[lee vieira]

Originally posted by Cipher13:
Well, thats it folks.
Say buh bye to the iMac.
It'll be dead soon.
Its only chance for survival is the Graphite and Indigo models.
Stupid.

Cipher13

Is it really that bad? Probably not. The CD-RW is cool, and the 16MB vid cards are long overdue.

I just wish they'd had only one 'trippy color' per config, and kept Ruby and Sage around. Those were beautiful colors =[

128MB RAM standard on the bottom and middle iMacs would've been nice too, and barely would've scratched Apple's bottom line, what with RAM prices being in the toilet. I've been converted...Apple should start selling OS X-ready machines NOW.

--lee

[ericdelangen]

I find it really amusing that people are already referring to the "flower power" iMac as "puke flavored". I'd consider getting one solely because it's so hideous. Could become a collector's item... or something.

[OddManOut]

I'm too disapointed to speak

What an aweful way to put down what has been an excellent product line! Please take this embarrassment off the Apple home page! We should start a campaign to do so for the sake of the plaqtform.

[SmileyDude]

Originally posted by Louis the Unlucky:
Hey, MacShades, you're disappointed in the feature bump?

They've added CDRW to the mix.
For those complaining about video size... They've doubled video ram and added VGA out. PC people don't know what they're missing with dual display!
They've upped the MHz to 500 and 600; Those two CPUs also happen to have full speed on die L2 cache at 256k. To give you a hint, a Celeron happens to have 128k full speed cache. This is a *big* deal. Also a big deal is that the system bus has been bumped up to 100MHz, from 66MHz.

This also points towards what the new iBook will be in a few months as well; CDRW, full speed L2 cache, video mirroring, plus new color schemes. Maybe they'll have 'Gravity Rainbow' and 'Iridescent Butterfly'? Hopefully also 1024x768 LCD resolution, but we'll see.

I'll grant that a 4:3 monitor ratio would have been nice, even if it's a margial increase in screen size. That wouldn't have been worth it without DVD, though, so I'm thinking the nexgen iMac will sport DVD-CDRW drives (not DVDR) and the 4:3 monitor ratio with 16" sizes.

Otherwise, the new iMac is doing as well as can be expected

Ok, you seem to be slightly mis-informed -

- the VGA port is mirroring, not dual display
- Summer 2000 iMacs have 100mhz buses already
- 2000 iBooks already have full speed L2 caches (this is from the 750cx chip that premiered in the iBooks, and now has moved over to the iMacs)
- Apple is not going to put a CD-R or CD-RW drive in the iBook... not until 1) they're cheap 2) they have a DVD combo, because DVD in a portable is more important than burning CDs 3) they have a slot loading iBook and 4) the PBG4 has it already
- I wouldn't expect the iBook to ever get VGA out if Apple can avoid it... but that's not saying they won't, it's just not fitting with the iBook design
- iMac DVs have had the VGA port for quite some time now.

In all, while slightly disappointing, this upgrade was really more than could be expected. It was only August that Apple made the sweeping changes to the iMac... this is just a speed bump rev that Apple is known for.

One thing that I am happy about, is that now FireWire is standard on all Macs. That is a very good thing. Also, it's interesting to see that the new low-end iMac for $899 is exactly the same as the previous $999 iMac DV... I know, I have one myself. About the only differences is it comes with iTunes and 9.1, and they dropped the DV from the name. The CPU specs still indicate that they are using a 750 as opposed to the 750cx in the other 2, and they are still using the 8mb video card. Depending on what Apple's part supply, I wouldn't be surprised if the low end get's a minor upgrade with a 400mhz 750cx and 16mb card sometime soon.

Also, I wouldn't be suprised if Apple is using their stock of Snow parts to make these new funky designs.... Snow wasn't very popular, so by not making these iMacs radically different, they can use what they have and experiment a little.

------------------
dennis

[clebin]

It's the Magic Roundabout iMac...



Actually I like the flowery iMac more each time I see it, and I'm a 24 year old bloke. Say what you will, but I think it's pretty cool.

Chris

[iPaul UK]

Well it wasn't difficult to spot Ca$h's unregistrered post was it!?

