>From Thinksecret.com... http://www.thinksecret.com/news/g3imacg4towers.html
Adios G3 iMacs; G4 towers August 13 July 12, 2002 - Think Secret has confirmed Apple has tentatively scheduled August 13 as the rollout date for new, faster Power Mac G4 systems and will quietly discontinue its most popular Mac ever, the all-in-one, classic iMac over the next few months. In what has been "standard procedure" for CEO Steve Jobs, neither announcement is expected to be made during his keynote address next Wednesday, July 17. Jobs and Apple historically do not talk about un-announced products and hardly ever officially announce the end of a product line. There is no reason to think this policy will change on either of these products, sources report. As we mentioned earlier this week, Apple announced a $300-$500 mail-in rebate offer on Power Mac G4 systems with the purchase of either a 17-inch Studio Display, 22-inch Cinema Display, or 23-inch Cinema HD Display. The promotion is Apple's effort to clear existing inventory of systems that have slowed to a crawl worldwide before announcing new systems. Historically, Apple has timed new product announcements to the end of promotions, and sources have confirmed this time it will be no different. "The G4/display promotion ends August 12," an un-named source inside Apple said. "The new systems will be announced the next day, or at least that's the plan at this point. It's that simple." It is expected the new models will include speed-bumps to at least 1.2GHz and a new motherboard design. Sources have squashed for good any rumor that USB 2.0 will be part of the new professional systems. It is also expected that once the new systems ship (which might not be immediately after August 13), they will ship with Mac OS X version 10.2. As for the low-end, all-in-one iMac systems priced at $799 and $999, sources say they will quietly and quickly be discontinued, and replaced by the recently announced 17-inch eMac as the signature all-in-one system. It is not known if Apple will release additional eMac models in different price ranges and colors to spread the line out. If it does not, it is a clear sign Apple is happy with its positioning of low-end, CRT-based systems. The death of the G3-based iMac is clearly the end of an era for a computer that revived Apple as a major player in the PC industry. As technology has evolved, LCD prices fallen, and margins shrunk on iMac systems, it was inevitable that the classic iMac would soon see closure. If Apple does not rollout an eMac system below $1000, it is another clear sign the company feels its tests in the sub-$1,000 market with the iMac have proven of little consequence, which many industry analysts and dealers will agree with. For most dealers, low-end iMacs have been a "loss-leader," bringing in less than $70 profit per unit. In some instances, larger computer stores, such as MicroCenter, have marked up $799 and $999 iMacs an additional $25 to make it worth their while in stocking them. Return to main page -- The iMac List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | - Epson Stylus Color 580 Printers - new at $69 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> iMac List info: <http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/imac-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
