What if .... [the iMac doesn't exist]

[scbond]

The reason for the hypothetical question is that Apple have a poor desktop line up. At the consumer end you have the mini or an all in one. Neither has decent graphics. At the 'Professional' end you have a product that is too expensive for consumers - it's aimed at the professional market. I want an Apple desktop, but there isn't currently a product I would buy.

You consider the line-up poor because you want graphics power. Not everybody cares about graphics power, and so for those people there is a mid-range desktop...the iMac.

A point I'm trying to make here is different people have different needs and requirements. I personally would call the iMac high-end because all I see is the price on a computer I'm not interested in. If I personally need price-effective performance then I have my PC. If I want to use a laptop I adore using then I have my MBP. If I want a simple, quiet, low power computer which I also adore then I have my Mac mini (always loved the idea of the mini ever since it was announced). You get the idea.

 

[Micky Do]

Big range of choices for a Mini

The basic Core i5 Mini costs $US 599. Tricked out with all the go fast and more memory dinkies it can go up to over $1,500 for the Core i7, and more than $2,000 for the server model, before adding a monitor ($150 to $1,000 depending on what you want). The performance of the upgraded machines, in general use, will be better than the base model iMacs.

If it is gaming you are after, get a playstation or something.

The base model Mac Pro is listed at $2,999.

 

[blanka]

Big problem is all desktops and laptops kind of equaled out at a quad i7 ceiling with around 14000-15000 Geekbench points. Just because there is no killer app that demands more (maybe Bitcoin mining ). So that is the bigger problem of the desktop market. There is no market to grow. So Apple's approach is logical (running a 90°C washing program on the line-up), yet it won't find many more customers.
Not only the desktop market struggles with it, it is also the major force behind the transition to subscription based software from Adobe, Autodesk etc. Throw a graphic designer behind a 2006 system with Adobe CS1 or 2, and he will manage just fine.