Is the Mac Mini a Change of Strategy for Apple?
Itâs long been known Apple hardware is rather expensive. You can get to $3,000 if you want a top of the line G5, and thereâs still room to expand for another several hundred dollars. Apple hardware is long known for quality, and performance. Itâs also known for cost.
The Mac Mini is the first of a new category of computers for Apple. While some feel itâs a reincarnation of the G4 Cube, and others see it a stripped down eMac, itâs a whole new beast, at least from a business point of view.
The Mac Mini symbolizes the first true economy PC Apple has marketed to date. Not only does it carry the tradition of Apple engineering, but it has an affordable price tag. One that some Slashdot readers find hard to beat. Another example of this new economy idea is the iPod Shuffle, a cheaper iPod.
Is this a freak in the product line? Or the beginning of a trend? According to some sources, the eMac (in addition to PowerBooks) have now entered âEnd of Lifeâ status. The eMac has long been criticized for itâs lack of power, flexibility, and overall selling potential. Most recently by PC Magazine. This is the previous low-end Apple computer, and current 2nd place. Now that the eMac is at End of Life status, Apple has a chance to revamp the line. Apple could easily take the approach of a lower cost offshoot of the new iMac. Another option is to think outside the box. Keep the same design, but upgrade the CPU, Graphics Card, and add DVD-R capabilities for all models. What Apple needs to be careful of is making sure it doesnât cost substantially more than the Mac Mini. Any more than it would to hook up a CRT display to the Mac Mini will mean a flop.
Apple has a low end Educational market. Thatâs what the eMac was intended for. And thatâs who mainly has been buying it. Apple canât afford to loose any more of a foothold in this market, as itâs long been a haven of Macs. While not dominant anymore, there is still value in education.
Apple needs a cheap education product. And unlike the mini, it needs to include more. Keyboard, Mouse, and Display. Educational users arenât quite as concerned about size and appearance, though they do prefer things slightly bigger than a mini for security reasons (easier to steal small things). If Apple can deliver to this market, and keep this new found low-cost attitude, Apple may start making strides towards a whole new market.
Appleâs new market provides a whole new outlet for their products. An audience who always viewed Apple products as âexpensiveâ and âout of reachâ can now experience the Mac OS, and the simplicity and style of Apple hardware and software.
Products Mentioned
The products mentioned in this article are:Mac Mini (G4 1.25GHz, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB HD)
Mac Mini (G4 1.42GHz, 256 MB RAM, 80 GB HD)
1 GB iPod Shuffle
512 MB iPod Shuffle
eMac (1.25 GHz G4, 256 MB RAM, 80 GB HD, SuperDrive)
eMac (1.25 GHz G4, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB HD)
