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Apple revs eMac to 1.25GHz

updated 08:40 am EDT, Tue April 13, 2004

Apple updates eMac

Apple today released an updated featuring a 1.25GHz G4 processor, 256MB DDR333 SDRAM, 32MB ATI Radeon 9200 graphics card, and USB 2.0 connectivity. The $800 model features a 40GB hard drive and a 32x DVD/CD-RW combo drive, while the $1,000 model features an 80GB hard drive and an 8x SuperDrive. A new, optional built-in Bluetooth module can be purchased for $50.

by MacNN Staff

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Eug Wanker
Posting Junkie

Joined: Jun 2003

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04/13, 08:52am | report spam | close Reply |
Meh.

Where are the new iMacs, iBooks, PowerBooks, and of course, Power Macs???

phillymjs
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Joined: Jun 2000

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04/13, 08:58am | report spam | close Reply |
Anyone else get the...

...feeling that this was just a "we gotta release *something* new" move on Apple's part, to deflect attention from the otherwise-dry-until-WWDC updated product pipeline?

jbeek
Registered User

Joined: Apr 2004

0

04/13, 08:59am | report spam | close Reply |
That's a nice deal...

If you go to and spec out a crappy Dell to match the basic specs, it comes out to $1,023.

Given the choice, between a Crappy Dell for $1,023 or a decent G4 for $800 - which would you take?

Toyin
Mac Elite

Joined: Nov 2000

0

04/13, 09:03am | report spam | close Reply |
re : Meh

I'm hoping for a 15"PB update. I can still wait a couple of weeks, but it looks like I'm gonna end up with the Rev A

z10n
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 2003

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04/13, 09:06am | report spam | close Reply |
Looks like a good deal

Except for the fact you are locked into that monitor. Give me a flat mac with the same specs for $600.

RayK
Forum Regular

Joined: Jul 2002

0

04/13, 09:18am | report spam | close Reply |
Argh

and I just bought my dad one. Oh well, at least he doesn't need the latest.

stephenh
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2004

0

04/13, 09:22am | report spam | close Reply |
RE: That's a nice deal..

jbeek: I actually got a crappy Dell with a 2 GHZ Celeron and monitor for under a thousand, and it is indeed the biggest POS I have ever used. It is unbelievably slow. The specs look ok, and the price was good, but the performance is about on par with my 5 year old Blue and White G3.

splat
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2001

0

04/13, 09:28am | report spam | close Reply |
nothing wrong w/ monitor

all these complaints about the monitor...who honestly hooks up a 19" at home running 1600x1200? most people work at 1024x768 or 1280x1024 which is within the specs of the emac.

the only thing missing is the OPTION of running a flat panel (buy an iMac)

for the intended market it's a great deal and it's got MORE than enough power to work well..

I use an upgrade G4/1.2 tower w/ 17" monitor...this is a BARGAIN in comparison...

pnorman
Junior Member

Joined: Oct 1999

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04/13, 09:29am | report spam | close Reply |
8x SuperDrive!!!

I check the specs and the updated 1.25GHz eMac has a speed bumped SuperDrive!

The DVD-r writing is now done at 8x - thats up from 4x in the last version!

Its pretty certain that when the G5s are refreshed, they will also sport these new faster SuperDrives.

Peter

Oneota
Professional Poster

Joined: May 2000

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04/13, 09:30am | report spam | close Reply |
Great Timing!

We just priced out a huge 250+ eMac order for our school, and this revision allows us to get BETTER machines for LESS money. Go Apple!

koolkid1976
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Joined: May 2003

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04/13, 09:34am | report spam | close Reply |
re:Looks like a good deal

"Except for the fact you are locked into that monitor. Give me a flat mac with the same specs for $600."

What do you mean locked into that montior? Is the monitor going to outgrow it's usefulness while the hardware has lots of life left within it?
I hear people complain about having a beautiful flatscreen left behind when their iMac base gets outdated. In that case they are locked to the base. Never heard the phrase "locked into a monitor" before.

