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New iMac In September

One other observation - I have read many posts in this thread from people stating that the iMac needs to be more "pimped out" and powerful, and a true "prosumer" machine - this is fine and justified, (I agree with this myself), however, I wonder if these people perhaps do not realize that as a result of slapping in a G5, upgrading the hardware,. etc., the price might increase substantially on the iMac, as I have indicated in previous posts. It almost seems like people are also wanting the price of the new iMac to go down.

If this is the case, then I guess the same people complaining that the current iMac isn't powerful enough will start complaining about the increase in price when their more powerful machine is released... 🙄 😉
 
Krizoitz said:
Stuff like basic photoshop, web design, programming, digital media (beyond iMovie/iPhoto). A single G5 proccessor would dramatically help with that kind of stuff, and is exactly what mid-range users want. We are the users Apple targets with the iMac, those who can't quite justify the expense of a PowerMac but have outgrown the eMac.

The iMac isn't supposed to be the mass market machine, that is now the eMac. The iMac USED to be the mass market machine but not anymore. The eMac is the lower priced G4 machine you are talking about.
Click to expand...

Okay, I can't argue with an opinion, but Apple's marketing and most poeple's classification of the iMac would not fit your opinion. If Apple did decide that the iMac is no longer a mass-market machine, they never told anyone. One of Apple's own execs recently said the price of the iMac was (and I'm paraphrasing slightly) "missing the sweet spot" for a mass market machine. He didn't say, "Oh, the iMac is no longer Apple's mass market machine, that's the eMac."

The eMac (as I'm sure most folks on this board know) was originally intended only as a education option. It was expanded to the consumer market, in large part, because the flat panel iMac sales were, well, flat from virtually day one. And sales of the flat panel have *reeked* lately. Check Apple's last set of financials. The iMac was their poorest selling machine bar none.

And I've got to tell you, I've sold many, many Macs, and while an iMac *can* do the things you say, I have never had anyone who said "I want to do Photoshop, web design, pro video, and programming" ever, *ever* buy an iMac. The lack of expandability for the graphics card alone usually kills the deal.

I think maybe what you and a lot of people are missing is this: yes, the iMac in its current incarnation is not a mass market machine, but not because Apple planned it that way. The flat panel iMac *failed* as a mass market machine and the introduction of the eMac into the consumer market was a stop-gap measure implemented by Apple to ammeliorate that failure.

That being said, I love the thing. But Apple says its supposed to be a "mass-market" computer, business analysts say it is supposed to be a mass market computer, and so do I. So I dearly hope Apple can add enough value to the new incarnation of the iMac to allow it to succeed as well as good ol' bondi blue & friends did.
 
And another thing...

Someone earlier in the thread (I apologize for forgetting the name) made the very good point that Apple has always considered the iMac/eMac line to be almost one in the same. They even list the sales of the two machines in one lump figure.

As I said, Apple never really *intended* to have a "prosumer," "mid-range" or whatever-you-wanna-call-it machine in their lineup. Remember Steve's nifty little product grid?

Pro side: Power Macs, Power Books
Consumer side: iMacs, iBooks

The eMac exists *only* because Apple realized pretty quickly that consumers were not enamored enough with the flat panel iMac's nifty moveable flat-panel display to shell out 1299 for it. They were stuck with no real consumer option so they stuck a a G4 and motherboard into a 17 inch studio display case and called it an eMac.

Hopefully, this new iMac will be popular enough that Apple can go back to that orginal, and simple, product grid.
 
Never say never

mhouse said:
As I said, Apple never really *intended* to have a "prosumer," "mid-range" or whatever-you-wanna-call-it machine in their lineup...
Click to expand...

I don't know if it was never "intended." I think one of Jobs' first tasks when he came back was to simplify the Mac line. The Quadra and Performa lines had too many variations. By getting back-to-basics in many ways, in both "The Grid" and in industrial design ("basic" for Apple here means ahead of everyone else), Apple was able to set a solid groundwork for everything that followed. The iPod was never part of "The Grid," nor were XServes. The Grid was the foundation for what we have today.

The "Prosumer" is a creation of Apple's. By putting free, easy-to-use software in the hands of any Mac owner, Apple allowed some people, myself included, to do some great things with the free stuff, and left them wanting to go to the next level.

