| Such a silly framing for a review. The iMac is for someone who just wants a good simple desktop computer. Ah but what if you want customize? Don't. That's not what it's for. Sure, if you're a tech reviewer and you're all jazzed about HDR and mechanical keyboards then this product isn't for you. But then... your job as a tech reviewer is kind of to understand what different customers will want and "I just want a computer" I would say is literally the most obvious market. Who is this for? Someone who wants a computer. Ah, but take away the people who want multi-monitor, take away the people who want mechanical keyboards, a bigger fancy monitor, and what are you left with? Still basically everyone! And it's not like this is the only computer Apple makes. They have 1 basic hardware platform based on the M4, they give you the laptops for portability, the iMac as the basic desktop, the mini for if you want to do all the things that the iMac isn't configured for, and they have the Mac Pro to taunt professionals. It's an incredibly coherent product line up. No one is confused about which one they want. Oh and by the way, it works really well for Apple too, because they are literally just taking the guts from their other products and sticking it in the same design desktop they've had for years. Do you really think that'll be improved by redesigning it and therefore charging 50% extra due to all the bespoke costs? |
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| ▲ | LittleTimothy 7 months ago | parent | next [-] | | I think you're massively over-estimating what the average consumer wants from their computer. I need a computer but you're saying I shouldn't buy a computer I should buy a laptop and then a separate monitor? Why!? What a weird thing to do. Call me crazy, but people will just buy a computer when they need a computer. I know, I know, we could get them a laptop and a fancy display and a mechanical keyboard and we could load Ubuntu onto it for them too while we're at it so that they aren't locked in to Apple's walled garden. That's just not what an average consumer is going to do, they're going to need a computer and buy one. | | |
| ▲ | RandomThoughts3 7 months ago | parent | next [-] | | > Why? Because you then also have a laptop for the same price and as a bonus you can upgrade the monitore and computer separately. It's so obvious I don't understand what you are missing there. Why do you think the market for desktop literaly cratered outside of the gaming segment? I don't understand your rambling about mechanical keyboards and Ubuntu. You can simply buy a Macbook Pro (or god forbid a Mac mini) and an Apple screen for a cost which is roughly equivalent to this iMac and a net gain of functionality. Average consumers stopped buying desktop two decades ago by the way. | | |
| ▲ | dagmx 7 months ago | parent | next [-] | | I think you’re the one missing the “obvious” part as you call it. The other person even spelled it out. The market for these doesn’t care about any of the stuff you mentioned. It’s really that simple. They don’t care about the portability because they have their phone or tablet. They don’t care about upgrading because they’ll keep their device for a decade+, or they don’t own it themselves. They don’t want to buy a separate computer and display because they don’t want that hassle. The desktop market has cratered, sure, but that’s largely because the less complex devices have won out. This is one such device. Try stepping outside of your own shoes before you start telling other people they’re missing obvious things. | | |
| ▲ | RandomThoughts3 7 months ago | parent [-] | | > The market for these doesn’t care about any of the stuff you mentioned. Yes, that’s because this market basically doesn’t exist which is indeed the Verge point. | | |
| ▲ | dagmx 7 months ago | parent | next [-] | | In which case, both you and the article can’t be bothered to step outside and understand the market. Or are you both claiming that Apple has an entire multi decade line of products it keeps refreshing without a market? And they dedicate valuable retail space to something that doesn’t sell? This just feels like hubris of not being able to envision other people. | | |
| ▲ | RandomThoughts3 7 months ago | parent [-] | | > Or are you both claiming that Apple has an entire multi decade line of products it keeps refreshing without a market? Yes, pretty much. That’s why they still use the same 2021 screen, they now only have one size, the board is basically a Mac mini glued inside a screen and they barely produce any. It’s not even stocked at most retailers. | | |
| ▲ | dagmx 7 months ago | parent [-] | | I am flummoxed by your train of thought here, and I really do think part of it is you’re not thinking through what goes into a product. Firstly, look at any tear down. The boards aren’t identical. Beyond that, it still requires specific tooling, specific power delivery and engineering, as well as parts that aren’t shared. So in your weird business view, you think Apple is doing all of that regardless of market share. For what purpose? Then beyond that, they also spend significant money to market it, and again you believe they do so despite a lack of market? Beyond that, they have expensive retail spaces and many products vying for attention. Yet they dedicate significant amounts of space to a product you claim has no market? You also claim they're not stocked at most retailers, yet I can walk into the Best Buy and Staples near me and they have iMacs available. So what incentive would they have? If everything you say is true, then you must surely think Apple is both incredibly stupid and flushing billions of dollars away on a product line that isn’t selling? How about we try approaching this the other way, and you explain why you think Apple would do such a thing, year after year? | | |
