Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Sub $1000 Apple Device?

Re: Not a COMPLETE comparrison

Originally posted by amichalo
Okay, so you compared a $800 eMac to a $870-920 PC - a 9-15% more expensive system.

Further, you did not include anything about SOFTWARE - what good is a PC without it? Does your more expensive clone include XP? anything else? How does the software package compare to Panther, Appleworks, Quicken 2004, and the other goodies that come bundled with an Apple? (speaking from my iMac experience - don't know about the eMac)
Click to expand...

At 9-15% more with twice the specs. Don't make excuses. And it comes with: Works 7.0 (Which is basicly Word 2002 with a slimed down ver of Excel.), Microsoft Money 2004, Encarta Online, Power DVD, Norton AntiVirus 2003.

All I'm saying as a basic machine you still get more of a system for as much as an EMac and I didn't even bother with bottem of the barrel from emachines....

$449.99
-$50 mail in rebate.
So when its all said and done: $399

Intel® Celeron® 2.50 GHz Processor
256 MB DDR
40 GB HDD
48x Max. CD-RW Drive
and for software: Works 6.0, Money 2002, Encarta Online, Norton AntiVirus 2003.

Add a $50 (IBM makes $50 monitors) - $150 monitor and you still have a functional system that can do audio, mail, surfing at a price that is less then the cheapest Mac.

If Apple wants to focus on the upper crust of computer users that's fine but I would point them at the Palm Zire and how well its selling at a $99 price point. See Palm has discovered something Apple has not. That there is a large market for those users that want the basics. And for those that want said basics cheap is good even if you have to deal with a lower quality system.
 
I completely agree with jay, Apple's marketing/advertising group has done an amazing job creating a desire for the whole Apple/Macintosh experience, but it seems to me whoever is in charge of pricing keeps cutting their legs out from under them. People want macs, but fifteen minutes on one in an Apple store won't give the average customer the understanding that the overall computing experience for these machines is really worth as much as Apple claims it is. Only regular use can really establish that. The best thing Apple can do if they really do want to increase market share is to actually let people have their machines. Pop a crippled G5 into a cute little box with limited upgradability and modest capabilities, price it between $700-$900 and give them a sweet bundle deal on a monitor in case they don't already have one. Then, in three years, when somebody starts making software they can't run, they'll understand why macs cost more and they'll want to pay for an excellent one.

Just the ideas of a poor college student who wants to replace his 500MHZ G3 DinoBook...

EDIT: That Xstation is EXACTLY what I'm talking about, Kudos to whoever put that together.
 
Re: Re: ya!

Originally posted by jayscheuerle

Years ago, people loved Apple for the look and feel, the great nature of the OS, the down-to-earth hipness of its subculture. You payed more, but were part of a group of computer users that seemed kinder, more creative, just better hearted.

Now Apple's ranks are swollen with arrogance and elitism, showing pride in the fact that they were willing (and able) to spend a couple of thousand on a system which they would only challenge in their dreams, chiding others who demand more and denouncing as whiners those who won't settle for less.

It's a shame, because Apple could be so much more.
Click to expand...

I believe the vast majority of Mac users still fall into your "years ago" description. You seem to be confusing members of this site (and other Mac sites) with Mac users in general. I don't think that people who spend their days posting to Mac rumor sites are in any way representative of Mac users at large.
 
Re: Headless iMac, eMac, minitower, cube...

Originally posted by jayscheuerle
A $749 iBox would send their stock through the roof...
Click to expand...

That's what I would like to see, lets say,
1: case with 2 or 3 optical bays
1: motherboard with 3 PCI 33MHz slots, 2 PCI-X slots
1: 8x agp
1: one or two G4 1.25/1.4

optional extras,
RAM
HDD,
Optical Drive
Graphics Card
 
Originally posted by ryaxnb
Go forward, then.
xstation1.jpg
$699. Mockup by an AppleInsider visitor.
Click to expand...

Very nice...
 
Guess this is my debut for the forum. I am a PC user for over 6 years, am only 17 now. I hate it. It crashes, I want to study communications/production and am very limited with my PC.

For over a year and a half I have been visiting the apple website, several rumor sites, mac news, man fan sites and from what I read I loved it. I then went to a CompUSA near my town to test it out and I learned how to use it, change preferences and use the iLife programs faster then I learned how to work the Windows taskbar. I was conviced.

