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slugg · Dec 2, 2003, 03:23 PM

I bought my 1.8GHz G5 from the Apple Store on 10 September, waited patiently until early November for delivery, and now the dual comes out at the same price point? Am I the only Apple customer who feels ripped-off, cheated, furious?

When I asked my local authorized Apple reseller how much I could get if I wanted to trade up for the dual processor, he said, "$1200."

I'm not a newbie to computing. I expect my boxes will become obsolete sometime reasonably soon after I've put down my dollars...

But this is obscene.

Jayznkelc · Dec 2, 2003, 04:41 PM

Sucks that Apple is showing a lack of customer satisfaction. I just bought a single 1.8 G5 about a month ago too from MacConnection. This was before they announced the Dual 1.8 G5s, so when I found out about them, I called MacConnection and politely told them about the situation and asked if Apple was planning a rebate for people that recently bought a single 1.8 G5. They said no, but after talking to her manager, they authorized a $400 dollar refund at cost to them, not Apple. I was actually surprised how easy and nice they were, and I turned around and spent that money on more mac stuff. So I've definatly have to give my recommendation to MacConnection.

Busemann · Dec 2, 2003, 04:59 PM

Well mr. one post, shouldn't we be happy that they increase the speeds as much as they can, instead of trailing behind wintels forever and ever? Its just pathetic that people who complained about the slow G4's start to whine when they update the G5's in a more frequent fashion. You knew what you bought when you purchased a single G5. If you needed more speed then thats your fault. Stuff like this always happen in this industry it seems, but you should at least be happy that you have an awesome Mac! A single G5 is faster than any previous G4 that cost much more..

Too bad the delivery time was so long though

roders · 05:23 PM

Well Mr "I haven't bought a 1.8GHz SP G5" they didn't increase the speed, just included another processor for the same price as the original machine about 1 month after they became available, as they should of done from the get go.
I even waited a while before ordering to see if a dual 1.8 came out (as the rumours stated a couple of months back) but after nothing appeared I ordered, now it took so long to receive my 1.8Ghz SP G5 that it was a matter of weeks later that the Dual was announced, and I lost about 25% of the resale value of my Mac.

Busemann · 05:30 PM

Originally posted by roders:
they didn't increase the speed, just included another processor..

Actually the dual 1.8's were released five months after the G5's was first announced.

Also the "i lost 25% resale value of my computer" is just lame. Do you guys invest in computers? If you want good resale value, get into real estate - not computers.

go figure

sodamnregistered2 · Dec 2, 2003, 06:16 PM

The single 1.8 was never a good buy.

You went up $500 for 200MHz and some newfangled PCI slots. You did not go up another $500 to get 200 MHz + 2000MHz + SMP + plus those same newfangled PCI slots.

Apple makes it a game, and it's very hard for a business user to plan purchases intelligently. Apple is expensive, you have to pretty much buy the top of the line or the bottom of the line in most cases, unless the middle of the line emulates most of the features of the top of the line, which in this case, it did not.

I just bought a dual 2 GHz. I'd buy a dual 1.8 if I had it to do today.

1.8GHz owners should be a lil' pissed.

UpgradeManiac · Dec 2, 2003, 06:18 PM

I bought my G5 1 month ago with the full knowledge that in the future there would be faster and cheaper machines. However, I really wanted to have Bluetooth on the motherboard so I had to buy from the Apple Store. To try to future-proof my purchase, I also opted for the 250GB drive and the ATi Radeon 9600Pro (reasonably priced, IMHO).

The bargain shopper in me would have waited until now - I would have gotten the old discontinued machine at a discount. I think I would have been just as happy, but I wouldn't have been able to get the machine I really wanted (configured to order, that is).

Overall, I am quite happy with my 1.8 although I did get a cheesy 'hard sell' from Jesus, the person I talked to at the Apple Store that I should 'order now because the prices may go up.'

