 😉 It was merely an example to show that Apple does what they want, not what the consumer wants. And I stand by what I said, IMO more people use DVD's than they do Thunderbolt or Firewire.

Sorry if I mistook you for complaining. But I do disagree that more people care about DVDs than thunderbolt. I think most people don't care about DVDs anymore, but they do care about speedy connections. I guess we just differ there. 🙂

 

[blackhand1001]

Apple will eventually have to move the low-end Macs to their own ARM chips using a version of OS X that can run on ARM architecture. It's going to be the only way for Apple to save money while maintaining high profit margins.

The A7 is already as fast as 2011-era Macbook Airs (given a power/MHz bump), it should be good enough for basic Mac desktops.

These base Macs should sell for 499, including Display & SSD. It would essentially be an iPad with a keyboard, running OS X.

The A7 is not anywhere close to a core 2 duo, core i3, i5, or even an old athlon 64. ARM is great for mobile etc. but its not where near the performance of desktop, and laptop class chips, even ones from as far back as 2006 and earlier.

My late 2008 early 2009 hp dv7 with a core 2 duo scores under 200ms in sunspider while the a7 scores over 400. (lower is better)


It scores 1882ms on mozilla Kraken vs 5904ms for the A7.


Lastly on google octane my dv7 scores 13978 vs 5500 for the A7. (Higher is better)


There are other areas that x86 absolutely destroys arm such as memory stream and the much more robust instruction sets. Out of order execution is also a giant advantage.

 

[6749974]

Really, so you must have been the guy I saw everyone laughing at at a Starbucks with an iMac on a table browsing away a while back.

I love you, man. but, perhaps, it's time to buy a portable.

😎

Cute.

I had no idea Apple made 27" portables. You solve all my problems.

Edit: designer by trade. I often work late nights in the dinning room. If I had a 13-15" laptop and 27" Thunderbolt Display I would just be carrying more to the dining room.

 

[MikeyMike01]

Maybe if they stop developing all these ridiculous proprietary parts and actually make their "desktop" a desktop, where parts are upgradeable, the chassis is expandable, and it's not using mobile hardware. The iMac is a joke.

If I wanted that sort of crummy desktop from Apple, I'd just stick an Apple sticker on the one I built years ago.

 

[Rizzm]

If I wanted that sort of crummy desktop from Apple, I'd just stick an Apple sticker on the one I built years ago.

And I'm sure the one you built is still better than a 2013 iMac.

 

[Zerotolerance]

Personally, I don't care about the lack of an optical drive. It's been over a year since the last time I used mine, and maybe another year before that time. On the other hand, Apple could have easily incorporated one into the aluminum base of the iMac in order to keep the functionality while maintaining the thin form factor.

 

[6749974]

I'm glad the iMac isn't selling, it's such a daft machine from a design standpoint. The only people buying all-in-ones these days are your grandparents.

Designers, programmers, retail-shop owners, schools and universities, business owners, anyone who loves simplicity, and grandparents.

 

[underlircs]

Because I’m a graphic artist and I want the best looking photos...and this will sound anal, but the press photo you used wasn’t converted from CMYK to RGB for screen display...the colors are off.

Look at the attached for comparison.

[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

 

[mizaco]

Well, the $3k I spent on this lost its value significantly in less than a year. Apple can **** itself.

 

[Icaras]

Same. I don't like the new aluminum ones as much as the white ones. The two-tone bothers me.

Yea, I very much agree with you on the two tone look. I guess that's why I just like the Thunderbolt Cinema Design more.

 

[deanbo]

Amd?

Kaveri iMac?