Anyway, I think Misha is thinking along the right lines.. IE the colours and patterns may be changed a lot more frequently from now on. Lets hope so anyway!

[Kon-El]

Well, this morning I had my daughter look at the new iMacs. I let her look at it unbiased and gave her no hint that I hated the look fo the new iMac prints.

Her jaw dropped. I figured dhe hated them like I did.

I was wrong, she LOVED the flower-power one. She didn't even realize they were flowers, but loved the colorful design. Once I showed her it was flowers, she loved it even more!

This confirms many peoples' thoughts. This is the computer for the rest of our daughters.

------------------
Pax Christi,
-Nik!
http://iMac.RulesTheWeb.com

[joe]

Originally posted by PMG4DP:
Well. at first i hated them but the more i look at the new patterns the more they are growing on me. These revisions of the iMacs will
definitely stand out amongest the PC's at Comp USA

Well said. I didn't think I'd like them either. But after a day they do seem to grow on you. Definitely goes after a wider audience and breaks new ground insofar as what is considered 'proper' athestics for a computer. Think Different says it all. I don't think I'd buy one, but then there's always Graphite & Indigo.

Also, kudos to Apple for 16MB graphics. Now you can finally play 3D games like Quake3 in 800*600*32 without taking a performance hit from the AGP bus. I would have pushed the envelope a bit farther with 700MHz G3 and 133MHz bus. Afterall, previous iMacs have kept pace with G4 MHz - necessary considering G3 lacks the very powerful Altivec engine and faster memory performance of the G4. But I can't wait to see what effect the on-chip 600MHz L2 cache has on performance. I'm thrilled with the standard slot load burner that manages 8x write speed and supports overburn!!! Apple may be late to CDrw, but a standard burner that does a full disk in 9 minutes sure beats the more common 4x and 6x burners. A shame to give up DVD though. Given the unique slot load design it probably limits Apple's options somewhat. All in all I think Apple did an excellent job. The new iMacs seem fun, full featured, and powerful! Way to go Steve!!!........joe

[NeoMac]

(I have not read all 100+ posts on this thread, and probably no one will read mine, either.) BUT....

These machines will obviously sell well among women and maybe that is a very smart move by Apple. I have always posted that they should go after that market.

I myself like the colors (and there is always the ultra-cool GRAPHITE), but the specs are underwhelming. I hope they are on a 3 month upgrade cycle.

[Indigo Boy]

Well, all I can say is, I have no regrets about buying my Indigo iMac last summer! I have no "buyer's remorse," because they only knocked $100.00 off from what I paid for mine and kept the specs virtually identical.

I have mixed feelings about the new case colors. I personally don't mind them (and certainly don't "hate" them), but it will perpetuate the whole idea that the Mac is not a "real" computer, I'm afraid.

I'm very surprised that they didn't up the memory in every model to a minimum 128 MB, especially since memory chips are nearly as cheap and plentiful as AOL disks were a few years ago.

[msosa02]

I love the new iMacs! Yes they will sell! They may not be for you but they are for others.

There is way to much Testosterone floating in this room. Do you begrudge a company for a small part of their product line? If that were so no one would buy a VW or an Audi because of the New Beetle. (Just so you all know VW, Audi and Porsche are all the same company)

The New Beetle is a chick car like the New iMac is a chick computer... GREAT! Women account for over %50 of the market and are responsible for most major household purchases.

What Apple has done is brilliant, they are treating computers and marketing them as if they were this societies largest fetish item... the car. When daddy goes into the showroom to buy his little girl or wife a new iMac HIS eyes will flow straight to the Cube. Just like if he was in a car show room and his eyes would flow to the Audi S4.

Secondly it seems always to be the attitude of most Americans to ignore the rest of the world. Apple's strongest growth in the past two quarters has been outside the US, namely Europe and Japan. These new iMacs will sell like gangbusters in Japan, France, Holland, Scandinavia etc.

Europeans and the Japanese have a much different aesthetic to the US. Again we can make a parallel to cars, American cars don't sell well in Europe and Japan. Conversely European and Japanese cars sell well in America. Ford has given the US the Focus, a European designed car, and bought Jaguar and Volvo. Apple has a Brit as a head designer... Enough said.