Just like they put desktop publishing into the hands of the consumer with the first Macs, they've gone and done the same with multimedia. (BTW, where's a good, cheap piece of DTP software these days?)

I do think that Apple needs to keep addressing the Prosumer that they created with more products like Final Cut Express. How about DVD Studio Express?
 
it does seem odd that apple didn't demo the new imac. in the past, steve hasn't been shy about showing off what is to come. it especially doesn't make sense to keep it under wraps because nobody is going put off buying a current gen imac until the next gen comes out because there aren't any current gen imacs. it doesn't matter to me, but i'm curious as to whether the imac will actually ship in september or in... 2005. i'm still psyched to see the new design.
 
Michael Vance said:
Because in the bizarre world of Macdome everything is eventually reinterpreted as a victory for Mac users.
Click to expand...

Oooh, where is this "Macdome" that you speak of - do they hold concerts and play football games there? Count me in, I want to see this thing! 😉 😛

Seriously, your statement is overly simplistic, inaccurate and incorrect due to the generalities you're encompassing with such a broad statement. 😎
 
Let Me Reiterate

Krizoitz, let me reiterate my point. You say that a seventeen or twenty inch screen works well for an entry-level pro user. By pro, I must assume you mean professional, i.e., one who uses the computer for business and profit-making on the bottom line. Therefore, you must realize that businesses must find the iMac ridiculously cost-inefficient. The processor will seem slower over the years as new processors increase in speed. The graphics card will become outdated even sooner. And there's no telling how soon a hard drive will fill up in a design environment, unless of course there is network attached storage. However, it's this seventeen or twenty inch screen that remains in great condition and prime usability; I fully agree with you that these monitors are great. But if one cannot detach it from the obsolete base, the entire system must go, monitor and all. Of course, one might be able to break open the arm and somehow connect the monitor to a new computer, but IT workers just don't have time for that kind of possibly yieldless tinkering. Therefore, buying a tower, the G4 tower, for instance, results in many years of usage. Any monitor is compatible. Graphics cards are upgradeable. RAM is expandable to a greater extent. There is room for more hard drives, and it is easy to upgrade the processor if necessary. Finally, if the box becomes obsolete, the monitor is still there for use on another computer. If we are speaking about seventeen and twenty inch monitors, we are looking at a savings of $300-$1000 every one or two years.

If by "entry pro" you mean a self-employed or entrepreneurial user, I can see a greater possibility of using an iMac. However, it is still grossly expensive in the long run - and the long run is not that long, two years maximum. My boss uses a recent G4 tower and an Apple Studio Display, while other people are on Sawtooths and Viewsonic CRTs. I'm on a current generation PowerBook, so the premium I paid goes to versatility; and it's still less than a comparably equipped iMac.

Pro user implies one who works for a company. Companies are in the business of making money. Paying $1500-2500 every two years per employee just doesn't happen. I recommend you ask your friends and colleagues what their businesses do with regard to computer upgrades and all-in-one units; it doesn't matter if they're Macs. I can tell you that if we're talking about Macs, we'll be looking at towers in the office and PowerBooks for portability. If we're talking about PCs, we'll be looking at many-years-old notebooks and desktop systems, save for workstations.

Mike LaRiviere
 
iMacs

appleface said:
it does seem odd that apple didn't demo the new imac. in the past, steve hasn't been shy about showing off what is to come. it especially doesn't make sense to keep it under wraps because nobody is going put off buying a current gen imac until the next gen comes out because there aren't any current gen imacs. it doesn't matter to me, but i'm curious as to whether the imac will actually ship in september or in... 2005. i'm still psyched to see the new design.
Click to expand...

