A standalone monitor with the new iMac’s panel would be perfectly reasonably priced at about $1500. From Dell. Apple’s only charging $200 more than that for theirs, and there’s an entire high-end computer stuck to the back of it.
When they mentioned on last week’s quarterly earnings call that they expected lower profit margins for a new product, I don’t think anyone expected a change of this magnitude. How are they making anything — or even not losing money — with the base-model 27” iMac?
My guess: a massively successful negotiation with the panel’s manufacturer (most likely LG) to get not only an incredible price on these panels, but also apparent exclusivity for a while. It’s a hell of an accomplishment, and presumably a hell of an effort, for a computer that isn’t even Apple’s most-selling model (or even product line). That raises a more interesting question: Why?
Until we know why the panel is so cheap, I bet we’re going to see a lot of Mac Pro owners buying 27” monitors for $1700 and trying to figure out what to do with the free computer stuck to the back. For new-computer shopping, a lot of people are going to abandon whichever laptop or Mac Pro they were considering and get this instead.
Sorry, I think Apple’s bending everyone’s minds here. While I agree the new iMac’s panel is extremely high end, I believe LCDs at this size have a huge margin built in. Just look at the current prices: 19” for $120, 22” for 150, 24” for 180, and then.. $1700 for this so-called good deal. For anyone other than a celebrity or a pro, you could just get a plain old 32” 1080p for under $600, which is around a third of this price. The decision is yours on whether the specs are actually worth the 3x price hike.
post, marco writes about...we already know:...shiznit (in...
internet agrees…....my iPhone Tumblr app when he first typed it up
hadn’t even really thought...27” iMac. It just seemed like
find any “Apple tax.” Here’s...he found, read his post
last-gen 24” iMac also used...panels—it just wasn’t advertised. So I’m not sure how
See also, https://twitter.com/stevenf/status/5023486458 This feeling,