The point is you can't manufacture an entire product range to appeal to one demographic. Computers are becoming more and more of an appliance in the home. Therefore they need to be marketed as such. There is a lesson that Apple learned from Motorola.

Motorola had a lead position in the world when it came to the manufacture and sale of cell phones. They built their phones to appeal to the "business man" who would talk all day on their phones. They ignored the fact that the fastest growing group of users was women. All that women wanted was a phone that was small enough to be kept in her handbag and to be used only in emergencies or for short times. Nokia produced for that market. Today Nokia is the largest producer of cell phones in the world and women account for the majority of cell phone users.

Apple has got it right.

http://24.23.205.63/tokyo

It's not that I am so pissed that they added these two new designs. It's that they took AWAY three great ones.

"I think the target audience ic clearly women and girls"

Well thanks for lumping us all into one stereotypical category saying "women's taste sucks". I think the new ones are damn ugly, I wouldn't buy one no matter what the specs- and I'm woman! Go figure!

Originally posted by GK:


"I think the target audience ic clearly women and girls"

Well thanks for lumping us all into one stereotypical category saying "women's taste sucks". I think the new ones are damn ugly, I wouldn't buy one no matter what the specs- and I'm woman! Go figure!

schew is absolutely right.

The key word here is variety. V-A-R-I-E-T-Y.

Variety is something that is sadly lacking on these boards, unfortunately.

Hey, you out there - are you a typical American male? Do you dislike the new iMacs? If so, could you enlighten the rest of us about just what this whole "manly" business consists of? Really, we'd like to know. If you have any sociological or psychological insight into the nature of machismo as it relates to Flower Power and Blue Dalmation (and to light, sunny colors and cute things generally), voice your opinion in this thread in the lounge.

helios

[FozzieUK]

Please stop whinging!!! These new coloured iMacs are an addition to the product base. You don't have to buy one. I think a lot of people will.

Just think, that teenage girl, or young mum (or any Japanese) will have an iMac far better than the one you are using.

What they should have done is make these Jazzy coloured panels removable. Buy the iMac and change the look of it to suit your mood, decor etc.

What are the biggest selling mobile phones? The ones you can change the front and backs on.

We dont need to sell more Macs to us lot, we have them, we need to sell them to new users. Let women have there own computers.

Plus if you are persuading your wife or girlfriend that you need a new iMac, she may let you buy one if you get the flowery one!

It will SELL! But it's a mistake to leave out the dvd. I use a Beige box Pc and a mac at times, but my wife uses a 4 1/2 year old power mac 7200-180MZ w 16 megs RAM. We would like to upgrade but need a floppy, dvd, cdrw and a 17 inch monitor, so we will likely upgrade the one we have somehow.THESE ITEMS ARE REQUIRED FOR MOST USERS, WHEN IS JOBS GOING TO GET THE MESSAGE? The average beige box pc deal comes with all that for $1700. DOES ANYONE KNOW OF A PLACE I COULD SEND THE POWER MAC 7200 180 IN FOR UPGRADING? TOM

I have a theory as to why Apple went with these hideous colors. And its a simple one at that, they are trying to stimulate sales of the G4 Cube. Trying to get people away from the iMac and move up to the Cube as it will one day replace the iMac line completely. This is the only way I can justify this move by Apple.

[SupahCoolX]

You know what, I just decided that I WILL buy one of the funky colored iMacs. I mean, why not? It doesn't affect performance (unless the dyes used turn out to be harmful in some odd way), and it's different. Why be another Indigo or Graphite face in the crowd (even PCs come in those colors nowadays)? Oooh... I can feel the rebellious urges

I don't see what the big deal about DVD is. Jobs has stated himself that computers are not meant to be watching movies on. Computers are tools, not entertainment devices. And there is so little DVD only software out there right now that it's not worth it. CD-RW is much more productive than DVD.

If you want DVD, go buy a DVD player, or just wait for Apple to put CD-RW/DVD-R drives in their iMacs.

[no use for a nick]

The big deal about DVD is not necessarily movies and entertainment. Soon enough you'll see software issed on dvd's...and guess who won't be able to play it?