BlueDjinn01
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Joined: Aug 2001

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04/13, 09:37am | report spam | close Reply |
Complete list of Changes

Combo Drive Model (Previous -->New):
1.0 GHz --> 1.25 GHz
SDRAM PC133 --> DDR PC2700
133 MHz FSB --> 167 MHz
128 MB --> 256 MB
UltraATA 66 --> UltraATA 100
8x DVD-ROM --> 12x DVD-ROM
5 USB 1.1 ports --> 3 USB 2.0+2 USB 1.1 ports
Radeon 7500 --> Radeon 9200

SuperDrive Model (Previous --> New):
$1,099 --> $999
1.0 GHz -->1.25 GHz
SDRAM PC133 -->DDR PC2700
133 MHz FSB --> 167 MHz
UltraATA 66 --> UltraATA 100
16x8x CD-RW --> 24x10x CD-RW
4x2x8x DVD-RW --> 8x4x10x DVD-RW
5 USB 1.1 ports --> 3 USB 2.0+2 USB 1.1 ports
Radeon 7500 --> Radeon 9200

So, this means that for the moment at least, the eMac now has a better video card than the low-end iMac, and a better DVD-RW (8x instead of 4x) than even the PowerMac G5!!

Of course, this says more about the behind-the-times specs of the PMs & iMac than it does about the eMac, but this presumably means that refreshes of both are definitely on the way (at least to bump the SuperDrives up to 8x!!)

koolkid1976
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Joined: May 2003

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04/13, 09:39am | report spam | close Reply |
Celeron?

Anyone who knows anything about computers know you don't buy Celerons.

David Esrati
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Joined: Jun 1999

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04/13, 09:50am | report spam | close Reply |
ditch the monitor

If they would offer this in a Pizza box- they would save on shipping, storage, and desk space. Allowing PC people who already have a monitor- and a keyboard and mouse for that matter- to switch to a real computer for around $600- this is why the switcher campaign failed.

xdude
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Apr 2001

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04/13, 10:42am | report spam | close Reply |
shave it

Shave the monitor off and pack it into a little box. Parents would buy millions.

testudo
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Joined: Aug 2001

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04/13, 10:45am | report spam | close Reply |
Re: anyone else

...feeling that this was just a "we gotta release *something* new" move on Apple's part, to deflect attention from the otherwise-dry-until-WWDC updated product pipeline?

Actually, I got the feeling Apple actually has learned like 22 lessons and have actually announced a computer geared towards the education market that's available now, the prime educational speccing and buying season. This as opposed to announcing updated iMacs, in June, not having them available until September, and then wondering why their school marketshare is down.

Wow, who'd a thunk it.

Monstermind
Junior Member

Joined: May 2000

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04/13, 10:57am | report spam | close Reply |
Fruity Colors, please.

Bring back the tangerine and I'll be impressed.

koolkid1976
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Joined: May 2003

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04/13, 11:28am | report spam | close Reply |
re: ditch the monitor

"Allowing PC people who already have a monitor- and a keyboard and mouse for that matter- to switch to a real computer for around $600- this is why the switcher campaign failed."

1. eMac was geared toward education, not toward the switcher campaign.
2. The goal was ease of use, with lots of focus based on setup ease of use. They succeded greately on that level with the all in on iMac.
3. When was the last time you saw a PS/2 Keyboard and Mouse from a PC plugged into a Mac? A majority of PC's don't even ship with USB mice even today. And you couldn't attach a PC VGA monitor to Mac back in the days of the first iMac.
4. No "real computer" exisit for $600. Not in the PC world, and certainly not in the Mac world.

trevc
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Joined: Mar 2000

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04/13, 12:18pm | report spam | close Reply |
re: ditch the monitor

So ... what would be the bottom line price if Apple say removed the monitor from the eMac and offered the 'pizza-box' or 'cube' computer?

If they could offer it for $599, Apple would increase some market share ... but considering what a CRT screen is worth now adays ... doesn't look like it!

z10n
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 2003

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04/13, 12:32pm | report spam | close Reply |
re: ditch the monitor