Perhaps Apple and Steve are deciding between multiple
models, contingent on what IBM will have ready by then.
 
nothing is certain, almost

kangaroo said:
Perspective: this is a computer production snafu--it's not infirmity, human-expiration or taxes! 😉 /QUOTE]

while i acknowledge that almost nothing is certain in this world(and i would add the Yankees winning the Pennant to your list) i do care about my favorite computer company, almost like i care about the Red Sox, which is WAY too much sometimes, and it just disheartens me to see them have such a mis-step. i dont own stock, i just really like their product and probably could spend a little time doing something else....(aka, get a life)
You Sox and football(american) fans will understand...we here at this rumors site are like armchair quarterbacks, and we all have a way we would run the company, and when things like this happen, we relive other moments in our history(HOW could Grady leave Pedro in?) and we get a little frustrated, and i dont know what term we should use Computer Chair CEO's maybe....really, sometimes this is how it feels for me....i hope i am not the only one, so i guess, Perspective i have, but what i need to do is have a little less investment in it, like i said, maybe i need a little more of a life.....hahahaha
Click to expand...
 
HyperX said:
Apple is not, will not, produce any more 15" LCD's for consumer systems. 15.2" for Powerbook is pretty much all you will see.. Expect Pretty much 17" and 20" as the only 2 flavors of Imac. I tend to think they will not do a "Headless" Imac (even though I think it is a good buisness move to make such a product). Look for a Pizza Box though. Something that leans back on itself or can be attached to the wall. Bluetooth Keyboard and mouse means that the wont be any pesky wires on yur desktop. I know in my heart this is the Road Steve wants to go down.

Someone I get a nagging feeling though we could seee 1.5 G4 in september. If so, YOUCH! I forsee apple stock falling so Steve will NEED to do something before this July is up or hurt destroying Revenue for the Quarter!
Click to expand...
i think there will be a 15.2" and 17" imac only, and a headless one. with dvi, if you buy the Apple displays you will get extra unique features. like dual monitor support and the ability to use an apple articulating arm the attaches to the imac and matching looks, there will not be a 20" imac, since with DVI you can buy the 20" or 23" display.
JMO
 
daveg5 said:
i think there will be a 15.2" and 17" imac only, and a headless one. with dvi, if you buy the Apple displays you will get extra unique features. like dual monitor support and the ability to use an apple articulating arm the attaches to the imac and matching looks, there will not be a 20" imac, since with DVI you can buy the 20" or 23" display.
JMO
Click to expand...

any chance of leaving the crack alone?????

sorry just dont think that there will be a headless anything.....
 
I gather this may have been said before; I'm not looking through 24 pages of posts. Perhaps, since this is the Macintosh 20th anniversary, this could be a commemerative product, and Stevie got wild hair up the rectum syndrome to turn everything to it's attention. I see a TAM like product in Apple future.
 
Yet another interesting idea. This is another way to phase out old hardware. They just completely dropped a whole line here. I wouldn't be supprised at all if tomorrow, they changed the whole lineup. I'm pretty sure they knew about it, too. I mean, there's usually surplus of the older model. They sold the G3s long after G4 iMacs came out. At least to education markets anyway, IIRC. When I read this I almost had a necessity of a new pair of pants. I got "Apple just cut the lifeline on the iMac." It's kindof as if they just terminated a whole project. It made me think of LISAs. Most are reading it as a simple platform upgrade notice. I see a we're killing the iMac notice. I know they're releasing another, but to me this won't seem like an update to the iMac line, it'll seem like a Expidition to an Excape. (or however you spell it.)

~Sighs. I'm so gonna get flamed for this one. 🙁 ~
 
So let me make sure I understand this . . .

In September Apple is going to release an iMacPod with WiFi capability, same specs as the top end G5, and all in a package smaller than the current iPod mini???

😀

Oh, I forgot, with over 24 hours battery life as well.
 
IJ Reilly said:
Two things here don't make any sense to me:

1. According to the news stores, Apple has "delayed" releasing a product they hadn't even announced. How is this possible?

2. Apparently Apple sold through their inventory of G4 iMacs sooner than they anticipated. How will this have a negative impact on their bottom line?
Click to expand...

In response to #2 - it's not the inventory that went faster, it's the new imac development that went slower. In other words, they anticipated running out of imacs at this date but the new imac was supposed to be ready. The only reason I can think of for explaining such a delay is that the G5 will be in the new iMac and IBM just can't make em' fast enough. So it is a problem... not necessarily apple's fault but a problem.
 
Wake up

azdude said:
My thoughts exactly. This must have been a huge screwup, because it is *way* out of character.

