Fourteen months ago I wrote an editorial, suggesting that Apple should create an ultra cheap machine to battle the PC world. On that article, I suggested some specs for the hypothetical “Strawberry” computer. As technology is moving on fast, I am now updating these specs. To get the idea though, please make sure you read last year’s article before you read on this one.Things to consider before commenting:
* This machine is targetting switchers. Hence the mouse with the wheel and three buttons. Switchers that can’t take the girlie all-in-one eMac and want some PCI expandability and also switchers who are sensitive in prices.
* Such a machine could cannibalize the higher end Apple Macs. Therefore, eMacs, iMacs, Powerbooks, iBooks and PowerMacs should trim down $100 to $200 off their price. I believe that an iMac starting at $999 or an iBook starting at $999, or an eMac starting at $649 have better chances in today’s commoditized PC world and would play better with a release of a “Strawberry” line. In fact, it would be cool if Apple shave off these prices 2 months before the release of the “Strawberry” Mac, to create awareness, and look better in the quarter’s results.
* The CPU that would now be used, would be IBM’s new G3 family that Apple never shipped: “G3 with the Velocity Engine”. This CPU would marketed as “G4-lite”, because if you call it a “G3+”, no one would buy it. It’s a lot like the price of a random product at “$499” sounding better than the same product priced at “$500”.
* No iLife package would be bundled with that machine. Costs must go down. iLife available seperately.
* The fastest model is still slower than the low end eMac. This will help to not cannibalize the eMac sales, which are mostly targetting schools anyway.
* The graphics cards must be able to manage 1600×1200 @ 85 Hz (maximum 2048×1536 @ 60 Hz) just in case the user will use modern 21″ CRTs.
* YellowDogLinux 4.x could be an option. This way Apple could offer both OSX and Linux to diversify within its potential switchers who are bound to be mostly geeks.
* Again, before commenting, make sure you read last year’s, more explanatory on the subject, article.
If these prices seem too low to you, I would go as high as $349 for the Entry model and $499 for the Combo model. But higher prices than these would miss the point of the whole operation.
Having written all that, keep in mind that Apple has made clear in their SEC filing that they are not going to pursue the cheap PC market space, they only want to sell to a higher-end computer market. So, don’t dream too much of the above suggestions… 😉
I would rather like to pay € 700-800 for a “real” Mac, something like a headless iMac G5 or so, with 1 or 2 PCI and one AGP slot.
“Mercedes Benz makes millions cheap cars…they are called Chryslers.”
In Europe Chryslers cost more than Mercedes.
I agree. I would like to see a real G5 mac under $1000. A SP 1.8GHz, combo drive and 160 GByte disk should be doable at that price. 1 AGP and 2 PCI would do it for me as well. Minimal RAM, I can buy my own. I can even do without a mouse and keyboard at this price. On the other hand, TWO OPTICAL DRIVE BAYS please.
When you think about it, the 20″ cinema display is $1299, the 20″ iMac is $1899, so you should be able to get all this for $600. OK, add $100 for packaging and you get $699. OK, mark this up to $899 to make up for the lost sales of DP G5s and you still have something that would sell like hotcakes. At that price, I can justify replacing my G4 867 a couple years sooner.
I believe this would greately expand the market, not cut into sales of high end DP G5s. There is a huge gap between the iMac and the bottom of the G5 line. Some of us simply prefer to have a separate monitor and I already own an apple 20″ monitor.
If increasing market share is everything-just port Os X to Intel chips and sell it for $129! No need to go through this hassle of establishing a separate brand. One requirement-hardware must be certified to run Os X-just as it is to run XP. Then sell other software for extra $$$, iLife-$50, a new better Office software-$200. This will of course mean the end of the Mac as we know it-It is not going to happen unless Apples market share goes to less than 1% and it the last ditch stand for Steve Jobs and Co.
On the other hand, if more and more people who have bought iPods start to buy Macs for their next computer (this is apparently happening), and market share increases, hardware prices will come down eventually. Right now it is the chicken and egg situation. Prices are high because market share is low and vice versa.
Cheers
Why not just use both a Mac and PC. I don’t understand why people have to be one or the other. I’m partial to my mac, but I like using my pc too. I guess people of my generation thinks differently about this whole subject, we’ve now grown up with iPods and Macs and PC’s in schools.
He’s the decider and the boss at Apple. If he decides to make such a machine (which would really be “the computer for the rest of us”), then the entire company will follow him and they could have it launched in record time.
