Tue, 03 Mar 2009 Apple updates iMac, Mac Pro and Mac mini

David said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

After having waited 8 months for an iMac update I am officially pissed off.

Old Core2Duo's for just under a £1000, what planet are they on?!?!?

Custom AMD Phenom II for me, should compliment my MacBook nicely.

James said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Wow. All that time and the Mac Mini is still exactly the same form factor, complete with white plastic. Oh Apple, you spoil us.

James said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Wow. All that time and the Mac Mini is still exactly the same form factor, complete with white plastic. Oh Apple, you spoil us.

Tom said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

£499 for a Mac mini is laughable!

Drew said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Entry level iMac up £150!! Is the apple management completely certifiable???? I think that should put a dent in their (formerly growing) market share.

Chris said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Good god! I've only just checked the prices for the Mini and iMac. What a joke, what an absolute joke. I was all set to upgrade my parents Mac too. Think it's time to start looking around for a PC.

Jamie said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Rehashed and price hikes - saw that coming. Apple are officially cr@p!

Ron said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

I'm all for bumping up the spec but not the price...at least not by an extra £150 - £200 quid. Especially not in the current climate. Are they trying to drive potential customers away?

Nick said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

es, it certainly seems like they've taken the opportunity to bump up the prices: £1900 for a base level Mac Pro, whereas you could previously get a CPU and graphics upgraded Pro for £1800. Shame on you, Apple.

benfrain.com said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Somebody in the UK Apple Marketing dept needs a slap on the wrist. Correct me if I'm wrong but the new slogan is - '24" iMac - now starts at £1199' - wasn't it cheaper than that before (£1149 for a 2.8GHz model?) I know they upgraded the bus speed etc but shared graphics memory in a 24" iMac seems a bit...poo, no?

VJ said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

No wonder they are loosing so much ground in the desktop market!!

MacWorld Reader said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Sometimes it's great not to wait. But for those who did - go refurb. Apple have started being really generous with refurb prices online and I think one of the reasons they put prices up is so that the old stock shifts quickly - once it has shifted then hopefully prices will come down or new low end models will appear - as happened with the MacBook.

As updates become increasingly incremental, expect more of these rises.

Tom said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Apple's new pricing works as a new, never before seen marketing strategy – they advertise a Mac mini at £499 and we end up buying a Macbook instead. I bet the new Mac mini
doesn't really exist. It's there just to p*ss us off and buy something else.

wesley said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

using a mac and xp at work i have to say i am not impressed with macs or osx, i really dont see the benefit of paying way over the odds for equipment just to do a job, if you dont mind paying extra for the 'brand' thats your business, but as a small business owner price has to factor in and currently a pc with windows xp is far more versatile and afordable. I like macs but the price is just crazy especialy in the current economical climate. Has apple also removed firewire from its latest offferings, apple seem to cut back on everything and charge more for it!

Ron said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

I'm all for bumping up the spec but not the price...at least not by an extra £150 - £200 quid. Especially not in the current climate. Are they trying to drive potential customers away?

Allan Johns said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Couldn't all these prices reflect the strength or lack of strength of the pound against the dollar?

Allan Johns said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Couldn't all these prices reflect the strength or lack of strength of the pound against the dollar?

wesley said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

if it was just the value of the pound effecting orice we would see the avaerage pc increasing by £100 or more, yet we don't see these as there is competition that keeps prices down, apple has a monopoly which is very bad for everyone

Slinky said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

@Allan Johns Sssshhh.... don't say anything sensible when you can just rant about Rip Off Britain / Apple like a mad soothsayer on BBC's HYS.

steve said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Make no mistake. This really is the beginning of the end for Apple Computers. These prices really are back to the bad old days and people simply will not pay the premium.
I for one am, for the first time in 15 years going to buy a PC instead of a Mac.

John Crawford said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

@Wesley

Apple clearly does not have a monopoly. You said it yourself. You can simply buy a PC and run XP!

John Crawford said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

@ Slinky
Well said!

@Steve
Where did you buy your crystal ball?
Enjoy your PC with Windows.

artist pr said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

A year ago when we were at nearly 2 dollars to the pound I suspect we would have seen different price points in the UK, more aligned to the US prices. Given the current climate and the competition for business in the UK I think someone at Apple needs to get a reality check. I guess I'll have to wait for the economy to improve before changing my iMac again.

Kevin said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

has anyone noticed that the GT 120 upgrade kit is only compatible for the early 2009 Mac Pro, er, you mean the current MacPro you're selling Apple. Yet the ATU 4870 is compatible with the MacPro 2008.

Am I missing something here, I bought a new MacPro, Xmas 2008, and yet it can't use the GT 120!

