Windows Users: Would You Consider Buying a Mac For $499?

[Placebo]

Rumour (and it's only rumour at this point) is that Apple is set to release a new lower priced Mac desktop, sans monitor, for under $500 or $600.

Would you consider one, if the price was that low?

[mzmolly]

1. Yes indeedy!

:hi:

Just OUTED myself as a Windows user.

[Solon]

2. I build my own PCs and I use Linux...

Windows nor Mac are needed. :)

[JohnKleeb]

3. Not right now

I hardly have any money.

[terrya]

4. In a heartbeat!

Damn right I would. I've had enough of my crappy Dell and its crappy Windows ME. UGH.

I'd be the first in line at the Apple store on Michigan Ave here in Chicago for one.

T

[Placebo]

5. Yay!

I hope the rumour turns out to be true. It's spreading like wildfire, to news outlets like CNN and WSJ and such.

PS, I love the mich ave apple store, it's so purdy. :D

[terrya]

7. Isn't that a nice store?

Me and a friend went there a couple of months ago...played around with some G4's (this was right after the g5's came out...didn't have any in the store at the time). I sighed a lot, because the price was too high at the time. :-(

[Placebo]

10. When I stopped going to my Business Calculus class...

which was like 3 weeks after school started, heh, I used to wander over to Michigan Ave. and to the Apple Store just to play around with stuff in there. I eventually HAD to buy something, so I got an iPod mini. :D

[Deja Q]

6. Sorry, I read the article (why not link it? :-) ) It's a real piece...

of underpowered junk. Even a zdnet.com bloggist admitted as such. (that it's underpowered)


I also find it less than amusing that I'm the first one asking for a link, or even details of the Mac in question. No monitor, lord knows how slow the CPU is, 256MB of RAM (I'm surprised it isn't 128MB, but I know that OX needs 256...), 40GB HD


For $500, sans monitor, this is what I'd expect:

* CPU Equivalent to P4 2.8GHz HT
* 512MB RAM
* Nvidia GeForce 440MX (but with the ability for me to upgrade because the 6800 Ultra means far more to me for what I need and do)
* 80GB HD (of course, as I can buy new WD 160GB HDs for $80, I should be demanding more here too)

[tridim]

11. You're right.. It sounds like it's still priced about 2x higher than

it should be, relative to current PC's. What's the news here?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

17. Stay away from WD HDs. Pay more for a Seagate. (nt)

[Boy Interrupted]

25. I hadn't noticed the link thing .. its on another thread

currently up in the lounge. maybe others saw it there too.

[Cuban_Liberal]

8. We have a PC and a Mac both, and my answer is 'no'.

I wouldn't take another freakin' Mac if they GAVE me one.

:puke:

[alfredo]

29. Which one did you have?

Once that started using the G3 then G4 chip, the Mac took off. Some of the pre Jobs machines like the Performa were not that good.

[catbert836]

40. *Sigh* some people just don't know quality

I'm on a Mac right now and it's SO much better and smoothly operated than a PC, which is just a bastardization off of the orginal Macintosh OS.

[democracyindanger]

9. nope

Macs definitely look better, arguably run better, but will never have the range of software available that Wintel machines do.

[billbuckhead]

12. This unit will go under TV's across America like iPods

It will slide right into the electronics racks of home entertainment systems so people can watch their iMovies, listen to their iTunes and play video games.

[Placebo]

13. No way.

This ain't no Apple media centre crap. Steve Jobs already said he wants nothing to do with that whole business. This will be a normal desktop computer.

[starroute]

15. I love my freeware

And the MAC just doesn't cut it in that area. My friends who use MACs have to pay for almost everything, and they have a lot less choice.

When I finally give up on Windows 98 SE, it will be in favor of Linux with a decent Windows emulator. Never MAC.

[LifeDuringWartime]

18. haha

the amount of free software available for mac os x is staggering. almost anything for *nux can be compiled for osx, since osx is based on unix.

not to mention the fact that there is plenty of free/shareware exclusively available for osx.

[starroute]

24. Well, then maybe my MAC-using friends are just clueless

For example, I've been having to edit the ID3 tags for a friend's songs to enter Creative Commons info in the copyright field because none of his MAC programs display that field. And when I did a search myself for MAC programs that could do it, none of them were able to.

So you tell me what the problem is.

[pantouflard]

30. Try Versiontracker.com - you'll find more Mac freeware

and shareware than you can keep up with.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

14. If the monitor was included I would.. or it was a laptop. n/t

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

16. ...in which you can plug a plain-vanilla PC monitor? I'm in. (nt)

[Placebo]

20. Yup!

[TheMightyFavog]

19. I'd rather smear my genitalia with fish paste....

And dangle them into a tank of hungry pirhanas.

It's called a disk eject button, you bloody Macintrash designer morons. Look into it sometime.

[catbert836]

42. Its called "inside the computer"

You only need to pull up the Dock and drag the disk over to the eject button.

[ecstatic]

21. MAC users come across as elitist wannabes

hehe :-) Just kidding...

[DrGonzoLives]

22. Hell no

Can't stand Macs, never have, never will.

[catbert836]

41. Care to explain why?

Seeing as Windows is just a lower quality version of Mac.

[Boy Interrupted]

23. sure, I'd look into it.. I've always wanted an Apple

but the price has held me back. Not sure about the cheapo version. I'm sure its fine, but of course what I really want is the high end stuff.

[Mr. Blonde]

26. I can't believe all the anger some have for Macs.

What is so wrong with them? They seem awesome to me.

[Iris]

31. They're just haters.

[Thor_MN]

27. I can find much cheaper doorstops.

[Tweed]

28. Are you a marketing employee at Apple?

I would consider it, but then consider the fact that no software works with Apple, I would stick with PC.

[Placebo]

35. "No software works with Apple."

Total lie. What do you think us Mac users use? Special computer powers? :P

[billbuckhead]

37. The software that comes with the Apple is so superior who needs to support

a bunch of crappy software? Microsoft creates whole cottage industries of bad software that doesn't get along in the same computer. Apple has a great suite of multimedia software (ITunes, iMovie, iPhoto, iCal, Garageband software that works together and will even get along with Microsoft office.

[MissBrooks]

32. You can buy a non-mac desktop

with a monitor for $500 now!
This is on the Dell site for $499!

Dimension 3000
Essential Technology on a Budget
Bullet Intel® Celeron® D Processor 320 (2.40GHz, 533 FSB)
Bullet Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Bullet 256MB DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
Bullet 40GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive
Bullet FREE Shipping
Bullet FREE 2nd Bay CD-Burner - Online Only!
Bullet FREE Dell Printer!

[billbuckhead]

34. It would cost another $200+ to get enough software to compete with the Mac

Xp pro right off the bat. If one compare Windoze computers with Windows XP pro or Windows media, then the price differential goes away.

[SKKY]

33. I just built a smoking, I mean an absolutely smoking computer...

...for well under $900 dollars that I won't have to replace for a few years. I saved most of my money by not having to buy an Operating System since I run Linux. Granted, the Mac OS is, like 95% Linux, but it still costs to license it.

[Placebo]

36. Far more polished, and prettier...

than Linux, might I add. Far easier to use as well.

[China_cat]

38. While I would love to learn to work on a Mac

I've got about $10,000 worth of software that won't run on it and I sure can't afford to rebuy everything.

[ghostsofgiants]

39. Nah, my PC does me just fine.

[Shrek]

43. It wouldn't be wise

Any fertilizer farm will sell you a pile of crap for a lot less.