RSSApple Upgrades iMacs, Slashes Prices
By Ed Oswald | Published September 6, 2006, 11:23 AM
Apple shocked insiders Wednesday, announcing its rumored iMac upgrade nearly a full week earlier than thought. While the upgrade to Core 2 Duo processors and the addition of a larger widescreen model was expected, the price drop on the entry-level iMac was not.
The Cupertino company cut prices on its cheapest model by $300 to $999 USD for a 17-inch widescreen 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo with a 160GB hard drive and 512MB of SDRAM. Another 17-inch model with a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo with 160GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM will retail for $1,199 USD.
One 20-inch iMac model would be made available, featuring a 2.16 GHz Core Duo processor, 250GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM priced at $1,499 USD. Joining these would be a new 24-inch iMac retailing for $1,999 USD, which would carry similar specifications to the 20-inch model save a better video card.
"Every iMac-from the $999 model up through the new dazzling 24-inch widescreen model now features blazing Core 2 Duo performance," Apple's marketing senior vice president Philip Schiller said in the announcement. "And the new 24-inch widescreen iMac is the fastest, biggest and brightest iMac we've ever made."
The new iMacs are up to 50 percent faster than their predecessors, Apple says. All models except for the entry-level iMac include SuperDrives and wireless keyboard, Mighty Mouse and Apple Remote. The $999 USD model includes a regular DVD drive with wired Mighty Mouse and keyboard.
All new iMacs include built-in iSight cameras, Front Row and iLife '06. Users would also be able to customize most of their iMac's internal specifications, a fairly new concept for Apple, which prior to the Intel transition allowed for only minimal changes to the base model.
Along with the upgrade to the iMac line, Apple has silently begun to offer faster Mac Minis at the same cost as prior models. The $599 USD Mini has been bumped from a 1.5 GHz Core Duo to a 1.66 GHz Core Duo, and the $799 USD model increased from a 1.66GHz to 1.83 GHz Core Duo processor.
Insiders had previously believed that Apple's upcoming September 12 event would contain the announcement of the company's upgraded signature desktop line. However, it now appears that the event will focus on iPod and iTunes upgrades instead.
No matter what upgrades they give the Mac Mini nothing changes the fact that it is still a Mac, if you want a real Mini PC then try some of these Mini PCs: http://www.stealthcomputer.com/littlepc.htm
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|They need to put in a Cable Tunner into those things, and then they could really rake in the money, and the client base.
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|wireless keyboard? is that true?
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|Vista hardware requirements are the best gift that Microsoft could make to Mac. The hardware of Apple is undobtedly secure.
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|Whoa, that's...cheap for the second tier 17" iMac. Only about $200 more than a similiarly specced home built PC. *that's with some guessing on the prices, and rounding*
Shame I don't have A: The cash, B: the need.
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|>By AlanRivaldo
>posted Sep 6, 2006 - 11:45 AM
>Because Apple's least expensive model costs US $999.
Umm, no... Apple's least expensive model costs USD$599 with a Core Duo processor. You forgot Mac Mini. Dells don't always come included with a monitor, either. And they only run Windows. And they are so *beige* (OK... maybe they do try black and/or grey)
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|Actually, the entry-level 17" iMac's price was not dropped by $300 as stated in this article, the 17" iMac was upgraded to a 2GHz Core 2 Duo with 1GiB RAM (with a price drop of C$100 on the Canada store). The "cheapest" iMac is actually a new model with similiar spec, however it comes with onboard Intel graphics much like the Mac mini and does not come with a remote control like the other models.
Considering the increased spec, I find the C$100 price drop quite reasonable.
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|Actually the old $599 Mac Mini was a Core Solo not a Duo. I am actually a little disappointed that Apple didn't bother changing anything other from the processor in the Mac Mini line. After loading a couple hundred CDs and installing a 10GB FAT32 partition for Windows XP I found the 60 GB was starting to feel a bit small. Somebody with a large music collection a few games could easily fill that drive.
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|It is a bit strange that Apple has not bumped up the HD to 100GBm or 150GB as HD prices have fallen to where their cost would be the same.
But, on the other hand, it is not hard to swap the internal drive out or to simply plug an aditional drive or two into the unit.
But then Apple's prices for memory have always been radically out of line!!!
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|Why oh why won't apple release one of these with a TV tuner? (Better yet an HD tuner?). I would get that 24 inch bad boy in a second with a tv tuner and some slick apple software to dvr.
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|Probably because an HD tuner would probably add at least a $100 to the price. After Apple pads their margin the iMac with HD tuner would likely cost at least $200.
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|It is surprising and their absense rather conspicuous in that Apple has not taken the lead in regards to a media center format PC and captured that market niche as well.
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|The only time I would buy a Dell is when I get multiple stacked discounts including 30% off, which is offered quite often buy them. Not too long ago I was looking at a Dell XPS 700 with a 24" WS LCD, 1 GB Ram, 2.8ghz proc upgradeable to conroe, and a 7950GX2 for $1400. That was a deal that anyone could get, I'm not special or anything. That video card and monitor alone are almost worth the price of the whole system.
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|I've wanted an iMac since they first came out and never actually forked over the cash to get one. I think it's time - they don't get any better than this (well until 6 months from now but you know what I mean).
24" monitor?!! I can't wait to see this in person.
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|Nice, my 24" Core 2 Duo (running XP and OSX) is on its way...
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|*jealous*
Wish I could lay down that many Benjamins on such short notice.
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|You and I both.
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|Tell me again why we need Dell/HP/Gateway and Microsoft overpriced, overhyped, under-delivered crap?
The best part, which is understated, is how Apple always keeps the pre-hype to a minimum and delivers more than promised, and almost always ahead of dates given. Their competitors should try to copy that (like everything else)
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|Because Apple's least expensive model costs US $999.
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|...and when you price a comparable Dell or HP (based upon CPU, RAM, etc) you get a better price from Dell/HP? I don't see it. Maybe you get special discounts I'm not able to get.
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|I wasn't talking about comparable. I was simply talking entry-level price for first-time buyers, people with limited budgets, non-profits, etc.
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|Don't even waste your time with those POS vendors... My MacBook Pro runs XP faster than my Dell laptop with the exact same specs. Even if you only run XP, I'd still buy a mac...
...and don't give me that price crap, are you telling me that you cant afford an extra hundred dollars or two for a much better system? If you can't then you need to reevaluate your financial situation and get a better job.
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|Give em time. I'm sure if the market for low-end goods is lucrative enough it will draw their attention. So far, Dell isn't doing so well in that area. Their stock price has fallen and product support is s***ing away from handheld devices to cut further losses. Soft economy explains some of it, but Apple is still doing quite well regardless.
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|Dell makes a laptop identical to a MacBook?
Wow. Won't they be surprised when they read this...
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