Eugenia’s idea is very good. There are two variables that have to be played with: the technical specs and the retail price. The idea for the product itself is great: the Mac for the Masses, the VW of Macs, the BettleMac, the Maclite, call it what you want. The rest is almost irrelevant: the point is to have a cheap, small, simple headless Mac.
would fit the bill for most offices with an extremely low TCO. For one they would save on downtime caused by the endless proliferation of Winblows viruses…
Can someone tell the reasoning, why Pegasos doesn’t seel (as far as I know) their motherboards as full systems, with all you need, and both Linux + MorphOS preinstalled?
I was curious to get one way back, but don’t want the built-it-yourself attitude. I want *them* to pick the right video cards etc. & set it up for me..
Then again, I do have a Mac. Possibly just because the way I think.
-ak
They do for businesses:
http://www.pegasosppc.com/solutions.php
As long as you have to tinker so much with the software (lack of flash player, nvidia & ati drivers etc. for PPC Linux, installation of Mac OS X on Mac-on-Linux) i thnink the Pegasos is only for home users who are able and want to build their own system, so it would not make mauch sense to offer Pegasos boxes to individuals, let alone distributing them in stores.
This would be pointless for Apple. Why market the “Digital Hub” and sell a machine without iLife.
Thats the essence of Apple, “it all works together”!
Price is not a problem for Apple.
is a pc
ms makes windows media center
windows media player 10
windows portable media player os and devices
windows pocketpc 2003
windows smartphones
more devices work with windows with digital media
more tv tuner card choices
more movie cameras and support software
more digital cameras and support software
more dvd burner choices
more music service choices
more movie download choices work with windows
more portable music players work with windows
more wireless choices
the mac is the odd man out when it comes to being the digital hub.
more like a broken spoke.
yes you may have more choices on hardware, but, do they all work together?
NO.
>is a pc
I assume you mean x86 based pc
>ms makes windows media center
which has succeded oh so well
>windows media player 10
if youre willing to put up with wmp when there are so many better alternatives, even on windows, you are saying you should be ignored in techie discussions
>windows portable media player os and devices
you HAVE heard of the iPod right? you know, that device that apple made the took the entire portable music market by storm. there has yet to be a device to even match it in terms of features and user interface.
>windows pocketpc 2003
http://www.pocketmac.net/ from a google “i feel lucky”.
>windows smartphones
http://www.pocketmac.net/products/pmphone3/pmphone3.html same company
>more devices work with windows with digital media
examples? i assume your talking about 20$ digital cameras and whatnot, many of which dont work with windows xp and never will. “but it runs garbage hardware” is an argument for windows i guess, but not really a good one.
>more tv tuner card choices
yup, here you are correct. when you buy apple, you are buying into a propriatary hardware solution. plus side is everything works together in a far smoother way then you are used to from an x86 frankenputer. minus side is your choices are more limited.
>more movie cameras and support software
note the garbage hardware response. digital cameras being what they are, and at the price they are, analogue cameras are legacy hardware now. im sure that apple 5 1/4″ floppy support is pretty bad now too…
>more digital cameras and support software
a movie camera is a device which work with windows with digital media.
>more dvd burner choices
note the tv tuner response. your getting high quality hardware that is guarenteed to work great with your box, the tradeoff is lack of choice.
>more music service choices
check out apple’s itunes music store market share sometime before you say this is an issue.
>more movie download choices work with windows
are you talking about legally downloading movies? i have zero knowledge about that, so you may be right. if you are talking about illegal ways, i guess bit torrent, ftp, and the irc never made it to the mac. if your talking about kazaa, once again, you are showing yourself to not know what you are talking about.
>more portable music players work with windows
the vast majority are cross platform, and of course theres ipod to look at.
>more wireless choices
yes. i get it. not that much choice in hardware components.
>the mac is the odd man out when it comes to being the >digital hub.
