Flagship models really cost even more

[roland.g]

Regardless of the processor, the price tag alone says that the PowerMac G5's are the class of the Apple lineup. Yet they haven't even bothered to include Airport and Bluetooth as standard on those machines. At $3,299 for a Quad 2.5 Ghz G5, you still have to pony up another $99 to add two important features that are included in every other machine they offer. Even the Core Solo Mini and low end MacBook for $599 and $1,099 have them. That would not have been a tough thing to change in the store the last couple months, especially to help drive sales of the remaining stock until the Intel towers are released. I guess they figure anyone who's going to spend that kind of money doesn't mind a little more, but while I can agree that many a tower are networked on Cat5 or Cat6, who wants all that performance without bluetooth. That's just my two cents. If you want a tower, you'll have to come up with the other $98.98 yourself.

 

[Blue Velvet]

I often wonder how I can get a day's work done with a wired keyboard and mouse.

Honestly, the last thing I want during a busy day is for my mouse to lose battery power or the keyboard to stop working because of bluetooth problems.

Bluetooth is by no means essential and gigabit ethernet is fairly standard in most studios I've seen where shifting around 1Gb+ work folders is fairly routine.

 

[roland.g]

I often wonder how I can get a day's work done with a wired keyboard and mouse.

Honestly, the last thing I want during a busy day is for my mouse to lose battery power or the keyboard to stop working because of bluetooth problems.

Bluetooth is by no means essential and gigabit ethernet is fairly standard in most studios I've seen where shifting around 1Gb+ work folders is fairly routine.

I realize that, but come on, you might have a phone or pda you want to sync, and while the pda may have a cable, the point really is that they include those features on all the minis, macbooks, imacs and macbook pros, but not the powermacs. if you can put it in standard on $600 and $800 computers, then put it on the towers too.

 

[Blue Velvet]

Wanting to sync a personal phone with a production machine isn't on the top of my most-wanted feature list.

I like that Apple keep the towers relatively stripped down... you can add the features you want rather than paying for ones you don't need.

I think they've got it right. They know where most of these machines are going and what their end uses are likely to be; which are usually quite specialised... and to me, bluetooth is quite rightly an optional extra.

But who knows, maybe it'll be standard in the next round of Pro Macs... honestly, it just isn't a deal-breaker for the vast majority of pro users.

 

[Super Macho Man]

Wanting to sync a personal phone with a production machine isn't on the top of my most-wanted feature list.

I like that Apple keep the towers relatively stripped down... you can add the features you want rather than paying for ones you don't need.

I think they've got it right. They know where most of these machines are going and what their end uses are likely to be; which are usually quite specialised... and to me, bluetooth is quite rightly an optional extra.

But who knows, maybe it'll be standard in the next round of Pro Macs... honestly, it just isn't a deal-breaker for the vast majority of pro users.

I like having the option of not having to buy BT & Airport, but I wish they would make them optional on the Mac Mini & iMac as well.

I think this issue just magnifies the wide rift between the "consumer" models and the "pro" models, and strengthens the case for a Power Mac Mini. Apple seems to think that there are two classes of users, "consumers" who use the web and email, and "pro" users who use Final Cut and Matlab. But there are soooo many in between, who want some of the features of a Power Mac, along with some of the features of an iMac and don't want an all-in-one computer. Just look at the huge gap between the Mini and the Power Mac. I would kill for a Power Mac Mini the same price as the 17" iMac, with a similar CPU as the iMac, in a Power Mac 6100 sized enclosure, minus the display, but with 2 PCI Express slots & Firewire 800. ::drool::

$599: Entry level Mac Mini
$799: High end Mac Mini
$1299: 17" iMac or entry-level PMac Mini <-- Super Macho Man's dream machine
$1599: 20" iMac or high-end PMac Mini
$1999: Entry-level Power Mac

It just makes so much sense.

 

[roland.g]

I just remember that iMacs went down in price and included those features standard. True the Mini went up a bit with the Intel revision, but the Powerbooks/MacBook Pros and iBooks/MacBooks all kept their price points pretty much the same when Bluetooth and Airport went from BTO to standard. I would have expected the same with the towers. I'm not talking about raising the price, just including it at the current price. Apple traditionally has set price points on their pro line, speeds go up, other things change, you get more for your $$, but prices don't typically go down.

 

[jsw]

Wanting to sync a personal phone with a production machine isn't on the top of my most-wanted feature list.

