Apple Discontinues 20" Cinema Display, Product Refreshes Coming?

[KikoPT]

I suggest waiting for the new minis to come out, then buying the old model refurb. You will get a pretty good deal that way.

Is ... also an option ... but i also have to wait for it! IMHO Apple should really be more a little careful with this disregard for mid-range ... they are loosing this kind of potencial customers back to windows machines (but probably have them by the balls on the laptop side )

 

[clmason]

5, Person who uses the mini AS their main TV, with a TV tuner connected to it.

Although I would like to see what one would have to do to accomplish 4.

What do you mean? I just have the DVI->s-video converter and plug it in. Pretty easy. I use the remote and front row to watch stuff, and remote desktop to run my torrent program, or do system updates, etc.

 

[Winni]

Quote from Steve Jobs in 2007, "I can see a time where notebooks are 80-90% of what we sell".

Make of that what you will...

Yeah, that's the same man who once said that he didn't know who, except for maybe a journalist, would need a mobile computer...

Anyway. I've got two 20" Cinema Displays on my desk and love them. No glossy crap, just great picture quality. It's a shame that Apple dropped them.

 

[j5045096]

Yep, those Blu-ray playing laptops sure have a long battery life!

What was it, less than the length of one movie while playing a disk?

I'm confused at the point.

I guess I don't know enough about Blu-Ray but I know that I have a whole lot of DVD's (I wish I had time to Handbrake them all into digital because if that was the case the whole darn collection would be sitting as a lot on craigslist right now) that a Blu-Ray player can play but I can't play a Blu Ray disc on my laptop or my DVD player so for me it's too new and still too shaky of a technology to get behind...especially when Wal-Mart has half of the DVDs I want for between $9-14 and I see BluRays selling for $30. $30 bucks for a movie? That's a joke - just like paying $30 for two people to go see a movie ($10-ish x2 tickets + popcorn + drink=$30). Me personally I don't like buying movies-- you watch them once every few years - it's not like music. We have a great library system where I live that is LOADED with DVD's of tv series, plus the latest movies, all for FREE. I see no reason to ever own a BluRay disc or player.

Again, that's my opinion and my situation but I can't help but think a lot of folks feel the same way and BluRay is a novelty that only a handful are, if ever, into.

 

[Bregalad]

TN yuck

Just my opinion but I think you'd have to be crazy to buy the Apple 20" when you can get a very nice Samsung for half the price....and it's not as if Samsung don't know how to make LCD's.

I'm getting a bit disappointed with Apple of late, their mac product offerings just aren't as good as they should be. People who are loyal and only ever buy macs are faced with some difficult decisions if they need a new computer now.

My last 5 displays have all been Samsung, but their product line is almost exclusively TN now so I'm unlikely to buy another from them.

One of the reasons to go with a non-Apple display is multiple inputs. I have a collection of legacy Mac towers and an old PC that don't get used enough to justify having their own displays not to mention that multiple displays wouldn't fit on my desk. My primary Mac gets the DVI input and the VGA cable hangs next to the line of old machines. I simply plug in the one I want to use.

Regarding the fact that 70% of Mac sales are laptops, I don't think it's because the laptops are so good rather the desktops are so bad. In the PC world a desktop provides significantly more processing (CPU and GPU) power and vastly more RAM and storage per dollar than a notebook does. Buying a Mac "desktop" doesn't get you much more of anything so it's not hard to understand why they aren't selling well.

- The mini is a 2006 era notebook minus the portability. It seems like a pointless product to me at the current price point.
- The iMac is a 2008 era notebook with a large display.
- The Mac Pro uses high end server components that drive up the price without doing anything for performance. Reliability matters in this market though so maybe that's a fair trade. Unfortunately Intel releases gaming parts months before the equivalent server parts so $1000 PCs are matching the current Pro performance.

 

[human5892]

Yep, those Blu-ray playing laptops sure have a long battery life!

What was it, less than the length of one movie while playing a disk?

I'm confused at the point.

The point is that people who argue that you can't tell the difference in a Blu-ray's resolution on a laptop are only addressing one point of why somebody might want to have a Blu-ray drive on their computer. I'm agreeing with you and adding to your point.

As far as the battery issue goes, a) technology is always improving in both batteries and the drives themselves (i.e., better caching to lessen read times), and b) you don't always want or need to watch an entire movie.

 

[*LTD*]

A 20-inch LED Cinema Display would be perfect for me. 24-inch seems a bit too much.

I've got a lovely 24-inch Samsung.

During the first week of use it seemed enormous. Now, after getting accustomed to it, it seems rather small. Time to look at a 30-inch or so . . .

