Apple iMac: Still the Desktop Star

BusinessWeek ^ | 11/14/2007 | by Cliff Edwards

[Swordmaker]

A minimalist redesign, a zippy new OS, and terrific new software make the iMac the all-in-one desktop computer of choice for multimedia lovers

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Giant screen, easy-to-use software; plentiful ports for peripherals

The Bad: Pricey; no media card reader; no ability to upgrade optical drive to high-definition DVD

The Bottom Line: The updated iMac remains the champ for those looking for a multimedia PC

Zooming around a sharp corner while playing Electronic Arts' Need for Speed video game on my computer, I spun out of control, hit a guardrail, and sailed over a cliff to my doom. It's an outcome that's all too common now, but one that wasn't even possible until Apple began using zippy Intel (INTC) processors in its computers, prompting EA (ERTS) to create versions of its games for the iMac.

It's been just a year since Apple (AAPL) made the switch, and the iMac has very quickly become the machine to beat if you want an all-in-one desktop computer. Between its design makeover, new multimedia software, and the ability to play games once confined to Windows-based computers and dedicated game consoles, the iMac remains the undisputed champ even as rivals Gateway (GTW), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), and Sony (SNE) step up their offerings.

[Swordmaker]

Re: power brick w/fan?

Power brick but I don’t think so on the fan... But I’m not sure. Might b
one.

[Swordmaker]

Oops, sorry... less than $80 each for 400-500GB HDs is what you said... still have a problem with that...

[Quix]

Am seriously contemplating biting the bullet and getting a MAC laptop.

While normally, I favor a large screen, I want to lug a minimum of weight . . . but I want a hefty machine in terms of computing power, memory etc.

Is such available int he MAC version of such things?

Would have to order online as no Mac store here. Haven’t succeeded in finding much online, yet.

Thx in advance.

[Swordmaker]

The Mac has some very nice offerings in the Notebook computers. Also the rumors are flying about a sub-notebook being announced in January probably for February release. Here are the current base models with specifications:

Each of them can be upgrade customized with larger HDs and more RAM. All of them can run BootCamp and Parallels or VMWare Fusion to allow you to run any indispensable Windows apps you may just have to have (usually, you can find a Mac app that is as good if not better than the Windows one). All of them come with the iLife suite of software (iDVD, iPhoto, iTunes, Garageband, etc.)... shipping is free.

I would suggest adding the $79 iWork suite of Pages (word processing), Numbers (spreadsheet), and Keynote (presentation).

If you have access to an educational discount, the MacBooks modela are each $100 less, and the MacBook Pro models are $200 less.

All of the information is available at the Apple Store's Notebook pages... this one is for the MacBook.

[Blue Highway]

Oops, sorry... less than $80 each for 400-500GB HDs is what you said... still have a problem with that...

Not sure I understand what you would have a problem with, unless you mean you can't believe I paid that little for those drives. If that's the case then I will tip you off to a little secret, since I've been reading the HOT DEALS forum on Anandtech, I get stupid cheap deals on anything computer related. Retail is for suckers!!!

Usually every drive I have bought in the past few years have always included either a rebate, a stackable coupon, and a price match from a competitor. Some were online deals, others were brick and mortar.

Looking back I am still amazed I got these 400/500GBs for that cheap considering the 400GBs were "at the time" the new Seagate Perpendicular technology 7200.10 drives.

I bought a 500GB Maxtor or Seagate (I forget which branding but they are the same drives) SATA 7200.10 from Circuit City for $59 a few months ago. I forget the details but it was something like their normal price of $159.99 was reduced to $99, and then there was a $40 rebate for the final price of $59 +tax.

EDIT: I found the thread it was back in July.

Seagate 500GB SATA drive at Circuit City

There are tons of deals and heck, last month there was a 750 drive for $59, and another deal in September for a 750GB drive for $56. Some of these deals take a bit of work but nothing in life comes easy.

So to make my initial post more accurate I failed to include that a few of the drives I bought were under $60!!! And you had a problem with a < $80 for a 500GB SATA drive...

[Blue Highway]

Read post #45, and I’d appreciate a little retraction in insinuating I bought stolen goods. Just because you pay retail doesn’t mean I am that foolish.

[aruanan]

The Bad: Pricey; no media card reader; no ability to upgrade optical drive to high-definition DVD

And it didn't even have a port for a future 3D DVD player or coffee maker!

[Blue Highway]

I think the most I paid for a recent hard drive was a 160gb Seagate for my laptop in August and it was $89.00 from New Egg after a instant rebate and a promo code and free shipping deal.

[Swordmaker]

That’s more like what I would expect prices to be today. Under $80 for a 400-500GB HD in 2005 is way too low.

[antiRepublicrat]

Just because you pay retail doesn’t mean I am that foolish.

That post was from this year, not last year. The idea that you could get a 500 GB drive for that low price in 2006 is ridiculous. And my "recently went under $100" is because I shop with NewEgg online for stuff like this (never retail), and that's what their prices were. In fact, they're right at $100 now, although I see Froogle has them for around $90.

I'm looking at historical prices, and I see mention that in late November 2006, $150 for a 500 GB hard drive was considered an absolute steal.

[antiRepublicrat]

Does your 20” Imac have the power supply built in or is it a separate power brick?

