Report: Apple to Debut Sub-$500 iMac

By Nate Mook | Published December 29, 2004, 12:36 PM

Apple rumor site Think Secret is reporting that the company will unveil a new low-cost iMac at Macworld Expo in January. The new Mac will retail for less than $500 without display and is targeted at iPod users who run Windows, as a way to bring new converts to Apple's offerings.

The new iMac will feature a G4 processor around 1.25GHz, according to Think Secret, with 256MB of RAM and 40GB or 60GB hard drive. Apple is expected to bundle its iLife suite sans iDVD, as the company's SuperDrive DVD recorder is not included in the base model. Current plans at Apple are to ship the new machine late in the first quarter of 2005.

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Apple has always been over priced for too little. You can still get a full PC system with a faster processor and a monitor for around the same price.

http://rochess.net/?p=Apple

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HI
I live in Georgia (Not US)
in my country I can bay:

Celeron 2 GHZ
RAM 256
Motherboard - onboard Sound & Video
Mouse, Keyboard, Sound Equipments
CD-ROM 52 X
HDD 40 GB or 80 GB
FDD
MONITOR 15"
midi ATX case
at price 340$ 375$

And I Have alternative BAY iMAC in 500 $ whiteout monitor???? In my country minimum 15 " monitor price is 95$ it’s mean 595$ at Computer, now I have 375$ or 595$ computer, I bay comp at price 340$ or 375$ and I still have 220$ - 255$. now I can bay licensed Windows or other soft, or I can install Free Linux and use it. & on 220$ - 255$ I can bay something other, for example DSL internet at 1.5 years.
I can’t Understand Why I mast BAY This iMAC??????
If I standard user and I don’t need something powerful?? if I need powerful system I bay ATLON 64, but not iMAC? what I can to do on this comp?? in my country I have not software for this platform, No Support, No Nothing. No Thanks I don’t won’t Change My platform. It’s work Fine.

P.S. "Apple is expected to bundle its iLife suite sans iDVD, as the company's SuperDrive DVD recorder is not included in the base model"
I Can Bay DVD recorder at price 90-100$ its mean 595$+100$ and I have 695$ computer. :-) it's wery fun, if I Have 695$ I can Bay Next Comp

Celeron 2.4 GHZ 533 256 kb (Presskot)
RAM 256
Motherboard - onboars Sound
VIDEO ADAPTER - nVidia fx 5200 128 MB RAM
Mouse, Keyboard, Sound Equipments
CD/RW 52X48X32
HDD 40 GB or 80 GB
FDD
MONITOR 17" FLATTNESS
midi ATX case
at price 660$ 700$
plus DVD-ROM - 33$ :-)

Or Can Bay

Pentium 4 3.0 GHZ
RAM 256
Motherboard - onboars Sound
VIDEO ADAPTER - nVidia fx 5200 128 MB RAM
Mouse, Keyboard, Sound Equipments
CD-ROM 52X
HDD 40 GB
FDD
MONITOR 17" FLATTNESS
midi ATX case
at price 728$

if I take AMD Processor, it's mean at 100$ low price, and more Power!

I can’t Understand it's I stupid or APPLE??

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Years ago I had seen an ad for someone selling their PC. It actually said "Too stupid to use, going to buy an Apple...." :)

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:-) You know I believe hi was really stupid To use PC :-) hi mast Go buy MAC :-) To be a Clever (Hi think computer can give him brain???)

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I would never buy overpriced proprietary hardware from that monopolist.

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Quote: I would never buy overpriced proprietary hardware from that monopolist.

But, you would buy Windows or Office?

Talk about overpriced and monopolistic.

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So True. Apple loves to control everything. Death to Apple and their IBM world.

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Apple and IBM aren't the same computers. IBM is selling out the US by selling their PC division to the Chinese.

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Best idea I've ever heard all year...Go Apple!! And of course I would buy it.

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Hmmmm sounds pretty neat to me, will it run fast though? I mean is osX optomized very well or is it going to be slow?

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It definitely won't be super fast, but it will do most things just fine (e-mail, Web, music, movies, etc.). 256MB of RAM seems pretty low considering how cheap RAM is these days (512MB should have been the minimum Apple!), but most Mac software will have no problem and 1.25GHz is definitely good enough. 256MB of RAM will hurt Photoshop and other big packages - but most people don't use those anyway.

In my opinion this should be a great way to get people to try out a Mac - although it should have happened a long, long time ago.

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Yeah, I paid $2300 for an Apple 2C, then an Apple 2e, then into Performa's. 100mhz was only $2700 (included however a TV tuner) and 64megs of ram. A $500 Apple sounds great but you'll have double that in purchasing software. I loved my Apple's but just didn't have the selections or money to keep up with the software. I don't see too many changes that would cause me to go back..

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Considering how the opensource commuinty is behind the mac i don't think i'll have to worry about too much software.

I already own office for windows so i can just use my windows (gaming) pc for whatever the mac doesn't have.

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I think that Mac should enter the average user market with a sub $500 price I-Mac.

OSX is based on BSD and is a very good operating ystem.

Also,"Yellow Dog Linux" runs extremely well on the newer i-mac products.

If it was available now , I might consider replacing my old Pentium II with windows XP professional and Mandrake 10.1 with OSX and yellow dog linux!!

Go APPLE!!!

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