By SteveJack
Today, ThinkSecret reported that Apple is expected to announce an entry-level G4-based iMac sans display at Macworld Expo on January 11 that will retail for $499. AppleInsider also reports this same “Headless iMac” that will go for “under $600.” This new Macintosh, code-named Q88, is reported to be part of the iMac family and is expected to feature a PowerPC G4 processor running in the neighborhood of 1.25GHz. The new Mac is said to be “incredibly small and will be housed in a flat enclosure with a height similar to the 1.73 inches of Apple’s Xserve,” according to ThinkSecret. “Its size benefits will include the ability to stand the Mac on its side or put it below a display or monitor,” ThinkSecret reports.
Reportedly, this new Mac is expected to have a Combo drive, but will possibly provide the option of a SuperDrive at a higher price and feature a 40GB hard drive and maybe the option for an 80GB drive. Other expected features of the iMac include: 256MB base RAM, USB 2.0, FireWire 400, 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, and AirPort Extreme support.
Okay, I can hear you now, “Only 256MB of RAM?! Is Apple crazy?!” But, it’s really not a problem, as most resellers will throw in extra RAM for the usual “installation fee” of $30 or so as an incentive. It’s one of the few incentives resellers have as Apple holds them very tight to their suggested retail prices. And even with just 256MB, this machine would be fine for browsing the Web, emailing, word processing, using iTunes, etc.
Let me jump tracks for a moment now. Yesterday, a family friend asked me to help her 14-year-old daughter with her iPod mini. They had installed iTunes and had a gift card for $15 that they wanted to use. Unfortunately, they also had a POS Gateway running Windows XP. When I got to their house, I launched iTunes and the thing crawled – it was virtually unusable. A quick CTRL-ALT-DELETE and a look at the processes running confirmed my suspensions: the machine was infested with adware and spyware. I asked them what browser they used. They asked what did I mean? I asked them what they clicked to get to the Internet and they said, “the blue ‘e’ on the desktop.” I asked them if they had heard about Firefox. No, they hadn’t. I told them they had to stop using Internet Explorer and as I killed off running spyware and adware .exe’s, I asked them if the computer had ever been “cleaned out.” To my surprise, they said, yes it had. It had gotten so clogged it wouldn’t do anything and they had taken it to Best Buy three weeks ago and had it cleaned up. I told them that by using Windows XP with Internet Explorer, it would keep happening again and again. I showed them how to update Windows and downloaded Firefox for them. I finally got enough rogue programs stopped that I could get iTunes to respond and they bought their first song with their gift certificate. An unacceptable experience is what I told them this machine was giving them and they agreed. But, they had no idea what to do except take it back to Best Buy for “cleaning.”
You may think I’m exaggerating. But, I am not. It really is this bad. That’s just one example above – I’ve run into this many, many times and it’s increasing in frequency with each passing day. People are literally not using their computers because the machines won’t run their programs because they’re too busy running adware and spyware apps in the background! And these poor people have no idea what to do except to take it back to Best Buy for another “cleaning.” It really is terrible and it’s getting worse.
A bare bones 1.25GHz G4 Mac OS X box with 256MB of RAM connected to their current Gateway monitor would mean a world of difference to them. A universe of difference. Yesterday, the best I could offer them was $800 for a 50 pound eMac or $1299 for an iMac G5. If these reports of a $499 “Headless iMac” are true, they would buy it immediately, if I showed them where to buy it.
If this “Headless iMac” materializes and if Apple gets the word out correctly (a big “if” given Apple’s track record of promoting Mac OS X) there is probably well over a year before Microsoft revs up its Longhorn BS publicity machine. Imagine a promotion of this new “Headless iMac” plus an Apple ‘iPod flash’ for US$599. Or even US$699! A lot more people who just want to surf the ‘Net, email, chat, type a resume, buy some songs for their iPods, organize their photos and order prints are going to have a real, honest-to-God option from Apple. And people like me are finally going to have a serious option to offer them that will actually and realistically result in sales of Mac OS X machines. Once they get a taste of how things are with Mac OS X, let me tell you, they are not going back. Never, ever. Nope, not after what they’ve gone through with Windows.
Please, Apple, let this rumor be true! It could change many people’s computing lives for the better.
