Has Tim Cook lost the plot?

Sasahara said:
A £900 PC should not just do the job, it should have a decent future proof lifespan, most of Apples products do.

Using a different socket, and therefore mobo is a new line as far as I'm concerned. And most Apple fans refer to CPU refreshes as a new line and get overly excited. :)


Evidence that apple are minnows in the PC market. (It not hard to Google, but I'll help you)
http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2647517
http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/28/apple-q4-2013-iphone-ipad-mac-sales/

Apple sold 17.6M PCs in 2013, which put them in 6th place in term of unit sales, but only 5.58% of the world market, on unit sales.

Add the likes of Google and other large server buyers could well be bigger as they may well be buying less units, but considerably more expensive ones.

Intels x86 processor market share is 82.8%, AMD is 16.9% for 1Q14. 4% of that total for AMD is the next gen consoles, almost 25% of their x86 chips.

Not that any of this is relevant the chip is a poor option for consumers, it's just protects the sales of the more expensive models.

There's no logical reason to use an ultra low powered CPU in a desktop. Particularly when it's an all in one unit, so once it's too slow the whole lot becomes worthless and is discarded, any saving the planet credentials with lower power usage are lost by it's shorter lifespan.

The chip around the level of an Intel Core i3-3210. You can buy a Win 8 laptop with this for £350-£400. And this is a last gen CPU.



And finally you agree it's a bad choice. lol
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No need for the condescending tone.

I never said it was a good choice, simply that they've obviously chosen the CPU for a reason.

What I don't understand, is why people are getting their knickers in a twist because it's got a slower CPU. It's the lowest spec iMac in the range, sold to business and education... No consumer will have to worry about buying this spec, and businesses can purchase the better ones if they require the extra oomph.

It would be great if every machine came with the fastest CPU/GPU on the market, but they don't. Apple has always (rightly or wrongly) played the up-sell game better than anyone. Example, spec a MacBook Pro 13" with a load of options and it'll come close to a 15".
 
Deep said:
Shouldn't you be concerned with your returns then?
Apple releasing a cheaper model, which they probably would make a larger margin on, is a good thing for them!

How do you not get that?
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I suppose you've heard the phrase "one never gets a second chance to make a first impression".
 
EVH said:
I never said it was a good choice, simply that they've obviously chosen the CPU for a reason.

What I don't understand, is why people are getting their knickers in a twist because it's got a slower CPU. It's the lowest spec iMac in the range, sold to business and education... No consumer will have to worry about buying this spec, and businesses can purchase the better ones if they require the extra oomph.
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So the iMac listed for £899 on the Apple Store is not for sale to the public you say? :confused:
 
EVH said:
iMacs used to use laptop CPUs, it's only recently that they've started using desktop chips.

You seem to have a chip on your shoulder about them offering this. I don't see an issue really.. Don't like it? Don't buy it.

Were you similarly annoyed when they offered 5C versus the 5S?
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He got annoyed when they announced the iPad, calling it a FAD and how it will never ever ever ever catch on.

LOL :D
 
Faustus said:
I suppose you've heard the phrase "one never gets a second chance to make a first impression".
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You are the epitome of the type of Apple fan boy that people hate.

That saying also makes little sense, Apple have already made their first impressions that's why they are able to sell something that isn't very good at a higher price. The brand is already established and the common buyer isn't going to know why it's not very good!
 
Faustus said:
So the iMac listed for £899 on the Apple Store is not for sale to the public you say? :confused:
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In exactly the same way they continued the iPad 2 (which I bet wound you up a treat!) they will obviously offer everything to the public.

As a member of the public I can go buy a Mac Pro or a Mac Mini with the server software. I bet a tiny proportion of the people buying those are just normal home users.. many MANY smaller businesses will just purchase via the web or a store, plus it makes sense to advertise these things so people know they are available.

And if in the meantime someone who really really wants an iMac but can't afford a higher end on can buy one of these and will probably become a massive Apple advocate helping the brand image and probably locking someone into an ecosystem for many future purchases.

People smarter and more experienced than us have made these decisions, I'm absolutely sure they know what they're doing and nobody has lost the plot.

Not that you're ever going to change your mind.
 
A poster on another forum asked a question and received a response which encapsulates things perfectly.

The question being - so the latest cheaper iMac is simply a Desktop MBA? The response being NO! it's not as good as a MBA.

Says it all really.
 
