Penryn iMac and Mac Mini Updates Soon?

[ranmasaotomes]

Auzzie store

This might be nothing.

But the Australian store has just gone down... Maybe they are doing something that we have missed?

 

[gRF]

But the Australian store has just gone down...

Singaporean store too...

 

[zjokke]

Singaporean store too...

All Asian stores are down, but no American or European one.

 

[Cave Man]

On that note, I wish Apple would allow the frontrow interface on the Mac Mini to have the same features as the Apple TV (ie. Movie Rentals, Surround Sound). The hardware in the mini is superior so I don't see why they can't do this...

The Mini can already do Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, provided you use the optical cable, install Perian, mod a plist file and encode your movie with AC3.

 

[Cave Man]

The inferior hardware in an tv is obviously cheaper to buy than the hardware to build a Mini.

In some respects it's inferior. In others it's superior. For example, the Nvidia Go 7300 of the ATV has hardware decoding of H.264, while the Mini's GMA950 (or X3100, if it shows up) does not.

Chances are the tv at its price point has a higher profit margin on it than the Mini at its respective price point,

I doubt that. The ATV saw a dramatic price cut at MWSF. The Mini's price hasn't changed in a few years (and its antiquated parts are getting cheaper).

The tech specs page for the tv is decidedly vague when it comes to the internals. It simply lists "Intel processor" and no mention of memory.

It has 512 mb of RAM and an underclocked single-core cpu.

My God, I can't believe how many times I just wrote tv! I think my vision's going blurry!

Yes, and it's really annoying to us, too.

 

[VoodooDaddy]

New minis and imacs can come out now. I sold my mini last night

I was so paranoid new ones would come out yesterday and the price on mine would take a massive hit. But they held off for at least another week so I got maximum out of mine.

Release the hounds!

 

[Jesse Smith]

I'm hoping da new iMacs come out in about two months, with 5 GB memory, 1 terabyte hard drive, and still living in dreamland...Blue-Ray! For just $2,500!

 

[mcavjame]

Got the shakes

Was anyone else tempted by the flurry of hardware that went through the refurbished section today. There were five flavours of mac minis, and now it is back down to one. There is also a dual core mac pro for 1899 canadian that is really tempting. When I factored in a new monitor and checked out the cost of ram for that beast, I decided it would get too expensive. That machine would last me a lot longer than a mini or iMac though.

Anyone want to talk me into it. Give me a good rationale to order the mac pro over waiting another week for a possible speed bump to the iMac/mini.

 

[dlastmango]

Was anyone else tempted by the flurry of hardware that went through the refurbished section today. There were five flavours of mac minis, and now it is back down to one. There is also a dual core mac pro for 1899 canadian that is really tempting. When I factored in a new monitor and checked out the cost of ram for that beast, I decided it would get too expensive. That machine would last me a lot longer than a mini or iMac though.

Anyone want to talk me into it. Give me a good rationale to order the mac pro over waiting another week for a possible speed bump to the iMac/mini.

I am in the process of selling my Dual 2.5Ghz G5 PowerMac system since I no longer do work at home and I'm looking at a 20" iMac to replace it. The system has been perfect since day one and even now that it is 3.5 years old the iMacs are just catching up in specs. Sure I know the difference in components but damn...OVER 3 Years! and its still no way near being outdated.
The MacPro will cost a bit more but it should give you years of solid performance. Paired with an Apple monitor it is a nice system.( I have the 20" at home and 23" for work) The biggest thing for me for a tower system is the ability to swap out Hard drives for various video projects I work on. I even have a HD with the Tiger OS on it for the time i need that setup.

The only thing thats holding me back from getting an iMac right now is I'm wondering if they will update the screen on the new iMacs to fix the gradient problem. Anyone know if this is still an issue?

Chris

 

[c:\windows]

I am in the process of selling my Dual 2.5Ghz G5 PowerMac system since I no longer do work at home and I'm looking at a 20" iMac to replace it. The system has been perfect since day one and even now that it is 3.5 years old the iMacs are just catching up in specs. Sure I know the difference in components but damn...OVER 3 Years! and its still no way near being outdated.
The MacPro will cost a bit more but it should give you years of solid performance. Paired with an Apple monitor it is a nice system.( I have the 20" at home and 23" for work) The biggest thing for me for a tower system is the ability to swap out Hard drives for various video projects I work on. I even have a HD with the Tiger OS on it for the time i need that setup.

