Comments on: Apple polishes its desktop line

As expected, there are new versions of Mac Minis, iMacs, and higher-end Mac Pros. Apple's emphasis: energy efficiency.

[douggdangger]

I had my first Mac in 1992. It started showing it's age, slowing down. I wanted to upgrade it. It was the easiest upgrade ever.

I picked it up, threw it in the garbage can and bought new performa for $1,800.

I was surprised that my friends who owned PC had such a hard time upgrading their machines. They had to open the case, pull parts out, put the new ones in (only using a screwdriver), install the drivers and their computers were lightning fast. I was shocked since they only spent $400 on a new cpu, motherboard and ram.

It doesn't matter, I had an Apple.


A couple of years later I wanted to upgrade my Mac again. I would have to throw my Mac again in the dumpster and buy a brand new one. However, I decided to take a risk and build my own PC. I only spent $750 and I had a brand new computer. Had I gone the Mac route again, a new one would've cost me about double.


Now I regret doing that since I hate having options. I hate having the ability to choose what components I want, what case I want, what mobo, ram, cpu, hd, optical drive, what monitor... I also hate having 90% more software to choose from.

I hate PCs for making life so complicated by giving me choices.

[Staszek]

I like your sarcasm. But really 90% of the software out there is junk. I used to use the same comparison when I made fun of my Mac friends, but realized I only used hmmm 4-5 programs.

I did all that upgrading back in the day as well. These days PC's are still not that easy to upgrade, so I love people who use that arguement, The Case doesnt fit right the motherboard has to be changed, the ram types are different. Back in the late 90's I used to "upgrade" my pc every year, back then you could, these days "upgrading" a pc means you are buying a new pc MAYBE you can keep the case.

But the funniest thing of all about this argument is....... you are in the minority. Maybe 10% of the people who have PC's have the ability to do what you do, most do exactly what you did with your Mac, throw it out and buy a new one. These forums are ripe with people who think that everyone in the world upgrades and rebuilds, we are all tech geeks and we are a FAR less percentage of the buying public then some people think we are.

[ewsachse]

Apple polishes its desktop line; Apple fanbois polish their knobs.

[fuelhandler]

Yawn... let me know when Apple introduces the Core i7, USB 3.0 and includes Blu-Ray... until then I'll sleep.

[never_going_back]

I am asleep on any and all windows machines. Poor lemmings still running XP out there. Like running an old high milage Chevy Malibu compared to a new BMW while using OSX=UNIX. EVERYBODY I know who has switched over to the Jedi fruit computing experience from the Dark side in the last two years (2007-2009) is so pumped about OSX on Intel chips and the computing speed as well as all the other benefits. No performance loss or no virus' to keep us occupied instead of hanging with our 16 month old boy!! Hey I think like an Apple idiot. CNET is partially owned by the MSFT crowd and its hard watching all the current news excitement shift to Apple and its products!! Perfect Example look how lame and slow growth Windows Mobile had become RIGHT BEFORE iphone!!!! iPhone already BIGGER and BETTER than MSFT software on the market for how many years??!!!! When I saw how pathetic Windows mobile was on a Treo many moons ago, I knew it was time to short the stock. Wonder how many extra billions they are dumping in Win Mobile research to make it better now???
Apple will be 4 times the size of MSFT in 3 years.

Wait untill Snow Leopard becomes the "high end" operating system after the economy stabilizes.

[rranger1]

*EVERYBODY I know who has switched over to the Jedi fruit computing experience from the Dark side in the last two years (2007-2009) is so pumped about OSX on Intel chips and the computing speed as well as all the other benefits.*

Of course the irony in all of this is - and I'm sure from the tone of the post the writer is too young to recall - that not very long ago, Mac aficionados would have been posting on this and many other forums about the "Wintel" conspiracy. And about how wonderful Motorola RISC technology was versus Wintel i386, blah, blah, blah.

It's funny how times change and "true believers" can so quickly adapt themselves to contradictory realities.

Written by a very happy iPhone owner who just doesn't get what this Windows-Mac thing is all about.

[bradward747]

I am angered by apple now. They know we are in a bad economy. So what do they decide to do? Hike the price up $200 across the board, and throw in Nvidia 9400m across the board. Not cool apple. Was going to buy a iMac for the first time. But the prices for mac minis->imacs->macbooks are horrible. It would be better though if they literally chopped the price in half...like the rest of the world. At least then the hardware would be paid for.

