is it just me,or is the iMac's price going down everytime a newer and Better one comes out?

When the First 17" iMac G5 came out,it was sold at RM5999.The iSight was'nt included though.A few months later Apple announced the iMac G5 with iSight.I bought the 17" model for RM5699.Boy was happy,an iMac G5 with iSight for RM300 less?I was then led to disbelief when i saw the better and faster 17" Core Duo model selling for RM5299.A Mac-indows which is almost 2 times faster than mine for RM400 less??I wished i waited 4 months more.More recently,Apple released the Core 2 Duo model.Almost 1.5x faster than the Core Duo model.Holy Mother of all peaches i almost died when i saw the price quoted at RM3999.I wished i waited a year now.

The next iMac is going to be priced at RM3699 for the 17" model believe it or not.Hmm...Everything is cheaper by the day.Now with the RM3k tax relief for computers announced at the Bajet 07.Life is so much easier for parents and working people.

This post has been edited by psp _BOY: Sep 12 2006, 09:43 PM

Well in my opinion it started to get cheaper coz they are trying to compete with regular pc's, n coincidencely most of the mac's are using regular pc parts which are widely available n most of the time the difference is in the software...

Somehow I think Apple's getting el-cheapoed by the day.... with Int-el-cheapo Macs floating around, it won't be surprise Apple's heading the way of Microsoft, albeit a little monopolistic twist....

you can either keep your iMac and bump the RAM to the max, or dump it now and get the latest iMac....

beware of the following remark:



This post has been edited by Eithanius: Sep 12 2006, 08:30 PM

hmmm,yeah hoho

the issue of Apple dropping prices and releasing new models out of now where is a big thing in Apple's formal discussion forum. Loads of people are unhappy they buy something and in less than few weeks, a newer, more powerful model comes out. From what i read

a. that's the price of chasing technology. we will never win. important thing is study what you plan to buy and if it fits your bill, go for it. dont worry if something new pops out next week or so. your machine still runs the same.
b. spend time going through Mac rumours web. That may provide some tips.

The good thing in Malaysia is that we are `protected' since products dont arrive here so soon. And its quite easy to decide. If price of an IMac drops, we know, something new is coming. So, the buyer has to decide- pay lesser than what others paid for the same model or wait for the new thing and pay premium price. For me personally, if Apple Malaysia offers something cheap and it suits my usage/budget, i will go for it and not try to chase new things...

the only thing i worry is quality? I wonder if IMAc quality is getting better nowadays? I mean the build and durability of parts...

Yea, I agree with you all.

One thing is, whenever I buy an apple product, new product comes out few months later. omg, so fast!!

A Mac last for years. Apple always continue to support older machines. Even Tiger can be ran on a G3. Apple doesn't have much product, so they can only continue to reduce the price and release new machines each few months. It's the same with PC. Every months or weeks, there's bound to be faster stuff and price reductions. It's just that Apple waited until the price reduction is like $100 or so before they reduce it or upgrade it. It's normal stuff. Apple doesn't release/upgrade often, so it seem to us that they upgrade and reduce the price a lot. Buying an Apple means u're on the edge of new technology anyway, be proud of that.

Tax Relief is actually not beneficial compared to before, PIKOM had mentioned that the previous Tax Rebate of RM500.00 is better. The new Tax Relief of up to RM3,000.00 will only benefit ppl with annual income more than RM53,000.00. So its not a big deal..

Some calculation to explain the above:-

To get RM500.00 tax rebate from the new "Tax Relief up to RM3,000.00" you need to be taxed about 16.67%

RM500 / RM 3,000 X 100 = 16.67%

To be taxed 16.67%, your annual income must be about RM53,000.00

Unlike before, regardless of your income, you get RM500.00 rebate immediately.

This post has been edited by civic98: Sep 16 2006, 10:30 AM

It is all about demand and supply. Nothing got to do with el-cheapo really.

With newer innovations, demands increases for Apple products, when demand increases, supply will increase, thus causing more production.

When production is mass, it is difficult for quality control. That explains numerous problems shooting out from Apple's new products. The community used to be small, that's why there were less complains or manufacturer problems in products.

When demand and supply increase, costs will be lower, therefore consumers will get a cheaper price. Plus the fact that Apple is gaining more market share, It has been investing and producing more hence Economies of scale, which again allows prices to be lower.