The only thing thats holding me back from getting an iMac right now is I'm wondering if they will update the screen on the new iMacs to fix the gradient problem. Anyone know if this is still an issue?

Chris

Now you have me thinking about it.....(oh no).... Seems like a great idea, the new Mac Pro's will last for a long time, and you don't have to throw away a screen when you want to upgrade. A 30 inch screen also an option. You can pack a pro with a ton or RAM, and upgrade the drives as you go. Hummmmm

One question I have about the pro is how loud are they? Is there a loud hum emmitted from them? Please tell me "yes they will deafen you", so I can save a few thousand $ and get a iMac.

 

[Boyo]

The gradient problem is mostly on 24" iMac, I guess it's because the screen i too big and the technology is still being developed, should be solved soon, if not already. Otherwise the iMac is a wonderful machine even without an upgrade next week!

 

[dlastmango]

Now you have me thinking about it.....(oh no).... Seems like a great idea, the new Mac Pro's will last for a long time, and you don't have to throw away a screen when you want to upgrade. A 30 inch screen also an option. You can pack a pro with a ton or RAM, and upgrade the drives as you go. Hummmmm

One question I have about the pro is how loud are they? Is there a loud hum emmitted from them? Please tell me "yes they will deafen you", so I can save a few thousand $ and get a iMac.

YESSSS THEY WILL DEAFEN YOU... well not really. BUT i do hear the fans running constantly and if I do any video editing or anything more then internet/email... they fans kick into high gear and I almost expect the tower to blow across the floor. Keep in mind that this is a dual G5 setup and those chips were a pain to keep cool. I dont know about the MacPros fan noise. Sorry. I am looking to an iMac to reduce the amount of space required for a computer as well as less ambient noise. Now... how to keep my 2 yr old quiet...hmmmmm

 

[c:\windows]

YESSSS THEY WILL DEAFEN YOU... well not really. BUT i do hear the fans running constantly and if I do any video editing or anything more then internet/email... they fans kick into high gear and I almost expect the tower to blow across the floor. Keep in mind that this is a dual G5 setup and those chips were a pain to keep cool. I dont know about the MacPros fan noise. Sorry. I am looking to an iMac to reduce the amount of space required for a computer as well as less ambient noise. Now... how to keep my 2 yr old quiet...hmmmmm

Thanks, I just priced and added the setup to the shopping cart. Hummmm you the specs are way better then the iMac, with the Mac pro you give up a nice design for power. Hummmmmmmm. I think I am going to go for the pro.

 

[inspir3]

Was the nano always $AU 189?
i think we just got a 10$ price drop..no biggy though

 

[ranmasaotomes]

The iPod got the $10 downsize about a weeks ago.

Which was really odd since they have been promoting the whole student bundle thing.

Education Mac product + ipod nano and get 199 back. (price of old nano)

So there was either nothing.. Or it was something else.

Oh and this was for the Auzzie store question... ;-P

 

[iheartapple]

I'm hoping da new iMacs come out in about two months, with 5 GB memory, 1 terabyte hard drive, and still living in dreamland...Blue-Ray! For just $2,500!

keeeeeep on dreaming.

and i want it now!

 

[AreanFSL]

Some good news! Let's just hope follows through with the updates... Anyone think Current gen. iMac's will drop in even more price in the refurb section?

 

[artifact]

I'm thinking; would it be possible that we'd have to wait until San Francisco in June for the new iMacs? Or Apple is planing announcing the new ones like tomorrow, maybe?!!

 

[gooddog]

Poised To Purchase But Noooooooo!

I have been feeding my piggy bank for years.

I am poised to purchase a 24" iMac maxed out all over except RAM (of course).

BUT Nooooooo ! The GLOSSY SCREEN keeps me

from buying : AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH !!!!!

I'll wait 'til hell freezes over.

************************************

Any hope that we get choice back this time ?

Also, what of BlueRay ? Will I have to buy an
external ?

 

[jazz1]

I have been feeding my piggy bank for years.

I am poised to purchase a 24" iMac maxed out all over except RAM (of course).

BUT Nooooooo ! The GLOSSY SCREEN keeps me

from buying : AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH !!!!!

I'll wait 'til hell freezes over.

************************************

Any hope that we get choice back this time ?

Also, what of BlueRay ? Will I have to buy an
external ?