 

[j5045096]

Is ... also an option ... but i also have to wait for it! IMHO Apple should really be more a little careful with this disregard for mid-range ... they are loosing this kind of potencial customers back to windows machines (but probably have them by the balls on the laptop side )

If people got educated about a computer purchase here's what is available to them, right now...$999.00 gets them a 20" aluminum iMac with 2.4ghz processor and 250gb hard drive and an ATI Radeon graphics card. How much more mid-range do you want? You get the latest version of OSX, the whole iLife suite--which Windows can't even come close to comparing to, built in camera, the wireless internet is already built in, it has bluetooth and a HUGE screen. That 24" iMac is unGodly how big the screen is; the 20" isn't too far behind. It's like the perfect midrange computer for $999. $1000 to me is right on for a decent midrange computer--low end at about $400-500, and higher end at $1500+.

I think people need to open their eyes and see what's available right before them; that iMac is a DANG good computer for 1000 bucks.

 

[j5045096]

.
- The iMac is a 2008 era notebook with a large display.

I agree; that dumpy iMac is SOOO last week. ...maybe for a Mac, but it's about 5 years AHEAD of anything HP or Dell is kicking out. I love how we're 2 months into 2009 and 2008 seems like an eternity ago. And not to mention resale value...buy a comparable Dell and then an iMac and see how well you do trying to sell both after 2 years or 3 years. The Dell is better off as an inflated Goodwill donation.

 

[SuperChuck]

I think the technical term for that is dysosmia.

lolol - great post

 

[AppleMojo]

I smell an iMacMiniPro with built in LED screen.

Exactly! In addition we might see an iMacMiniProPhoneTablet with dual LED screens... crossing my fingers!

 

[fisha]

If people got educated about a computer purchase here's what is available to them, right now...$999.00 gets them a 20" aluminum iMac with 2.4ghz processor and 250gb hard drive and an ATI Radeon graphics card. How much more mid-range do you want? You get the latest version of OSX, the whole iLife suite--which Windows can't even come close to comparing to, built in camera, the wireless internet is already built in, it has bluetooth and a HUGE screen. That 24" iMac is unGodly how big the screen is; the 20" isn't too far behind. It's like the perfect midrange computer for $999. $1000 to me is right on for a decent midrange computer--low end at about $400-500, and higher end at $1500+.

I think people need to open their eyes and see what's available right before them; that iMac is a DANG good computer for 1000 bucks.

I think you're missing the point. OK, its good $1000 bucks as a standalone machine, but in todays world, there is a great number of people who have a computer which is aroundabout the time for an upgrade .... whether that be PC users, early mac mini users, whatever. They may already have a decent screen and setup and specifically dont want a new screen. Apple has nothing for them.

The mini is outdated as a new purchase these days, and the MacPro waay to expensive. Think what a $1000 headless mac could offer you ... it'd be great.

I'm one of those people. I'm running a nearly 4yr old laptop via a Dell 24" S-IPS panel, and i want a faster machine with more storage space as the laptop is starting to not be upto what i'm asking if it. There is simply no way i'm going to want a 20" poorer quality panel to replace it. I want a headless mac, with 3.5" HDD's and a decent graphics card, and probably quite a lot of people share my thoughts.

I also agree with the comments regarding Apple adapting to the climate change of the economy. People are going to be reigning back their budgets and where folk may have thought " i'll spend that little extra to get an Apple " i think a lot of folk will think " i can get similar spec PC for less and put the saved money elsewhere "

They just seem to have stalled at the bottom of the hill and cutting out products / updates giving them little momentum to get up it.

 

[MidtownFreak]

I hope they keep the reserves in an alternative currency.
Does anyone have any idea what 28.5 billion dollars is worth at the moment?

Um, 28.5 billion dollars is worth 28.5 billion dollars.

And please stop stating that Apple is using "protectionist" policies, they are a corporation, not a member of the WTO.

Anyways, as for the Blu-Ray vs. Digital strife, I think that Apple is simply trying to gage whether or not there is even sufficient demand for it. Blu-ray is NOT seeing the same adoption rates as VHS-to-DVD is, and frankly, I concur with the earlier mention about it being a "stepping stone" technology.

Apple should currently focus on ending this embargo and figuring out what to do about the exploding netbook market.

 

[Bubba Satori]

A cheapish 20" LED display would be awesome.

$399 would be a good deal. Though, going from the price of the 24" I doubt we'll see a good deal..

$399 is cheapish for a 20" monitor ? Good grief.

 

[KikoPT]

I think you're missing the point. OK, its good $1000 bucks as a standalone machine, but in todays world, there is a great number of people who have a computer which is aroundabout the time for an upgrade .... whether that be PC users, early mac mini users, whatever. They may already have a decent screen and setup and specifically dont want a new screen. Apple has nothing for them.

The mini is outdated as a new purchase these days, and the MacPro waay to expensive. Think what a $1000 headless mac could offer you ... it'd be great.