1. Give me one reason why the eMac is only for education, other then the "e" in the name? The eMac WAS for education. Then people banged on apple's doors to sell it to everyone, so now it's for people who want a budget mac. And BTW, ALL MACS are designed for switchers. Since the eMac is the cheapest mac, it's even MORE so designed for switchers.
2. How do you know what the goal was? Are you honestly telling us it's hard for someone to figure out how to plug in a monitor? Said person doesn't seem to have a problem plugging in a keyboard and mouse, why should a monitor be any different? Sigh. Why do people have to constantly justify apple's bad decisions? Obviously people want something different then the eMac, otherwise eMacs would be flying off the shelves. Why is it so hard for apple to give people want they want, instead of what apple tells them they should want?
3. So what? Who automatically switches to their new computer's mouse when their $50 USB mouse they bought 7 years ago kicks the c*** out of it? If you're a switcher, why should you have to pay apple whatever it costs for them to bundle a one button mouse, when you don't need it? Same thing with the monitor- why should I pay apple to include a monitor I don't need? Don't get me wrong- there's a market for people who are absolutely that bad with computers that they need everything bundled. But there's also a market of people are pissed off they keep having to buy the same things over and over again.
4. lol. Are you really that naive? My step mom has a "real computer" I put together for $300. It has everything she needs, including a CD burner, speakers, a microphone, and a fairly fast processor. She wanted a PC, so that's what I got her. And she loves it. YOU may think that a "real computer" is one that must be running a mac OS, but I assure you, she has a real computer. If the computer does what you want it to do, who cares that it doesn't have apple's slick design? I value apple's design, but a lot of people don't. What they value is a cheap computer that does what they want.

z10n
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 2003

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04/13, 12:45pm | report spam | close Reply |
re: ditch

"If they could offer it for $599, Apple would increase some market share ... but considering what a CRT screen is worth now adays ... doesn't look like it!"

I think a lot of people would be willing to pay slightly more for a mac where they can choose what options they put in it. It appeals to PC people who like to build their own computers. Keep the existing eMac for the people who want an all-in-one, but sell the pizza box for those who like to customize.

Now apple might be upset at first, because it kills their whole "everything built here" motif, which apparently keeps support costs down because everything is designed to work together. But the reality is, apple has been slowly falling out of that philosophy for a while now. USB is standard with PCs. PCI and AGP ports are the same. Memory is pretty much the same. Etc. Thus, my opinion for the lack of the pizza box by now is that it's a lot less to do with support costs and a lot more to do with apple either unable or unwilling (due to their strong emphasis on design) to reduce their hardware costs. The idea then is to lock users in so they have no choice but to buy their components from apple, unless they're willing to pay gobs of money for a G5.

testudo
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2001

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04/13, 01:00pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: ditch the monitor

So ... what would be the bottom line price if Apple say removed the monitor from the eMac and offered the 'pizza-box' or 'cube' computer?

Well, when I bought my father a Dell peice o' c*** for $600, it came with a $50 17" monitor. Even if you double that to take out the extra casing and stuff, I don't think you get down to where you want it to be.

jasonbw
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: May 2000

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04/13, 01:47pm | report spam | close Reply |
keyboard and mouse?

does any computer company not pack in a cheap mouse and keyboard? Would that save you any more than $30 at max?

leperkuhn
Senior User

Joined: Feb 2000

0

04/13, 01:54pm | report spam | close Reply |
switchers

so these switchers who are putting aside their old cpu that already have a monitor are going to buy this.. why?

ApeInTheShell
Senior User

Joined: Nov 2002

0

04/13, 02:03pm | report spam | close Reply |
clunk clunk

I don't trust the pizza men of other computer companies. They always get my order wrong and they put too much monitor on top.

Remember the Power Mac 6100 Pizza box fans that left black burns on the wall? How heavy was that monitor on the actual CPU? Even with an LCD it is going to be on top of your desk. Honesly, do you want to look at a seperate monitor and seperate CPU on your desk knowing you can't detach the monitor and have a tablet pc? Of course not! Think logical! if a pizza box Mac does come out I want it to be the rumored iBox entertainment center.

The switcher campaign didn't fail. If we went back in time to the Quarda, Centris, and Performa day then the switch campaign would have failed because the eMac would have been priced at $1500- 2600.
Wait, there were no switchers back then, i must have forgot.

appleuser
Registered User

Joined: Oct 2010

0

04/13, 02:44pm | report spam | close Reply |
Education only models

There are also two model available exclusive to the educational market:

Without Optical:
1GHz PowerPC G4
256MB DDR333 SDRAM
40GB Ultra ATA drive
$599

CD-ROM Drive:
1GHz PowerPC G4
256MB DDR333 SDRAM
40GB Ultra ATA drive
CD-ROM drive
$649

These are NOT just remaining stock of the old models either. All other specs match those of the generally available models announced today!