The only thing that has been holding me back is the price tag. My current PC (2 1/2 years old) is a 1Ghz, 60G HD, 128mb RAM, two drives (CDRW/DVD). That cost me $750 and it included a 3 year extended warrenty which I have the number memorized because I used it so often. Right now my machine is pretty outdated, but this was over two years ago.

Now I compare my current PC with the options that Apple gives me. Price/Feature wise PC wins. The best I can do is a high-end eMac. I have been saving up and hope to have enough money by early next year.

So to offer the PC user's point of view, the only thing holding me back is cash.

If the eMac was cheaper, or if Apple had a lower-end model I would have converted a while ago.

And one more thing, one thing that scares me is the customer support, only 90 days , or else I have to pay $100+ for extended coverage. I still don't feel confortable with that but my mind is set and I will be going Mac when I have the cash.
 
Originally posted by pkradd
There's not going to be a cube. It was a failure, both techinically and sales wise. People didn't like it (except Mac fans).
Click to expand...

That's wrong. People *loved* it. They just didn't think it had a good price/performance ratio.

And the people that especially loved it weren't the mac heads, but the PC heads.

Cube style miniATX cases are *the* hot item amongst PC users!

(Well, one of the hot items)
 
Apple is a luxury brand. It is the computing equivalent of a pair of Prada shoes or a BMW convertible. It has style, reliability, comfort and exclusivity. I don't know if Prada has a rumors site, but if they did, I doubt it would be clogged with people saying "Hey, I got some shoes at Pic-and-Pay for 15 bucks...what's the deal with your prices?"

Would more people buy Apple's if they were as cheap as Windows-ridden boxes? Of course. But Apple won't do that because it would destroy their brand, which is the most valuable asset it has. 3% market share is nothing to crow about. Limited software selection is not a selling point. Being regarded as one of the most stylish, innovative, high-end computer companies in the world is their saving grace.

I can't afford a new Mac. I have to save a LOT of cash to get the one I want. And that's fine by me - I'm getting what I pay for, and it will EASILY be worth the extra thousand dollars to never have to scream at a clunky, junky, poorly-designed Windows OS.

As far as a new $750 product? My money's on a souped-up iPod. A luxury item if there ever was one.
 
Re: Hmmm....

Originally posted by yoman
If $749 is truly the price point, and there truly is a product that will come with that price point. I wonder how long we will have to wait to find out what it is. As said in the article no time frame has been noted.

:cool:
Click to expand...

And just what will Apple offer those who need a monitor to go with their $749 box? A$699 17"?

Knowing Jobs, some overpriced stylish 15" CRT would be announced in conjunction to make up for lost margin dollars.
 
Originally posted by SuperChuck
Apple is a luxury brand. It is the computing equivalent of a pair of Prada shoes or a BMW convertible. It has style, reliability, comfort and exclusivity. I don't know if Prada has a rumors site, but if they did, I doubt it would be clogged with people saying "Hey, I got some shoes at Pic-and-Pay for 15 bucks...what's the deal with your prices?"

Would more people buy Apple's if they were as cheap as Windows-ridden boxes? Of course. But Apple won't do that because it would destroy their brand, which is the most valuable asset it has. 3% market share is nothing to crow about. Limited software selection is not a selling point. Being regarded as one of the most stylish, innovative, high-end computer companies in the world is their saving grace.
Click to expand...

As much as MacFans hate to admit it, Apple has seldom been the equivalent of BMW except in terms of price. The equivalent would more likely be a Bentley for how far above the others they were AND because the price was inflated, not because of the performance, BMWs have that, but because of the industrial design coupled with a cutting edge OS. If you want to pay a ton of money for something that looks great, but gets you to the ACME as fast as an Oldsmobile, Mac has always been the computer of choice. Don't even bring up the G5, because people have been using that crappy BMW analogy for as long as middle of the road P4's were beating our socks off. Unless industrial design is your end all, Apple hasn't had a leg to stand on compared to modern day PCs that come in at 75% of their price point. 10.2.8 was bad. 10.3 was bad. The 15" Powerbooks have white spots. When you buy a Bentley, you can bet that hopping in and turning the key wont shove the tailpipe up your arse. Apple's greatness is built to a large degree on myth and readily accepting the SJRDF Kool-Aid.

Stylishness does not cost a lot of money. It requires a certain degree of luck in hiring the right designers at the right time. Whoever hired Ives had a LOT of foresight. Hardware-wise, Apple has hardly been innovative lately, except for the iPod, which is fighting off the bandwagon as we speak. If high end means costing a lot of money, then they're spot on, but don't kid yourself if you think your $2,500 Mac is twice as good as a $1,250 Wintel box. It just looks better and runs OSX.

