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iMac to Come in Both Dual-Core and Quad-Core Configs?

"the most affordable Mac" isn't that affordable to Joe

dwl017 said:
Regardless of why they are waiting it is currently the most affordable Mac for the average Joe on a strict budget. Even the base model iMac is way out of reach for the average family in today's economy.
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Best Buy:

$429
  • 2.0 GHz dual core
  • 3.0 GiB RAM
  • 320 GB drive
  • 20" LCD monitor
  • keyboard and mouse

Apple
MiniMac: $599
  • 1.83 GHz dual core
  • 1.0 GiB RAM
  • 80 GB drive
  • no monitor
  • no keyboard and mouse

Imac: $1199
  • 2.4 GHz dual core
  • 1.0 GiB RAM
  • 250 GB drive
  • 20" monitor
  • keyboard and mouse

If you were average Joe, would you head for the designer fashion PC shop, or to Best Buy?


It will be very interesting to look at Apple's results for this quarter.... If desktop sales continue to plummet, that mini-tower could show up by MacWorld Summer.
 
AidenShaw said:
It will be very interesting to look at Apple's results for this quarter.... If desktop sales continue to plummet, that mini-tower could show up by MacWorld Summer.
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I remember people laughed at me at my suggestion of a reduced-height tower machine to replace the iMac costing around US$700-US$800 fully-loaded minus monitor. Given the current economic situation I wouldn't be surprised if such a machine is now on the drawing boards at Apple.
 
albusseverus said:
Don't feed the troll, everybody.
_____________________

No chance of any new quad core Macs (except Pro, of course) this year. What does everyone think of that?

Better still. We'll happily buy them, because we've been holding off purchases for 'the new model'.

Desktop Macs didn't sell so well last quarter, because Apple is overdue for updates. Holding off on updates creates pent up demand when new machines go on sale... whether they're any good or not.

The MacBooks Pro only got a (real world) speed bump of 20% in October, but they sold like gangbusters...

And 'no iPhone stock a month before iPhone 3G was released' gave Apple as many sales in the first weekend of 3G as the first 2 months of Original.

It will get to the point that it won't matter what Apple puts out, we'll just buy it because it's the latest... Core 2 Duo, 100Mhz faster... We're going to love it. Now if only I could be wrong. :(
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If Apple does that, they're going to really lose die-hard and tech-savvy customers to cheaper PCs that can now run OS X fine if they have he right hardware (only takes a few hours of forum browsing to see what works and what doesn't). A year ago+, the PC OS X was extremely unstable with few people using it and coding to make it compatible, but now, perhaps thanks to Vista sucking ass, it's working great and tons of people are working to make it compatible on common hardware. If they want to depend on flaky clueless teens and hipsters buying their outdated and overpriced hardware, good luck. I don't think they're going to be nearly as reliable as an entire sector, such as graphics and education, where Apple was once the standard despite having an extremely crash-prone OS (before X). And it's hard to be/remain a fan of Apple when it's blatant to almost anyone with the slightest clue about computer hardware that you're getting a lot less for a lot more. I said it before, but when Apple wasn't using Intel chips, people could reason, rightly or wrongly, that the IBM chips outperformed the higher clocked Intel chips, especially in (non-3D) graphics, so that, along with the more interesting hardware design, excused the higher price. It doesn't work that way anymore. Now hardware design is the only difference, and they're not just charging more, but charging more for out-of-date specs. Something needs to change.
 
Icaras said:
Here we go again with the xMac talk
smile.gif
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Yep, right on schedule too. :D
smile.gif
 
poxonyou said:
And it's hard to be/remain a fan of Apple when it's blatant to almost anyone with the slightest clue about computer hardware that you're getting a lot less for a lot more.
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Apple hardware actually works though. It's quiet, powerful and reliable. I used to build my own PCs, and there was always a problem somewhere down the line. What's the alternative, a Dell? I really in good conscience couldn't recommend a PC to anyone other than cash strapped gamers.
 
bryanc said:
I'm sitting on a pile of cash for a Mac Pro for work, and an iMac for home, but Apple won't see a dime from me until they update their desktop hardware.

Cheers
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I feel exactly the same way. I'm not parting with money for an ancient GPU!
 
ritzuk said:
Apple hardware actually works though. It's quiet, powerful and reliable. I used to build my own PCs, and there was always a problem somewhere down the line. What's the alternative, a Dell? I really in good conscience couldn't recommend a PC to anyone other than cash strapped gamers.
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The stupidest comment I've read all day.
 
ritzuk said:
Apple hardware actually works though. It's quiet, powerful and reliable. I used to build my own PCs, and there was always a problem somewhere down the line. What's the alternative, a Dell? I really in good conscience couldn't recommend a PC to anyone other than cash strapped gamers.
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Considering the same company that builds Macs also builds PCs...

go figure.


Considering that most gamers buy based on performance and not on looks... they usually are not cashed strapped at all... does it make you feel better to claim they are when its obvious they make better use of their money for performance than fancy cases?
 
wesleyh said:
The stupidest comment I've read all day.
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And this was the most stupid post i have read all day.

There was no point to your post other than to insult. At least his post gave a reason.