I think that these models will be extremely popular in the education market since centrally managed computers do not need a CD burner or for that matter a CD-ROM drive at all if a netboot server is setup.

klinux
Senior User

Joined: Jul 2002

0

04/13, 05:18pm | report spam | close Reply |
Now now

First, you can't buy a Dell at 1.25Ghz(!). I have always maintained from day 1 that G4 sucks (G3 & G5 are great) and still believe that to be 100% true.

With that said, I do believe eMac is of great value because it will introduce people to OS X at a price they can afford.

Lastly, to the earth-is-flat zealots, what part about your Dell is slow? Does it ecnodeAAC slower than your blue-and-white G3? Does it render slower? Does it have lower fps when gaming? What is it or are you just letting your zealotry show through?

I keep a PC box around for generic reasons. While you could price it out on Dell's site and get MSRP, most people buy them during specials or just go to http://www.techbargains.com/ where you can get a 512MB P4-2.8Ghz with 533Mhz Bus for $450.

Echo101
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2002

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04/13, 05:33pm | report spam | close Reply |
New eMac

The new model looks great, I have friend who is going to be pissed since he just got his eMac 2 weeks ago. The new faster RAM sounds great but 256 megs doesn't cut it anymore, at least Apple has finally gotten a little smarter there by making the 512 meg upgrade a single DIMM as the standard instead of two 256 megs DIMMs standard or 1 512 for extra. I just wish they could trim the price a little more. Knock $100 to $200 off the starting price and toss in the stand.

Like many others I do wish Apple made a low-end headless machine. I already have a 17 inch CRT which runs 1280x1024. In addition to that I also have a $10 mouse that I like a lot more than Apple's cheesy and overpriced (but good looking) one buttoned wonder. Someday Apple will figure out that two buttons isn't twice as complex as one but it is twice as functional (and then we will just have to wait another 20 years for them to figure out scroll wheels). I also have a keyboard that I like better than the new ones so right there based on Apple's standalone pricing I could save $98. Lose the monitor and there is at least another $100. If they would calm down the case design some and release a low-end PowerMac G4 that is basically just an eMac without the monitor for around $600 it would fill a hole in their product line-up and give them something that can compete with Dell's prices.

More a la carte options across the board would be very nice in fact. There was a time you could custom order Mac's without hard drives, optical drives, RAM, and other normally critical pieces. It would be nice to see those days return.

Leonis
Senior User

Joined: Jan 2001

0

04/13, 08:45pm | report spam | close Reply |
The iMac....

The iMac - The worst value Mac in present - is getting even worse

kw99
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2001

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04/13, 08:49pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: Complete list

> Complete list of Changes - BlueDjinn01

Thanks for an informative post. I didn't realize the internal changes were so extensive. This is a whole new eMac. On my currently limited budget, the SuperDrive model is VERY attractive ($100 LESS than previous model!).

mbryda
Senior User

Joined: Mar 2002

0

04/13, 08:50pm | report spam | close Reply |
Dell Slowness

Have you ever used a low end Dell? Or anyone's low end machine for that matter?

I beleive the De-Celeron model he's talking about is the stripper 128MB, shared video, junker that they love to sell for cheap. So, you get 128MB, which is barely enough to run XP (Same for OSX), subtract from that 16-32MB for the Video RAM, and you're at 112-96MB for XP. Yeah, you're going to run much speedily in that. And the blistering Intel Extreme graphics should be renamed Extreme Joke.

Then we have the fact that the De-Celeron is a POS. The 2.x Ghz De-Celerons were getting mopped up by the 1.3Ghz Durons when AMD Made them. Compared to a Peee4 or an Athlon, it's slaughter city.

Then we have the wonderful fact that Dells, on a whole, are slower than comparable PC boxes. This is mainly due to their corner cutting and using substandard parts. Somethig has to give to meet these pricepoints.

I'd also challenge your notion that most order them at the rediculous prices @ Techbargains. I'd venture to bet MOST are NOT ordered from those sites. People see the Idiotic Interns on TV and call to order or they just go to the site from seeing an ad/flyer/etc....

Before you accuse me of being a Zealot, realize I fix PC's by day and have for 10+ years. Dell are not speedy machines by a long shot. They arn't even good machines - there are much better things out there. Think of Dell= Yugo of the PC world.

kw99
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2001

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04/13, 08:53pm | report spam | close Reply |
re: ditch the monitor

> If they could offer it for $599, Apple would increase some market share ... but considering what a CRT screen is worth now adays ... doesn't look like it!

