Since the information surfaced about Apple’s imminent announcement of a flat-panel iMac to replace the original all-in-one design, speculation has been swirling about the price point. Specifically about how Apple will make it affordable for the average consumer to afford an entry-level machine equipped with a notoriously expensive flat-panel display.
Since the information surfaced about Apple’s imminent announcement of a flat-panel iMac to replace the original all-in-one design, speculation has been swirling about the price point. Specifically about how Apple will make it affordable for the average consumer to afford an entry-level machine equipped with a notoriously expensive flat-panel display.
It is important to realize that the prices of LCDs are dropping rapidly and Apple is already realizing the benefits of its US$100M investment in Samsung Electronics in 1999. As a result Apple has moved to an entirely LCD-based monitor line with the announcement of the new 17-inch Apple studio Display (US$999) and the price drops on the 15-inch (US$599) and 22-inch ($US2,499) models.
The switch to an entirely LCD-based monitor line with their proprietary Apple Display Connector (ADC: a single cable carries the digital graphics, power, and USB signals to the display) also means that Apple does not sell a monitor that you can natively connect to a PowerBook – but that is the subject of an entirely different editorial.
Reader Johnny Tindal points out that IBM is selling their new NetVista x40i all-in-one PC with 15-inch LCD display, 1 GHz processor, 20 GB HDD and 128 MB RAM for only US$1262.
A 14.1-inch LCD iMac for under US$1300 is not out of the question!