>more like a broken spoke.
i guess if you are very poor, then your argument holds water. if you want quality, then chances are it will work with mac. if you want bargin bin, chances are it wont work with mac, or any subsiquent version of windows as such companys have a way of starting up and dying in a few years. i have more then one friend who has to use their scanner or webcam in linux, they dont have support anymore in windows.
now, reasons to get a mac would be things like having a cpu that doesnt suck, having an operating system that doesnt suck, and having hardware that is guarenteed to work together. eugenia is talking about making this accessible to people who dont want to spend that much on a computer (the email/im/web people, or techies who dont want to put down three grand on a machine they dont know too much about)
“>windows portable media player os and devices
you HAVE heard of the iPod right? ”
i do believe he is referring to ms new portable media center players that have color screens and integrate via windows media player 10 and a pc running windows xp or xp media center edition.
ipods dont play recorded color tv shows and recorded movies etc.
nor do they show color photos from your digital camera.
nor do they play color games…..
pocketpcs do the same things of course but not with as tight an integration as the new device working working with media center edition.
great sales of windows media center? not like windows xp, but it sells large numbers none the less. enough to make apple a lot of money. the whole idea is new and is steadily growing. fact is ms is in the arena and apple isnt.
“>windows media player 10
if youre willing to put up with wmp when there are so many better alternatives, even on windows, you are saying you should be ignored in techie discussions”
i see plenty of discussion giving major props to the new wmp 10. look around a bit and check back with us.
“>windows pocketpc 2003
http://www.pocketmac.net/ from a google “i feel lucky”.”
spend more to get buggy software that is not fully funtional. typical solution on the mac…spend more for 2 button mouse, spend more to get scanner drivers via vuescan etc.
“>more dvd burner choices
note the tv tuner response. your getting high quality hardware that is guarenteed to work great with your box, the tradeoff is lack of choice. ”
sure sure, like the new dual layer 16x pioneer is junk. apple doent put it in their machines now but will a yr from now when they can get better margins on em. in the meantime, $3k macs come with slow 8x burners that dont do dual layer or the + standard.
“having hardware that is guarenteed to work together”
that guarantee didnt hold for powerbook batteries, ibook and powerbook logic boards, ibook and powerbook spotty lcds, or powermac power supplies.
sure sure, the ati and nvidia cards, the seagate hard drives, the pioneer dvd burners, the samsung or crucial ram all take on magical qualities when installed in macs yet they are just error prone trash when in pcs.
hehe, that is funny.
>more movie download choices work with windows
are you talking about legally downloading movies? i have zero knowledge about that, so you may be right. if you are talking about illegal ways, i guess bit torrent, ftp, and the irc never made it to the mac. if your talking about kazaa, once again, you are showing yourself to not know what you are talking about.
Bit torrent, ftp, irc, eDonkey, gnutella, kazaa and gang are all supported on the mac. Bit Torrent, ftp and irc aren’t solely used for downloading warez!!
Most of the Apple Developer updates are downloaded via ftp.
http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/windowsxp_mce2004.asp
“Conclusions
In the year since Windows XP Media Center Edition was first released, my family’s HP Media Center PC has become a fixture in our home, and the primary means through which we interact with the TV. Despite the various issues we’ve had with the software, we’d never give it up, and that is perhaps the highest complement one can pay to any digital device. Thanks to improvements in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004, these devices are even more valuable and reliable, and with price points falling, I have fewer reservations about recommending Media Center PCs to typical consumers. Setup is still confusing, but that’s true for any DVR device, and the extras you get with a full-fledged Windows XP PC should not be overlooked. As the reigning multimedia champ, Windows XP is still the best way to interact with digital music, photos, and videos, and with its neat ten-foot interface, XP Media Center Edition 2004 brings this content out of the home office and into the more comfortable living spaces of your home. Few people now doubt that computer technology and home entertainment are merging, and Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 is the clearest indication yet of that trend. This release is a winner, and an exciting preview of the future.”
http://www.anandtech.com/multimedia/showdoc.aspx?i=2204
from conclusion page–
“Assuming ME and MTV have a few UI enhancements like those we mentioned for the general UI and their plug-ins, we may have a clear HTPC winner (aside from MCE 2004)”
windows media center edition is being opened up this fall to oems and will soon even be available as separate retail purchase for people to build their own. its going mainstream and prices are dropping and sales are going up.
each release has gotten ever better reviews and compared to do it yourself mac, windows (like via an ati all in wonder), or via linux i see mce 2004 winning all reviews.
http://reviews.cnet.com/Media_Center_PCs/4520-3118_7-5083732.html
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1304922,00.asp
and of course the choices on mac are extremely limited…even ati, one of apples longtime oem partners doesnt make their all in wonder cards for the mac.
“>more movie download choices work with windows
are you talking about legally downloading movies? i have zero knowledge about that, so you may be right. if you are talking about illegal ways, i guess bit torrent, ftp, and the irc never made it to the mac. if your talking about kazaa, once again, you are showing yourself to not know what you are talking about.