I'm one of those people. I'm running a nearly 4yr old laptop via a Dell 24" S-IPS panel, and i want a faster machine with more storage space as the laptop is starting to not be upto what i'm asking if it. There is simply no way i'm going to want a 20" poorer quality panel to replace it. I want a headless mac, with 3.5" HDD's and a decent graphics card, and probably quite a lot of people share my thoughts.

I also agree with the comments regarding Apple adapting to the climate change of the economy. People are going to be reigning back their budgets and where folk may have thought " i'll spend that little extra to get an Apple " i think a lot of folk will think " i can get similar spec PC for less and put the saved money elsewhere "

They just seem to have stalled at the bottom of the hill and cutting out products / updates giving them little momentum to get up it.

Thanks fisha, you got my point ... IMHO there is a fringe of costumers (and loyal ones) that just dont have an option except to sold old stuff (clutter on their desk) and get a "integraded"Mac

Well ... i'll wait until mid-march. By then i've made a decision ...

 

[Bubba Satori]

I agree; that dumpy iMac is SOOO last week. ...maybe for a Mac, but it's about 5 years AHEAD of anything HP or Dell is kicking out. I love how we're 2 months into 2009 and 2008 seems like an eternity ago. And not to mention resale value...buy a comparable Dell and then an iMac and see how well you do trying to sell both after 2 years or 3 years. The Dell is better off as an inflated Goodwill donation.

I sell 5 HP Touchsmarts for every iMac i sell. Customers love them. Never had one returned. Lots of iMacs returned for the notorious screen issues.

 

[Bubba Satori]

you aren't missing much.

 

[arn]

Trying to figure out why you think this reasoning is absurd.

So you agree with the analyst that Apple will wait until 2010 to update the Mac mini?

arn

 

[MacsRgr8]

Quote from Steve Jobs in 2007, "I can see a time where notebooks are 80-90% of what we sell".

Make of that what you will...

I'll make that... eerrrhhmmm.... marketing crap.
Unless Apple stop making iMacs... and Mac Pro's. With just the Mac mini as a desktop Mac, then.. yeah.... then notebooks will be 80-90% of what they sell. Less units overall, of course...

Trouble with notebooks, is that they are not very handy if you want to use a very fast computer with lots of hard disk space, and a huge display.

I use my MacBook Pro at work all the time, and I love it. But, once I get home, I am so happy to get behind my Mac Pro with the (far earlier discontinued) 23" ACD.
Attached to my 40" Sony Bravia 1080p LCD HDTV, is a Mac mini Core Duo. Again, having to connect my MacBook Pro to this TV is annoying. I don't want to lean behind my TV to attach it, get all the cables needed out of my bag, etc. The Mac mini simply sleeps during the day, and gets woken up by its IR remote or BT keyboard, when I get home to watch an HD movie or use Front Row.

Different computer designs for different purposes. A noteboke is foremost for portability. A desktop for convenience and speed. A small form factor desktop for convenience and media.
The MacBook Air is case in point. You need another Mac if you really want to use it.

 

[cardjoseph]

too funny

I just purchased a 20" ACD from the Apple Store Online this past Sunday and received it on Tuesday. I found it quite amusing that I purchased it a few days before they EOL'ed.

Unfortunately, the new models (like the 24"), whenever they come out, won't work for me....I have an older generation MBP with DVI. So the 20" suits me perfectly.

 

[drlunanerd]

I'll make that... eerrrhhmmm.... marketing crap.
Unless Apple stop making iMacs... and Mac Pro's. With just the Mac mini as a desktop Mac, then.. yeah.... then notebooks will be 80-90% of what they sell. Less units overall, of course...

Did you read Apple's last quarter results? Desktop sales have fallen off a cliff.

My point is that Steve made that prediction in 2007. Apple has since put more effort into flogging notebooks cos that's where their market is. It's been a self-fulfilling prophesy.

 

[MacsRgr8]

So you agree with the analyst that Apple will wait until 2010 to update the Mac mini?

arn

Don't they mean a form factor update?

I think everyone agrees that either the Mac mini gets the obvious update (similar to MacBook) pretty soon, or gets discontinued. But a new form factor.... that could take some time.
Even so-called analysts.

 

[sam10685]

It's about time for a 40" screen. This 30" screen is just too small.

I agree. My eye muscles don't get enough of a workout.

 

[IJ Reilly]

So you agree with the analyst that Apple will wait until 2010 to update the Mac mini?

arn

Reading the article again, it seems the one analyst who apparently believes this was being paraphrased instead of quoted, so in reality it's difficult to know if that's precisely what he meant. The only thing I can say for certain is that he believes this isn't a good time for Apple to be making a major commitment to new products, not that he necessarily thinks they won't do it anyway.

 

[Shivetya]

Quote from Steve Jobs in 2007, "I can see a time where notebooks are 80-90% of what we sell".

Make of that what you will...

If they don't produce viable alternatives then what else could they sell?