Running OSX has been enough reason for me to hang onto my aging beige box while I wait to be able to buy an affordable replacement (eMac is NOT an option).

If you don't think that Jonathan Ives would love to see his designs in more people's hands, as Michael Graves has accomplished, then you're not a designer.
 
Cube!

Cube!

Bring Back the Cube!

Come on guys.

A Sub-100 --> Education Only (the Real eMac)

Make it like the eCube (Education Cube)

Revamp with latest firewire and such.

Stick a G4 in it.

Letsss GOOOO!

:D
 
Sub $1000 device

Totally unknown what Apple might be planning for this. A PDA would be very interesting; although I don't understand why folks would be rooting for a video player. And, a 60GB iPod?! C'mon! I have yet to fill a quarter of my 10 GB iPod, and I already have upwards of 500 songs. Can you actually listen to 60 gigs worth of music in 1 sitting? The battery doesn't even last that long. Get serious. What would really rock is a widescreen 19" display for $999. Too close for a 20" and 23" display, although of course the 23" display IS HD compatible, but only about 10 stations per city are offered in HD. Save some money for a plasma!
 
Originally posted by jayscheuerle
As much as MacFans hate to admit it, Apple has seldom been the equivalent of BMW except in terms of price.
Click to expand...

I beg to differ.

If top speed is the ruler by which you judge a product, BMW is not the tops in cars, nor is Apple the tops in computers.

What I was saying was that Apple is a luxury brand, and luxury is rarely, if ever, about "speed." It is about comfort, beauty, style and function. No PeeCee has ever been as stylishly designed as its Apple equivalent. No Windows OS has ever held a candle to the competing Mac OS of the day. When Apple says "legendary ease of use," they aren't pulling it out of nowhere. The Mac OS has always been simpler, friendlier, more attractive and more straightforward.

Luxury is a diamond necklace, a bottle of 100 year old Scotch...not a drag racer.
 
Dang, I hate when people compare Macs to nice cars, seriously, a mac is NOT as great as yall put it off to be.

1. Not a symbol of anything, just a computer thats on your desk or in your lap.

2. There is better out there

3. like its been stated, more $ on a mac doesn't mean its better

4. There are better PC cases out there than the looks of the Mac, just not from Dell , :rolleyes:

and if your going to compare it to a car and try to make a point about luxury, at least use a good car like Lexus or Infinity, because a BMW is about as reliable as that Dodge Neon you see driving down the road.



whew....had to get that out.
 
I am suprised with the number of people that want the all-in-one form factor to go away and be replaced with a box or headless iMac. I understand that the computer can be replaced and you can keep the monitor, but what about people who do like something with style. I have a friend with a new 17" iMac and I have another friend with a black plastic PC tower with a white CRT monitor, wires hanging all over the place...I think it looks like crap! Sure he did not have to buy a monitor, but nothing matches. The iMac looks nice and actually is something you can be proud to display in your living room to your guests. The Mac All-In-Ones have always been very popular and I am suprised everyone wants this nice simple solution taken out of the line-up.

If you want a headless mac, they have them, G5 towers. If you want something cheaper with a G4, they have those too, G4 1.25 single or dual towers. Drop the price a little on the G4 tower and there is your headless Mac. Besides if you replace your computer every 4 years or so, about the life of the iMac/eMac, you would probably want a new monitor anyhow, something that goes with the computer. Everyone complains about the current Apple monitors because they look like a G4 and not a G5, so who would really want to use a mismatched monitor and feel proud about it? Even my old blueberry iMac DV looks clean and is not clutter all over and I might be the only one, but I like that.
 
I have figured out what this $750 mystery product is...

Due to the runaway success of its iTunes for Windows, Apple has created yet another product for the Windows market: the iScream keyboard.

Using the latest in voice recognition software and a built in microphone, the iScream keyboard interprets the precise meaning of the guttural moans and rage-filled outbursts directed at the Windows machine and responds appropriately.

Although most sounds will issue the control-alt-delete command, those that sound surprised at the current problem will elicit other commands, such as instantly downloading the latest virus patches.

Sounds of loading a revolver or fashioning a noose out of ethernet cable will send a command to instantly show detailed instructions on how to network two PeeCees together.

As with many of Apple's products, some will say that $750 is a lot to pay for a keyboard, and they'll follow this remark with a comment about how Windows machines are just as good.

Yes. Of course they are. Until you try to use them.
 
