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Apple needs to do away with the iMac

I think the biggest argument for the iMac is it's clean design.

I have a Mac Mini and that thing has a wire popping out of every port on it.

My iMac has one wire. The power cord.

90% of my family's computing is web based. Email, Surfing and things like Facebook take up most of the iMac's time.

What is really all that upgradeable on a Mac Pro?

More Hard Drives? I already have about 6TB available on my ReadyNAS.

Graphics Card? What are there? About 3 or 4 cards that you can stick in a Mac Pro?

In the PC industry there's thousands of cards to choose from. I haven't seen all that many other than pro cards for the Mac. Imagine the pressure for Apple to support all the crappy cards out there. Buggy Drivers, problems with cards, etc. is very anti Apple.

Besides, with the right set of tools, the iMac is upgreadeable ;)
 
education

I think we need to remember one of Apple's primary markets, that is the education sector.

The iMac is the perfect computer for schools, especially where younger kids are involved.

Max power, expandability etc is nothing compared to ease of use and use of space.
 
Tallest Skil said:
if (Steve Jobs == alive)
__cout << "iMac is the flagship computer.";
else
__cout << "Maybe an xMac.";

The Macintosh 128k was an all-in-one because Steve didn't want the end-user modifying his hardware.
Click to expand...

Wonder why they made the Mac Pro then. Maybe because end-users don't need to modify their hardware?

Maybe they just like the design? I think it's ok.
 
Well as a current iMac owner, I'm never getting an iMac again unless they make some drastic changes to the enclosure and hardware. The thing has been plagued with over heating problems, random kernel panics, and a faulty power supply. I've had the PSU and logic board replaced under warrenty already and again, last week it died and will not start up. The diagnostic LEDs on the logic board indicate another logic board failure :mad: great. Well it's out of warranty now but it should be still covered under last years bad capacitor recall, I know it's over but Apple's been know to still do it at no cost. If not, I'm getting a new computer. Either a low end Mac Pro, single core, using my pretty amazing AHD discount ($1839!) or I'll wait this month to see if a really radical mini comes out that may suit my needs at home (email, web, freelance photoshop and dreamweaver, my wife's photobook layout business, and the home movie DVDs we do for friends and family.

Three and a half years ago I loved the simplicity of the iMac. Then I quickly became familiar with it's shortcomings. With all my 'upgrades' it's just as messy in the back as my PowerMac G4 was. Only it's worse; the mess is on my desk instead of under my desk. :-\
 
Outsider said:
Well as a current iMac owner, I'm never getting an iMac again unless they make some drastic changes to the enclosure and hardware. The thing has been plagued with over heating problems, random kernel panics, and a faulty power supply. I've had the PSU and logic board replaced under warrenty already and again, last week it died and will not start up. The diagnostic LEDs on the logic board indicate another logic board failure :mad: great. Well it's out of warranty now but it should be still covered under last years bad capacitor recall, I know it's over but Apple's been know to still do it at no cost. If not, I'm getting a new computer. Either a low end Mac Pro, single core, using my pretty amazing AHD discount ($1839!) or I'll wait this month to see if a really radical mini comes out that may suit my needs at home (email, web, freelance photoshop and dreamweaver, my wife's photobook layout business, and the home movie DVDs we do for friends and family.

Three and a half years ago I loved the simplicity of the iMac. Then I quickly became familiar with it's shortcomings. With all my 'upgrades' it's just as messy in the back as my PowerMac G4 was. Only it's worse; the mess is on my desk instead of under my desk. :-\
Click to expand...

You've been incredibly unlucky ...

I'm going onto my fourth iMac, and my current Intel one has never had a single Kernal Panic. I see your a power user in terms of CS3, which is similar to myself as a Freelance Web Developer.

Your case cannot, with all due respect, be considered the norm. I gave up on the Xbox 360 because despite being pedantic about my technological belongings and their condition, I went through NINE of them within a two and a half year period. There are some people I know however who remain on their first Xbox 360 and some who have had only two replacements.

My point is that my experience with the Xbox 360 is down to luck, possibly my area receiving a batch batch or a continual shipment from a factory with poorer quality control proceedures, who knows? The point is that my example cannot be used to soley judge the quality of the product, despite me being incredibly pissed off at it and subsequently giving up on the product ... and gaming in general.

From your post I've picked up that you have had one iMac that is now over 3 years old and has had some issues ... hardly conclusive in my opinion. The age of the system would point to it being a late G5 iMac with iSight, due to that fact the first Intel Core Duo iMac launched in February 2006 and has just turned 3 years old exactly. The G5's were more prone to Kernal Panics, I had one or two during my time owning a G5, but nothing major. You also mentioned the bad capacitor debacle ... those were fun days, opening your G5 to compare your capacitors to stock photos to ensure they weren't "abnormally bulging".
 
skaertus said:
1) iMac (with desktop parts)
Click to expand...
65 W desktop quad-core would be good.

Outsider said:
In order for them to bring out an expandable computer, Apple needs to reinvent upgradability in a consumer desktop. Put graphics cards, hard drives, and CPUs incased in simple modules that are ridiculously easy to install. This is the only way Apple will recoup costs when people decide to upgrade instead of buy new computers. But it can be done and if anyone can do it, Apple can. But I doubt they would do something like this.
Click to expand...
I'd like to see something like that happen. Seems quite Apple-like too.
 
