But it's not down market, is it? It's not a product with a different support tier, it's not an iMac made of plastic that falls to pieces. It's a cheaper entry-level model that consumes less power and is still more than powerful enough for the vast majority of things that people use computers for.
Has Tim Cook lost the plot?
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Cheaper - entry level = down market, what's not to understand. As for consumes less power - that's because it a mobile solution placed in a premium desktop computer. I'm not sure given the specs it even qualifies as a 'Desktop'.
Your claim was that because it costs less that it's somehow not a premium brand any more - it's still an £899 computer which you just called a premium desktop.
As for your point about it barely qualifying as a desktop, look at the form factor. That really isn't up for discussion.
This isn't a race-to-the-bottom Android tablet move, it's Apple realising that the iMac is probably a tough pill to swallow and introducing a less expensive model.
I just don't see this as the beginning of the end that it's almost been portrayed as here. When Apple squeeze out a £399 plastic piece of garbage that would suit the Acer name then it's time to start worrying. There's been an iMac targeted at schools for a while, this is just the latest revision of it.
As for your point about it barely qualifying as a desktop, look at the form factor. That really isn't up for discussion.
This isn't a race-to-the-bottom Android tablet move, it's Apple realising that the iMac is probably a tough pill to swallow and introducing a less expensive model.
I just don't see this as the beginning of the end that it's almost been portrayed as here. When Apple squeeze out a £399 plastic piece of garbage that would suit the Acer name then it's time to start worrying. There's been an iMac targeted at schools for a while, this is just the latest revision of it.
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Deleted member 651465
Deleted member 651465
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?
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?
For what it's worth the i5 4260U in this new iMac is a fair bit quicker than the i3 4010U in the NUC that I use as my day to day Windows desktop. It's not a slow machine at all, the only complaint I can level at the hardware is that it should have come with a 256GB SSD as standard, then it would pretty much be the perfect office Mac.
No. If it runs Pages, Safari, iTunes then it doesn't matter what the benchmarks say, because it's already good enough.
You won't buy one, we get it, but I don't see how it's the big deal or the sign of Apples decline that you want it to be.
My iPad can do that but I wouldn't want that as a Desktop replacement either. The iMac is/was a premium brand computer. The clue is in the word - premium. If you then start to water down the product with inferior components and try to give it mass market appeal then the word 'Premium' no longer applies and so you devalue the brand.
You may as well just lump the iMac in with other AIO computers e.g. HP, Sony, Lenovo etc. In fact those Windows AIO are now looking like better value with their larger screen sizes, more memory etc. etc.
You can argue this one until the cows come home but my take on it is this. If Apple want to release something with greater mass market appeal then fine. However, do not call it an iMac - come up with a different solution entirely. By doing that you do not risk devaluing what you already have.
Translation - I bought a more expensive iMac than this and I don't want anyone thinking mine is the cheap one.
If you can find a reference to premium on Apples website then please do, they have a habit of producing higher ticket items but that price tends to drift down over time.. basically like most other companies.
You sound like a spoiled child, don't like.. don't buy.. worried about the residual value of whatever it is you've bought? Tough luck!
You should be happy they're trying to introduce more people to the ecosystem even if they might be a bit less washed than you'd clearly like.
Faustus just write a blog and turn comments off if you want somewhere public to air your opinions unchallenged.
It's still an iMac, it's not full of 'inferior components' - this isn't the "Quad Core Processor" that Samsung put into their Ativ 9 Lite, this isn't a lower resolution screen, it's not being bundled with a less capable OS. A Windows AIO will never look like better value to the target market of an iMac, simply because a Windows AIO isn't a Mac.
If you want to judge a products value purely on a checklist of the components inside it then that's great, carry on doing that. This new iMac isn't a departure from anything Apple have done before.
What part of an £899 starting price makes this not a premium computer?
It's still an iMac, it's not full of 'inferior components' - this isn't the "Quad Core Processor" that Samsung put into their Ativ 9 Lite, this isn't a lower resolution screen, it's not being bundled with a less capable OS. A Windows AIO will never look like better value to the target market of an iMac, simply because a Windows AIO isn't a Mac.
If you want to judge a products value purely on a checklist of the components inside it then that's great, carry on doing that. This new iMac isn't a departure from anything Apple have done before.
What part of an £899 starting price makes this not a premium computer?
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It's not devaluing the current products
It's simple. If your planning on doing photo or video editing, why would you spend money on something more powerful than you need?
I expect this machine is ideal for schools, colleges and universities running app development courses and the like. It is also ideal for those who want a desktop but don't want to have to use windows
I don't understand the hate for apple giving people more choices...
It's simple. If your planning on doing photo or video editing, why would you spend money on something more powerful than you need?
I expect this machine is ideal for schools, colleges and universities running app development courses and the like. It is also ideal for those who want a desktop but don't want to have to use windows
I don't understand the hate for apple giving people more choices...
Yeah, becuase everything on the internet is love or hate and nowhere inbetween. 
The "new" iMac is poor value for money in my opinion. It should either be cheaper for that spec or more powerful for the money. I've no opinion either way as to the brand, I'll leave the snobbishness to Faustus.
The "new" iMac is poor value for money in my opinion. It should either be cheaper for that spec or more powerful for the money. I've no opinion either way as to the brand, I'll leave the snobbishness to Faustus.
You have defined one of the key components of a premium brand - glad you get the point.
You do however blot you copy book somewhat later in your post by your rather petulant comments. It hardly does you credit and is certainly not the best way to get your point across.
Low voltage mobile CPU, 500gig 5400 slow spinner, inferior graphics.
If I was looking at buying my first Mac, wasn't very tech aware and took this home I doubt I would be impressed the first time I tried to use it for anything other than the basics.
So in other words someone who is the exact opposite of "not very tech aware" and isn't buying their first iMac doesn't like it.
I don't really care either way actually, I'm not buying one because I need Windows for some of the stuff I do and there is no way that I'm buying a non-Apple laptop. I don't have any investment in Apple, I have no horse in this race. It will sell because it's an iMac. Some people will be more than happy with it. I'll leave the telling them they are wrong to you.
I don't really care either way actually, I'm not buying one because I need Windows for some of the stuff I do and there is no way that I'm buying a non-Apple laptop. I don't have any investment in Apple, I have no horse in this race. It will sell because it's an iMac. Some people will be more than happy with it. I'll leave the telling them they are wrong to you.
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