In addition, you may not view the computer as an entertainment device and Jobs MAY have said that it isn't meant ot be either. But if he did, he sured changed that song when issued iTunes huh? Yeah, with iTunes and CD-Burners I'm pretty sure Steve recognizes the computer's entertainment value. And oh yes...anyone up for a little CTF in Unreal Tourney?

nick

[ohericord]

Apple folks are the hippies of the silicon valley so i'm very pleased to see these 2 new flavors imac.

THINK DIFFERENT , you got to think different to love those little but powerful imacs...

Steeve i love U.

It's great to see that the French like them!

Now if only they were rude and smelled bad, you know that they would sell like crazy there!

Here in the U.S. I have my doubts.

Originally posted by Cipher13:
Well, thats it folks.
Say buh bye to the iMac.
It'll be dead soon.
Its only chance for survival is the Graphite and Indigo models.
Stupid.

Cipher13

**** you asshole

when i drink too much (or too little) my mac sort of looks a little flowery/spotted so maybe these puppies are really for alcoholics as well as women and girls... so drink up and stop complaining!!!

[sniffer]

I think the new iMacs will kick hard here in Europe. Apple have used 18 months (!!!!!!) developing theyr new iMac-look. I always felt that Americans have an old fashion taste. No offence, but sometimes it looks like you guys are (still) stuck in the 80's.. I think the new flower power iMac is the coolest computer Ive ever seen in my hole life! It's fantastic!!! And I know that my mother would just love the blue dalmatiner one...! It seems to me that most off those who think the new style is horrible, is basicly from north-america. Wake up. Apple can't live with our marked only.. I am sure the flower power will getting a huge fan group here in Europe. Anyone agree with me?

------------------
---------
sniffer

[2far]

Originally posted by sniffer:
Wake up. Apple can't live with our marked only..

I'd have to disagree with you here. Basically Apple doesn't give a **** what other countries would like (notable exception might be Japan). But other countries often like what the U.S. like. That's what I think.

Also it's no wonder most posters don't like these iMacs: they are aimed at non-techies ...

[2far]

Originally posted by Kon-El:
They're not even transluscent

They are a little translucent, as I could convince myself today (did I mention that I had a look at them at a local retailer?)

[Indigo Boy]

I have to weigh in here with a non-iMac comment in response to the person who suggested that the New Beetle is a "chick car." Lots of woman may drive them, it's true. (I also see lots of women driving SUVs.... hmmmm.) But I bought one (the turbo, mind you) because, since I am 6'4" [I believe that's a little over 2 meters for our European posters], it is one of the few cars out there that allows me to sit upright without my head hitting the ceiling. And besides it's fun and quick. If that makes it a chick car, so be it. My masculinity is not threatened.

The new iMac designs are different, it's true. And if nothing else, it's certainly created a buzz about the iMacs.

[sniffer]

I'd have to disagree with you here. Basically Apple doesn't give a **** what other countries would like (notable exception might be Japan). But other countries often like what the U.S. like. That's what I think.

I really hope not. If so.. If someone proves that.. I am going back to Windowze..

------------------
---------
sniffer

It's a plot....to bankrupt Compaq!!!
By the time Compaq can get the new lithographed accent panels made for their Presarios Aplle will have deftly jumped back in MWNY, leaving Compaq high and dry selling their "beautiful flowers" and "polka dots" Presarios after Apple has tapped out the untapped market for these things (shouldn't take long).

Seriosly, since the hood of the machine is the only printed part, why not offer BTO options for the hood? The rest of the Mac could be left snow and work with any number of colors or patterns (plaid anyone?)..

It's a plot....to bankrupt Compaq!!!
By the time Compaq can get the new lithographed accent panels made for their Presarios Aplle will have deftly jumped back in MWNY, leaving Compaq high and dry selling their "beautiful flowers" and "polka dots" Presarios after Apple has tapped out the untapped market for these things (shouldn't take long).

Seriosly, since the hood of the machine is the only printed part, why not offer BTO options for the hood? The rest of the Mac could be left snow and work with any number of colors or patterns (plaid anyone?)..

I don't see what the big deal is.

Two iMacs for folks who prefer a "traditional" look (as traditional as a non-beige egg-shaped computer can be, anyway).

Two iMacs for folks who don't like the "traditional" look and want something different.