SteveJack is a long-time Macintosh user, web designer, multimedia producer and a regular contributor to the MacDailyNews Opinion section.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
RUMOR: Apple to debut $499 ‘headless iMac’ at Macworld Expo on January 11 – December 29, 2004
Inexpensive ‘Headless iMac’ could hook Windows users who love their iPods on Mac OS X – December 29, 2004
My mother bought her first PC about 2 years ago. I wanted her to get a mac but she was new to the tech and used Windows at work – so reluctantly I helped her buy a Dell.
Now she is up to speed all she ever says is “I have trouble” – none of it is user error, it’s adware, virus and trojan nonsense.
I used to be IT sys admin but since getting a mac I have forgotten everything I’d picked up from Dos and Windows 3.0 to XP and can rarely help her citing “dunno, my mac is free from such nastiness”.
She is desperate to switch but “cannot afford it”. If this rumour is true, there would be no stopping her.
FWIW – I’d get one for my son instead of the planned eMac I am waiting until the SF Expo to get.
That said, it would be far less of a bargain here in the UK but I’d still dive in.
I’m right there with you brother. I personally know no less than 4 lifelong Windows users that would switch immediately if this $499 Mac turns out to be for real. They won’t take the plunge if the cost is $1,299 for an iMac, but they would go for this in a heartbeat. All they need a computer for is for web surfing, e-mail, an occasional word processing document, photos and music. And this system would handle it all just fine. At $499, it would practically become an impulse buy.
I totally agree. If this rumor is true it will provide the “foot in the door” that has been lacking to get Windows users to switch. On the whole one of the reasons windows has done so well is that the machines have a lower sticker price (or the impression of one). Nevermind Total cost of Ownership, it is the sticker price that has the most visibility and what sticks in peoples heads.
So one can assume that a lot of people on windows are more sensitive to pricing and this has been a big factor keeping them off the Mac platform. I am willing to bet that a lot of people have also been sticking with windows because they can’t bring themselves to “waste” their old monitor. This machine, if it proves out, is the answer to this situation. Many, many people in the Mac community have been calling for a Mac of this description and I very very much hope that it is finally here to help more people have the superior computing experience that they have been hearing about but have been too timid to take the plunge on.
Now if Apple would just offer a two button mouse with a scroll wheel…..
You want a two-button, near-OEM mouse? Check this out:
http://macmice.com/themouse.html
It’s a wonder more people don’t already know about it.
My magic word: Air 😀
OK OK- so the PC guy gets to use his own monitor and keyboard and mouse and only buys the box w/the hard drive, iLife, firewire, Ethernet- and modem etc?
Am I reading thing right? Is that what “headless” means?
So I just configure the output to match any old discarded monitor thats been discarded, and viola!???
Tov, The term ‘headless’ refers to a computer without a built-in display, like the Power Mac. Apple will include their standard Keyboard and Mouse (imagine being a switcher with nothing but a PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse-you’d have to buy a brand new Keyboard and Mouse before you could even use the system…NOT WISE). I think there will be an option for the Wireless setup as well.
ThinkSecret gets nailed by Apple’s legal beagles for announcing and posting photos of the soon to come flash iPod.
ThinkSecret is pissed at Apple and Steve.
ThinkSecret thinks about revenge.
ThinkSecret announces a headless iMac/eMac that Apple would never make and everybody runs with it and praises Apple and Steve. Apple either has to make one quick or announce they aren’t making one and why they aren’t making one.
Revenge is sweet.
Please make it so, I’ve so far got a quarter of my collegues buying macs, and if this report is correct, I won’t ever need to help any of them with their pc problems again!
How about this:
A pizza style box that slides ontop of your stereo receiver (or sit on top of a TV). This box will have HDTV outputs to your TV set. This box will use the TV as the monitor. This box will serve as a wireless hub for other devices (stream internet radio, itunes, or iPod music) through your stereo speakers. This box will be able to act as a DVR for TV/Cable programing. This box will be able to surf the internet, receive emails, display highdef pictures from multiple sources (iPod photo, iPhoto, internet, camers, et al.). This box will act as a file server for other computers (ie. Apple laptops) via wireless transfers. This box will be serve as a DVD/DVD-R player.
I know this has been talked about in the past. The “digital hub” concept. Microsoft’s been trying to get into this market for a long time with their own settop computer. I believe Apple could finally make it happen.
