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New 20" iMac and Dual 1.8GHz PowerMac G5
joekra writes "Today, Apple released a new 20" iMac and a Dual 1.8GHz PowerMac G5. Both were accurately rumored at the last minute by the usual suspects. In fact, the Dual 1.8GHz G5 configuration was rumored back in July to shift demand away from the popular 2.0GHz PowerPC G5s." I'm holding out for a couple rounds of price drops, but I think a G5 is definitely in my future.
Apple is poo, Apple is good.
Geez, where's my lithium...
Trolling is a art,
If you're still having problems ergomically with a screen that can be manuevered into any position, the problem is not with the computer. It's with your chair!
You mean, a problem between his chair and the iMac screen ?
For power users, sure, it's pretty bad losing a 20" screen that you've forked out for. The iMac isn't really geared to us though.
:D
:)
I've had a hell of a time trying to figure out why my friends have been buying awful computers (a Compaq, for example, just one month ago! Wonder how long that brand is going to last...) without consulting me. After some prodding, it turns out they don't like me telling them what isn't and isn't good about the new machine they're getting, they just want what they can see. Like a big screen. Then they buy it, because they make some assumption that all computers are the same nowadays, and treat these things like appliances no more complex than a dishwasher. Once it's had it's day, you throw it all out and buy a new one. Obviously they're ignoring the fact they are on their own when it comes to support. You don't ask me, you don't get my help later on
Which is where Apple is with the iMac. It's disposable computing. Every 3-4 years, chuck it out and get a new one. To be fair, it's a very tempting option over the extra outlay of the tower and monitor to begin with. My 3 year old 17" monitor is about to give up on me, but the screen is looking weak in comparison by today's standards anyway. Why not buy it all cheaper now then get a nice spangly 24" iMac with super-bright-no-dead-pixel technology or something down the line? Certainly for most people (the people that double take when I drag a window from my Powerbook to my monitor) having two workareas is crazy enough as it is, let alone paying extra for the privalege!
Too many comments along the lines of "That there is a big monitor to just throw away when the iMac is obsolete!"
People who buy iMacs don't want to upgrade them every year. They're home users who expect to buy a computer, and keep it until it breaks or some amazing reason comes out to get a new one. They upgrade only when new applications require it, which is why Apple focuses a lot on new features and software innovation to motivate people to upgrade.
Take a look on eBay at used Mac prices sometime, then rethink the "wasting a monitor" idea.
I don't use CRTs. They're a dead technology, and IMHO they just generally suck! ;)
Do you have any reasoning behind this? LCDs are flat and easier on the eyes but you can't get anything above 1280X1024 resolution for under $1000. I have seen 19" CRTs with 1600x1200 for just over $100.
A side from the cost, LCDs/plasmas have a huge problem with displaying true black. Anyone concerned with image quality usually goes with a CRT.
You have price, image quality, resolution, better viewing angle vs space, style.
CRTs are far from dead.
Not everything is analogous to cars. Car analogies rarely work.
Ah, now the middle of the desktop is again clearly the best deal. I always buy from the middle of the line. The boost over the low end model is worth the price, but the difference between mid and high end is always a more severe premium.
Also, if you're going to buy the dual 1.8 GHz Mac, BUY IT NOW. You'll be happier this way. See, if the worst time to buy is just before a revision comes out, then you get further and further from that to the happiest point just after a revision comes out.
Start Running Better Polls
Words right out of my mouth. I've posted to usenet asking if anyone's tried a hack yet, and some of the iMac deconstruction sites seem to suggest the wires are relatively easy to get to.
But if you could find a way to hack it, you're essentially getting an awfully cool monitor stand plus a Superdrive equipped G4 for $900. That's *much* easier to stomach.
Take apart at xlr8yourmac.com (look at "rainbow colored" wires)
Service manual
There was also a great Japanese site that showed the thing taken apart until the wires were dangling, but I always have the dangest time Googling in Japanese.
It's all 0s and 1s. Or it's not.
"I've had a hell of a time trying to figure out why my friends have been buying awful computers (a Compaq, for example, just one month ago! Wonder how long that brand is going to last...) without consulting me."
Imagine people doing things without consulting YOU first!
Why the very idea makes my blood boil!
That was classic intercourse!
It now comes with new Netflix queue management software - at no extra charge!
Steve Jobs came back onboard, the product line was way out of hand. I seem to remember there being like 40 products avaialable, no one was sure which product were appropriate for whom.
Jobs (and I am sure lots of other smart people behind the scenes) introduced the 4 quadrants, and Apple suddenly had the easiest decision making avaiable of any computer manufacterer. Student, or on a budget? Want a laptop - iBook. Want a desktop - iMac. Professional? Want a laptop - Powerbook. Want a desktop - G4/G5.
Sure, being so simple might for a 'tweener' to make a choice between upper level and lower level, but creating a choice specific for the 'tweener' crowd makes for a polluted, evil product line. (Along with fragmented R&D costs, higher production costs, etc...)
So my question is, where the hell does a 20" iMac fit in? Certainly at a base cost of $2199 it doesn't fill anyones needs well. Sure, 20" of flat panel goodness aimed at the consumer market is a bit groundbreaking and good outside the box thinking (which I think Apple under Jobs is again known for) but how are you going to market it? Why are you doing to pollute the sales to the "low end" desktop iMac line, with a $2199 and up computer? If I've got $2000 to spend on a computer, do I want a G4 or an iMac? That decision was once made for me by the simple matrix, now that option isn't so simple.
The continued existance of the eMac must really drive Jobs nuts. An actual CRT! Son-of-a-bitch!
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