Apple lowered the prices of Mac Mini upgrades! and now 8x Superdrive!

[Bear]

At $325, paying the premium to Apple for the 1GB memory upgrade is worth it. More so if you get any sort of discount from Apple.

Go Apple!

[Of course this could mean everyone else will be dropping memory prices in the next week or two.]

 

[pashazade]

No changes on the UK Store

Hopefully this will change too at some point.

 

[Savage Henry]

bring on the bitching about no powerbook's

Ha! I hope it does come ... I love that ol' gem!!

the imac g5 and the powerbook/ibook optical drives will surely be 8X from now on like what they did with the powermac when the emac got an 8x superdrive

ImacG5 ... now THATs an update I'm waiting for. This price drop could be the trickling before a general alignment in the product range.

 

[CubaTBird]

w0w apple, this is just too funny.. no announcement or ne thing.. hehe..

 

[virividox]

nice makes me wanna get one!!! NOOOOO MUST RESIST

 

[josr]

Does Apple Store Europe follow normally?

Hello,

I am a potential switcher. Does someone know something about the policy in AppleStore Europe? Do they follow US price drops in general? How long does it takes (hours/days?) to update euro configurations/prices so they follow the US counterparts?

Thanks!

 

[pmd]

No changes on the UK Store

Yeah, despite comments from previous posters, the UK prices haven't changed. I just configured a machine identical to the one I ordered the day they were announced and it came out at the same price I've been charged (1.25GHz + 80GB drive + Superdrive + Bluetooth = £474).

The 80GB upgrade is £30 and it always was.

Now, my machine hasn't shipped yet. If the Superdrive has been upgraded, I wonder if I'll get that one?

 

[eduo]

I wonder if this is a sign of things to come for Apple -- really making these things commodity machines, changing prices/specs as the market changes. Instead of waiting 6 months for upgrades, they could happen every couple of weeks.

What I am is worried that people will take pause now and decide to wait to see if it drops even lower, which could mean impulse buys are lost and as bottom line of sold minis drops the model is either dropped or cut in specs to fit the new lower price.

I don't know. I don't think it's really a good thing that they dropped price so soon, if you ask me, which you didn't.

Eduo

 

[boom.boom.ba]

My Canadian order (placed on Keynote day and due to arrive on Saturday) for a 1.42/512/80/combo/BT&AE just dropped in price from $1014 CDN to $975. Thanks, Apple! You're the best!

 

[jaw04005]

I just spoke to a sales rep at the Apple Store to see about getting a refund for $27. He said they are aware of the issue, and are waiting for upper management to initiate a response.. and that he would call me back later today or tommorow morning with an answer.

They are going to a problem on their hands, when the mini customers realize the price dropped within a week of shipment.

 

[advocate]

Hmm... I ordered a 1.42-512-Superdrive through my campus bookstore on the 13th. I wonder if I'll luck out and get an 8x? Either way I can't wait for it to arrive!

 

[mfacey]

Chances are the upgraded powerbooks will have at least 8x superdrives as well now. I'm assuming Apple uses the same drives in their minis. Nice development though! Odd they'd reprice only after a week but I'm sure they have their reasons.

 

[Object-X]

Apple forgot their memory

Apple's memory policy and prices are an embarrassment to what is an otherwise excellent product line. Memory sticks are up to 50% more than at Crucial and stock computers with only 256MB is just plain sad. And not only that, but Mac are notoriously picky about cheap memory. One of my coworkers who just bought an iMac came in my office complaining that the "only" thing he didn't like about the Mac was how slow it was! I told him to upgrade the memory and he just came in this morning telling me that solved his problem and everything is perfect now. How many new users of Apple computers will have a bad experience simply because their system out of the box underperforms due to insufficient memory? Stupid! My coworkers statement to me says it all..."I wouldn't have known what the problem was unless you told me." What good is a G5 processor if you don't have the memory to run anything?

 

[HarmlessRabbit]

I'll tell you why I will wait:
Just because you don't see any reason buying a mini now, doesn't mean that others don't have perfectly good reasons for buying early. No need to be insulting just because someone makes a decision you wouldn't have.

I'm not being insulting, just stating a fact. People buying Mini's now are giving up a $129 license to Tiger that they would get free if they wait. You say you'll wait at least a year before upgrading to Tiger. You're still giving up the free license that you would have for your use then, even if you upgrade in a year.

So, people buying mini's now don't care that if they wait less than six months they would get a free license worth over 20% of the base cost of the mini. Therefore, they must not be very price-sensitive. Where's the insult?

 

[jbembe]

THIS IS HUGE!!!!

Man, now I can hardly resist myself....

This poor old 700mhz iMac is begging to be upgraded...