Apparently they ran out of stock while waiting for the iMac G5... ok. Fine, but what really confuses me is that the "New One" wasn't ready enough to at least show off at WWDC and get huge press????? WTF?
Click to expand...

Hello ? Everybody wake up please. If you followed Apple closely of late (as I'm sure you have) you will have noticed that Apple is moving away from announcing new hardware (exclusively) at big events. As of recently, analysts have repeatedly stated that Apple's 'secrecy' is hurting them very much in the corporate market, which needs accountability and planning. Apple announcing the state of affairs is just another step into becoming a more reliable IT citizen. Apple is obviously serious about gaining a foothold in the corporate market (cf. their Windows integration etc.). So, this clarification is a logical step.
I'm all happy about it. I just hope the new iMacs will come *without* a display attached to them. Again forcing a display on customers would screw everything up.

P.S.: Why weren't the new iMacs ready for WWDC ? Well, because they weren't. Engineering can take time, especially with a whole new design, incorporating a new chip etc.. Shouldn't surprise anyone. Cool thing is, they say new iMacs will also be *available* in September 🙂
 
Well said Dekator. And furthermore on the question "Why weren't iMacs previewed at WWDC?"

Strewth!! Wasn't WWDC big enough? 30inch displays, Tiger with Spotlight and CoreImage, third parties such as Maya Unlimited, etc etc

Why would they want to steal that thunder with an all new iMac?? Why would they want to show all their aces at once?? Why would they want a smaller window of publicity??

I reckon Apple will hold out revealing the Mac until Paris - they seem very keen on looking after Europe these last two years (maybe coz MS is much weaker there).

But by the time we get to Paris, Apple followers and media will be in a frenzy. There will have been supposed leaked images and most won't believe they are but some will be the real thing.
 
As previously mentioned, I am not going to read 24 pages of speculation just because I was out of town, so this may have been mentioned before.
It is possible that the "new" iMac is just an incremental upgrade. Like most of you, I would love to see a brand new toy. But in the four short years I have been following this company, I have learned to not to let my imagination run away with itself. When my daughter was born, I wanted a flat panel iMac that the good folks who post to Macrumors assured me was imminent. Unfortunately, I waited 7 months for said iMac. I have been very happy with the purchase which is still going strong, but I have also learned that Apple makes cool products and they take time to develop. Sometimes Apple is ahead of the curve and sometimes they are late to the dance.
 
the8088er said:
an imac without a monitor attatched isn't an iMac
Click to expand...

Ouch, so we're down to quabbling about names ? Right, whatever the *original* iMac was: What, I think, ppl are waiting for is a 'consumer' or at any rate a more affordable computer that isn't a portable. If an integrated monitor is what makes an iMac, you can just as well call it a Performa...
Many people have good monitors by now. People like choice and LCDs aren't really that expensive anymore. An iMac, or call it a 'fruMac' (for the rest of us Mac) is just that: A machine that lets you use all the digital hub stuff without maxing out the power like a pro machine. Artificially raising the price by adding a display which maybe even a majority doesn't need is plain folly. Yes, include an option to order a 'fitting' display whith it, fine. But given the huge demand for an stand-alone iMac (BTW, 'i' stand for everything *but* a display) it would be insane to throw away sales, customers, revenue...

P.S.: ChrisH3677: Idem and Amen, iMacs at the WWDC would have been a very, very bad idea.
P.S.2: Actually, I don't think Apple taking no more orders is a misfortune. People enarmoured with the current iMac will see to buy one (there are still a few out there), while others have a clear deadline for a new purchase. Well done Apple !
 
AL-FAMOUS said:
any chance of leaving the crack alone?????

sorry just dont think that there will be a headless anything.....
Click to expand...
Did you hear that from Steve?, if not you dont know either.
"maybe someone should leave the heroin and crack and Xtasy mix at home".
No one knows for sure at this point, this site is called rumors. Apple makes a 20" dvi display. so its only reasonable if a headless Imac (possible) is released. Apple my release 15.2 and 17 dvi displays for it, along with a separate articulating arm.
Of course it could be just like before with 15-17-20 or just 17 or any mixture, all in one or separates, no-one hear knows, so we are all speculating.
Even those like myself that dont use illegal drugs or even smoke.
 
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