“Apple may be preparing to release a cheaper model of the iMac in 2014, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo states in a new research note,” Richard Padilla reports for MacRumors. “The analyst believes that sales of recent iMac models have failed to meet expectations and that Apple may look to introduce a lower-cost option in order to bolster sales in critical foreign markets.”
“Currently, the entry-level iMac 21.5 inch iMac starts at $1,299, while the 27-inch iMac starts $1,799,” Padilla reports. “Both models are $100 more expensive than the previous generation iMacs, which debuted in 2011.”
Read more in the full article here.
LOL… they got it wrong with the “cheaper model iPhone” so they thought that’ll have a crack at the cheaper iMac. If they guess enough they’re bound to get something right to account for their pay check
Yup, even a blind pig finds a cob of corn now and then…keep guessing, the law of averages can make even an idiot sound profound now and then.
Presumably they’ll put them on display in the Apple Store right next to all those low cost iPhones that the analysts told us about, close to where the Apple netbooks were going to go.
Actually no, they will go in at Circuit City, Sears, CompUSA, BestBuy and Wallmarts because it was a terrible idea for Apple to open stores. After all, Gateway stores failed, this was the worst thing Apple could do. Retail is a loser, per all the analysts, Apple will never succeed.
Can I be a highly paid analyst? I can make up crap too. Here’s an example, Apple should license iOS 7 to offer more options and dominate the mobile operating systems market like MS did. If Apple doesn’t follow my golden word, I’m going to talk about how doomed Apple is because they didn’t get 98% market share. See I’m qualified.
There is already a cheap Mac. Or don’t they know anything about Apple’s line-up?
I could see a plastic cased iMac doing well.
They don’t need to introduce a “cheaper” iMac. How about just returning to the original price point?
What a bunch of hogwash!
Apple desktop lineup kinda sucks, really.
The new style iMac increased price and decreased functionality (who gives a shit if something nearly two feet wide is an inch deep all around, or just at the base when you sacrifice memory expandability, optical drive and have to do a reach around to plug in an sd card?)
The Mac mini lacks a discrete graphics card for no reason other than to push people to the imac.
Nobody knows how much the trash can pro is going to cost or when it would ever be available.
Finally broke down and replaced my defective thermal paste coated graphics card white imac with a floor model late 2012 one, but wife said the hell with that and bought a refurb 2011 one from apple.com. Back in 2012 her father had run to the dealer to buy a 2011 model while they were still on stock after the late 2012 was announced.
That’s apple desktops– vapor pro, purposely limited mini, and an imac where the two year old version is preferable.
Sad but true. … and Mac sales have reflected it. We can only hope Apple reinvigorates its trucks with additional user configuration options in the future, because the locked-down design and overpriced RAM has disappointed many people.
Also, let’s not forget that there are millions of would-be switchers who have excellent monitors, trackballs, and so forth. They’d jump to a Mac rather than enduring Windows 8 Hell. Problem is, they need more horsepower than a Mac mini offers, they don’t particularly want to part with all their peripherals to acquire an iMac, and the Mac Pro is too expensive. There is a glaring hole in the Mac lineup: the mini tower designed for people who are defecting from Windows machines.
You’d think Apple would be smart enough to prioritize functionality and user-friendliness over the dimension of an edge bevel on a desktop machine. Trucks ARE still needed by a lot of people, and they need to offer the all the utility of a truck. Apple could easily make a great mid-range machine at a fair price without slumming it with the disposable plastic junk other manufacturers push.
These news iMacs are great products. They’re way more computer than most people need. I could see room for something a little lower-end. Although I think that’s what the iPad is for. I’m seeing families with two or three iPads and iPod touches, when in the past they’d have had an iMac (or more likely a crappy PC).
Still trying to cut Apples to make Acers…. Why why why?
Not so. Identifying glaring holes in the Apple lineup is easy to do — especially when Apple’s Mac sales have slowed so dramatically lately.
I’m all for a cheaper more enterprise friendly iMac….we love the simplicity of them but definitely don’t need huge hard drives and graphics processing power! Our business is nearly all carried out in the cloud and therefore limited physical spec is required but mac mail could be improved!
When people tell Apple what to do, they are really saying “I want…”, and what most people want is a lower price. For many people, the only factor in a purchase is the price, but these people are not Apple’s target market.
Apple are a smart, capable, bunch of people. If the iMac is becoming too expensive for their target market, they will do something about it. But this is probably not the case. The iPad is cannibalising sales. Those that still want the best desktop or notebook are still buying.
Apple deliberately restrict their line-up to a few products, rather than release a multitude of configurations to satisfy every individual want. For this reason we are unlikely to see mini-towers, full-size towers, higher spec mac minis, or any other niche products, in the near future.
However, Apple is broadening their range, but slowly. The macbook Air and iPhone 5c are two examples of this. Perhaps we will see an entry-level desktop, but those who are looking for the Mac experience at a knock-down price, and the opportunity to buy an empty box and configure it with cheap ram and storage will be disappointed.