I think it's safe to say the iMac is safe in Apple's desktop product line up.

I agree that a degree of upgradability would be nice, but I personally am against Apple replacing the iMac with a headless unit thus forcing the user to buy an external display.

Removing the iMac from the line up would be folly on Apple's part. A very large portion of consumers don't want a display & box set up and the mess of wires that come with it. A very large portion of consumers don't want to make multiple decisions on their purchase, ie: which headless unit and which display. And most importantly, a lot of Apple consumers on limited budgets don't want to be forced to use their new Apple equipment on a non-Apple display because Apple have priced them out of the market.

The views in favour of iMac's removal from the product line up are somewhat selfish.
 
I loved my 24" 2,16 iMac. Never had a problem with it and used it heavily for video editing (HDV a tasking codec for a NLE).
The screen was great, it felt faster than the 2.5 MBP I changed it for.
It took very little space, I even used to carry it around in it´s original box for different location shoots.
I would be sad to see the iMac go, and I don´t think it will anytime soon
 
iMac is the thing why I'm buying Mac. I don't want tower because of hundreds of cords and cables. Laptop is useless because it'd lay on my desk 98% of its time and I don't want less than 20" display. What choices do I have? iMac is powerful, almost cordless and doesn't fill up my whole room.

xMac would be nice but who really needs +2.8GHz quad-core and +1GB GPUs? Gamers and graphic people, and graphic people can usually afford a Mac Pro or high-end iMac is enough for 'em. So, what we have left? Oh.. the gamers, has Apple ever cared of 'em? I don't think so.

Sorry it won't happen
 
Never ever going to happen. Ever. They'd sooner kill the mac pro.

Nor should it. The imac is a wonderful computer that gives you a remarkable space-saving design and plenty of power for the vast majority of people. It's also by far their best selling desktop, which should tell you something.

p.s. Did I mention that it's NEVER going to happen?
 
Why would they get rid of any Mac? Every single one does exactly what Apple wants it to do. And for today's average user, not much more is needed. (Well... when they update the desktops)

I like the idea of iMac. You could get a better iMac for the same price of money than purchasing the Mac Mini and the Apple display. And Mac Mini isn't upgradable either. So why take up extra space?
 
I love my iMac ive had it over a year now and had not one problem. No overheating no sudden crashing anything like that. As an all in one suits me limited space so its ideal its a good spec decent mac that can do as much as much as any other. Maybe running stupid hi res games might not be as good as others but i have my xbox360 for games.

Ive never looked back i perhaps will upgrade to a mac pro one day when my iMac is soo old that nothing will work on it anymore.

Garnz
 
I will say discontinue the Mac Mini, make the iMac the cheaper and introduce an xMac as a mid-range tower.
 
WeegieMac said:
The views in favour of iMac's removal from the product line up are somewhat selfish.
Click to expand...

selfish? i guess anything is considered selfish if one spouts an opinion thats different than what apple is currently doing


oh sorry sorry sorry

IJ Reilly said:
But since the OP doesn't like it, it should not exist. Geek logic strikes again.
Click to expand...

case in point lol


i would like apple to offer a degree of user upgradeability....namely the hard drive at the very least. i dont know about you but why would i buy a computer where its challenging to replace the hd when i have experienced many hard drive failures?

if i were out of applecare, im more or less out of luck or looking at a pricy repair bill. thats redicoulous imo
 
I don't know that selfish is the word I would choose, but I certainly don't understand the logic that essentially goes, "If I don't like a product, it should not exist." We heard that exact same reasoning applied to the Mac for 20 years at least. I don't think it has improved with time, repetition, or application to other cases.

We know that the iMac is insufficiently geek compliant to suit the preferences of some. Fine. Then they should not buy it. But to suggest that others should not even be able to buy it for that reason is, at the very least, kind of weird.
 
iMacs are exceedingly useful for businesses and edus. Not to mention a prime target for the consumer market.
Less cords, less shipped boxes, less desk footprint, simple design, less items to purchase for those who don't know or cannot/won't research what to get.

They'll never get rid of iMacs. Never. Ever.

Dream on.
 
the imac

its about simplicity

powercord

plug in the keyboard and mouse

takes up very little room

no big ugly boxes with 3747374 cables everywhere
 
Mr. Giver '94 said:
I love the iMac. I'm one of those people who likes the AIO design.

Honestly if Apple should cancel one of the products it should be the MacBook. It's underpowered and has no advantage over any of their other products.
Click to expand...

What???? The MacBook is Apple's BEST SELLING COMPUTER. :rolleyes:

However I love the iMac too. The iMac will always be my desktop. I don't need or want a big computer box to take up space and for what? Just so I can expand the hardware for games?

Just give me a nice C2D 3.06GHz, 320GB HD and 4GB of RAM iMac.

Besides the iMac and the iPod saved Apple's butt in the '90's. Yes boys and girls without the iMac and the iPod there wouldn't be an Apple now. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it! :D
 
nick9191 said:
iMac yes, iPod no.

iPod came along in 2001, after 36 months of successively profitable quarters.
Click to expand...

Both Macs and iPod/iPhone bring in good money. But what many people don't know is that Apple's "margin" (business 101: gross revenues minus expenses = net) is largely reliant on the tremendous margin on iPod/iPhone.
 
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