I also believe Apple should create a X-Serve for the home. This computer again will be used as above, but it’ll have more horsepower and storage capability. I would like to use a fairly powerful laptop to roam around the house. I would use the home Xserve for storage. I would use the extra horsepower by using Apple’s Xgrid software to distribute computing resources.
ok im still skeptical, but i would buy another mac for the price of an ipod. i really do not see have removing a crt from an emac can cut the price that much. but im no expert
Very good, once they have this then they can move all support offshore to get the price down even further! Once Apple has mac on Walmart shelves at $199 then they will have truly arrived! Glorious times it will be!
Thinksecret and appleinsider announce the same rumor on the same day.
Perhaps Apple is pissed at them for the earlier release and give them some fake info.
Thinksecret and appleinsider bite.
They will soon look like idiots.
Does this help apple�s upcoming lawsuit posting photos of the soon to come flash iPod???
What is interesting is the lack of denial by Apple.
Why let this rumor grow?
“Why let this rumor grow?”
Because it diverts you from thinking about the very littles Apple will release in January. Kinda like squeezing that squeaky toy to try to keep the baby looking at the photographers camera. Squeak…click…gotcha!
I predict no new cheapMac.
I predict new iPod stuff. Lots of it. Maybe a new U2-like branded iPod (some other group of course)
I predict tweaks in software.
I predict no new computers. No faster Macs. (If faster, just processors that have been tweaked to go faster.)
I predict anything new announced will not be delivered for 3-6 months…or longer.
I predict Steve will make the paltry offerings seem like jewels from the gods. I predict Macheads will swoon at his words.
I would definitely get one! I have a LCD projector and it would be cool to hook that “xMac” to it whenever I wanna surf or play games on a monster screen!
{ Magic words: other (didn’t work) and reason (it worked!) }
The Apple lawsuit has nothing to do with (most likely fictional) flash iPods. The lawsuit is over Asteroid. Get your facts straight people.
Apple routinely does not comment on rumors about announced products, no matter how widespread the rumor may be. Hence the dead air on the motorola/iPhone rumor. If anything, Apple likes these rumors because they increase the interest of the mainstream press in the Keynote. Sure, Apple will take a bit of a hit when products labled ‘drop dead certainties’ by the rumor sites fail to materialize, but that is cost of doing business. Apple can’t afford to let rumormongers run their business for them.
If Apple does come out with a ‘headless iMac’ (I prefer the term, “iMac mini”), then I will be at or near the front of the line. I’m just not holding my breath about it.
No exageration on Jacks part. I’ve cleaned one sister-in-law’s machine twice within a month, another sister-in-law’s, my sister’s, my mother’s and now one of my brothers is asking me to do the same to his. I convinced my other brother to by the G5 iMac and I’m close to convincing my mother. This cheap mac would make it a fait-accompli!
I prefer the term “brainless iMac”.
I prefer the term “brainless Maczealots” or “Jobs’ bitches”.
POS Gateway? Is that a special edition or are they all like that?
Btw, I can’t believe Apple don’t have a machine w/o built in display for less than $1499 (the single CPU G5).
Apple’s new offering will be a capable “headless” unit, but will mostly be marketed as a media device. Integrated DVD burners and DVRs already cost almost this much. Add the ability to wirelessly network seamlessly and the power and stability of OSX and you’ve not only got a MS media center killer, you’ve also got a traditional DVR killer. Plus in a year when they come out, you can swap the optical drive for Blu Ray or whatever, rather than pony up even more money for a whole new unit! HD playing, recording, and burning, here we come. Obviously, this would also solve the problem of streaming audio from another computer source and not having remote control. ALSO, this will be the real-world way of using that iTunes SUBSCRIPTION they might have to resort to offering if there turns out to be enough pressure from other companies.
That’s a killer killer.
I predict Jobs to say nothing about the iHeadless at the keynote (leaving the rumor sites in a red-faced tizzy), only to make a high-profile surprise announcement sometime shortly afterwards. Revenge is a two-way street!
Apple, if this is true, whatever you do DON’T SCREW UP THE AVAILABILITY. Don’t make people wait months before the first orders start shipping. If you can’t say “Available today at all Apple Stores” when you make the announcement, hold off until you can.