Apple needs a MID Tower.....

[tmuller]

I've been silent long enough. The jump from the imac to the mac pro IMHO is too large and apple needs a mid tower (just take the make pro and cut in half) to fill in the gap.

Now, sure, you'll say, well the base line mac pro is only 400 dollars more than the TOL imac, but too me there needs to be something in the pro desktop line without a monitor that is more capable than the imac, but less than the pro.

I'd say something like a single processor quad/octo core nehalem with up to 8 gigs of RAM and dual hot swap disks in a cube like format (bigger though) for around 1899. I think you'd see more and more sales of macs if something like that came out.

What else do you think?

 

[m1stake]

You are the first person to ever feel this way. Congratulations, you are utterly unique.

 

[sickmacdoc]

You are the first person to ever feel this way. Congratulations, you are utterly unique.

Response of the year nominee...

 

[Schtumple]

Wasteland?

To the OP, this has discussed to death, if you'd searched you probably would've found all the discussion on this already...

 

[sickmacdoc]

Here are three threads on it to get you started:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/538626/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/414244/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/416788/

 

[nick9191]

You would not see more sales of Macs. No one gives a rats ass about this computer except a few geeks who know nothing about how Apples product strategy works.

 

[Lord Zedd]

Just get a single CPU MacPro and stop whining.

 

[ceres]

Just get a single CPU MacPro and stop whining.

Nevertheless too expensive because of server hardware. Current P45 desktop boards can handle 16 GB of Ram, X58 can manage 24 GB right now. Apart from the additional CPU there is no real benefit in using server hardware.
Apple surely can put a great desktop machine into the market for around 1200-1400 USD. They don´t want to. That´s clear which is a pity for a few million potential buyers.

 

[peejack]

Just get a single CPU MacPro and stop whining.

Better still just get a PC, you sound like you need one

 

[CWallace]

Folks need to not confuse their wants with Apple's needs.

I for one am hoping Apple just drops the price $300 on the Mac Pro, so the single CPU model is $1999 and the dual-CPU model is $2499 just like all the PowerMac G4s and G5s and then nobody has a legitimate complaint.

Of course, for the extra $300 you are paying now, you get a single-CPU model faster then the dual-CPU PPC models, but whatever...

 

[Techguy172]

Well, Guess what it's not happening, That's just what you get when you go apple you have to pay more and get limited selection.

 

[CWallace]

Well, Guess what it's not happening, That's just what you get when you go apple you have to pay more and get limited selection.

Limited selection is not always a detriment.

Having worked in computer retail in the past, having only three options each for a laptop or desktop with clear differentiation between them makes it much easier to clearly and concisely identify the right product for your customer compared to offering a hundred different combination of models and manufacturers.

It is far easier to sell a customer a $2000 computer when they're comfortable it is the right choice for them then sell them a $1500 computer when they're trying to decide between three or four and hoping they're not making a mistake.

And that is a large part as to why Apple is seeing ~40% quarter to quarter sales growth.

 

[tmuller]

Wasteland?

To the OP, this has discussed to death, if you'd searched you probably would've found all the discussion on this already...

Shocker, never thought of that. Probably why I didnt' do a search for "tower" and find anything because the search engine sucks and can't determine if "tower" existed anywhere, so I posted.

Now, looking at the wonderful mid tower posts, I see that it was discussed to death (oh boy, like 60 posts).

 

[tmuller]

Better still just get a PC, you sound like you need one

This is the exact constructive criticism I've always needed. Someone to do nothing more than whine. Great. Get a life and say something worth while or don't say it at all.

 

[wheezy]

I agree with you TMuller, heaven forbid someone wants to discuss something on a forum.

Who cares if it's been discussed to death. If that's true, no one is making you join in on the new discussion. What do you think major news is anymore? The same crap (Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Branjolina, Lohan etc) over and over and over and over again. Discussed to death.

I agree that searching on forums is crap, I never find any post relevant to what I'm looking for, people generally have to post direct links as they participated in the discussion and remember the name.

If you notice. Arn never bitches to someone about this, follow his example.

NOW, to the post. I would love a headless iMac. I'm confident the power in an iMac is perfect for what I do (Web Design and Photography) but since the switch to Glossy Screens I'm completely turned off on them for any color-correct work. I have a great Dell Matte screen to be great on color choice, but it would drive me nuts to have a glossy and a matte if I ran an iMac with dual screens.

I'm not too picky on super power, so make it a single Quad, 8GB of RAM and 2 or 3 HD Bays. Perfect. Just like you said TMuller. Sadly, I also don't see this one coming, so I'll hopefully be purchasing a single Quad MP in the next month.

 

[jwt]

No one gives a rats ass about this computer ...

That's why this topic keeps popping up over and over and over and over again, huh?

...that is a large part as to why Apple is seeing ~40% quarter to quarter sales growth.

Or they could be enjoying over 50% or 60% growth if they chose to sell the type of machine under discussion, which happens to be the type of machine that sits on the desktop in the house of everyone I know and in every business for which I've ever worked. Of course, I could be wrong too. Neither one of us knows for sure, so stop taking such a definitive attitude.

Apple is not a perfect company. It is great at making easy to use innovative products, but it is not great at the business aspect of things. If you agree that they make a better product, then explain why they've been relegated to 2-5% market share for more than a decade. Apple has made many many business mistakes in the past, and they are not infallible in the present.

 

[CharlieKirk]

Uh stop crying, just get a low mac pro. Seriously... the jump is tiny. a 3.06GHz processor, for the price of a single cpu mac pro (nearly), do you really need something in the middle, at what, $1965.37, just get a totl imac, or a botl mp

 

[Diatribe]

Seriously, again???

