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17-inch flat-Panel iMac Dead
EnlightenmentFan writes "Apple plans to stop production in June of the iMac with flat-panel 17-inch display, according to this article at Asian tech-news site Digitimes. As with the now-history 15" flat-panel iMac, sales started strong but stalled once the early-adopter crowd had bought in. Probably-not-unrelated story (also posted today): Chungwha Picture Tubes is boosting the price of its 17-inch LCD monitor panels."
APPLE STILL SELLS 15 INCH monitor imacs. THere is no way they have a 7 month inventory backlog on 15" panels, so the article cannot be correct about then being discontinued in june. On the other hand it is true that apple stopped selling 15" monitors. It's conceivable they might discontinue 17" monitors in lieu of just using 3rd party monitors. if their profit margin was slim this would be a shrewd move to drive down the price of the macs, while still retaining their premium 22" monitor offering.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
MacOS Rumors recently noted that certain stores were unable to order more CRT-based iMacs and eMacs. This is what Apple does when they are about to update a model. And now this?
Maybe Apple is finally taking everyone's advice, and realizing that consumers would far rather have a small, integrated box, like the Cube, that can interface with VGA and DVI as well as ADC monitors, and that is price-competitive with the cheapest x86 boxes. The revival of something like the Cube, but sans monitor and starting at $600, would actually get price-conscious consumers to consider getting a Mac instead.
Sources: 17-inch flat-panel iMac to stop production in June
David Tzeng, Taipei; Chinmei Sung, DigiTimes.com [Thursday 2 January 2003]
The 17-inch flat-panel iMac will terminate production in June, following the same fate as the 15-inch flat-panel model, which stopped production last October, said local PC makers familiar with the matter.
It is estimated that about 500,000 to 600,000 flat-panel iMacs were sold in 2002 following their introduction last January. The once highflying desktop computer, which created a buzz with its desk lamp-like look, is expected to sell another 300,000 to 400,000 units between now and June.
The flat-panel iMac, which debuted last January, became a smash hit shortly after being introduced. Sales peaked in March, with local manufacturers working round the clock, fulfilling shipments of over 10,000 units a day.
Sales of the 15-inch flat-panel iMacs practically stalled in June 2002 after selling more than 300,000 units between February and May, resulting in an early production termination in October.
"First you gotta do the truffle shuffle."
Hon Hai replaces LG as sole supplier of Apple's iMac/eMac PCs - report
TAIPEI (AFX-ASIA) - Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd (2317.TW) has replaced LG Electronics Co as the sole supplier of Apple Computer Inc's iMac/eMac desktop PCs, with 2003 shipments estimated at up to 1.0 mln units, the Economic Daily News reported without citing a source. While Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd (2475.TW) will provide 17-inch monitors for the eMac machines, AU Optronics Corp (2409.TW) has been certified as a TFT-LCD panel supplier to Apple Computer, it said.
No electrons were harmed creating this post, though some may have been subjected to electrical and/or magnetic fields.
The recent rumors were that apple would intro a 19" iMac this January. But with LCD prices for this size range not dropping and possibly increasing, that rumor is fading. Additionally, a 19" 'head' on the same iMac base would not be aesthetically pleasing (it would look funny). The only way that Apple is dropping all 17" iMacs and moving to all 19" is with great pricing on the new screens and a form factor change. Don't forget that it is always possible that Apple is working on a new enclosure (mood Mac story)that might use a different 17" LCD.
It would be not that hard: All Apple had to do was stop purposely crippling their low-end machines. That means it should have PCI and AGP-slots and a goddamn VGA-port.
Your wish is my command! And, for the record, because the Mac has an AGP slot, you can use whatever goddamn graphics card you goddamn want: goddamn VGA, goddamn ADC, goddamn DVI, goddamn whatever. Goddamn.
And they should sell the CPUs and motherboards seperately.
"And as long as I'm wishing, I'd like a pony."
Even the most crappy 300$ PC is more reliable than a $2000 Mac. Why? Because when something breaks I can get a replacement within half an hour...
That would be true if it weren't for the fact that Macs very rarely break. Since the mid-1990's I've owned two CRT iMacs, an original iBook, a dual-USB iBook, a PowerBook G4, and two Power Mac G4's. Some of those machines I had for years, some for a year or less. I have had zero hardware problems with any of them. No power supply failures, no fan failures, no CPU failures, nothing. No problems at all. Hell, for the longest time I was wishing that my computer would die, just so I could replace it!
I write in my journal
It's too bad that your friend didn't have a problem with static discharge - because he could have had it repaired for free.
Take a look at AppleCare Document 88195. If you call either of the numbers at the bottom of the article, tell them about your problem, persist, and - and this is the most important part - quote the document above, they will get a supervisor on the phone with you, and that supervisor will take down your information, have a FedEx box sent to you, pick it up (with your display inside), and ship it back within weeks - fixed.
For free.
This happened to me, and I put off researching about the problem until it was happening every couple of seconds. There would be a popping sound, accompanied by a dimming of the screen and an odd zoom effect that would slowly morph back into a useable screen. At first it happened infrequently. Toward the end it had really screwed up some of the monitor's geometry, especially when manipulating large patches of white space on the screen.
If you're questioning whether or not Apple would really fix something like this for free (and even pay for shipping it), check out The MacFixit Forums and search for "pop-dim-zoom" for the last year or so.
Oh, and my studio display is an old one - it's bright bondi blue, from the days when G3s and first-gen iMacs reigned supreme.
concrete5: a cms made for marketing, but strong enough for geeks.
I am an Apple Reseller. This is all wrong. As others have pointed out the 15" LCD iMac is absolutly still being made. I have proof that both the 15" and 17" are being produced.
Apple serial numbers include the week the product was produced. I got a delivery this very morning of both 15" and 17" made in the first week of december 2002.
blackfly
The only 17inch studio display that could make static popping was the long discontinued 17 inch CRT. This has been gone for two years.
The 17in studio display is and has been an LCD, and LCDs don't make static popping noises.
And, this article isn't about the 17in studio display, it's about 17in LCD iMacs.
So, the mod who rated your post was as mis-informed as you are.
The Cube CAME with an ADC to VGA convertor.
No, it came with an ADC to DVI adaptor. It didn't need a VGA adaptor; there was a VGA port on the video card, right next to the ADC port.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
for pete's sake, is it that hard to understand?
Apple was using LG Electronics and they have ceased production. Hon Hai Precision Industry is now making the eMacs and iMacs.
Might as well reply to you on this, as a lot of people said the same thing, and you're the highest rated.
I took a second look and golly-gee there is a VGA connector there. My bad, I honestly have never noticed it there. I'm not the original owner of this thing (though it's all here) so I never really pored over it that thoroughly.
As yet another cube owner -- the power button was oversensitive, and would trip itself in humid weather (turning the computer off). A lot of cubes were unreliable (based on my experience talking to support people during my cube's multiple sojourns at the repair shop).
My least favorite features of the cube though are:
1) The amazingly inconvenient cabling. It all plugs into the underside of the machine, meaning you have to lay it on something to hook it up. The cables are also thick and stiff.
2) The slot loading CD-ROM drive which sticks.
3) The speakers, which HAVE to plug directly into the Cube and not into the monitor or keyboard USB hubs.
I think the 17" iMac, in particular, was a big improvement on the cube, but swappable displays would have been nice.