Exactly! That tube in the eMac probably costs Apple $50 at most.

kw99
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2001

0

04/13, 09:11pm | report spam | close Reply |
iMac update

No doubt the iMac will get its feature bump within the next few weeks, up to the max speed of the Motorola G4s. Doesn't IBM have the next revision of the 7xx ("G3") chip yet, the one that is essentially a "G4" for all practical purposes? That'll give some more life to the eMac before all the Macs go 64-bit.

splat
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2001

0

04/13, 09:56pm | report spam | close Reply |
education pricing

wow!!!

I'm calling the university first thing in the morning...

k2director
Senior User

Joined: Sep 2002

0

04/13, 10:27pm | report spam | close Reply |
Is the fan still loud??

I would recommend these new machines to tons of people, but feel a bit hesitant given all the fan noise. Wonder if that 1.25 Ghz G4 makes the fans even louder....

LouZer
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2000

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04/13, 10:30pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: new eMac

In addition to that I also have a $10 mouse that I like a lot more than Apple's cheesy and overpriced (but good looking) one buttoned wonder. Someday Apple will figure out that two buttons isn't twice as complex as one but it is twice as functional (and then we will just have to wait another 20 years for them to figure out scroll wheels). I also have a keyboard that I like better than the new ones so right there based on Apple's standalone pricing I could save $98.

Oh great, now you want apple to ship a mac without a keyboard and mouse? First of all, they used to do this and were laughed at then (what, I just spent $3000 on my PowerMac 7100, and I need to fork over ANOTHER $150 for a keyboard???). Second, NO ONE ships a computer without a keyboard or mouse, even crappy cheap ones like eMachines give you. But if Apple ships a cheap mouse or keyboard, everyone whines about how they could ship a computer with such shoddy accessories (wait, they do, remember the whining over the hockey puck, or the current whinings over the lack of a full size keyboard). So, basically, they're damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Oh, and if you're unfortunate enough to buy a Dell system, don't pay extra for their 'enhanced' keyboard. Literally, the idiots at dell screwed up the key layouts, putting the arrow keys lower than the space bar, rather than in line, and moved the insert/delete keys to below the home/end/page up/down keys, rather than to the right. Idiots of the world unite!

erickwong
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Joined: Jan 2004

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04/13, 11:36pm | report spam | close Reply |
CD-less model

Interesting, that would be Apple's first machine in many, many years (except for the Xserve Cluster Node) that didn't come with a CD drive standard on all models. I think the last model to do that was the subcompact PowerBook 2400 in 1997, and the last desktop was the Performa 630 in 1994. It's very good to see Apple looking for ways to increase the appeal of eMacs for high volume orders. I wonder if they did this at the request of a specific customer...

Kenneth
Addicted to MacNN

Joined: Mar 1999

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04/14, 02:29am | report spam | close Reply |
Great!

I like the spec. overall.
However, I don't think now is the shopping season for the edu market.

klinux
Senior User

Joined: Jul 2002

0

04/14, 02:34am | report spam | close Reply |
Hmm

Whoa, easy there, mbryda.

First, rather than making up (anything but) clever names for Celeron, let's try using facts. I have owned Durons. There were much better than the 130nm Celerons of its days. Are they better than today's 2.0 GHz 90nm Celerons as you claim? Absolutely not. Check out Tom's Hardware where they benchmarked 65 CPU on a variety of metrics from Pentium 0.1 Ghz to P4 3 Ghz. http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20030217/cpu_charts-31.html

Dell, compared to their counterparts, are better constructed and run much quieter. Many enthusiasts I know, when they don't roll their own, buy Dells. Also, Dell runs the leanest line in any PC business which is the envy of any OEMs out there. Sure, unlike Apple which only sells quality machines, Dell sells Yugos like you described and they also sell loaded XPS machines. You cannot mention one without the other.

Lastly, sure you fix PCs by day. Since Dell is the #1 PC maker and you only get machines when they are broken, it is not surprised to hear that you may see more Dells than anything else. However, my company, an international company with $31B market cap, is all Dell. The machines are not all perfect but they work well. Heck, everyone has a 19" Dell LCD at their desk!

Would I prefer to use a Mac at work? Absolutely? But is Dell a good vendor that offers high value products? I would say so.

