$499 Mac on MWSF'05?

Trust me, it's fake. It's a cardboard box with paper taped to it. It's fairly obvious once you realize it. ;)

I think these people are on the right track, though. If the Apple machine actually exists, and is at all similar to this, it should sell like hotcakes.
 
I'd assume a media centre would have a power input, video in and out, some cables, and most importantly a remote control! Nah, this is a fake. Its a very well done fake, but a fake nonetheless.

Did anyone else notice that this looks like the same elevator setting used for the fake iMac G5 pictures 6 months ago? What about the strange colouration effect on the slot in the last photograph? Or the fact that the styrofoam does not seem to be the right shape?

I think it is two 12" iBook shells and a careful application of Gaffa tape. :)

Good work though, whoever the faker is. It wouldn't surprise me if a few rebels within Apple are thinking different by releasing these misleading images ... I wonder what Apple's engineers really think of the rumor sites.
 
Well, let's get back to the rumour then. Whether that box is a fake or not does not deny that there's the rumour of a 'cheap' (499 or 599 USD) headless Mac around. And I personally think it won't be a 'media centre' device but rather a 'normal' low-end Mac. Nothing fancy with video. Sure, you can still hook it up to your TV or video beamer - but then again you can also do that with a PowerMac or an iBook. The difference may be that this device _fits_ your home system better, because it _is_ a slim desktop after all.

I think it's simply the device that'll bring over many more switchers and - even more importantly - those who think they'll keep their PC and add such a cheap Mac to the arsenal - only to find themselves buying a 'real' Mac when the time comes around to upgrade either the PC or the Mac and get rid of one system totally...

But also think about business... Put twenty of those with MS Office plus an Xserve into a building, and suddenly you can think less about viri, system updates etc. Plus: They're cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeap!
 
You're right Arden, that is fascinating reading. I especially like the point about pricing. I can quite readily believe that the existence of a low-end headless Mac might be real, but that the price point is completely made-up. (A source of mine estimated that if such a system existed, it would have to retail for at least $599 to $799, simply based on the cost of the components listed and the pricing on competing products by Apple and competitors, such as IBM's ThinkCentre S)

So how many of the forum-goers and rumour watchers will be crying foul when Apple launches a great new product at a price thats higher than ThinkSecret predicted?
 
A lot of the people will honestly not care if it's higher than 499. Most - and I dare say this without a sneer - Mac Users seem to be almost against a lower priced Mac. It might dilute their user base, or something from the way that prior low-priced Mac sans monitor rumors has been past shot down because it's not a "wanted thing"...

But as far as I go... bring it on. Under 750.00 preferably.

The rest... glad you can afford 3k for your computer. I did that twice already... I got three people in my life that need cheap machines because I'll be the one probably buying them, and it's easier to use and maintain than Windows OS machines.

And a virii-less Mac that's cheap will not hit my pockets like the continuous flights and/or phone calls to them.
 
Unfortunately, when it comes to MacMacs, there's no way to win. There are people who will bitch and moan that Apple doesn't have any sub-$1000 machines (with a few, somewhat out-of-date exceptions); however, if Apple releases the rumored cheap computer and it starts selling like the iPod did (which it could, with aggressive marketing), they will complain that they are no longer members of an elite group.

If you know somebody like this, please do all of us a favor and take them to MacMacs Anonymous. :D
 
Arden said:
Unfortunately, when it comes to MacMacs, there's no way to win. There are people who will bitch and moan that Apple doesn't have any sub-$1000 machines (with a few, somewhat out-of-date exceptions); however, if Apple releases the rumored cheap computer and it starts selling like the iPod did (which it could, with aggressive marketing), they will complain that they are no longer members of an elite group.

If you know somebody like this, please do all of us a favor and take them to MacMacs Anonymous.
Click to expand...
HAHA! That's the funniest, and truest, things I've read about some Mac users and their fanaticism.
 
I knew that iHome was fake from the start but when Arden mentions the whole "piece of paper" thing...you totally can see the paper/stickers haha.

Suckazzzz. :p
 
It seems like the rumor mill is running overtime this year - I hope to see really cool stuff in a few hours (I work about 4 blocks from Moscone Center) - how much remains to be seen... but with all the rumors (I counted 16 in the forums here and I probably missed some.) This is either going to be an exciting Macworld, or a <yawn> bummer.

My only hope is that the $499 headless iMac is not too much like a Mac - if it is, it will cut into existing Mac sales (and the fat margins that go with them) I want Apple to gain market share too, but we all saw in the late '90s how dangerous such a gambit can be. Above all else I want a healthy Apple to be there to torment M$FT for the next several decades...
 
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