In most Apple computers you can change the HD yourself. And if you're worried about the upgradeability of the graphics card... if you're a pro get a Mac Pro and if you're a Gamer get a PC or a console.

There is really no constructive argument for a computer like this.

 

[Killyp]

It kinda irks me that (relative) newbies come along and complain they've seen it a hundred times before, and those of us who've been on the forum a little longer have seen it a thousand times before and we don't feel the need to complain

On top of that, doesn't the amount of threads appearing on the forum about this give you some kind of indication RE the potential of such a product? I seem to remember something similar happening with the Apple Phone rumours for years and years, with most responders saying it'll never happen, and yet it did?

I actually agree with the OP, a mid-range tower would be fine. Stick a desktop class Core2Duo in it, max it out at 16 gb of RAM, two hard drive slots, a single optical drive slot and 2 expansion slots and I'd buy one in a flash. Price it at £1000 and it's still nearly half a grand off the price of an entry level MacPro and I doubt they'll see much of an impact on the sales of the Pro.

 

[whooleytoo]

And if you're worried about the upgradeability of the graphics card... if you're a pro get a Mac Pro and if you're a Gamer get a PC or a console.

There is really no constructive argument for a computer like this.

Yes, there is.

"I want a Mac for gaming, with an upgradable graphics card."

I don't get this circular logic: Macs are no good for gaming -> No one should use them for gaming -> there is no need to make Macs better for gaming. ???

 

[Techguy172]

Limited selection is not always a detriment.

Having worked in computer retail in the past, having only three options each for a laptop or desktop with clear differentiation between them makes it much easier to clearly and concisely identify the right product for your customer compared to offering a hundred different combination of models and manufacturers.

It is far easier to sell a customer a $2000 computer when they're comfortable it is the right choice for them then sell them a $1500 computer when they're trying to decide between three or four and hoping they're not making a mistake.

And that is a large part as to why Apple is seeing ~40% quarter to quarter sales growth.

No I never said it was bad infact it's good. I like the way they do it.

 

[CWallace]

Or they could be enjoying over 50% or 60% growth if they chose to sell the type of machine under discussion, which happens to be the type of machine that sits on the desktop in the house of everyone I know and in every business for which I've ever worked.

And yet, Psystar is selling only a few thousand machines at a price that downright embarrasses Apple and the Hackintosh community measures in the tens of thousands. But when you point that out, the folks who think Apple needs to offer every Wintel model niche quickly try and change the subject.

Of course, I could be wrong too. Neither one of us knows for sure, so stop taking such a definitive attitude.

It is the folks who think Apple needs to offer every Wintel model niche who are the ones expressing the definitive attitude.

And yes, neither of us knows for sure, but I expect Apple has the best idea about how successful it would be of any of us since, well, they actually design, build and sell the bleedin' things.

And they have yet to do it...

 

[grue]

Wow, there are some people here with their head stuck squarely between Apple's legs. Apparently the "If Apple doesn't like it, Apple is always right" mentality still exists among the zealots.

"Buy a low-end Mac Pro", for over $2,000. 404, good value not found for someone who just wants a machine that won't be completely outdated in 2 years.

If Apple were to offer a midtower based on, say, the Core 2 Extreme with a single PCI-X slot, 4 DDR3 memory slots, 2 5.25" bays and 2 3.5" bays, it'd be an excellent compliment to their lineup. It'd also be a great transition machine for the people in the PC world who would switch if there was an equivalent to their current machine.

Why? Because not everybody wants a piss-weak desktop with no power, like a Mini.

Likewise, not everyone wants to bend over and take it like a little guy in prison on a base Mac Pro which is completely overkill for their needs.

Furthermore, the iMac is a truly bad purchase for some people, because of the lack of upgradability inherent with the machine. It's a throwaway computer, which isn't what some people would like to do.

The only downside to the machine would be that it would lower the amount of Mac Pro purchases made by people so frustrated that they're forced to buy them because of hte lack of a machine that'd actually fit their needs.
But then again, Apple has shown for years upon years that they don't like their customers, and catering to what they actually want would be a sign of weakness. Why change things now?

 

[CWallace]

Wow, there are some people here with their head stuck squarely between Apple's legs. Apparently the "If Apple doesn't like it, Apple is always right" mentality still exists among the zealots.

Both sides have their zealots, thank you.

"Buy a low-end Mac Pro", for over $2,000. 404, good value not found for someone who just wants a machine that won't be completely outdated in 2 years.

Considering how long people kept (and continue to keep, for that matter) their $2000 "low-end" PowerMac G3s, G4s and G5s, two years is certainly not the average lifetime of a $2300 Mac Pro.

If Apple were to offer a midtower based on, say, the Core 2 Extreme with a single PCI-X slot, 4 DDR3 memory slots, 2 5.25" bays and 2 3.5" bays, it'd be an excellent compliment to their lineup.

It would also kill the Mac Pro because the people who actually need 8 CPU cores and 32GB of RAM are insufficient to justify offering the model. It would also kill the iMac because it and an ACD would be the same price so why buy the all-in-one? And of course nobody would buy a Mini.

So Apple would just sell "The Mac". One model to rule them all and at the cash register, bind them.

On the plus side, since it would be BTO-only (to accommodate the dozens of CPU, GPU, HDD and memory options it would have), that would leave more space in the Apple Stores to stock iPhones.

 

[gibbz]

I was waiting for this, so I'll just throw it up.