Not happy at all.. The ATI 4870 upgrade kit costs £280!

@John Crawford said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

I think Apple is doing a good job selling windows at the moment. I wont be upgrading either my Mac's unless the price drops.

mvn said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Roll on Windows 7 as Apple appear to be falling on their sword with regard to pricing.

mv said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

@Ron, Are they trying to drive potential customers away?

Yes, potential customer for entry point desktop for iphone development, waited months for imac updates and now 200 pounds more expensive with marginal update. The 20inch screen is still 6bit!

kamal said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

I never would have thought my last mac purchase was going to be the last!!!!

Jenny Day said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Oh for goodness sake Apple - A NETBOOK NOW! Please!

Chris said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Apple just lost a customer by raising its prices. I was ready to buy a computer as soon as the announcement came out, however, I was not expecting such enormous price hike.

The comments in this website reflect the bad publicity Apple is getting as a result of this decision. I hope consumers remember this next time they look to upgrade their computers.

Shame on you Apple!!

Phil said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

I was ready to buy a Mac Pro today but this has really put me off. I know the pound is weak at the moment but I really cannot see apple reducing its prices if this changes...

ronald said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

the top spec mac pro would cost £15,000!!!!!!!!!!!

rico said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Having waited weeks to buy my parents their first iMac I was appalled to find the 20" entry model (good enough for most light users) has gone up to £950. At current exchange rates $1199 for the same model in the US equates to £850 - someone in Apple Marketing obviously thinks they should be getting a banker's bonus...

GRW said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Another customer lost (at least for the next 12 months). At these prices, I'm not going to replace my aging desktop PC with either a MP or an iMac, both of which I was considering.

Sure the pound is not helping matters, but this pricing is ludicrous across all territories. A clever company prices to market ...

But a £400 price rise on the top of the range iMac for just an extra 2Gb of Ram and 500Gb of HD space?

Poor, Apple. Very poor.

GRW said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Another customer lost (at least for the next 12 months). At these prices, I'm not going to replace my aging desktop PC with either a MP or an iMac, both of which I was considering.

Sure the pound is not helping matters, but this pricing is ludicrous across all territories. A clever company prices to market ...

But a £400 price rise on the top of the range iMac for just an extra 2Gb of Ram and 500Gb of HD space?

Poor, Apple. Very poor.

Ben said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Remember US prices don't include tax at 15%!!!! Take VAT off of the new entry level iMac and you get £808. At today's exchange rate that's $1,137 or $62 less than the same machine in the US!!!!

Rich said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Yes, as Ben has stated (beating me to it) - all US store prices exclude VAT and often their tax exceeds 15% with various state taxes added on.

What you must remember is that Apple is not a UK company. They are a US company and they price their products in US dollars, not sterling. As a consequence, now is not a great time to buy a mac. The time to buy a mac was last year when products were revised and there were $2 to the pound.

If you want an imac look around and you can pick the now old 20 inch version with 2.4ghz processor, 1gb of ram and 250gb hard drive for £759 on the KRCS website and they are an apple premium retailer. Fair enough you'll need a bit more ram which will set you back £20 but thats a bargain.

Otherwise, bite the bullet and pay £950 or wait until the pound strengthens against the dollar. Please dont sit there whining on about how apple have put their prices up because they havent - in dollars, the price has come down

Al said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Take it or leave it. Technology costs. In the case of the Mac Pro 2009, just the CPUs alone purchased seperately will cost you £800-900 each. Look at what you are actually getting.

Bilbo said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

"Technology costs" - yes but most companies are not applying price hikes at the moment. The price of CPU's and memory is dropping so fast at the moment - seem's no one told Apple.

James T said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

With the 38% drop in desktop sales last year I can only see it getting worse in the coming year.

Dan P said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Oh dear. I have been waiting for 6 months to upgrade my old iMac as I was hoping for more bang for my buck but now I won't bother. A price hike for no real benefit! C'mon Apple how daft in today's climate. One sale lost....

wesley said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

just by a pc, save yourself a lot of money, you wont be disapointed, most user just need email, web and bit of photo editing. Why pay extra for an apple badge!
When it was 2$ to the GBP apple did not have very good exchange rates either, face it, if you buy an apple its for the image, and you will help apples profits not your own pocket

Mikee said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Rich, are you nuts?

15% taxes in the states?

The only sales tax I pay in Utah is 6.5%. Not sure what you've been smoking, but I can't think of any area in the US where taxes reach even close to 15%.

Mikee said on Tue, 03 Mar 2009

Rich, are you nuts?

15% taxes in the states?

The only sales tax I pay in Utah is 6.5%. Not sure what you've been smoking, but I can't think of any area in the US where taxes reach even close to 15%.