Simon
Posting Junkie

Joined: Nov 2000

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04/14, 03:35am | report spam | close Reply |
Make everybody happy

OK, it seems Apple could make everybody happy with the current eMacs plus a headless version. Take the iPod mini buzz and tada, introducing the

eMac mini

- the same internals like the current eMac
- w/o the monitor, but with VGA out -> $699 (Combo)
- make sure there's a BTO option with no built-in HDD or optical drive so PC weenies can take their drives over -> $549

Anybody here believe this thing wouldn't sell? I think that would be the bomb!

(and don't give me the non-removable GPU bull, Intel on-board graphics in all those cheap PCs isn't replaceable either)

Simon
Posting Junkie

Joined: Nov 2000

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04/14, 03:37am | report spam | close Reply |
btw

almost forgot, this is also your "corporate" Mac btw. What else would any Office/Web/Mail user ever need?

MacBolo

Joined:

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04/14, 06:10am | report spam | close Reply | delete
PCI Expansion slot!

At least 2 PCI expansion slot! The reality is, technology upgrades so fast nowadays, computers quickly becomes obsolete- 3 years average. Give asian users a real reason to invest on a Mac. G5, G4 and Flat panel iMacs are too expensive here in the east. Even though its reasonably priced, its not applicable here to buy an eMac because here we think long term investments.

splat
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2001

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04/14, 08:43am | report spam | close Reply |
reason for a headless mac

I keep reading and reading about a headless mac....everyone who posts here are DREAMING for a headless mac, casue they are all computer enthusiast looking for a relatively MODERN mac for cheap..if apple releases a headless mac, people will complain about the miss opportunity to not deliver a G5 in it...or say it's STILL too expensive...or the keyboard/mouse are cheaper or that the RAM is too little..video too slow, etc....

and for teh last time...there is NOTHING wrong with the 17" monitor in the eMac....it MORE than meets MOST people's needs...it may be an all in one solution, but it's a complete solution....

for the argument that there should be an option for people with a monitor...I have found most people like to wholesale change to new products...so reusing an old monitor isn't an option.

IMO, the best solution for this enthusiast crowd on a budget is a used G4 tower...or a used CUBE..

normr
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Joined: Mar 2002

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04/14, 10:47am | report spam | close Reply |
We need a cube comeback

This is where and how the cube needs to come back, with the exact specs, but lets people use their own monitor and even let people choose whether they want to lose the keyboard and mouse.

mbryda
Senior User

Joined: Mar 2002

0

04/14, 11:02am | report spam | close Reply |
To klinux

Firstly, the De-Celeron has never been a good performing processor. It's barely adequate, and that's the best that can be said about it. I was wrong about the Duron reference, although in certain areas, the Duron is a hair faster (see anandtech.com). But, the De-Celeron gets trampled on by an equivalent speed AthlonXP and even the Peee4. The only way the De-Celeron appears to pull ahead is if you O/C, which is not possible on a h*** (or very hard).

Dell = quality construction is the funniest thing I've heard. Their cases are cheap and that's an understatement. The best constructed corporate box has to be IBM - they can even park a car on the boxes and they won't deform. Try that with a crapbox Dell. IBM makes the best corporate boxen out there. Just ask PC Magazine - at http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,1738,4,00.asp you'll notice that the ThinkCenter is the editor's choice. Dell just can't compete.

Anyone thinking about an XPS machine needs their head examined. Talk about pricey stuff. For the prices they charge, you'd be better off with a loaded G5 or any box from another manufacturer. Dell is in the position of being the low cost leader (like Yugo) and their machines just arnt well regarded as top performers. For the $4k for an XPS box, you can get much better performing machines and with better quality elsewhere.

As for your company - I feel sorry for them. We are in the process of switching vendors from IBM to Dell (I'm not in desktop support), and it is the biggest mistake our company has made. Lead times appear to be long (3 weeks) and it's going to be expensive to replace laptops, as most are IBM w/docking staitons. Now you need to buy a h*** + Dock when if you went to IBM it would just be a machine. But, whatever - it's not my problem dealing with the machines when they fail quickly. I just hope management sees what a POS they are compared to the IBM. They will pry my Thinkpad from my cold, dead hands. But I know all about glacial change in corporations. Most realize the security pit called IE and still will not use Netscape/Mozilla, which is far more secure. Still stuck on the idea of M$ products as superior. Things change quite slowly @ large corporations.

