Apple to Introduce Cheaper Macs?

[NT1440]

Went to the local high street computer store a couple of days ago to buy a disk drive enclosure.

Ended up buying a touch-screen all-in-one at the same time - it was there, it was priced right, and it's fun.

It's an Asus eeeTop - essentially a netbook motherboard in an all-in-one case with a 15.6" touch screen.

http://www.engadget.com/tag/EeeTop/


Soon they'll add 20" and 22" versions with Blu-ray Disc and HDMI...

I wonder if "cheaper Macs" will be "fun Macs", or just crippled.

Does that qualify for the new classification "nettop" ?

 

[Eidorian]

Yes, I like macs because they are flashy

Are you a troll or just like to think everyone does things for the reasons you assign? I want the best PC experience, and to me thats mac OSX, the industrial design is just an added bonus. I'm never going back to windows as my main OS once I get my macbook.

Sadly that is the perception that people have for Apple computer hardware and Apple is more than happy to perpetuate it if it means insane margins on subpar hardware.

Does that qualify for the new classification "nettop" ?

That's still a very gray area. I'd rather not see any Atom based Macs right now. The closest competitor I can think of right now is the 19" Dell Studio One.

 

[NT1440]

That's still a very gray area. I'd rather not see ant Atom based Macs right now. The closest competitor I can think of right now is the 19" Dell Studio One.

Frankly, Id rather not see any Atom based anything....

 

[G4er?]

That's why I think Apple needs to seriously look at building a small tower case desktop costing somewhere between US$750 and US$1,100 depending on options, with a DVI-D and/or Mini DisplayPort video connectors. The price of the all-in-one iMac has reached frightening levels, especially with the circa US$2,000 cost for a 24" iMac in some higher-end configurations! With a small tower case machine plus an Apple-certified LCD panel from the likes of LG, Samsung, Viewsonic, etc. you could get a machine with simular performance for about US$600 to US$700 less.

I am getting close to replacing my old PowerMac G4. I don't need the overkill of a MacPro but I refuse to be saddled with the limitations of an all in one like the iMac. So I am leaning toward a MacMini so I can choose my own monitor, etc. And since the MacMini has a slow 5400 rpm hard drive I am thinking of booting it from a 7200 rpm Firewire800 external drive, since I want two hard drives anyway, but I would prefer them both to be internal. Apple doesn't need to lower prices, they need to develop something in between the Mini and the Pro and satisfy those on the fence buyers which are still waiting because the current product line has a huge hole in it. Apple, I'll pay more money for what I want if you would just built it.

 

[SpitzerCR]

Im amazed how many peopel i never thought would get macs have went out and gotten the 999 basic mac's.

A couple more friends today were talking about them.

I think mac could do a small adjustment in their lineup to fill voids and offer a "less expensive" solution.

Cause the way im seeing it people are getting hooked on some of these smaller macs. And we all know once you have one you will have more. Gauranteed if you just get a price point to make people try them.. they will step up soon enough.

 

[Benguitar]

I really think this is a load of garbage. Apple has too much pride to be affected by the outside influences about the prices of their machines.

 

[bruinsrme]

I think what we will seeing is the PC suppliers coming out with touch screens desktops and touch netpads for cheap money.
The new PCs will probably have the same components as the lower priced macs but since it won't be made out of aircraft aluminum or titanium with diamond trim it will be complete junk and discounted. But not to the consumer looking for a computer that they can use to surf, email and pay witheir bills with.
meanwhile Apple wil come out with the flex notebook for $2000 which will be the coolest thing since the apple introduced blu-ray to their lineup.

 

[PolySciSurfer]

1) Deflation

2) state of econmoy

3) Better margins (apple has lots of cash, they can really get better price from vendor, read LG is got prepayment for display and Samsung gets prepayment for Flash memory)

4) Higher margins from mobile devices

5) Netbook or something similar coming so macbook go to $899

6) if iMac goes desktop CPU then they can birng down to $999

7) WWDC just 6 weeks away!!!