PC User said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

I'm a PC user and my components keep getting faster and faster for less $$. Gratz Mac on solidifying your elitist market share!

PC User said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

wait maybe I should say ignorant elitist market share.

PC User said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

wait maybe I should say ignorant elitist market share.

oby said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

wait wait, you guys all thought apple`s prices were GOOD until now ? Please, this is definetly no surprise. At least developers get return from iphone development but the official userbase paying THAT for checking email, chatting and doing some image work ? lol

hardmanb said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

I've waited eight months for the iMac refresh, and will probably wait until June, when I can get Snow Leopard preinstalled free. The new 24' models have screen, RAM, speed, graphics and other improvements and look good.

In the meantime, I'll keep on using my six year old iMac G4. Looking forward to the new one, though.

David A said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

This is exactly why I will never buy one of these gutless machines. They're ripping all of you people off. If you ask me I think Mr. Jobs is a little too greedy. Why would you pay almost $2000 for an inferior machine as opposed to paying $800 to $1000 for a PC that offers you way more power , bells and whistles? I just don't get it.

David A said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

This is exactly why I will never buy one of these gutless machines. They're ripping all of you people off. If you ask me I think Mr. Jobs is a little too greedy. Why would you pay almost $2000 for an inferior machine as opposed to paying $800 to $1000 for a PC that offers you way more power , bells and whistles? I just don't get it.

anon said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

With the cost of Apple desktops being so high and the failings of Windows Vista maybe more people (small business & public sector organisations) will begin to explore Linux as a viable alternative?

I have been using Debian for 5 years and can't imagine going back to using proprietary software. If I can do it, anybody can.

mv said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

Its amazing what rubbish people come out with just to defend Apple prices! They are a large multinational like all the others out to get as much money as any other, no matter what you say they prices have gone up outside the US for all products. So buy a PC as they offer better value and do almost everything (email, word processing, internet, media). I can see Windows 7 blowing mac desktop market share further downwards.

mark ryder said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

no new icore7 chips?
no fanfair on this release (because its such a 'low grade')
clearly a patch while steve's away..
oh well at least they moved forward with the mac pro even if its (8core) not availiable for almost a month?

mark ryder said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

Oh yes...I remembers an apple exec saying "the best is yet to come" now I think that must still be their catch phrase with the release of this 'low grade computer models'.
there is nothing in these patches that warrants users upgrading...its just a way to squeeze a few more profits from a desperately old set of computer models..icore7 chips please...Iand snow leopard ASAP

Dave G said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

Take a deep breath and consider 2 things before you start slagging Apple off, both of which are OUTSIDE OF APPLE's CONTROL:

1. Apple US prices do not include VAT - ours do. So there's 15% difference.

2. The £ rate has fallen from over $2.00 to $1.40 in the past year. Just look at guitars, bicycles, trainers - just about any premium product from the US and you'll see they've all increased in price in £s.

If you want to compare to Dell, then go ahead, but why compare a premium product to a run-of-the-mill piece of c%$p? If you don't understand that then a Mac is probably not for you anyway, just like you'd probably prefer a Ford to an Audi.

Charlie said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

It is very typical of a large american corporation not understanding overseas markets. Apple seem to excell at this.

V Meldrew said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

"probably prefer a Ford to an Audi" - no Apple desktops are Skoda at best!

Dennis said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

Apple US may say that the pound has gone down against the dollar so price increases are unavoidable. However, Macs are not made in the USA and the recent strength of the dollar means that they are BUYING them CHEAPER from their suppliers. Heads they win tales you lose?

system16 said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

So now Apple are offering last years top of the range imac with more ram and a bigger hdd (which i'd expect anyway from an 8 month update), for £300 more!!!! It's the same 3.06ghz cd2 for £300 more!! and the same 8800gs just rebranded for £300 more!!!!

mv said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

"no Apple desktops are Skoda at best"...

Actually a Skoda is a quality car these days, always appears top of car owners surveys. And Apple is a quality brand, its just a pity their entry point to ownership keeps increasing while the rest of the technology products fall.

mv said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

"If you want to compare to Dell, then go ahead, but why compare a premium product to a run-of-the-mill piece of c%$p?..."


Its easy to compare as majority of internal parts are the same as a Dell and others made in the same type of factory in China, all apple have is a quality operating system and good industrial design to wrap around the run of the mill components. There is no magic once you look under the bonnet, in fact the imacs are falling behind in technology.

Big Nose said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

"Apple is a quality brand" - used to be, it's all made in China by the same people who make Lenovo and every other bit of tat.

rogerh said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

Apple haven't increased prices in the US. The UK prices reflect a 40% change in the exchange rate over the last twelve months. It'll be interesting to see how they price any old models in the Refurb Store.

rogerh said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

Why do some PC users visit a Mac web site to post negative comments about Apple? Very odd.