Bit torrent, ftp, irc, eDonkey, gnutella, kazaa and gang are all supported on the mac. Bit Torrent, ftp and irc aren’t solely used for downloading warez!!”
morpheus came to mac never if i remember right.
kazaa came to mac very late.
macs for the longest time had limewire and the gnuttela network.
did mac users have to wait on bittorrent clients too?
im sorry, i was being sarcastic. i was trying to point out that all the ways of getting high quality movies illegally are available on the mac as well. where it suffers (a bit) is on things like peer to peer filesharing networks, which no self respecting pirate would use anyways (knowledge from a misspent youth, now that i have money and a job (and have grown a sense of ethics in recent years) the only time i break copyright law is in matters of ethics, and is more a form of civil disobedience then anything.
as for that wmc review, all i know is that the first one failed miserably. who knows, this new edition may make it, but the first one was a stupedous flop.
“as for that wmc review, all i know is that the first one failed miserably. who knows, this new edition may make it, but the first one was a stupedous flop.”
stupendous?
as in?
tell us more?
opinion or you have some real data to back up “stupendous flop”?
do you mean like along the lines of the newton?
actually the first version got pretty favorable reviews when compared to do it yourself options…compared to tightly integrated solution like tivo it is not as smooth, but then a tivo doesnt come close to the power and flexibility of mce.
the update to mce 2004 is also free.
that guarantee didnt hold for powerbook batteries, ibook and powerbook logic boards, ibook and powerbook spotty lcds, or powermac power supplies.
Of Course it did. Apple replaced them expeditiously at no cost to the customer.
No one claimed that Apple hardware is perfect, as in no maufacturing defects. Ever manufacturer has issues, there will always be bad components that ship.
BTW, Apple doesn’t make batteries, LG did. My powerbook didn’t have a bad battery. You can’t just generalize a one batch problem.
http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/windowsxp_mce2004.asp
Paul Thurrot writting a pro MS review, who would have thought!!!!
quoting paul thurrot about macs is a thread killer.
this anon guy is in his obsession about macs.
He out zealots mac zealots (in an opposite but equal kind of way).
OS news mac threads are too funny with this guy.
we should take matts opinion on mce when he may well have never seen one and almost certainly hasnt tested dozens of models as part of his job.
trolls have to attack the one review by one person instead of seeing that several are listed and you can do a google of your own and read dozens more.
bottom line is mce gets favorable reviews from nearly all that take a look at it. and again apple has no offering in the space.
apple is the not center of any hub, its the broken spoke with poor third party support and never ending hoops to jumpt through to make things work.
“spend more to get buggy software that is not fully funtional”
PocketMac is NOT a buggy software. Did you use it? I think not.
Anyway, if you want there are Mark/Space solutions, a little bit more professional.
http://www.markspace.com/
Nice: on Mac you have TWO solutions to sync your PocketPC; on Windows you have ONLY ONE solution by Microsoft. There is more freedom of choise about PocketPC syncing on Mac than on Windows. Very nice. 😀
If you don’t like Apple, why do you post on a thread about Apple?
I read ALL Linux thread, but I don’t like it and I don’t post on it: it isn’t my problem.
Get your life, please.
If Apple is going to ignore this market, then a company like Genesi could certainly fill the gap. Their Pegasos-2 Micro-ATX PowerPC motherboard is already shipping, and it runs multiple different versions of linus, Mac OS X (based on MOL), and MorphOS, a next-generation Amiga-like OS.
Genesi is even offering now a Open Desktop workstation pre-loaded with Linux and MorphOS. Check it out at http://www.genesi.lu.