 

[swissmann]

When the Mac mini was first announced I posted information comparing prices and features to an iMac G5 to the Mac mini and stated for what you get it is a bit more expensive (feature for feature) than the iMac. (I got some grief from some posts for this statement.) It looks like Apple agreed with me or at least the market has agreed enough to have Apple respond. Now with these price drops it looks like the Mac mini is a much better deal. I personally would need a superdrive and an 80 GB drive. Now this seems reasonable. Way to go Apple.

 

[dotdotdot]

With the price drops It will be easier to convince my dad to get it for me! (In case no one realised yet I'm only 13)

This is what I customised from Apple.com:

• 512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 1 DIMM
• 80GB Ultra ATA drive
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• Internal Bluetooth + AirPort Extreme Card
• Wired Keyboard & Mouse Set - U.S. English
• 56K v.92 Modem
• Mac OS X - U.S. English
• 1.25GHz PowerPC G4

Subtotal $881.00

But I need a DVI USB KVM - any reccomendations?

 

[Little Endian]

If Apple can bump the mini's optical drive why in the world can't they bump the optical drive in the PowerMacs to 16X Burners with DL ability. Hell they are allready shipping some PowerMacs with the Pioneer DVDR 108AA which is actually a 16X burner with DL capabilities that have been disabled. I just got my Powermac yesterday and unfourtunately it has the Sony 8X drive.

 

[sonofpismo]

Placed my original Mac mini order late on 01/12 ... with a ship by date of 02/11. I called Apple today, and they already adjusted my price to reflect the new lower pricing on almost all the options I ordered, and I will be getting an 8x SuperDrive.

Anyone who has yet to have their mini ship will automaticall see the price drop. Those who already have their minis should probably call Apple and see what they have planned for those who have already received their minis.

 

[Bear]

I'm not being insulting, just stating a fact. People buying Mini's now are giving up a $129 license to Tiger that they would get free if they wait. You say you'll wait at least a year before upgrading to Tiger. You're still giving up the free license that you would have for your use then, even if you upgrade in a year.

So, people buying mini's now don't care that if they wait less than six months they would get a free license worth over 20% of the base cost of the mini. Therefore, they must not be very price-sensitive. Where's the insult?

True, but there are two things to remember. The first is some people want or need the machine now. And the second is that the license would be for the MacMini only. So, if someone has more than one Mac, getting the family license is the way to go anyway and won't really change the cost of Tiger for them.

 

[canyonblue737]

Apple's memory policy and prices are an embarrassment to what is an otherwise excellent product line. Memory sticks are up to 50% more than at Crucial and stock computers with only 256MB is just plain sad. And not only that, but Mac are notoriously picky about cheap memory. One of my coworkers who just bought an iMac came in my office complaining that the "only" thing he didn't like about the Mac was how slow it was! I told him to upgrade the memory and he just came in this morning telling me that solved his problem and everything is perfect now. How many new users of Apple computers will have a bad experience simply because their system out of the box underperforms due to insufficient memory? Stupid! My coworkers statement to me says it all..."I wouldn't have known what the problem was unless you told me." What good is a G5 processor if you don't have the memory to run anything?

this is the truth. MANY, MANY users that the Mac mini and iMac G5's target (home users looking for simplicity and ease of use) don't know enough to get more memory. they will have a slow computing experience and assume the flaw is a "slow computer" and because it is "a Mac." they should have 512 mb standard.

 

[MacSA]

No changes on the UK Store

Hopefully this will change too at some point.

They HAVEN'T been altered? Wow, I thought they had Hmmmm they better do the same with their international prices or they'll have a lot of angry customers.

 

[ruud]

Darn

Just as one of the previous posters, I ordered my mini on 1/12 for shipping on or before 2/11. I decided to go for just the airport, not bluetooth as the difference was $50 and I don't really need bluetooth right away anyway. I figured I'd just use a USB bluetooth adapter should the need arise. However, for $20 I would have just thrown it in anyway.

Oh well, the price one pays for being early adopter.

 

[ftaok]

I figured I'd just use a USB bluetooth adapter should the need arise. However, for $20 I would have just thrown it in anyway.

Oh well, the price one pays for being early adopter.

Is there any way to revise your order? I don't think Apple would have a problem with you wanting to spend more money. Since it hasn't shipped, you might be able to change the order.

 

[canyonblue737]

when i place my order for my Mac mini i will likely order the 1 GB stick from Apple because the cheapest none generic memory I can find is $230 from crucial.com and from Apple with the education discount it is $290 which while a premium I might go for so i don't have to crack the case myself. they were smart to lower the unreasonable prices on all of this... but they better offer price matching for those who bought the unit in the first week of its release.