It's pretty much a no brainer looking at the new iMac value equation
in light of yesterday's product introductions.
Either the 700 MHz Combo drive G4 iMac got boosted to 800 MHz or the
800 MHz SuperDrive G4 iMac traded its SuperDrive for a Combo drive, but
either way you look at it, the end result is a US$1,299 800 MHz G4 iMac with a Combo drive. That's
$200 less than the old Combo drive version and $400 less than the old
800 MHz one.
On the 17" side of things, we got a 25% improvement in clock speed,
a 33% faster system bus, twice as much video memory, five times faster
wireless networking, and a SuperDrive that burns DVDs twice as fast -
all at US$200 less than the price of the previous 800 MHz 17" G4
iMac.
Like I said, it's a no brainer that these are a better value than
the models they replace. But with close out prices on the "old" G4
iMacs, which models offer the most bang for the buck?
The 15" iMac
You can buy the old 15" 800 MHz SuperDrive iMac for $1,499, which is
$200 more than the Combo drive version. That's the typical Apple markup
for swapping out a Combo drive for a SuperDrive, so if you'd like to
burn DVDs and don't need a 17" display (or can't afford yet another
$200), snatch up one of these while they last.
Do keep in mind that the 15" iMac still supports the old AirPort
standard, not the new AirPort Extreme.
The 17" iMac
As $1,699, the old 17" 800 MHz iMac isn't a real deal compared with
the new 1 GHz model at just $100
more. With a faster SuperDrive, AirPort Extreme, and twice the video
memory, the new 1 GHz model is worth the extra $100.
I hope dealers won't get stuck with too many of the old 17" models;
they'll be awfully hard to sell with such a small price difference
compared with the new version.
The eMac
Apple already dropped the price of the entry-level 700 MHz eMac,
which has a Combo drive, to $999, and reduced the price of the 800 MHz
SuperDrive model to $1,299. The base model is compelling if you're on a
budget, but picking between a 15" Combo drive iMac or a 17" SuperDrive
eMac at $1,299 - well, I'd hate to have to make that choice.
I don't burn DVDs yet. Shoot, I don't even use a camcorder. But my
wife does, and she'd like to be able to tape seminars, edit them down,
and make them available to her clients. I'm beginning to see where a
SuperDrive could be a real asset.
Of course, if you can come up with $1,499, you can get off the horns
of the SuperDrive eMac vs. Combo drive iMac dilemma and just buy a
SuperDrive iMac while inventory remains available.
Conclusion
Instead of just offering more MHz at the same price, Apple has shown
that it is really concerned about value with recent releases. The Power
Mac G4s have faster CPUs and lower prices than the models they replace.
The introduction of the 17" PowerBook G4 let Apple slash $200 from the
price of the 1 GHz 15" PowerBook G4. And now they offer the
existing eMac at a lower price and improved iMacs at lower prices than
the models they replace.
Although the Apple product matrix has
grown much more complex since the four quadrant era, the values are
steadily improving.
I wonder what they'll be offering next.
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