Are people starting to lose interest in Apple?

[Amp34]

Product Name Qty Price Line Total
Dell UltraSharp U2713HM 27" Widescreen LED Monitor - Midnight Grey Dell UltraSharp U2713HM 27" Widescreen LED Monitor - Midnight Grey £439.99
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Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7970 Windforce 3X 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with Crysis 3 & Bioshock PC Games Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7970 Windforce 3X 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with Crysis 3 & Bioshock PC Games £323.99
(£269.99) £323.99
(£269.99)
Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - OEM Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - OEM £187.99
(£156.66) £187.99
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Crucial RealSSD M4 256GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT256M4SSD2) Crucial RealSSD M4 256GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT256M4SSD2) £164.99
(£137.49) £164.99
(£137.49)
Asus P8Z77-V LE Plus Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard Asus P8Z77-V LE Plus Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £124.99
(£104.16) £124.99
(£104.16)
Anidees AI-6B Midi Tower Case - Black Anidees AI-6B Midi Tower Case - Black £99.98
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(£83.32)
Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £67.99
(£56.66) £67.99
(£56.66)
Corsair 2013 Edition Gamer Series GS 600W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020063-UK) Corsair 2013 Edition Gamer Series GS 600W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020063-UK) £59.99
(£49.99) £59.99
(£49.99)
Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (CML8GX3M2B1600C11) Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (CML8GX3M2B1600C11) £55.99
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(£46.66)
Thermalright True Spirit 140 CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) Thermalright True Spirit 140 CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £39.95
(£33.29) £39.95
(£33.29)
Sub Total : £1,304.88
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Total : £1,589.98

I think you also get a mouse and keyboard thrown in with the iMac, although that's only about another £70, you have however proved my point. IMacs are around £1450-1700 so you're slap bang in the middle really.

If you're trying to compare that to a Mac Pro then your spec is way off. For real comparison Dell start at £1k for a very low end Xeon machine, moving up to £3k for in upgraded versions. My workstation (at work) comes in at around £10k and that's an HP. The mac pros weren't that far off and when I looked last year were actually less expensive than their truly comparable HP bretherin in.

Edit: just to clarify a point, I certainly agree with you when it comes to upgrading models with apple however. Adding more ram or a bigger hard drive is where apple take the pee, although not so much on machines you can't upgrade yourself.

 

[NirK]

If you look at the actual specs of an Imac for the same price it is not even comparable at all...

It is like art work or something I suppose... Some people will pay £50,000 for a painting... In the same way people will pay a big premium for the Imac. Personally I dont even like them that much and would rather have a custom built computer which is more powerfull for just over half the price.

This is a pointless arguement really... Depends how much you like the apple brand and the style of them.

 

[ninja2000]

If you look at the actual specs of an Imac for the same price it is not even comparable at all...

It is like art work or something I suppose... Some people will pay £50,000 for a painting... In the same way people will pay a big premium for the Imac. Personally I dont even like them that much and would rather have a custom built computer which is more powerfull for just over half the price.

This is a pointless arguement really... Depends how much you like the apple brand and the style of them.

I understand what you are saying and part of me agrees that apple is overpriced (and upgrades are stupidly priced).
But I just bought a 2012 imac having built itx machines for the last few years.

I know there is a premium with this imac but for me the following were worth that premium:
space saving (even ITX machines take up a reasonable amouth of space)
OSX plus W7 (I bootcamp and run VMs so have the best of both worlds)
Screen quality, I have owned many dell U series and this imac screen blows them away.
Plus the when working out the price you should add, Bluetooth, wifi, speakers webcam and mic (more like a laptop in that regard)
Finally there is 2 thunderbolt ports. Whether anyone thinks they are worthwhile or not they still add a few quid to the build

 

[Skyboat]

I understand what you are saying and part of me agrees that apple is overpriced (and upgrades are stupidly priced).
But I just bought a 2012 imac having built itx machines for the last few years.

I know there is a premium with this imac but for me the following were worth that premium:
space saving (even ITX machines take up a reasonable amouth of space)
OSX plus W7 (I bootcamp and run VMs so have the best of both worlds)
Screen quality, I have owned many dell U series and this imac screen blows them away.
Plus the when working out the price you should add, Bluetooth, wifi, speakers webcam and mic (more like a laptop in that regard)
Finally there is 2 thunderbolt ports. Whether anyone thinks they are worthwhile or not they still add a few quid to the build

I wouldn't bother trying to argue with him, it's obvious he's come in just to troll from the PC hardware enthusiast sub-forums.