I'm waiting until June just to see if there is a matte screen option. Sometimes Apple listens. I know the glossy screen looks great in the store, but even with the overall iMac looking so great I really had to concentrate on focusing on the screen and not the overhead lights reflecting of the glossy screen.

 

[Zipnick]

FutureShop

I don't know if this is any indication, but FutureShop.ca is giving "instant rebates" on all current iMac models. The 24" model is down a 100$ to 1799$ CDN.

Maybe they're also reading this forum thread to try and figure out when they should clear their stock for a new revision from Apple.

From what I've seen, the Penryn chip goes up to 3.2 GHz. So can we expect (eventual) new models to be 2.4 GHz, 2.8 GHz and 3.2 GHZ ? What about graphics?

 

[flopticalcube]

I think the 3.2GHz is the desktop quad core. AFAIK, 2.8 is still the top mobile processor, Penryn or Merom.

 

[kiwi031]

I hope apple will never do that to the mini. When I browse the internet or work on a simple document I like to listen to the sound of silence. Adding such components to the mini would destroys its essence.

I'd rather see apple adding a desktop model to their line-up. A headless machine for users that also use aperture, final cut express or play a game once in a while. Yep, that's the xMac everyone talks about.

Thanks for your reply on my post

I can't claim the following to be any sort of "Market Research" (as a user commented above) but here goes.

I work the Apple stand at the flagship store of a well-known electronics retailer in New Zealand.

People love the iMacs, their design, their features, their out-of-the-box setup.. But, unfortunately for me, most customers are distinctly aware that these machines cannot be upgraded at all - hence a call for the dubbed 'xMac', a headless mid-range tower. And there are many people who dislike the inbuilt displays in the iMac - A photographer who needs better calibration options, for example, and people who can't stand the glossy displays.

They see Mac OS X as a huge benefit; very stable and intuitive with great software as standard in iLife 08'. Incompatibility will Windows programs is something they can live with.

For those who believe Boot Camp or Parallels are one-stop-shops for people wanting to play games - in my experience, I'd have to disagree. I've never heard of an iMac sale with a Windows OS attached, or even Parallels. It doesn't happen. Customers love the idea, but seem reluctant to realise such a setup...

End of story.... Apple, listen to the people Historically Apple have done this, but in a painfully slow and delicate manner. Just look at the MBA...

Perhaps with the introduction of the Macbook Air in their notebook range, Apple could also expand their desktop offerings by introducing a mid-range tower - something I'll personally greet with open arms and open wallet

Cheers

 

[inspir3]

Thanks for your reply on my post

I can't claim the following to be any sort of "Market Research" (as a user commented above) but here goes.

I work the Apple stand at the flagship store of a well-known electronics retailer in New Zealand.

People love the iMacs, their design, their features, their out-of-the-box setup.. But, unfortunately for me, most customers are distinctly aware that these machines cannot be upgraded at all - hence a call for the dubbed 'xMac', a headless mid-range tower. And there are many people who dislike the inbuilt displays in the iMac - A photographer who needs better calibration options, for example, and people who can't stand the glossy displays.

They see Mac OS X as a huge benefit; very stable and intuitive with great software as standard in iLife 08'. Incompatibility will Windows programs is something they can live with.

For those who believe Boot Camp or Parallels are one-stop-shops for people wanting to play games - in my experience, I'd have to disagree. I've never heard of an iMac sale with a Windows OS attached, or even Parallels. It doesn't happen. Customers love the idea, but seem reluctant to realise such a setup...

End of story.... Apple, listen to the people Historically Apple have done this, but in a painfully slow and delicate manner. Just look at the MBA...

Perhaps with the introduction of the Macbook Air in their notebook range, Apple could also expand their desktop offerings by introducing a mid-range tower - something I'll personally greet with open arms and open wallet

Cheers

I think the imac is more for amatuers and normal users, whilst a photgrapher who needs a editing machine will go with a mac pro + Cinema display..
as for mid range, i think the mini would have to be killed off, merged with apple tv, to give rise to the cube v.2

 

[Jesus on OSX]

Hurry up with the iMac ffs

I transferred $2100 into my checking account to buy a 24" iMac. That was in January. Now I'm just freaking out because I sold my Mac Pro and have to rely on Tiger running on top of slow-ass PPC.

I really hope they release the damn machine next week because if this drags on for another month I'll probably end up with a Mac Pro again - out of desperation.