Big Nose said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

I am an Apple user and have been for 5 years!!! But it is not as good as people rate and very expensive when it goes wrong.

nothappy said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

@rogerh:
because they used to be mac users!
like me. apple has totally lost the plot. cheerio.

Dave G said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

@ mv "all apple have is a quality operating system and good industrial design"

Is that "all"??? The OS is worth the difference alone. Not to mention the excellent iLife for FREE, better build quality, MUCH better aesthetics and the highest customer support satisfaction in the industry (by far). Is that "all"? ;-)

Again, if you don't appreciate these things go ahead and buy a Dell and stop moaning (and "enjoy" the experience. No one's forcing you to buy a Mac.

Dave G said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

@ mv "all apple have is a quality operating system and good industrial design"

Is that "all"??? The OS is worth the difference alone. Not to mention the excellent iLife for FREE, better build quality, MUCH better aesthetics and the highest customer support satisfaction in the industry (by far). Is that "all"? ;-)

Again, if you don't appreciate these things go ahead and buy a Dell and stop moaning (and "enjoy" the experience. No one's forcing you to buy a Mac.

@DaveG said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

I use iLife - whoopee. I get the same from Picasso and that is also FREE, with FREE updates.

I moved to OS X 3 years ago and have found nothing outstanding, only I can't play decent games anymore.

"No one's forcing you to buy a Mac." and there is no longer an incentive.

rogerh said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

"because they used to be mac users!"

Yet still feel the need to hang around Mac sites. Obviously there's something missing in their lives.

Ah-Ha said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

"Yet still feel the need to hang around Mac sites. Obviously there's something missing in their lives." No - just mocking the afflicted

rogerh said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

"because they used to be mac users!"

Yet still feel the need to hang around Mac sites. Obviously there's something missing in their lives.

Ah-ha said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

"Yet still feel the need to hang around Mac sites. Obviously there's something missing in their lives." No - still mocking the afflicted

SammyD said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

i am a mac user, but i do wonder is it worth it. there isnt much difference now mac is intel. and i do say to people who are pc that they might as well stay pc because its not worth switching. macs still crash (kernel panics) they just dont call it 'crash' pc users arnt deprived of anything in fact its the other way round. itunes is now defunct. no wonder apple shares fell 50 per cent, analysts see the writing on the wall. the next bail out might be apple if they sell premium products no one can afford.

MB said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

People, I felt the same when I'd waited for new MacBooks only to see the price go up £100+. But, I paid for it and boy am I glad. Just buy what you intended. You won't regret it!

Paul said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

Sorry Apple, was about to move over to the imac platform. But with these crazy prices looks like i'm going to have to stick to the pc :(

wesley said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

ilife is not a business tool, mac for business is not a good match, the os is overated, i use both mac and pc and there really is not much bewteen them apart from price, sure some pcs are built poorly but thats at the budget end, and how may problems have apple had with the build quality over the years, lots, the white macbook for one is doged with faults from sub standard cases to fading colour

Binky said on Wed, 04 Mar 2009

Even the iPhone 3G's are showing cracks. Mass production has it's down sides.

Eliarsghost said on Thu, 05 Mar 2009

I am also greatly disappointed by Apple's price hike. I disagree with the arguement that this is because if the current exchange rate as Apple would have adjusted all priced but the Macbooks start at just over £700 as they did before the pound slumped.

I was really looking forward to a revised iMac but I think Apple have also missed a trick by not adding the i7 processor to the range.

CT said on Thu, 05 Mar 2009

I was ready to buy a new Mac Mini with 4Gb memory, but I think I will stay with my currect one for a while. I had expected, after all the gossip and rumors, to have a new look system, but it looks like they have simply used the same frame, without the two port firewire, added new graphics and more memory. A real shame, as there is huge interest in this and they have really wasted a prime opportunity. I think if they had upgraded the unit itself, added more ports and plug-ins, then people would not be reacting so much to the marked price increase. I will probably wait for the November MacExpo in London as you can get a cheaper price there.

CT said on Thu, 05 Mar 2009

I was ready to buy a new Mac Mini with 4Gb memory, but I think I will stay with my currect one for a while. I had expected, after all the gossip and rumors, to have a new look system, but it looks like they have simply used the same frame, without the two port firewire, added new graphics and more memory. A real shame, as there is huge interest in this and they have really wasted a prime opportunity. I think if they had upgraded the unit itself, added more ports and plug-ins, then people would not be reacting so much to the marked price increase. I will probably wait for the November MacExpo in London as you can get a cheaper price there.