[ghostaliaz10]

Look you people talk about how expensive the mac is & I do agree,so build your own,I have & will continue,even if jesus told me not to. I still puchase macs & I will continue,but I tend to only purchase the imacs & mac mini's & mostly for the small & silent form factor & I really would like to buy a apple tv box(another cool small & silent form factor thing. Ihave been buyingmacs,well atleast my fam has since the apple II & I like them a lot,but the laptops and memory are just to expensive,when I can do the same thing which I have on a pc laptop running osx leopard & mine is even faster & has a better Video card. news flash people (HACKINTOSH) I have built macs faster & better then apple & if you people cry aout the legal crap(simply do not care) because I & my fam have been giving them and continue to give them our money & the last time I checked we were all free & able to do just what the heck we want to do,so people build your own like I did for just $500.00 & it is faster then all of my macs & other peoples macs that I tested it up against,so either stay blind or start reading by doing a google search & begain to see. Yes apple makes good computers,but to me the best part of it is not the hardware,it is the software because I make a better mac then them atleast in speed,but surely not looks. Oh & also my memory at fry's electronics store only cost me $49.99 for 4GB's of name brand corsair ddr2 memory & they have all kinds of different types of memory & I am about to upgrade to 4 GB's more. Think before to get ripped off. But again take in mind that I will continue to buy macs for the small form factor,but the speedy ones I will build myself.

[douggdangger]

It's funny how Apple fangirls brag about the half a dozen people (mainly old dirty dump hippies who don't know how to use a computer) who jump from the PC to Macs every year yet they don't talk about the large number of new PC owners spawning from the teen age population.

100% of my little brother's friends have PCs.


If Apple was smart, they'd sell licenses to their OS for use on PC hardware and they'd make a killing. That's when they'd be 4 times the size in 2 years.

However, Jobs is an idiot. He'd rather make money by ripping people off with overpriced hardware than to get a larger share of the market thru OS licensing sales (which is how Microsoft became so big).


I'm a PC user. Would I love to run Mac OS? Sure, but not by buying hardware that costs as much as a mortgage. Make it the same price as a Windows license and I'd buy it.

As for Hackintosh, I tried it but I wasn't too impressed.

Vista is actually working great for me. Bulletproof kernel, vast software selection and limitless hardware... I'm a happy camper.

[Staszek]

Please dont try and make a PC hip by saying your little bro's friends have them.

If Jobs is such an idiot why is Apple sitting on huge cash reserves right now and Microsoft laying off 1000's of people?

Sometimes its better to have a smaller more profitable share of the market then a larger much less profitable section.

It works that way in many markets, many times the largest are in the worse shape, look at GM, they were the largest for YEARS and look where it got them they can't even make payroll without Government subsidies.

Not saying that I would not like to see Apple's prices come down, but what they offer is a complete experience. Thats how companies survive and prosper.

I will tell you right now that EVERY CEO would love to be in that postion, I dont care what Michael Dell says in press releases, he does not want to compete in the price game, no one does. All it does is drive down your profit margin and makes you another me too, oh gateway has the same PC for $2 cheaper I will buy it there.

I will not get into what my particular company does (not computer industry) but I will say right now we are not the cheapest in the market, we offer service and a great experience. One of our main competitors plan of attack is to take our prices and cut them by 10% or more and offer them to customers. They have been doing that for at least 5-6 years now.

Basically 6 years later our stock price is double theirs and we had our most profitable 1/4 in company history last year.

[douggdangger]

"Social behavior based on a suggestion, Apple has done a very good job of this as well. The "cool" factor alone has sold millions of iPhones (guilty as charged here :P) while also putting that cool factor in your hometown with the Apple stores."

Social behavior also suggests that smoking weed, having promiscuous sex and committing crimes is a "cool" thing to do. Not every "cool" thing is beneficial to people.



"If it wasn't effective I doubt Microsoft would be entering the "store" game. Call it copying or whatever MS is not stupid enough to see the huge influx of new Apple consumers and the kind of traffic each Apple store is getting. I think i read somewhere, 7 million visitors per month/per store?"

The reason why there is "so much traffic" in Apples stores is because it's the ONLY STORE that caters to a PROPRIETARY product.

It's pointless for Microsoft to open a "store" because nearly every kind of retail store carries their products. Not the same case for Apple.


Go to any technology store and you'll find that they'll have a Mac section that's no more than 10% of the size of the PC section. Guess how much of that traffic is when you compare it to the people who look and shop for "Apple" products?


So you claim 7 million people visit Apple stores looking at and maybe buying Apple products? I'm willing to bet that there are atleast 70 million people who visit various stores looking at and buying PC products.


Apple fans also like to brag about the few ignorant users who jump ship yet they make no mention about the many new bright young tech consumers who jump on the PC bandwagon before they even get a driver's license.

[clsmithj]

My what waste of money. Who still buys Macs these days. They have the same hardware and mostly the same apps as PCs now except you're just paying for an overpriced case with a apple logo on it.