I have a MBP and an ITX desktop that I built myself. Both have their place. The same way the iMac and the Mac Pro also have their places in the market, and to a lesser extent even the Mac mini. Swings and roundabouts really. I mean after all, if you wanted the best of both worlds, you'd buy more than just the one model and use each for their own purposes.

These arguments come around every couple of months and it just gets oh so tiring.

 

[NirK]

I didnt come here to troll... I just noticed the thread title and gave my opinion. Nobody will agree with me here I suppose as it is the apple forum so everyone reading this is a fan of apple. It is tiring yes because it is subjective and depends how much you value style vs performance from a computer and if you think it justifies the pricing.

My point was that the actual parts (which are just exactly the same you would find in a PC) are pretty overpriced... For example SSD upgrades, ram upgrades etc. Very expensive compared to the actual market prices. I think what I said is actually relevant to the thread title... Less interest in apple because they cost a lot and you can get better performance for less money. Depends how much premium people are willing to pay for apple brand.

 

[MrMoonX]

I didnt come here to troll... I just noticed the thread title and gave my opinion. Nobody will agree with me here I suppose as it is the apple forum so everyone reading this is a fan of apple. It is tiring yes because it is subjective and depends how much you value style vs performance from a computer and if you think it justifies the pricing.

My point was that the actual parts (which are just exactly the same you would find in a PC) are pretty overpriced... For example SSD upgrades, ram upgrades etc. Very expensive compared to the actual market prices. I think what I said is actually relevant to the thread title... Less interest in apple because they cost a lot and you can get better performance for less money. Depends how much premium people are willing to pay for apple brand.

NONE of the parts you spec'd would fit into the kind of space there is inside an iMac, they are not exactly the same, they are proprietary for Apple, you cannot spec the same machine, this is the reason Apple costs more, the machine you just spec'd is going to look gash compared to an iMac and take up a lot more space! so just give up

 

[NirK]

I was comparing to mac pro... But yes as you said this is pointless.

 

[lamboman]

Christ, this comparison, again?

Firstly, pre-built system vs. a complete system, OS installed, ready to go. Your argument could apply to absolutely any pre-built system above around £400 - do you expect the system builders to put the system together for free?

Secondly, the Mac Pro uses server parts, not conventional desktop parts, which are more expensive. Regardless of whether they are required for the majority of installations, that is just the way it is, and your argument applies to every other workstation builder out there. As somebody else said, the Mac Pro was actually one of the best value machines out there around its prime time (of course, now it is so outdated that isn't really the case).

I've said it time and time again, but try finding a competing AIO that even comes close to the iMac in terms of performance and value.

I'm not going to deny that there are areas where Apple are overpriced (their upgrades for starters), but frankly, there are few consumer electronics companies that don't have at least one overpriced product in their lines.

 

[NirK]

I think you can ask OCUK to build the computers? Or you can choose from the build your own options.

Anyway I am not saying anything else... Personally I think part of the reason people may be losing interest in apple is due to the pricing. It is up to the buyer to decide if their premium prices are justified and maybe more people now are deciding that they are not when looking at the competition.

 

[AbsenceJam]

I think you can ask OCUK to build the computers? Or you can choose from the build your own options.

Anyway I am not saying anything else... Personally I think part of the reason people may be losing interest in apple is due to the pricing. It is up to the buyer to decide if their premium prices are justified and maybe more people now are deciding that they are not when looking at the competition.

But people aren't losing interest in Apple, unless you can prove this somehow?

 

[Amp34]

If you look at the actual specs of an Imac for the same price it is not even comparable at all...

It is like art work or something I suppose... Some people will pay £50,000 for a painting... In the same way people will pay a big premium for the Imac. Personally I dont even like them that much and would rather have a custom built computer which is more powerfull for just over half the price.

This is a pointless arguement really... Depends how much you like the apple brand and the style of them.

Actually, looking at your specs properly, I agree. What you've specked is a full on gaming machine, with all the pros and cons that go wit it. Big noisy and ugly come to mind. I don't have an iMac, I built my own computer recently, to do a similar job to that which many people would buy an iMac to do (I don't like iOS as a productive OS and don't like the idea of having a screen attached to a computer so can't change one or the other).

