Originally posted by barkmonster
They could easily offer a barebones tower if they cut down on the expensive stuff :
100 MBit Ethernet instead of Gigabit
Combo DVD/CDRW with an optional superdrive.
Single 1Ghz G4 with no L3 cache
256Mb of PC2100 DDR SDRAM
60Gb 5400rpm HD with an optional 80 7200rpm
1 spare HD bay and only 1 ATA/100 controller instead of ATA/100 and ATA/66
This machine would require a second MoBo design. For Apple, each MoBo design is a huge investment in R & D.
Also, it sounds as though the current MoBo is fairly tighly integrated which means you can't just yank something out at random.
Of course a new case would have to be depracated from the current case to offer dual 5 1/4" bays, but with room for only one extra HD.
For people who want a pro tower on the cheap, do the following. Go to your local community colege. Register for a $12 class.
Go to Apple's .edu store, buy the machine for ~$1,200.
For everyone else who's complaining that this or that will be the death of Apple, you are a bunch of blowhards:
Apple would like, and will build, faster towers, but does not today have the processors. Many of you moaning about speed don't need it. Apple does more R & D than companies five times their size. Apple is weathering this downturn in the economy better than most. Apple is $4,000,000,000 liquid. Apple has been on its deathbed since the late '80s. Apple stock is a BARGAIN right now (imagine buying Apple for $1,000,000,000, you can do that if you also buy their cash stockpile for $4,000,000,000). Apple has fired hundreds, and hired hundreds in a period when everyone else has fired thousands and hired none. Apple products have been getting steadiy cheaper for a decade (remember the $9000 Quadra 950, the $7200 IIfx).
If you are an Apple stock holder, who beleives that Appe is doomed, I'm buying anything I can get for $13.50 or less.