Darren
so lets do a real breakdown of where apple is on the low end
let’s use their lowest priced mac, the emac with combo drive for $799–
it has:
http://www.apple.com/emac/specs.html
M9425LL/A
NO printer included
17″ crt with max res of 1280×960
1.25GHz PowerPC G4
167mhz bus
256MB of PC2700 expandable to 1gb
NO card reader included
40GB Ultra ATA/100
dvd and cd-rw combo drive 8x dvd read and 24x cd-r burn and 10x cd-rw burn
ATI Radeon 9200; 32MB dedicated DDR SDRAM video memory
keyboard and mouse and 1 yr warranty
software bundle (Mac OS X version 10.3 “Panther”, Software Classic environment, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Sherlock, Address Book, QuickTime, iLife (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD (has no value without a dvd burner), GarageBand), iSync, iCal, DVD Player, AppleWorks, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Quicken 2004 for Mac,World Book 2004 Edition, Sound Studio,Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4, Deimos Rising, Zinio Reader, Apple Hardware Test)
and on the pc side we will go with the lowest priced windows pc i have seen
circuit city has emachines t2824 for $349–
it has–
http://weeklyad.circuitcity.com/circuitcity/default.aspx?action=bro…
inkjet printer lexmark z714
with 17″ crt eview17f3 with max res of 1280×1024
2.53ghz celeron d
533mhz bus
256mb pc2100 ram expandable to 1gb
8 in 1 memory card reader
40GB Ultra ATA/100
dvd and cd-rw combo drive 16x dvd read and 48x cd-r burn and 24x cd-rw burn
Intel® Extreme Graphics 3D with 64mb shared memory
keyboard, mouse and 1 yr warranty
software bundle (Windows® XP Home Edition, Microsoft® Works, Microsoft® Money, Encarta Online, Adobe Acrobat® Reader, Norton Antivirus™ (90-day subscription),Internet Explorer 6, Windows Media Player 10, Real Player, Power DVD, Windows Movie Maker)
so what do we get:
pc comes with a printer
pc comes with monitor with higher resolution and is easily replaced, upgraded, or sent off repair without losing use of machine
pc has cpu with double the clock rate (performance is similar however)
pc has bus that is over 3x faster
mac has faster ram
pc comes with an 8 in 1 card reader
both come with identical specced hard drive
pc comes with substantially faster combo drive
mac has a moderately better video card
mac has an optical mouse but the pc comes with 2 button and scroll on mouse
mac has an os more full featured like windows xp pro, the pc comes with just xp home
mac has a more complete software package
pc has legacy parallel and serial ports for old printers etc.
pc has 3 open drive bays, mac has none
pc has 3 pci slots, mac has none
pc has 5 usb 2.0 ports, the mac has only 3 but also has 2 usb 1.1 ports
pc has separate components for ease of repair, upgrade etc.
mac has all in one design for space savings
both have 56k modems
both have 10/100 networking
both are capable of using wireless networking
both have stereo speakers
pc can upgrade its video card easily
pc can easily replace a dead modem or network card
pc can easily upgrade the optical or hard drives
both can have bluetooth added
mac has 2 firewire 400 ports, the pc has none
mac looks better, cooler, whatever you would like to call it
pc has a better future with tower design it can quite easily be upgraded by the end user in nearly every way, using readily available components from a mini atx motherboard, cpus, memory, hard drives, optical drives, pci based video cards etc etc. 2 or 3 or 4 yrs down the road the pc can be overhauled without any fuss.
you judge the difference. the mac costs $799 plus tax and shipping. the PC is $349 plus tax and the hassle of doing rebates.
looking at the above specs and set of features, I’d say apple has a firmly low end machine but it has a mid range price. for the average user looking to surf the web, do email, play with a few photos, play a few basic games, do quicken or money, the pc has more than they need and it costs $450 less.
what can you do with that $450 saved to customize your pc to fit your exact needs? just look in a sales flyer from microcenter, staples, or circuit city, or whoever this week— add as you please:
download and install free zone alarm firewall
purchase norton anti virus 2005 (free or up to $19 on sale on a regular basis)
or download and install free antivirus from computer associates http://www.my-etrust.com/microsoft/
download and install free spybot search and destroy 1.3 http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/
(that is your bug a boo security hysteria taken care of for free)
buy firewire pci card with 3 ports for as little as $5
19″ crt for $79
ms office student teacher for $109
802.11b wireless usb for $19.99
12x +/- dvd burner for $79
kodak 3.2megapixel camera for $129
wireless ms mouse and keyboard for $49
external 120gb usb 2 hard drive for $120
100 pack of 52x cd-r for $15
upgrade to xp pro for $80 for students or edu, $129 for all others
you get the drift, you can do a lot of customizing to make the pc do exactly what you want for that $450 you saved.
we can keep dreaming that apple makes us something affordable for the low end or we can live in the real world and keep buying inexpensive emachines and hps and compaqs and dells when we live on a budget and need just a simple computer.
You can buy Macs from other sellers that offer rebates too.
Why don’t you price it straight from emachines site?
http://www.emachines.com/products/products.html?prod=eMachines_T282…
$399.99
+ montior $109
The emac monitor is better
1280 by 960 pixels at 75Hz
Vs.
the eView 17f3 1280 x 1024 @ 60 Hz
THe deals below give you a vastly superior printer FREE.