I've just specked something that is more like a comparable iMac, something very similar to what I bought...

Now add in a mobile gfx card (~£100?), a decent mouse and keyboard (microforms version of the Magic Mouse is about £35 so for a keyboard as well you're looking at around £70), webcam (~£30), reasonable speakers (~£30) and probably a couple of other things. That all leads you to around £1350-1400... The comparable iMac is £1499. Not really that far off, especially as you'll get a full machine warranty on that rather than just parts.

You can add the SSD and more RAM in yourself as aftermarket parts.

Unfortunately there is no comparable AIO yet, although one or two companies have just released 27" screens with 2560x1440 screens, for around the same price as apple. You can just spec a gaming machine for every need.

Edit: oh, and the other reason I wouldn't go for an iMac is the glossy screen. My machine is designed mainly for photo editing and a glossy screen just wouldn't cut it imo.

 

[Skyboat]

Actually, looking at your specs properly, I agree. What you've specked is a full on gaming machine, with all the pros and cons that go wit it. Big noisy and ugly come to mind. I don't have an iMac, I built my own computer recently, to do a similar job to that which many people would buy an iMac to do (I don't like iOS as a productive OS and don't like the idea of having a screen attached to a computer so can't change one or the other).

I've just specked something that is more like a comparable iMac, something very similar to what I bought...

Now add in a mobile gfx card (~£100?), a decent mouse and keyboard (microforms version of the Magic Mouse is about £35 so for a keyboard as well you're looking at around £70), webcam (~£30), reasonable speakers (~£30) and probably a couple of other things. That all leads you to around £1350-1400... The comparable iMac is £1499. Not really that far off, especially as you'll get a full machine warranty on that rather than just parts.

You can add the SSD and more RAM in yourself as aftermarket parts.

Unfortunately there is no comparable AIO yet, although one or two companies have just released 27" screens with 2560x1440 screens, for around the same price as apple. You can just spec a gaming machine for every need.

This.

Frankly people comparing an iMac to a gaming-spec ATX tower are rather stupid.

 

[beachBOYken]

This thread started out about the apple brand in general and has resulted in comparing iMac to gaming pc ,lol

 

[Skyboat]

This thread started out about the apple brand in general and has resulted in comparing iMac to gaming pc ,lol

This is Overclockers It wouldn't be right if it wasn't

 

[Somnambulist]

Edit: oh, and the other reason I wouldn't go for an iMac is the glossy screen. My machine is designed mainly for photo editing and a glossy screen just wouldn't cut it imo.

The 2012 models cut down on screen glare hugely - they state by 75% but whatever it is, it's a large improvement.

 

[lamboman]

I think you can ask OCUK to build the computers? Or you can choose from the build your own options.

Yes, you can pay them to build the system for you, making them a system builder.

The 2012 models do cut down the glare massively (I think 78% they claimed?), however if you are in a bright room it still won't match a matte display. The older models were frankly terrible in comparison when it comes to this.

 

[NirK]

This.

Frankly people comparing an iMac to a gaming-spec ATX tower are rather stupid.

Can you read properly? I said about 5 times I was comparing it to a mac pro... Not an Imac all in one thing.. Maybe learn to read before calling me stupid.

Also I used a case and cooling which would look nice and would operate quietly...

Anyway as I said before this is a pointless arguement...

Apple fans will always say that they justify the price for whatever reasons and other people will probably agree with what I say... As this is an apple forum mainly it will be the former.

 

[AbsenceJam]

Can you read properly? I said about 5 times I was comparing it to a mac pro... Not an Imac all in one thing.. Maybe learn to read before calling me stupid.

Also I used a case and cooling which would look nice and would operate quietly...

Anyway as I said before this is a pointless arguement...

Apple fans will always say that they justify the price for whatever reasons and other people will probably agree with what I say... As this is an apple forum mainly it will be the former.

Haha, knew he'd be back. You've said your final word on the matter quite a few times now.

Don't get people like this at all.

 

[Robbo]

You built a server grade PC using home PC components for your little 'comparison' as well. It's quite clear you have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[AbsenceJam]

For novelty's sake I've just had a look at the various All-in-One offerings from Dell, Sony, Acer, Lenovo, etc. You can find something comparable in paper specs to an iMac if you want to spend almost as much and don't mind having a worse GPU, display and build quality.