Of course, there are many individuals who run their own businesses with PowerMacs who would like to be able to sync with their phones and PDAs. Also, a BT microphone is useful for such owners, although I agree that, in a production environment owned by someone else, BT and AirPort aren't required.

However, it has always irked me that it is impossible to add BT to a PowerMac that didn't already come with it except via use of a dongle.

I would hope that either BT/AirPort are included in the future or - and I'd prefer this option - that both can be added at additional expense after initial purchase.

I like that Apple keep the towers relatively stripped down... you can add the features you want rather than paying for ones you don't need.

I don't have a problem with stripping the systems down, just with the inability to add such features after they've been purchased. AirPort can be added, obviously, but not BT (except via 3rd party dongle).

Part of my issue with this is the inability to purchase anything but (for the most part) stock models at Apple Stores, meaning that you need to buy a BTO, non-returnable-once-shipped model just to add minor features.

However, I'd bet that every Mac will come with integrated BT/Airport once the PMs are dropped. I guess we'll see in a week.

 

[Blue Velvet]

However, I'd bet that every Mac will come with integrated BT/Airport once the PMs are dropped. I guess we'll see in a week.

I think you're right. Let's find someone to bet against us... I'll put up the stake, you (and Wintermute) can collect the winnings for us.

 

[QCassidy352]

However, it has always irked me that it is impossible to add BT to a PowerMac that didn't already come with it except via use of a dongle.

not quite.

I see the point about professionals not necessarily caring about BT/AE, but at a certain point technology becomes so standard that it should just be included on every machine. IMO the number of people who use them is high enough and the cost low enough that AE and BT should now be standard.

 

[milo]

Regardless of the processor, the price tag alone says that the PowerMac G5's are the class of the Apple lineup. Yet they haven't even bothered to include Airport and Bluetooth as standard on those machines. At $3,299 for a Quad 2.5 Ghz G5, you still have to pony up another $99 to add two important features that are included in every other machine they offer. Even the Core Solo Mini and low end MacBook for $599 and $1,099 have them. That would not have been a tough thing to change in the store the last couple months, especially to help drive sales of the remaining stock until the Intel towers are released. I guess they figure anyone who's going to spend that kind of money doesn't mind a little more, but while I can agree that many a tower are networked on Cat5 or Cat6, who wants all that performance without bluetooth. That's just my two cents. If you want a tower, you'll have to come up with the other $98.98 yourself.

Once intel models started shipping, Apple wasn't going to update any of the PPC models in any way. Let's see if the new tower has those features, if they don't, complain then.

 

[ChrisBrightwell]

Regardless of the processor, the price tag alone says that the PowerMac G5's are the class of the Apple lineup. Yet they haven't even bothered to include Airport and Bluetooth as standard on those machines. [...]

There are a lot of shops where radio devices are explicitly disallowed.

 

[NATO]

I really do think the omission of BT and Airport in the Power Mac lineup is an anomaly, it really should be standard on all Macs. In the same way that Apple can boast that ALL Macs come with iLife as standard, how much better would it be when they can boast that ALL Macs ship with BT and Airport.

When the only machine in the lineup without BT and Airport is the most expensive in the entire lineup, it shows that it's obviously not that expensive to put there in the first place.

 

[Demoman]

I also thought it odd that adding Bluetooth after would be more difficult than it had to be. Fortunately, I never was interested in adding it. What I really like is the dual standard Gigabyte network cards. That is what I would hope for and was very happy to get. I do not think those are provided standard anywhere else, until you get to server-class computers.

 

[Maxiseller]

I agree that the PowerMac doesn't have these features built in is a good thing.

Basically you see, if it wasn't an option it's a built in cost. You're paying for it anyway. Imagine being told that the 15 new Powermacs you just purchased for your office has $1484.70 (ish) in parts that you're never gonna use.

That is annoying.

 

[RedTomato]

What are dual ethernet cards for?

Can someone explain why two are better than one?

Do you get double the bandwidth? I didn't know the OS / routers could deal with sending half a file down each cable to the same network address.

 

[Demoman]

What are dual ethernet cards for?

Can someone explain why two are better than one?

Do you get double the bandwidth? I didn't know the OS / routers could deal with sending half a file down each cable to the same network address.

Well, there is always the case of failure. But, if I am doing rendering, compressing of video, I can put my PM's on their own network, using the second TCP/IP stack, and QMaster will see them as one clustered resource. That eliminates all of the network traffic off my main network.