Dell's lean line is actually a shortfall. Customize a machine and you're in for a 2-3 week wait before it ships. WTF. You can walk into a locla computer store and get a machine made TO YOUR EXACT SPECS in under a week. Not some pseudo-customization like Dell.

Don't try to stick up for Dell. They may be #1, but GM is also #1 and their products fall way short of, say Toyota.

mikerich
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 2003

0

04/14, 12:24pm | report spam | close Reply |
Price cut in the UK

The Register has some good news for potential eMac buyers in the UK. Apple UK have introduced the new models AND cut the price - so now they're merely overpriced as opposed to grotesquely overpriced. They are now �549 (was �649) and �699 (was �849) inc. VAT.

The UK Apple Store is still showing the models and old prices at the moment.

Now perhaps this is some reaction to the strength of the Pound against the Dollar - in which case can we see some other price cuts? Please?

klinux
Senior User

Joined: Jul 2002

0

04/14, 01:55pm | report spam | close Reply |
Hmmm

First, stop with your bad rhymes. Dell=h***? De-Celeron? Man that is sad.

So now you admit you are wrong about 2.0 GHz being slower than Duron. Now you want to claim that in certain areas (being vague now, aren't we?) that Durons are faster, well, you should name those areas and provide a hard reference. But no, you do not name them and just points to an overall web site? That is not effective argument. I do not know why your love affair with Duron and what a Celeron has done to you in the past but you certainly sound traumatized.

And your lies continue. Sure, you can spend $4k on an XPS but you omit that XPS starts at $1.7k and I can get an well equipped one (3.2GHz, 1GB RAM, 250GB SATA, ATI 9800, 8x DVD burner, etc) for $2.1k. So... stop lying.

Lastly, sure, your company may have problems switching to Dell. I have no comment on that. All I am saying is my company has little problem with Dell. And don't feel sorry for my company - we just had record earnings. Macnn readers can decide whether to believe your account or mine.

Dell's manufacturing processes is the envy of every computer makers in the world. GM's is not. Neither is your local shop. And if you think that is their shortfall [sic], think again.

Echo101
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2002

0

04/17, 11:33am | report spam | close Reply |
Re: Re: new eMac

Oh great, now you want apple to ship a mac without a keyboard and mouse? First of all, they used to do this and were laughed at then (what, I just spent $3000 on my PowerMac 7100, and I need to fork over ANOTHER $150 for a keyboard???). Second, NO ONE ships a computer without a keyboard or mouse, even crappy cheap ones like eMachines give you. But if Apple ships a cheap mouse or keyboard, everyone whines about how they could ship a computer with such shoddy accessories (wait, they do, remember the whining over the hockey puck, or the current whinings over the lack of a full size keyboard). So, basically, they're damned if they do and damned if they don't.

I am not saving they should ship without a keyboard as the standard, I am saying it should be a built-to-order option that defaults so that a keyboard and mouse are included but you can opt out if you wish. I know quite a few Mac users and with the exception of the people still using the grand old AppleDesign Keyboards and the one Mac Snob I know who has more money than brains and has the wireless keyboard and mouse (there are better and cheaper 3rd party solutions IMHO) everyone has replaced the stock keyboards and mice. If you are just going to replace it anyway it would be nice to have the option to save your money and opt out instead of having to try to recoup part of your money on eBay or let them collect dust in a closet.

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Apple revs eMac to 1.25GHz

updated 08:40 am EDT, Tue April 13, 2004

Apple updates eMac

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Meh.

Anyone else get the...

That's a nice deal...

re : Meh

Looks like a good deal

Argh

RE: That's a nice deal..

nothing wrong w/ monitor

8x SuperDrive!!!

Great Timing!

re:Looks like a good deal

Complete list of Changes

Celeron?

ditch the monitor

shave it

Re: anyone else

Fruity Colors, please.

re: ditch the monitor

re: ditch the monitor

re: ditch the monitor

re: ditch

Re: ditch the monitor

keyboard and mouse?

switchers

clunk clunk

Education only models

Now now

New eMac

The iMac....

Re: Complete list

Dell Slowness

re: ditch the monitor

iMac update

education pricing

Is the fan still loud??

Re: new eMac

CD-less model

Great!

Hmm

Make everybody happy

btw

PCI Expansion slot!

reason for a headless mac

We need a cube comeback

To klinux

Price cut in the UK

Hmmm

Re: Re: new eMac

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