Not only does it have a built-in power supply, but the cable connection is designed so that it looks like the power cable itself is built-in to the computer.

That's what happens when you put a LOT of engineering and design effort into a computer instead of just slapping a bunch of components together in a box. For example, Apple used heat pipes and three separate low-profile fans in order to make the system thinner. The G5 tower had nine in several separate heat zones.

[antiRepublicrat]

So if you want to upgrade yourself you have to chuck them and buy 2gb memory?

As a relatively recent purchaser, I can tell you it comes with one 1 GB chip, and it takes 30 seconds to install an extra 2 GB chip from NewEgg.

[Swordmaker]

The Circuit City deal from July seems to be an advertising typo that some stores elected to honor and others did not. Apparently the 500GB drive was supposed to be $199 with a $40 rebate not $99 with a $40 rebate.

For you to use such non-generally available “deals” as part of your examples of being able to buy Mac equivalent PCs for so much less is disingenuous. These are not generally available prices. Your under $60 500GB hard drives in 2005 are certainly an extremely rare bargain and cannot be used to make serious comparisons.

[antiRepublicrat]

Below you will find the Dell XPS 210 which is very small

Stack five CD jewel boxes on top of each other. Just a little wider and deeper, but the same height, and you have the size of a Mac mini.

[Blue Highway]

Ok well I sort of lumped together the drive I have purchased in the last few years. 500GB wasn't in 2005 sorry I didn't clarify. My point was more that I have rarely ever paid over $80 for the highest capacity drive at the time, and this trend started with 320GB drives, I should have added them in as well.

antirepublicrat, I never said I bought the 500GB drive in 2005, it was more likely 2006. I know I had one in the early part of 2006 as the last one I bought was in July and I know the first one was around 6 months prior.

Swordmaker, the CC deal was not a typo. CC tried to say it was, but a few people on that thread took a picture of an actual ticket showing $99 - $40 rebate and caused the huge thread. Sure CC tried to reneg on the deal and I had a little hassle but I did get a 500GB SATA Seagate for $59.00 in July 07. I think I even applied a $20 off any $99 purchase at the time making it cheaper but I buy stuff like this all the time so I never recall specific deals as this is typical of how I buy. So I am afraid your suggestion the CC deal was a typo is completely wrong. Can you at least admit you were wrong here on this issue? Geez!!!

[Blue Highway]

Before I get reamed, I meant 2007 for 500GB drives. 400GB drives throughout 2006.

[Swordmaker]

Having been a retail manager in the past, I find it hard to believe that a retail store that primarily carries complete widgets would offer a loss leader for a computer component when they really do not carry too many other components. What is the gain?

They dont carry a large selection of other HDs or motherbosrds, graphic cards, cases, power supplies, etc., and they certainly are not known for their cutting edge pricing. Why would they sell a drive for essentially a $100 loss to bring geeks who build their own computers into a store that doesn't really cater to that market and really basically sell name brand computers? I think that because a lot of the responders on that thread you linked to could not get the deal at their local CC store, and because it certainly was priced much higher at those stores, that it was indeed a typo.

[Blue Highway]

I can't believe now you are back peddling, saying this was a typo when I am telling you that it wasn't a typo but rather that CC was crying foul until people started showing these price scans that CC was quick to take down off the shelves (sneaky bastages). They advertised this price in their circular that week. That to me is bait and switch, NOT a typo, regardless of what the store would have you believe and tell you.

The idea you are still claiming the deal was a typo shows you didn't go through the posts and read. Sure some people were denied the $99 price as CC didn't want to honor the deal "THEY ADVERTISED". Doesn't mean it wasn't valid, and if you showed them proof (that they say never existed) that it was advertised like I did, they honored it, very grudgingly, but they honored it.

Funny how now you are defending a store because it is a brick and mortar store not known for having geek deals. The way I see it, is they are losing money to places like New Egg so they try these bait and switch sales (CC is NOTORIOUS for these tactics the past year or 2). Whatever your experience in the retail market was, if you oversaw a situation like this I'd tell you up front that it was a scam to get people to the store and say, "Item is out of stock sir, but we have this nice 80GB drive for $129.99 when you sign up for FireDog..."

You are also changing the focus of the discussion, I did buy all my drives around $80, give or take a few bucks, and you initially had a problem with that. I admit this was an exceptional deal since with my extra coupon I paid out the door $79.99 and then I received the $40 rebate check bringing it down to $39.99 after MIR. The other $60-80 ish deals weren't this treacherous to get and that was what you initially were skeptical over.

[Swordmaker]

Backpeddling!? Me?! Blue you are the only one backpeddling here.

You are the one who claimed you bought 500GB hard drives in post 33 on the other thread for under $80 in 2005 and now say you really meant this year, not me.

As for you lovely ad you posted: what do you think a typo is? It is a misprint... That ad is the very essence of a typographical error. Maybe it was an innocent mistake made by someone revising an ad that was used before for an item that was $99 and it accidentally got included in the ad. How do you know that a disgruntled employee in the advertising department didnt print these up and send them out deliberately. The company would NOT put this ad out intentionally and then piss off customers by refusing to honor it or to have sufficient stock on hand at each store.

[dennisw]

So they get a motherboard and laptop hardrive and laptop memory modules crammed in there? And this sits on top of a slimline DVD drive? Any exhaust fan. And diagrams how this is put together?