Apple makes money no matter what you buy. Smart move.

(I'm not really fond of "Flower Power" myself, but it would work as a Hawaiian-themed iMac, wouldn't it? Just toss in a surfboard and a pineapple cocktail, and you're set to luau...)

--R.J.

[sniffer]

I don't see what the big deal is.

Two iMacs for folks who prefer a "traditional" look (as traditional as a non-beige egg-shaped computer can be, anyway).

Two iMacs for folks who don't like the "traditional" look and want something different.

Apple makes money no matter what you buy. Smart move.

Well said!..
I guess we can't agree to like the same iMac color anyway. Steve have taken a brave and smart move this time. I guess most off us will find our favorite, and that's what we all wants...(?) Now we can choose betwin a freaky or a basic one. It's just as simple as that!

------------------
---------
sniffer

[suprz]

i personally dont care for the new colors, but to each thier own. i just hope it doesnt perpetuate the myth that these powerful little computers are nothing but "weak", and "fruity" . .unfortunately i believe even computer saavy people will only see the colors and not bother to read the specifications. i have a hard enough time trying to win over wintel users when they see my imac and it's only a "blueberry"

------------------
" I think,
therefore....IMAC

[yadda_yadda_yadda]

Girls will like them. Little kids will like them.
Otherwise if you like the new colors, you are on acid just like Steve is.

The iMac just lost all of its credibility as a respectable computer.

[OddManOut]

Originally posted by schew:
These new iMacs will sell like gangbusters in Japan, France, Holland, Scandinavia etc.

I'm afraid you don't know Scandinavians very well

I think these new iMacs will do just fine.

Let's see how wrong most/all of your statements are in a few months.

And, No I'm not on acid or crack.

[RDJL27]

How can you people complain? Do you see Compaq even OFFERING colors? Now it's still all beige or black, or Apple coppied. Nobody can take these and copy em . But really folks, Apple is just offering more choices and just because you don't like them doesn't mean they wont sell. It's not like Steve and CO. said "Ah what the hell, we like em, so will they," they did studys, figured out what worked best, what they hadn't focused on yet. So it may not be the best looking thing, but it's there as a choice, and some people will love it! Apple will not die, the iMacs will not stop selling, not because of colors, they still offer 2 old ones after all...... These will apeall to a few people out there I'm sure, and this is something really new. Imagine, Apple has been the first company to break out of Uniform colored compters, it was always solid colors. Well, either way we'll see.

[Miniryu]

LOL!!!! After reading hundereds of post on various columns, I think that these new apples are going to succeed! :-) When was the last time that a Mac has sparked this much interest? Face the facts: 1)DVD on Macs is dead (it sure as hell wasn't selling machines before), 2) EVERYONE does colors now; it's played out (in other words a new color set would fail just as the last set did).
All of the people who are complaining basically have ONE argument: "I don't like the colors; their not for me."
To those people I say buy an indigo or graphite. Stop your whinning because it will hurt apple worse; causing them to take even more drastic measures.

[naepstn]

"When was the last time that a Mac has sparked this much interest?"

I'd say the last time we saw this kind of reaction to an Apple product (very controvercial because of how different it looked) was when the iMac was first introduced. I think this says good things.

And as for the dolt who said that Apple doesn't give a **** about any market but the US (and maybe Japan), I think that you are sorely mistaken. The US PC market is saturated right now, and few people need a new machine. The growth markets right now for PCs are all outside the US, and if Apple has any business sense at all (and I'm sure they do), they are going after those markets with a lot of gusto.

Originally posted by Louis the Unlucky:
Hey, MacShades, you're disappointed in the feature bump?

They've added CDRW to the mix.
For those complaining about video size... They've doubled video ram and added VGA out. PC people don't know what they're missing with dual display!
They've upped the MHz to 500 and 600; Those two CPUs also happen to have full speed on die L2 cache at 256k. To give you a hint, a Celeron happens to have 128k full speed cache. This is a *big* deal. Also a big deal is that the system bus has been bumped up to 100MHz, from 66MHz.

This also points towards what the new iBook will be in a few months as well; CDRW, full speed L2 cache, video mirroring, plus new color schemes. Maybe they'll have 'Gravity Rainbow' and 'Iridescent Butterfly'? Hopefully also 1024x768 LCD resolution, but we'll see.