Deep said:
You are the epitome of the type of Apple fan boy that people hate.

That saying also makes little sense, Apple have already made their first impressions that's why they are able to sell something that isn't very good at a higher price. The brand is already established and the common buyer isn't going to know why it's not very good!
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I don't think you've quite grasped matters. Never mind, let me explain. You buy something for the first time having heard great things about the brand. Said product turns out to be a bit of a lemon so consumer vows never to buy that brand again.

Simples.
 
Faustus said:
I don't think you've quite grasped matters. Never mind, let me explain. You buy something for the first time having heard great things about the brand. Said product turns out to be a bit of a lemon so consumer vows never to buy that brand again.

Simples.
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No, you REALLY don't understand.

The person who buys this machine is not looking for a computer to do huge resource hungry tasks. It's for someone who wants an Apple product at the lower end of the scale, they'll be using it for basic things. I.e. Safari and iTunes

It's not that complicated, you're just blinded by your fanboyism
 
Deep said:
No, you REALLY don't understand.

The person who buys this machine is not looking for a computer to do huge resource hungry tasks. It's for someone who wants an Apple product at the lower end of the scale, they'll be using it for basic things. I.e. Safari and iTunes

It's not that complicated, you're just blinded by your fanboyism
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How can you accuse me of being a fanboy when I'm criticising Apple's decision making? You also make the assumption that the person buying this machine knows exactly what they are looking for yet you provide not one shred of evidence to back up your assertion. Doh!
 
Hey it's the Time Capsule argument again. People not knowing what they need to buy to suit their requirements isn't a reason to make every product available suitable for every task you might conceivably want to use a computer for (otherwise every machine would be a £5000 Mac Pro). It's a good argument for having a decent retail presence in place to ensure people who don't know what they need can get some advice, and this is what Apple do very well through their own stores and partner training.
 
Deep said:
The person who buys this machine is not looking for a computer to do huge resource hungry tasks. It's for someone who wants an Apple product at the lower end of the scale, they'll be using it for basic things. I.e. Safari and iTunes
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Thats the strangest thing. If you ask most people now, they don't want to sit at a desk. They're swiping on phones and tablets. They don't want to be stuck at a desk. Nearly most people are on the move all the time or sitting in their living rooms browsing the web, chatting, listening to tunes and so on.

Apple should have done this years ago before little timmy and most 5 year olds had iPad's/iPhones.
 
hartgeh3 said:
I reckon people who want to jump to Apple ownership will have no clue and jump on this like numpties
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Then having done so will find it's not got much muscle and has very little in the way of future proofing. At this point they will be hacked off at spending so much and getting so little and won't want to swell Apple's coffers ever again.

This is exactly why I started the thread in the first place - I consider it to be a short sighted move.
 
You could make that argument about the entire product range of any company though, they all have entry-level models keenly priced and then other models in the line up set at cleverly thought out price breaks as you go up the range.

The only alternative to a situation that allows people to buy something underpowered (because either they don't know what they are buying, or they lack the inclination to get any assistance at all with their purchase) is a product range starting at 'very expensive' instead of 'expensive', or lower profit margins. But being a shareholder and all that I wouldn't have thought you'd be in favour of that arrangement.

If this iMac doesn't sell, or has a very high return rate with the reason cited as the performance, then I'm pretty sure people will notice that and take action. But for every person who finds it inadequate there will likely be another person who is very happy with it, but wouldn't have been able to afford one previously. This person is now a potential App Store customer, accessory buyer, and new Mac buyer in a few years time. I really don't see how this could be seen as a negative.
 
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Faustus said:
How can you accuse me of being a fanboy when I'm criticising Apple's decision making? You also make the assumption that the person buying this machine knows exactly what they are looking for yet you provide not one shred of evidence to back up your assertion. Doh!
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You're a fan boy in the way that only the product you own is good enough because it's exclusive, and them introducing a lower priced item 'devalues' your brand and in turn makes what you've bought seem cheap.

No, I'm saying quite the opposite!
The people who will buy this will be the type who want an Apple product but don't want to spend a lot of money. It's for the general public, the same general public who don't really care about specs!

Have you realised you haven't shown ANY evidence either?!
 
Caged said:
I really don't see how this could be seen as a negative.
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They've already got the form factor available and the specs are low so parts would be cheap for them.
I don't think it'd be a big challenge for them and it'd be a nice test for them.

There is only a good opportunity available for Apple
 
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