Lexmark Z714
. Up to 17 ppm
• Up to 4800 x 1200 dpi
• Borderless photos
• Optional 6-color printing
Epson Stylus C84#
# Print speed: Black: up to 22 pages per minute; color: up to 12 ppm; 4 x 6-inch photo: 1 min 7 sec; 8 x 10-inch photo: 2 min 18 sec (pages per minute based on text memo in Economy mode on plain paper; color photo is in Photo Mode on Epson DURABrite Ink Glossy Photo Paper; additional processing time may vary based on system configuration, software application and page complexity)
# Print resolution: Up to 5,760 x 1,440 optimized dpi using RPM on various media
eMac G4 with free printer
“Receive the Epson Stylus C84 Printer FREE (after mail-in rebates) when you purchase this computer and the Printer (item # 457057) on the same order. All 3 of the following rebates must be redeemed for the printer to be free. Limit one rebate per household, per customer:
[rebate/offer]
[rebate/offer #2]
[rebate/offer #3]
SAVE $200 on Final Cut Express with any Apple CPU purchase! Final Cut Express now only $99! Call 888-294-0256 for details and to place your order.”
http://www.macconnection.com/web/Shopping/Product.htm?catalog%5…
Here is another:
eMac G4 1.25GHz Combo Drive 17″ Flat CRT Display, System Only
Purchase a CPU and a qualifying Epson printer between 7/1/04 & 9/30/04 and get a $29 rebate.
Offer good through Sep 30 2004 11:59PM PST.
Free DVD Player #449447 with any CPU purchase after mail in rebates!
Offer good through Sep 30 2004 11:59PM PST.
FREE 256MB memory upgrade after $49.95 mail-in rebate with purchase of qualifying eMac systems
Offer good through Sep 30 2004 11:59PM PST.
And more:
Buy any Macintosh Computer and a qualifying HP Printer and get up to $99 via mail-in rebate.
Offer good through Sep 25 2004 11:55PM PST.
Buy any Macintosh computer along with .Mac and save $30 on .Mac via mail-in rebate.
Offer good through Sep 25 2004 11:55PM PST.
FREE USB Floppy Drive #253420 with purchase of eMac or iMac after mail-in rebate
Offer good through Sep 30 2004 11:55PM PST.
http://www.macmall.com/macmall/shop/detail.asp?dpno=401764&store=ma…
Here’s another:
* Free Epson C86 Printer
* Save $30 on .Mac Internet Essentials
* Get Final Cut Express for only $99
* Free You Control and You Synchronize
* MYOB FirstEdge for only $29.99
+ also # FREE 256MB*
http://www.zones.com/cgi-bin/zones/site/product/index.html?id=00090…
offers require you pay a $40 installation fee.
“Promotion #422
FREE 256MB memory upgrade after $49.95 mail-in rebate with purchase of qualifying eMac systems
Offer good through Sep 30 2004 11:59PM PST.
Purchase select eMac Systems with a 256MB RAM upgrade & professional installation and qualify for a $49.95 mail in rebate. Requires $39.99 professional installation fee. While supplies last.”
http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.asp?Mfr%2BProductline=eM…
there is 256mb for the emachines with a lifetime warranty for $49.
the memory can be had cheaper elsewhere but wont have the crucial quality and warranty.
and i quoted circuit citys price as the vast majority of emachines pcs are sold in retail stores. the vast majority of macs are however sold by apple directly to consumers via their online and retail stores. you will rarely get any of those deals when buying from apple.
at least in the usa, consumers are exposed to those super low prices for pcs on tv ads, radio ads, and in the weekly sunday paper for emachines, hp, and compaq at a wide variety or retailers:
staples
officemax
officedepot
compusa
fryes
bestbuy
costco
walmart
circuit city
etc etc
and i quoted circuit citys price as the vast majority of emachines pcs are sold in retail stores. the vast majority of macs are however sold by apple directly to consumers via their online and retail stores. you will rarely get any of those deals when buying from apple.
Stop quibbling, accept defeat. Buying straight form any manufacturer other than dell, limits you to the deals they offer. Case in point, emachines.com as was posted above doesn’t offer a free printer.
The monitor offered by Circuit City with the deal is pretty bad 1280×1024 @60hz, come on. The best resolution on that thing is possibly 1024×768. I am pointing this out becuase you listed resolution as a + for the emachines deal.
You have been proven worng so many times it’s not even funny. Give up.
Ooh look, crucial has the same deal for the eMac. $49 lifetime warranty.