IMAC Choices - I Think Apple Made A Marketing Mistake

[milesc3]

In my humble opinion I think Apple made a huge mistake by not offering the option of purchasing their current IMAC with the older, standard display (2160x1440) in addition to the 4K and 5K displays currently being offered. They should also make all of the currently available gpus available as options with all of the displays. Choice is a good thing not to mention the fact that pricing could be made much more palatable with the additional lower end options while still offering a high quality device.

 

[Sirmausalot]

I think you should send them your resume.

 

[Yaccity]

If Apple still offered a 1440p 27" iMac, they would be competing against themselves.

 

[grayskyz]

Yes! And a dvd-rw's and USB 1.0 also!!!!

 

[joema2]

In my humble opinion I think Apple made a huge mistake by not offering the option of purchasing their current IMAC with the older, standard display (2160x1440) in addition to the 4K and 5K displays currently being offered. They should also make all of the currently available gpus available as options with all of the displays. Choice is a good thing...

Choice is not always a good thing because there is cost to providing that choice. Steve Jobs was acutely aware of this and upon his return to Apple, he immediately simplified the product line and jettisoned many items. There are always niche products that make sense for some user, somewhere. However there are development, production, distribution and support costs for all those, plus it complicates a product line.

A good example of "make something for everybody, no matter what it does to our product line" is Dell. Their web site is so cluttered and complex it's hard to figure out exactly how many lines they have, who they are for, and which one to order.

It is also easier to maintain quality with a more restricted product line. Along with hundreds of other models, Dell makes a virtual iMac clone, the XPS 27. It has roughly the same performance and price but looks like it was designed in the former Soviet Union. It's much thicker and heavier and acoustically a lot louder. IOW if Herman Munster was a real person it would be his all-in-one computer. That is partially due to a highly fragmented product line.

Another example is when Apple was developing Final Cut, supposedly marketing people presented Jobs plans for various versions, Microsoft-like. IOW Final Cut Jr, Final Cut Home, Final Cut Small Business, Final Cut Super Pro, etc. A marketing person wants as much customer choice as possible, because each one represents possible additional sales.

Supposedly Jobs took the presentation materials, threw them in a single box and said "that's how many versions we're going to have -- one!"

 

[Strider64]

I also think you would have people who bought the standard display (if Apple offer one) with buyer's remorse. They'll be saying "If only I had saved a little bit more money for the 4k or 5k display". It's not like they can replace the screen and thus Apple would probably lose more customers than attract them. Just my opinion.

 

[AlexisV]

You are saying they should offer a non-Retina version of the 27"?

They offer it for the 21.5", so yes theoretically they should offer it for the 27".

Or another opinion might be that it's 2016 and they shouldn't be offering a crappy pixellated version at all. Get with the times and embrace the fact the Retina display is the biggest and best improvement the iMac has seen for many years.

 

[Icaras]

To 4K/5K and beyond. Prices will go down in a reasonable amount of time just like the retina MacBook Pro did. Also, everyone above me all just made excellent points. And a quick look at Apple's history and you'll see that once Apple is on a path to drop an industry standard, there's no looking back.

 

[maflynn]

I do believe apple has made some marketing miss-steps in this latest offering, but offering a 2160x1440 is not one of them. I think they erred by offering older technology in the iMac, i.e., 5400 rpm drives. Clearly that is a step backwards in today's word. An older display resolution or technology likewise would be a step back

 

[cerberusss]

I think they erred by offering older technology in the iMac, i.e., 5400 rpm drives

Exactly. At my last client, I had a secretary asking me at the coffee machine; "say, you're hanging behind an Apple PC the whole day, you must know something about it, right?" She bought a 4K iMac but was very disappointed, "it's as slow as our old PC". Some idiot had sold her the base model.

And that is going to keep happening when they start off the models with those crazy, crazy 5400 RPM drives. In my opinion, a modern computer should have an SSD. It could be a fusion drive, of course.

 

[Cape Dave]

Choice is not always a good thing because there is cost to providing that choice. Steve Jobs was acutely aware of this and upon his return to Apple, he immediately simplified the product line and jettisoned many items. There are always niche products that make sense for some user, somewhere. However there are development, production, distribution and support costs for all those, plus it complicates a product line.

A good example of "make something for everybody, no matter what it does to our product line" is Dell. Their web site is so cluttered and complex it's hard to figure out exactly how many lines they have, who they are for, and which one to order.

It is also easier to maintain quality with a more restricted product line. Along with hundreds of other models, Dell makes a virtual iMac clone, the XPS 27. It has roughly the same performance and price but looks like it was designed in the former Soviet Union. It's much thicker and heavier and acoustically a lot louder. IOW if Herman Munster was a real person it would be his all-in-one computer. That is partially due to a highly fragmented product line.

Another example is when Apple was developing Final Cut, supposedly marketing people presented Jobs plans for various versions, Microsoft-like. IOW Final Cut Jr, Final Cut Home, Final Cut Small Business, Final Cut Super Pro, etc. A marketing person wants as much customer choice as possible, because each one represents possible additional sales.

Supposedly Jobs took the presentation materials, threw them in a single box and said "that's how many versions we're going to have -- one!"

So true about Dell. Their website makes it virtually impossible to find a proper computer. Herman Munster LOLOLOL!
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I do believe apple has made some marketing miss-steps in this latest offering, but offering a 2160x1440 is not one of them. I think they erred by offering older technology in the iMac, i.e., 5400 rpm drives. Clearly that is a step backwards in today's word. An older display resolution or technology likewise would be a step back

Yup. If it is not Retina, it is completely useless to me. Same with a spinner. Embrace the future!

 

[cincygolfgrrl]

I also think you would have people who bought the standard display (if Apple offer one) with buyer's remorse. They'll be saying "If only I had saved a little bit more money for the 4k or 5k display". It's not like they can replace the screen and thus Apple would probably lose more customers than attract them. Just my opinion.

I have no doubt I'm in the minority, but I bought my iMac at the same time the 5K was available. Money was no object, I just didn't feel I needed a retina display. I still feel that way, no buyer's remorse for me.