They will probably announce the lowered prices at WWDC. Kind of sucks because I want to buy a Macbook now! I hope these "price cuts" end up being worth the wait.

 

[shelby-vn]

i'm interested to see if this does pan out, as lots of people have said, even if they do introduce 'less expensive' products, i'm still happy to pay a premium price for a premium product. As long as their overall hardware quality doesnt drop, then i, along with everyone else will be happy.

 

[AidenShaw]

Frankly, Id rather not see any Atom based anything....

Then don't buy one, you won't have to look at it!


I'll add this to the big box of "I don't need it, so Apple shouldn't offer it" posts.

An Atomic system is fine for light use - surfing, email, web, HD Television (on Windows) - on what most people use a computer for most of the time.

Would I want to use one for rendering a 1080p Blu-ray project - no. (But then, if I wanted to work on Blu-ray I wouldn't be here discussing Macs, would I?)

Would I put an Atom nettop in the kitchen or kids room or guest room - without blinking an eye. People have said that $999 is a magic price for computers - Atom is showing us that $499 or $299 is even more magical.

I think what we will seeing is the PC suppliers coming out with touch screens desktops and touch netpads for cheap money.

With the imminent release of Windows 7, and its native, pervasive support for multi-touch in the core OS - I think that you're right.

Windows Touch - Controlling the computer by touching a touch-enabled screen or monitor is a core Windows 7 user experience. Improvements in the RC include several Windows Touch updates, including the ability to drag, drop and select items with touch, even inside Web sites that scroll both horizontally and vertically.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/windows-7-release-candidate-available/story.aspx?guid={E75B4C04-E9C1-4038-A5D2-A323F8C30136}&dist=TQP_Mod_pressN

The UI on OSX is going to look old-fashioned soon....

 

[AidenShaw]

For most owners, the drag strip is irrelevant to the car-ownership experience.

I've thought about this, and have come to the conclusion that the drag strip is perhaps the most relevant speed metric for my daily drive.

About the only performance part of my day is when I have to hit it on an entrance ramp to merge into traffic.

I don't need skid pad g-force measures, or Laguna Seca lap times - but the quarter mile is meaningful!

 

[Fatkav]

They will probably announce the lowered prices at WWDC. Kind of sucks because I want to buy a Macbook now! I hope these "price cuts" end up being worth the wait.

In Sydney JB Hi Fi - a large electronics retailer - has 10% off all Apple Macs and I-Macs this weekend. I have a 1-year old MacBook Pro that I was thinking of flogging on ebay to buy a new MacBook 2.4Ghz [yes trading down as new Pro is much more expensive in Oz compared to last year]. I'm wondering if something 'new' is coming though... as 10% off list is a really good discount for Apple. Should I wait or spend my hard earned cash now? I have 1 day to decide and act... http://images.macrumors.com/vb/images/smilies/confused.gif

 

[spikey011]

WTF, Don't tell me its for iMacs too. I thought Apple was getting rid of its old products (read as MacBook) by offering it in a way lower price $410-$450 in CA.
And I just bought an iMac 4 days back..

 

[IWantItThatWay]

MacBook Aluminum should be $799, $999 for a 16 inch version. MacBook Pro should be $1600 for 15 inch, $1900 for 17 inch. Apple should also have a mid-range desktop for $700-$1000 that is fully upgradable and quite powerful (no Mini specs crap).

 

[PolySciSurfer]

Anyone know when the back to school sale starts for macbooks? I want that free ipod deal...

 

[ziggyonice]

MacBook Aluminum should be $799, $999 for a 16 inch version. MacBook Pro should be $1600 for 15 inch, $1900 for 17 inch. Apple should also have a mid-range desktop for $700-$1000 that is fully upgradable and quite powerful (no Mini specs crap).

Your post is unbelievably ridiculous. But I guess your username affirms this.

 

[hiimamac]

Does that qualify for the new classification "nettop" ?