| ▲ | RandomThoughts3 7 months ago | parent [-] | | > So in your weird business view, you think Apple is doing all of that regardless of market share. For what purpose? Yes, very much and that’s a good question. I guess they consider the iMac to be important in the branding they want to maintain but money wise, hard to explain. They believe in it so much they are already discounting it right now. A brand new product. It was made completely irrelevant by the Mac Mini lineup with which is a better alternative if you want a desktop. > Then beyond that, they also spend significant money to market it Apple barely does any marketing for the iMac. | | |
| ▲ | dagmx 7 months ago | parent [-] | | So you have a theory that you can’t explain and you believe in strongly, in spite of tons of evidence that counters your theory? You believe it’s simultaneously important to their brand but is a product that has no market? How does that even make sense to you, let alone others? That’s a lot of mental hoops to jump through. Would the simpler answer just be that you’re wrong? And Apple does the same amount of marketing for its iMac as it does for every other Mac. Also, Where are you seeing M4 iMacs at a first party discount? Certainly not on the Apple Store. | | |
| ▲ | RandomThoughts3 7 months ago | parent [-] | | > tons of evidence that counters your theory? Which evidence?
All the evidence points to the iMac being a massive dude slowly being phased out. I don’t think I’m jumping through weird hoops. I think you are in denial because you somehow want the iMac to be a wanted product for a reason I fail to understand (are you on the iMac team?). > And Apple does the same amount of marketing for its iMac as it does for every other Mac. Very funny. Apple does significant marketing for the laptop here in Europe. The iMac could at well not exist. |
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| ▲ | brailsafe 7 months ago | parent | prev [-] | | The difference between your opinion and theirs is that theirs is based on observation, experience, and anecdotes from people who fill that market, and yours is based on speculative extrapolation from a narrower version of observation, anecdotes, experience, based on the fact that you're suggesting it doesn't exist and they've/I've seen it existing. The people who know it to be true will read their thoughts about the market you think doesn't exist, and will agree, and the ones who haven't and don't think it should be rational will agree with you. It does exist. Schools, kids, various platform independent in-office work computers, old people, all kinds; even introducing one layer of complexity and going down one step in prettiness just isn't worth it sometimes. |
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| ▲ | tuna74 7 months ago | parent | prev [-] | | An Apple Studio display has a similar price point to this iMac. |
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| ▲ | EricE 7 months ago | parent | prev [-] | | No kidding. I got my mom to buy a laptop and external display since it wasn't much more than a mini/monitor but for some reason she hates the laptop. It's not rational, she just wants the "simplicity" of a desktop. |
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| ▲ | JumpCrisscross 7 months ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | > the amount of people who would like a desktop computer with no customisability whatsoever You’re massively overestimating both general computer literacy and shits given. Not having to customise anything is a sales pitch for many consumers. > pluging a laptop to a monitor You’re selling me on this iMac. “My computer is broken.” No, the monitor cable popped out when you moved the screen. | | |
| ▲ | RandomThoughts3 7 months ago | parent [-] | | The most important part of my comment is "and wouldn't be better served by actually pluging a laptop to a monitor" and your reply about cable unplugging (really?) lets me think you know it is. I am not even commenting about the ecological disaster than gluing all this together is because, well, it's Apple and Apple never cared anyway. Still disappointing. | | |
| ▲ | JumpCrisscross 7 months ago | parent [-] | | > wouldn't be better served by actually pluging a laptop to a monitor Yes. Lots of people don’t need nor want this. Getting two things to work together is more complicated than one. |
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| ▲ | tuna74 7 months ago | parent | prev [-] | | You can't buy the same monitor that is in the iMac anywhere else so it is really hard to compare. Similar monitors are really expensive. |
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