MacsGalor · Dec 2, 2003, 07:41 PM

Depending on how long ago you guys bought your machines you may be able to just pay a restocking fee and then get a Dual. I have head of a few people that did that. yeah it cost a little but would make you happy. The thing that you need to remember is that with any computer that you buy regardless of the maker it will be outdated shortly. This has been the case with computers since the begining. And I am sure that you knew that. So sorry that you may have gotten a rotten deal but you can't blame anyone, its just the nature of the beast. You can also try eBay some SP 1.8's are going for a good price.

Gankdawg · Dec 3, 2003, 01:02 AM

The minute the G5's came out, I set my mind that I wanted a dual config. I didn't want to spend the $3K on the 2.0, so I set my mind to wait until Jan/Feb to see if/what was released. Got my finances in order and have been sitting back waiting.

I figured that sometime in Q1 2004 that possibly the dual 2.0 would slide to the mid and maybe a dual 2.4 would be top end. What a pleasant surprise that the dual 1.8's came out! Sometimes it pays to wait. I would've purchased the top-of-the-line if only a dual was available as the top model.

The bottom line is that I knew way in advance what I wanted so I didn't waste my money purchasing a single G5.

Landos Mustache · Dec 3, 2003, 03:32 AM

Originally posted by Busemann:

Actually the dual 1.8's were released five months after the G5's was first announced.

Announced and SHIPPED is another story. Thank god I got a Dual 2GHz.

Link · Dec 3, 2003, 04:00 AM

Originally posted by UpgradeManiac:
Overall, I am quite happy with my 1.8 although I did get a cheesy 'hard sell' from Jesus, the person I talked to at the Apple Store that I should 'order now because the prices may go up.'

OMG dude you FELL for THAT?!

Scottie · Dec 3, 2003, 04:05 AM

I bought my G5 1.8 single back in mid October. Gosh, thats almost a month and a half ago! I could ill afford it at the time, but my rationale was that it might take awhile before it became obsolete (maybe 6 months). Well, a month and a half later it has become essentially obsolete and completely devalued by the 1.8 dual. It would have been just as worthwhile to have gone out into my backyard and burned $500 cash just for the fun of it. Hey Steve Jobs, I realize the bottom line means a lot - but this is deceipt at its worst. You are a rich man and it seems unlikely, based on this executive decision, that you fully appreciate the ramifications of your decision. Most of us that bought the G5 early are enthusiasts that have bought many previous generations of the Mac. I have had 5 Macs in my lifetime. You have a great computer, but you are not encouraging the 5% of the computer market that supports you. It is really unlikely that you will ever capture a much higher percentage of the market - therefor you should concentrate on your "loyalists" of which I can no longer neccesarily be counted upon.
At least offer 1.8 single users a relatively inexpensive upgrade to a dual 1.8.

slipjack · Dec 3, 2003, 08:48 AM

It was obvious that Apple would come out with e a mid-range dual sooner or later.... it just happend sooner, this time, which stings I'm sure.

(I myself was tempted to buy the 1.8)

But I kept telling myself, 'They will come out with a mid-range dual eventually'... I didn't really expect it to be the SAME PROCESSOR, just two of them, but hey, that's cool.

Giving rebates for upgraded lineups would be a slippery slope (since they are upgrading the hardware every 6mos), so you can understand why Apple wouldn't offer any, even if it sucks.

I think it would be great if Apple only offered dual machines, but that won't happen either... when they know they can milk us for a single proc. machine.

benb · Dec 3, 2003, 11:28 AM

Originally posted by Scottie:
Hey Steve Jobs, I realize the bottom line means a lot - but this is deceipt at its worst. You are a rich man and it seems unlikely, based on this executive decision, that you fully appreciate the ramifications of your decision.

Hahahahahahahaha!

You make me laugh. Are you a comedian?

What's that? You say he's serious?!? Oh, uh, well, this is awkward. . .

Jayznkelc · Dec 3, 2003, 01:02 PM

Originally posted by sodamnregistered2:
The single 1.8 was never a good buy.

You went up $500 for 200MHz and some newfangled PCI slots. You did not go up another $500 to get 200 MHz + 2000MHz + SMP + plus those same newfangled PCI slots.

Actually we also got a hard drive twice the size of the 1.6 and more memory, and 133mhz PCI-X slot and 900mhz front end bus for our $500 dollars. I thought it was a pretty good deal. Plus I got $$ back from MacConnection, so I think I came out pretty good. I'll continue to buy Mac, but propably not straight from Apple.