Well apple has one vendor selling the air $999 which is more in line for wiw, otherwise, it's apple so expect crippleware or some 2 year data plan.

 

[hiimamac]

Your post is unbelievably ridiculous. But I guess your username affirms this.

Meanwhile apple retail lays off 1600 hundered full time workers, sales slip, 50 million iPhone users have contracts about to expire and windows 7, multitouch and all, is being coveted by IT departments. Nice to see jobs in a grip for a change.
The over priced crap isn't flying anymore.

 

[DMann]

Meanwhile apple retail lays off 1600 hundered full time workers

FALSE - Some store employee's hours were temporarily reduced, not one person was laid off. MS, on the other hand...

 

[BongoBanger]

FALSE - Some store employee's hours were temporarily reduced, not one person was laid off. MS, on the other hand...

Nobody was sacked, however if you look at the SEC filings Apple are reducing their retail FTE. There's nothing wrong with this - it's a prudent move in a contracting economy - and Apple are still about 6,000 FTE ahead of where they were two years ago.

 

[Goona]

Meanwhile apple retail lays off 1600 hundered full time workers, sales slip, 50 million iPhone users have contracts about to expire and windows 7, multitouch and all, is being coveted by IT departments. Nice to see jobs in a grip for a change.
The over priced crap isn't flying anymore.

Again where do you get this 50 million iphone contacts from, you have been repeating the same thing for awhile, where did you get it from?

 

[DELLsFan]

Frankly, Id rather not see any Atom based anything....

Indeed. Are you and I the only ones around here who shudders at the mere mention of the Celeron or Atom processors?

Don't misunderstand me now ... it's nice to have choices, (particularly for budget-minded consumers). However, in my experience, many budget-minded folks have no idea how limiting a computing experience they will get with those low-end Intel (or AMD) processors. All found in the bargain aisle at Wal-Mart.

I mean, come on now. What exactly are you going to be able to do besides browse the web, type in Word, or play Hearts on a $400 e-Machine (AMD Athlon 2650e), Compaq Presario (AMD Athlon X2) or a DELL Inspiron (Intel Celeron)? These machines are so cheap, I doubt even World of Warcraft would run smoothly on them ... and that's pretty bad.

I do want to see Apple lower their prices a bit, but not to a point where quality and functionality are downgraded to what I call "trailer park" affordability. Uh oh ... now I've done it ... All the "double-wide" members may now flame.

 

[Tallest Skil]

Meanwhile apple retail lays off 1600 hundered full time workers, sales slip, 50 million iPhone users have contracts about to expire and windows 7, multitouch and all, is being coveted by IT departments. Nice to see jobs in a grip for a change.
The over priced crap isn't flying anymore.

Meanwhile, profits rose during a recession, Apple has 29 billion dollars in CASH, and a new iPhone is coming out this summer, leading the original iPhone users, all 7 million of them, since 50 million iPhones haven't even been sold (how stupid do you think we are?), to renew their contracts with new products from Apple, giving Apple even more money.

The "overpriced" crap, which isn't overpriced (because you don't know the definition of that word), is selling like hotcakes, people will continue to buy it, and there is nothing that you can do about it.

 

[Joe The Dragon]

I mean, come on now. What exactly are you going to be able to do besides browse the web, type in Word, or play Hearts on a $400 e-Machine (AMD Athlon 2650e), Compaq Presario (AMD Athlon X2) or a DELL Inspiron (Intel Celeron)? These machines are so cheap, I doubt even World of Warcraft would run smoothly on them ... and that's pretty bad.

and the same people will have on idea how limited the 9400m is in the $1200 - $1500 imac system that used to have better video cards with there own ram. Or how much of a joke the base video card in the mac pro that starts at $2500.

 

[SpitzerCR]

You have to change with the times.... now weather this means more products at broader consumer prices i dont know.

One thing apple has done GREAT at is not having like 100 different laptops, sizes, etc.

this is your base offers, your upgrade offers, and BAM people love it.