New iMacs and eMacs were released yesterday and were greeted with
less than effusive praise. "Yawn," seemed to be the general response,
even from the usually zealous Mac press. The real excitement seemed
to center around the price drops and improved options instead of the
iMac speed bump.
Sure, the 25% speed bump is welcome, and the price drop is a nice
thing for buyers, but the whole hardware scene seems to be getting
Mac users down. Well, maybe not getting them down, but at least
casting a cloud over things. The attitude now is "what have you done
for me lately?"
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Memory To Go Special: New 2008 iMac 2GB $42 / iMac Intel Core2 DUO & MacBook Pro 2GB $36 - 1GB $20.
MacPro 8 Core Memory 8GB kit $286 / 4GB kit $143 / 2GB kit $93 -- Free shipping available. LIfetime warranty.
LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
OWC: NewerTech miniStack FireWire/USB 2.0 HD & Hub Up to 1.0TB of Performance Storage + FW/USB2 Powered Hubs - convenient & sleek 6.5" x 6.5" x 1.5" Featured: 500GB $169.99; 750GB $209.99; 1.0TB $339.99
Speed bumps used to be greeted with some sense of excitement. No
longer. It appears that speed bumps (and additional processors)
aren't indication of real progress. Once upon a time, a speed bump
meant things were getting better and better. Now, it seems, a speed
bump means that Apple is just covering its behind as Intel's chips
keep getting faster.
Anyone remember when the first dual processor machines were
introduced? The general reaction seemed to be that Apple was leaning
on dual processors to make up for the lack of speed, instead of a
party atmosphere.
The longer this drags out, the worst things will get for Apple. If
Apple announced a brand new chip that ran at 1.8 GHz tomorrow, what
would the reaction be? Yawn again, most likely. 2 GHz? You might
get a bit of a reaction. 2.5? Now you're talking!
The point is that Apple will need a substantial increase in
processor power to shake things up. While users may have once been
satisfied with a 100 MHz jump every once in a while, Apple has fallen
so far behind that only a substantial increase in power will make us
sit up and take notice.
Many people have speculated that customers are holding off on
upgrading their machines until they see a significant speed increase.
How much of a speed increase will be required before people start
putting down their hard earned money? I'm certain that a 200 MHz
increase won't do it. 500? That might be worth it.
The next generation Apple chip (whether from Motorola, IBM, AMD,
or Intel) had better blow the doors off the current crop. Otherwise,
most people will likely just keep plugging away with their old Macs.
It's not really that much slower, now is it?
Just about the only upside is that Apple may benefit if it
delivers the goods. There's likely quite a bit of pent up demand for
faster machines right now, and Apple can probably expect a serious
run on its next generation chip.
Stephen Van
Esch is the founder and president of
the
E-learning Foundry, an online training
resource for Mac users. Steve loves the Mac and is doubly bilingual,
since he's also fluent in Windows and French.
Recently on Mac Scope
Connecting with the broader Macintosh community, 04.06.
"But beyond the very minor celebrity status that came with being published on Low End Mac, it gave me a real opportunity to participate in the Mac community."
Hardware failure, that rare Mac headache, 07.09.
Macs are usually pretty reliable, but a hardware failure after just two-and-a-half years is still disappointing.
Mac of the Day: DayStar Genesis, Oct. 1995 - The first 'Mac' with multiple processors, technology Daystar licensed to Apple.
List of the Day: SuperMacs is for those using Umax SuperMac clones.
October 6 in LEM history: 98: USB is a good thing - Can Apple save Emailer? - 99: Kihei iMacs - 00: Advice about PDS Power Macs - 03: A replacement PowerBook battery - 04: AirPort Express - 05: The Apple Lisa story - 06: Don't ignore battery recall - Use any networked computer as an additional Mac display
Getting the Most from Your G3 Mac, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 10.03.
Most G3 Macs can be upgraded so they can run Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' quite nicely. Here's how.
Best Power Mac G4 and AGP Video Card Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.03.
Used 450 MHz, $75; 500, $99; 733, $150; 800, $199; 1.25 GHz, C$349; 867 MHz dual, $225; 1 GHz, $349; 1.25, $499; 1.42, $600.
Best iBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.03.
Used 300 MHz clamshell, $150; 366, $199; 500 CD, $149; 800, $190; 600 CD-RW, $240; 800 Combo, $300; 900, $399; 14" 600, $360; 900, $469.
Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.03.
Mac OS X 10.0.3, $30; 10.1, $20; 10.2, $60; 10.3 CD, DVD, $100; CD, $119; 10.1 Server, unlimited users, $65; 10.3 Server, unlimited, $150.
The Best Browsers for Older Macs Running Tiger, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.02.
A dial-up user's overview of browsers for Mac OS X 10.4 puts the emphasis on reliability, downloads, and speed.
CodeWeavers Brings Google's Chrome Browser to Intel Macs, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 10.02.
Google's new Chrome browser uses separate processes for each tab and brings other changes to Windows users. Now Mac fans can try it as well.
Best MacBook Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.02.
Used 1.83 GHz, $649; 2.0 SD, $750; refurb 2.1 GHz, $899; 2.4, $1,099; black, $1,299; new 2.1, $1,019 after rebate; 2.4, $1,204 a/r; black, $1,394 a/r.
Best iMac G5 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.02.
Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $450; 2.0 SuperDrive, $500; 1.9 iSight, $625; 20" 1.8 GHz, $550; 2.0, $600; 2.1 iSight, $650.
Best iPod touch Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.02.
Used 1G/8 GB, $160; refurb, $179; new, $198; used 16, $200; refurb, $219; new, $265; refurb 32, $319; new, $345; 2G/8 GB, $229; 16, $280; 32, $380.
Best Intel iMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.01.
Used 17" 1.83 GHz, $625; 20", $599; 2.16, $749; 24", $950; refurb 20" 2.0, $949; 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.4, $1,299; 2.8, $1,549; 3.06, $1,899; rebates on new.
Best 15" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.01.
Used 1.25 GHz Combo, $560; 1.33, $580; 1.5, $596;, 1.67 SuperDrive, $690; hi-res, $800.
Best Apple TV Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.01.
Refurb 40 GB Apple TV, $199; new, $224; refurb 160 GB, $279; new, $322 - prices include ground shipping.
Our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For detailed
price quotes and advertising information, please
contactat BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number
is for advertising only.
