Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: mac, pro, imac | Themes: Business, Desktop Computers, Laptops and Notebooks
6. The 17
Everyone does not need more screen space. Certainly, everyone does not have the desire, or even the ability, to pay for it. Apple has traditionally kept the screen size of its smallest iMacs reasonable. In 1998, the original G3 iMacs had 15" screens, while some may have said that this was too small for its time. In 2002, the G4 iMacs were introduced with 15" flat screens. The G5, Core Duo, and original Core 2 Duo iMacs, all had 17" flat screens available as a lower-priced option. With the release of the 2007 iMacs, the least expensive 17" option has disappeared, without replacement, and without a similarly-priced alternative.
The 17" Intel iMac: Power, aesthetics, affordability and forced into early retirement.
The Midrange Desktop Tower Issue
It’s been years since Apple has had a desktop tower available at a midrange price. Right now, the one and only tower that Apple has for sale, or in other words, the one and only truly user-configurable computer that Apple has for sale, is the Mac Pro. Default configuration price: $2,499.00. And since this is a tower, not an iMac, that’s the price without a monitor (I take a closer look at the Mac Pro below).
Just as everyone does not need a 20" display, everyone does not need a $2,500 tower. However, it’s been years since Apple has provided anything other than the high-end Mac Pro as its only available tower. In fact, the Mac Pro, always at the starting price of $2,499.00, is the only tower Apple has ever offered with an Intel processor.
Apple’s pre-Intel "PowerPC" G5, a configurable desktop tower, was the predecessor to the Mac Pro.
Apple’s loss, however, has been the computer reseller’s gain. Four-year-old Apple "PowerPC" G5 Towers have retained much of their original value, typically bringing in over $1,200 on reseller sites, which is about the same amount that Apple could and should be charging for a midrange tower. Which makes one wonder: Why aren’t they?
Inside, the G5 provided room to grow. The large "G5" units protect the dual processors and heat sinks. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
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For 2d graphics a 7300 is no worse than a 8800, and for 3d a 8800 is no better than a quadro FX.
I see your point but try thinking like a pro when you review such a system.
Of course that doesn't change your "over-priced" conclusion.
I've been in the market for a $1000 "Mac Desktop" for several months but in the end just gave up and reluctantly got a nice cheap Dell. I would have definitely preferred a Mac but if they refuse to make an "ordinary" product for us "ordinary" people then I'll throw my money elsewhere.
BTW, for less than $600 this is what I got from Dell C2D/2GB/250GB/DVDRW/x1300/22"LCD = $600. What's odd is that Apple would easily charge $1100 for these specs so people should really quit making fun of PC's because if Apple ruled the world then we'd all be broke.
While I totally understand your shopping method, I think its important to realize there is more to the computing experience than cheap hardware. I'd gladly pay 1200 for an iMac (2x what your dell costs) just so that I could have the iLife software and OS X. The iLife software is the best software for ordinary folks I've ever seen. Nothing touches it on any platform, including OS X. As for the OS, I guess basic file management can be had on any system, but I love the fact that I don't have to deal with virus/spyware/zombieware on my Mac. That last point alone is worth paying a measly $600. So, maybe Apple does not have the widest selection of hardware at the cheapest prices, but the actual experience of using it is worth far more than the cash you saved.
In my daily work, I use 5 machines, 2 are Macs. My home computer is a Mac.
While I totally understand your shopping method, I think its important to realize there is more to the computing experience than cheap hardware. I'd gladly pay 1200 for an iMac (2x what your dell costs) just so that I could have the iLife software and OS X. The iLife software is the best software for ordinary folks I've ever seen. Nothing touches it on any platform, including OS X. As for the OS, I guess basic file management can be had on any system, but I love the fact that I don't have to deal with virus/spyware/zombieware on my Mac. That last point alone is worth paying a measly $600. So, maybe Apple does not have the widest selection of hardware at the cheapest prices, but the actual experience of using it is worth far more than the cash you saved.
In my daily work, I use 5 machines, 2 are Macs. My home computer is a Mac.
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor(2.40GHz, 4x2MB, 1066MHz FSB)
ABIT IP35-E Motherboard (P35 Express, 8GB DDR2, 1333MHz FSB)
G.Skill 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 DIMM Dual Channel Memory
ASUS GeForce 8500GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
Seagate Barracuda 320GB Hard Drive(Serial ATA-300, 7,200 RPM, 16MB)
Lite-On Dual Layer DVD±RW Writer (8x DVD±R DL)
Antec SOLO Silver/Black Mini Tower (ATX, 8 Bays)
Antec EarthWatts EA-430 430W Power Supply
Acer Black 19" Widescreen LCD Monitor (19", 1440x900, 5ms)
Microsoft Business Keyboard / Mouse Combo
Windows XP Professional x64
And for an extra $200 I am considering another 4Gb of RAM and a second hard disk. All this for less than half the price of the comparable Mac Pro model. My GPU is not spectacular but I'm not a gamer and it is easily upgraded. My next endeavor is to run Leopard on one of this systems' drive partitions. I'm not too crazy about Apple's hardware either. But Tiger running on my 21" iMac G5 2.1Ghz machine has been next to flawless.
On the matter of the Mac Pro: Yep, another Mac model that was not updated in any way other the processor for about 15-18 months! Only in Jan 2008 has there been a real update to the Mac Pro.
However, keep in mind that the fact that Apple owns the OS allows Apple to make special releases of Mac OS X for new Macs, and though that it is a good thing Macs don't need separate driver CDs for Mac OS X, it also may mean lag time while Apple write the drivers for the new hardware.