Taipan · 12:55 AM

became available, as they should of done from the get go.
[/B]

Hi!

Sorry for being completely off-topic here, but this is for educational reasons (and not meant to offend anybody):
I keep reading sentences like this one frequently on the internet, and I would just like to know whether there's something fundamentally wrong in my grammatical understanding of the English language, or the amount of people not being able to master their mother tongue is just as high in the US and UK as it is here in Germany?
(If you don't know what I'm talking about the first is probably true).

Peter · Dec 3, 2003, 01:24 PM

It should have been a dual 1.8 to start with, Apple should offer a part exchange style program where you pay a couple of hundred in exchange for a dualie.

crl · Dec 3, 2003, 04:37 PM

Originally posted by Taipan:
Hi!

Sorry for being completely off-topic here, but this is for educational reasons (and not meant to offend anybody):
I keep reading sentences like this one frequently on the internet, and I would just like to know whether there's something fundamentally wrong in my grammatical understanding of the English language, or the amount of people not being able to master their mother's tongue is just as high in the US and UK as it is here in Germany?
(If you don't know what I'm talking about the first is probably true).

Your understanding of English grammar is correct, at least in this case. Of course the phrase you quoted,

"became available, as they should of done from the get go."

should read, "became available, as they should have done from the get go." "Should have" is often contracted to "should've" which sounds more like the incorrect "should of" and since many people in the US have been taught to spell and write as the words sound with little regard to grammar we end up with "should of" . Then again the writer could have just been writing in a hurry.

Scottie · Dec 4, 2003, 12:48 AM

Originally posted by benb:
Hahahahahahahaha!

You make me laugh. Are you a comedian?

Well, I try! I have always been kind of a fan of Steve Jobs. He was not expected to do well as CEO of Apple when he returned.
I thought, perhaps naively, that he would continue to keep Apple afloat by innovating - not resorting to revolving obsoletism. He must be reading the Karl Marx/ V.I Lenin view of capitalism and using it as kind of a retrograde blueprint for the future.

OK, I always thought Apple was different - that they were trying to acheive a balance between profit and customer satisfaction. Dead wrong.

I really like my G5 1.8 single - just miffed at this turn of events.

Ho Ho Ho
The Comedy Guy

What's that? You say he's serious?!? Oh, uh, well, this is awkward. . .

WizOSX · Dec 5, 2003, 11:45 PM

I sincerely hope that the results of this poll are a pretty accurate sample of the feelings of SP G5 owners. It is a great machine and, in the kind of market, nearly impossible not to see very rapid changes. As I just said in another thread, I think that a number of the above posts summarize...

.. the feelings of a lot of people right now. First we have a large pent up demand by people with older G4s who've been waiting for G5s. They want to upgrade as soon as possible. But, since the G5 processors are now coming on stream from IBM quickly, of course Apple wants to get them into machines as soon as possible. Everyone has gotten used to a slower change in megahertz but over the next 6-10 months the machines will change quickly. If you have to buy right now because need or desire dictates, then buy, but don't be surprised or frustrated when a faster machine appears in a month or so for the same amount of money. Go into your purchase with your eyes open.

OldManMac · Dec 6, 2003, 12:23 AM

That's what you get for buying a computer that you should have known was going to be replaced someday by a faster machine. There's rumors of speed bumps coming up also, so you should have waited until then. Oh wait, there are going to be faster machines announced sometime after that, and then faster ones after that, and even faster ones after that. Where will this insanity end?

t500 · Dec 6, 2003, 12:57 AM

Humm. I dont get it. Computers are upgraded all the time. Why should Apple do anything for people that bought last month's computer? I hate to say it, PC's are always moving to bigger and faster systems and those users just choke it up.

You may say I'm just happy I have a new Dual 1.8, but I'll tell you my 867 powerbook was updated 3 weeks after I bought it. Ohh well. How long was Apple stuck at 500mzh. Apple took to long to get back in the game, they should'nt slow down now. They do not need to worry about the culture shock existing users are having. We already bough our machines, they whan some new business.