All y'all need to chill out...

You guys are really heated about the whole car thing, its all good.
Apple has done really good things since Steve came back, I think its fair to say that it has only been up for apple since he came back.

Most of the time apple pulls out something that we aren't usually expecting, and it usually turns out to be a good thing. I trust apple to do the right thing. I will admit, however, that there is huge whole in their low end. Like someone said before, PC users are trained for cost to be their number one buying guide. If apple is to increase their market share, they need a ultra low end mac.

By the by, i was looking on the apple education site tonight, and they were selling emacs for $599 if you buy them in bulk. Maybe they are trying to get rid of them because they are being replaced or upgraded? just a thought.
 
The Sub-$1000 device is the older 900Mhz iBook G3. If you scroll down lower on the apple store page, you'll notice that it sells for $999 along with the 800Mhz iBook for $899.

Those are some pretty sweet prices.
 
Originally posted by pkradd ...there are always rumors of "something else" that never happen. Remember the "tablet"? All the descriptions about size (7 X 9), pricing, etc.? Where art thou? [/B]
Click to expand...

Apparently it will be here soon.

This will be the "iPad/iTablet/Newton II:rolleyes: " whatever device. Primarily playback and connectivity functionality that will COMPLIMENT your home/school/work computer...NOT replace it.

It'll probably have the capability to store your "home" folder so that you can access it on any Mac you're on wherever you are.

Depending on how well it does, they'll come out with the "PowerPad/PowerTablet/PowerNewton II :rolleyes:" for the business and college student market. I'm guessing $1049ish.

It'll be either this or the color display video iPod.

It's gonna be a great X-MAS!!:D
 
Wouldn't mind seeing a rebirth of the Newton. Palm has finally narrowed the gap between it and PocketPC. Sony is currently where Apple would've been had they stayed in the PDA market.
 
Originally posted by Abercrombieboy
I am suprised with the number of people that want the all-in-one form factor to go away and be replaced with a box or headless iMac. I understand that the computer can be replaced and you can keep the monitor, but what about people who do like something with style. I have a friend with a new 17" iMac and I have another friend with a black plastic PC tower with a white CRT monitor, wires hanging all over the place...I think it looks like crap! Sure he did not have to buy a monitor, but nothing matches. The iMac looks nice and actually is something you can be proud to display in your living room to your guests. The Mac All-In-Ones have always been very popular and I am suprised everyone wants this nice simple solution taken out of the line-up.

If you want a headless mac, they have them, G5 towers. If you want something cheaper with a G4, they have those too, G4 1.25 single or dual towers. Drop the price a little on the G4 tower and there is your headless Mac. Besides if you replace your computer every 4 years or so, about the life of the iMac/eMac, you would probably want a new monitor anyhow, something that goes with the computer. Everyone complains about the current Apple monitors because they look like a G4 and not a G5, so who would really want to use a mismatched monitor and feel proud about it? Even my old blueberry iMac DV looks clean and is not clutter all over and I might be the only one, but I like that.
Click to expand...

Do you remember the iMac ad that showed the back of a PC? It had a ton of wires going all over the place. Traffic sound effects were playing in the background. Then, the camera panned over to the back of an iMac (CRT model) with just a couple of wires protruding and the sound of birds chirping in the background.

That's one of the reasons I switched.

Squire
 
Originally posted by Abercrombieboy
I am suprised with the number of people that want the all-in-one form factor to go away and be replaced with a box or headless iMac.
Click to expand...

Who told you that the all-in-one design shall go away? All the people wan't is another option in lower price point. That's it. All-in-one options shall stay where they are except that they shall be updated asap.
 
Video iPod?

The whole idea of a video iPod really amazes me. I can't imagine watching a movie on a screen that small. Besides, wouldn't that encourage video piracy? Real question: How do you get a movie on your hard drive legally? Is it possible? This won't come out until the QuickTime Movie Store becomes a reality.

I think it's unfortunate that Apple hasn't jumped (back) into the PDA market. Jobs has been quite vocal about his PDA stance, though.

Something to send iTunes tracks to your stereo? Sure. That would be nice.

I would love to see a 10" notebook. I've said it a million times and I'll say it again: Apple is losing out here. I think a lot of people are buying Vaios and Fujitsus over iBooks and 12" PBs because they're even smaller. Full-featured is great but some people wouldn't mind carrying an optical drive around.

Unfortunately, the new "mystery" product will be nothing more than a 17" widescreen monitor.

I'm not always right, though. ;)

Squire
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back