Shivetya said:
Considering that most gamers buy based on performance and not on looks... they usually are not cashed strapped at all... does it make you feel better to claim they are when its obvious they make better use of their money for performance than fancy cases?
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A majority of 'gamers' are average people from a variety of age groups who enjoy playing games. The hardcore gamers with a mini super computer are by far in the minority.
 
kurosov said:
And this was the most stupid post i have read all day.

There was no point to your post other than to insult. At least his post gave a reason.



A majority of 'gamers' are average people from a variety of age groups who enjoy playing games. The hardcore gamers with a mini super computer are by far in the minority.
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Of course those GTX 295's have to be sold to someone.... I doubt cash strapped people buy those nor the $999 i7 965's...
 
wesleyh said:
Yeah they said the same thing in november, december & january. (Next month)..
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They have been saying that for almost two years in regard to the new Mini coming out. Two years worth of Tuesdays LOL gotta love these rumor web sites:rolleyes: only a fool would believe any of the crap posted on here regarding the release dates of new machines.

I doubt some of the poster here have even reached puberty.
 
Been hearing more reports of iMac shortages in supply chain.
So heres hoping tomorrow kicks off Update season 09.
 
MattInOz said:
Been hearing more reports of iMac shortages in supply chain.
So heres hoping tomorrow kicks off Update season 09.
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I hope… it's February 24 or nothing! :p

roski11 said:
Some guy on another forum, I think it's called Apple Insider, said they would be out in June.
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Here's the interesting thing. If they are going to be released in June, then Apple may be using the Montevina refresh CPUs due in April or so. So if Apple goes that route then the reason may be that they couldn't get the 65 W quad-cores in the iMac, and so "missed" the November release window, and the Feb/March release window with the 2.67/2.93 GHz Penryns.
 
No shortages in SA

Here in San Antonio no shortages at Best Buy's or Apple stores...I don't think it will be in Feb. or March. I am thinking whenever Apple releases there back to school stuff is when it will happen.
 
I still think if Apple does release a new iMac it will go to Core 2 Quad CPU's with the 65 W thermal design power (TDP) rating. Given the tremendous CPU processing needs in iPhoto, iMovie and Garage Band in iLife '09, this program suite can definitely benefit from having four CPU cores available to do complex multimedia processing.

Apple could go to the Core i7 CPU, but its 105 W TDP and the lack of support for ECC memory is something that Apple may not want currently. Mind you, Intel could surprise us with an early release of a 32 nm-process Core i7 CPU, which may make it viable for the iMac.
 
poxonyou said:
If Apple does that, they're going to really lose die-hard and tech-savvy customers to cheaper PCs that can now run OS X fine if they have he right hardware (only takes a few hours of forum browsing to see what works and what doesn't). A year ago+, the PC OS X was extremely unstable with few people using it and coding to make it compatible, but now, perhaps thanks to Vista sucking ass, it's working great and tons of people are working to make it compatible on common hardware. ... so that, along with the more interesting hardware design, excused the higher price. It doesn't work that way anymore. Now hardware design is the only difference, and they're not just charging more, but charging more for out-of-date specs. Something needs to change.
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I agree that the hardware is due for a refresh in the iMac, the Mini is overpriced and way out of date, and that Apple has a gaping hole in their lineup because they don't have an xMac, but people installing OS X on PCs being a factor? I would guess 1 in 100 people who would buy a Mac actually think of doing something like that and have the ability --this is not even a factor. Yes, there is a lot more interest in that now, but that is for the extreme fan only. I agree with a lot of what you say, but the iMac is competitive to other AIOs from HP and Dell, look at their prices. Hopefully Apple updates the iMac and Mini, adding power and some good bang for the buck. Perhaps a quad "iMac Pro" for the same price as the current high end 3.06 Ghz, but drop the rest of the line down a little bit in price for better hardware.
 
TheAshMan said:
...but the iMac is competitive to other AIOs from HP and Dell, look at their prices.
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All-in-ones are not competitively priced with mini-towers - they are very expensive for what you get (the specs). Apple, Dell, HP - they're all rather dear.

Lamborghinis are competitively priced with Ferraris - but if I want an Acura or an Audi who cares?



TheAshMan said:
Perhaps a quad "iMac Pro" for the same price as the current high end 3.06 Ghz...
Click to expand...

NO, NO, NO.

The "gaping hole" in Apple's lineup is not the lack of a quad core all-in-one.

The hole is the lack of a competitive mini-tower. Mini-towers from other companies use quad-cores for systems at the price point of a MiniMac.

Mini-towers have upgradeable graphics cards - often integrated graphics as well. Want good 3D graphics, add a PCIe x16 card. Want graphics adequate for most people, use the integrated graphics in the chipset and save some money.

Mini-towers have room for a couple of extra hard drives - without an ugly mess of external drives and cables.

Mini-towers don't force you to throw away a good monitor because you want a faster CPU, nor do you have to throw away the CPU because you want a better monitor.

There's nothing wrong with adding a quad to the Imac - but that won't solve the "gaping hole" problem.

Keep selling the all-in-one, but add a mini-tower to the lineup. Entry level dual core with integrated graphics, top end quad Core i7 with a great (not full gamer) graphics card, BTO options for in-between. Apple has tens of billions of your dollars in the bank - they can afford the "petty cash" needed to design two motherboards (one for Core 2, one for Core i7).

And please, don't argue that Apple buyers are too stupid to decide whether they want the simplicity of an all-in-one (with all the compromises that that entails) or the flexibility of a mini-tower.
 
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