WizOSX · Dec 6, 2003, 02:11 AM

Exactly.

BWSchultz · Jun 11, 2004, 12:53 PM

Originally posted by t500:
Humm. I dont get it. Computers are upgraded all the time. Why should Apple do anything for people that bought last month's computer? I hate to say it, PC's are always moving to bigger and faster systems and those users just choke it up.

You may say I'm just happy I have a new Dual 1.8, but I'll tell you my 867 powerbook was updated 3 weeks after I bought it. Ohh well. How long was Apple stuck at 500mzh. Apple took to long to get back in the game, they should'nt slow down now. They do not need to worry about the culture shock existing users are having. We already bough our machines, they whan some new business.

Yeah... I know the last post was over 6 months ago. Just stumbled upon this post.

Add me to the list of single 1.8 G5 users (the few, the proud). My G5 was delivered the day the dual 1.8 was announced. How was that for irony? But I'm not bitter. How can I be? I received my last mac when I was a junior in high school (a screaming 225 mhz PowerMac, a G2 if you will) and it lasted seven (that's 7 years!!). I added an external hard drive, CD burner, and more RAM along the way, but somehow it grew with me through college and after. When I ordered my new G5, I threw in the 250 GB hard drive and the 9600 Video card. I've also installed an additional 1 GB of RAM (because 512 is woefully insufficient - Powermacs should come STANDARD with 1 GB but that's another thread). That said, my machine flies and it will last for a long time. I don't plan on selling it so who cares about that. I'll give it to a school if anything. And I have four more RAM slots to upgrade further. Another hard drive will probably go in soon. We have to face it - The G5s are more exandable than ever and that makes them a great purchase, no matter what level you buy. It should last me for 4-5 years, min. I can upgrade a little sooner now that I have a real job.

I absolutely do not believe that a dual G5 would have made my computer so much better that I couldn't live without it and I should be upset. I don't do anything too crazy on my machine... the most CPU intense thing I do is probably rollercoaster design (3D rendering), a hobby of mine. And some photoshop work for a website - but nothing that require insane benchmarking numbers. I honestly don't know if I would have noticed a difference in my day-to-day life with the dual. And if you're the type of person who would notice a difference... why are you looking at the low/middle end computers anyway? Go straight to the high! Most home users don't harness the G5's power. That's a fact. They just have it ... to well, have it.

The best way to get a person to 'switch' is to emphasize not just the hardware and silly photoshop benchmarking, but rather software with the mac. OSX and iLife are the real selling points for me and I didn't even know it until I upgraded last November.

I shall step down now.

stuffedmonkey · Jun 11, 2004, 02:06 PM

I used to work at the apple store for a few years - so every time we upgraded systems we would have a week of B***ching. No matter what we released, if it were good or bad, the same types of people.

"I bought a system x months ago - and now you have a faster one for the same price???? Now my system is obsolete! I demand a refund/apology/human sacrifice!!!!!!!!!"

Let me state for the record that *whatever* machine you buy, there will be a better one out within 6-9 months. It will be faster, have more ram, etc. there is no way around that. Do you really expect development to freeze whenever you buy a system? It is totally unrealistic. Now for the guy that recieved his mac on the day the dual 1.8s were announced - you should know that apple will refund the difference if the purchase time is short enough - 10 days i think.....

sorry about the rant, but god, the whiners drove me nuts.

Kyosho88 · Jun 11, 2004, 04:26 PM

Originally posted by Jayznkelc:
Sucks that Apple is showing a lack of customer satisfaction. I just bought a single 1.8 G5 about a month ago too from MacConnection. This was before they announced the Dual 1.8 G5s, so when I found out about them, I called MacConnection and politely told them about the situation and asked if Apple was planning a rebate for people that recently bought a single 1.8 G5. They said no, but after talking to her manager, they authorized a $400 dollar refund at cost to them, not Apple. I was actually surprised how easy and nice they were, and I turned around and spent that money on more mac stuff. So I've definatly have to give my recommendation to MacConnection.

In the Computer World once you buy your brand new computer, a new and better one will come out in 2-3 months.