I'll grant that a 4:3 monitor ratio would have been nice, even if it's a margial increase in screen size. That wouldn't have been worth it without DVD, though, so I'm thinking the nexgen iMac will sport DVD-CDRW drives (not DVDR) and the 4:3 monitor ratio with 16" sizes.

Otherwise, the new iMac is doing as well as can be expected

the vga out is MIRRORED you idiot.. all thats good for is presentations.. who the **** would want two screens showing identical pictures???????

[petek]

I just conducted a highly scientific, controlled survey to determine the market reception to the flower power and dalmatian colors. Here are the results:

2 middle-age white men: 1 liked the FP, 1 disliked it and both disliked dalmatian
1 middle-age white woman: wouldn't buy either
2 early teenage girls: (same result as for the men)

Of the supposed "target group" (women and teens), Apple's batting 300. The worst part is: the one teen who didn't like either flavor is getting an iMac for her birthday (though she doesn't know it yet); her favorite flavor? Ruby. Guess she'll be getting a leftover model. And the girl who liked flower power already has a blueberry iMac. (Anyone want to swap their flower power shell for a blueberry one?)

At least Apple's got their pricing in a decent range for the consumer machines now.

[Juggler]

I find the spotted-blue new iMac a bit disgusting.

But the flower-power is beautiful. It really is.


Antonio.

[sniffer]

Come on! We wouldn't know how the marked will take the FP before we have some real sales numbers.. Perhaps a bit early to judge it down, isn't it? I wish FP the best. It's great that Apple keeps theyr orginality on top as they allways has. There is a lot off fruity wintels out there, so I guess Apple had to move on this time. I will cross my fingers for em. The consept off such graffic-art computer is exelent, and something really new. Personaly I would love to see more variants. Perhaps a hip-hop-style imac. (Know I have mentioned it before but..) Perhaps I should just pop up my (boring) indigo iMac sheld, and make my own edition..? Have anyone done it before?




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sniffer

[gumby5647]

if you don't like the new "designs" then don't buy them!

either that or paint over them.....
sure we've all thought about it at some point....i think its been mentioned a few times in the Mac Modification forum......well, now we have a good reason.......

[AusRob]

I must admit that when I first saw the new colours I was stunned to say the least, but then I started to use my head. Apple is trying to sell computers in a saturated market i.e. almost anyone who would want to buy an iMac more than likely already has one, and lets face it, not enough people will change platforms to make a big enough difference to sales. Forget that women and little girls stuff. The MOST influential and the BIGGEST market agegroup has to be the 2-12 yrs group. I would bet that the proffit margins of Toys-R-Us is much larger than alot of other "adult" retailers. This product line is aimed squarely at ALL children who would just go beserk over the colours. We are at a time when most parents are buying computers for primary school aged children. I know that when mum or dad says "which one would you like little Bill/Jill I am sure that their tiny finger will point directly to the one with the most colour. So in essence I would say that Apple has a "get them while they are young" attitude for when they grow up they will contine to buy the Apple brand. It is a gamble, no doubt about that, but if it pays off it will guarantee the future of the company. As thay say "fortune favours the brave".

Good luck to Apple on this bold venture and I for one will not abondon them on something so trivial as the colour, there is always the graphite.

Face it, 90% of the people will find it absolutely hideous. This is not the way to increase market share or sell more computers.

The older colors were classy and didn't make the iMacs look like cheap toys. Instead of wasting time and money on stupid patterns (you know it probably used a lot of R&D), they should work on improving the specs of the computer while keeping the price low. Hey, price decrease wouldn't hurt either. Why would you ship your computers with less than the required RAM for the OS you are about to ship in a month? Do you think the target market for iMacs (non-computer geeks) is going to enjoy it when they realize "the latest cool OS" (which Apple wants everyone to adopt) won't function with their 1 month old computers because they need to go out and buy a "$100 computer chip"?

A flower power iMac would have been a neat limited edition type of thing, but Apple is depending on their sales. Big mistake. I hope they realize this quickly.

Powerbook was a step in the right direction. The new iMacs just took a step backwards.