Cheap Headless Mac coming?

Before you read this, I should point out that MyMac is NOT, I repeat NOT a rumor site. The only reason I bring this to the table is because I’ve talked about it so much. OK? Are we clear? Eeeeexcelent! On with the blog.

This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who regularly reads my stuff, but I feel that Apple is in desperate need of a cheap headless Mac (cMac? lcMac? nMac? Choose your own label). I have been harping on this since before I starting writing for MyMac. Well, maybe some dreams come true sunshine.

According to the fine folks over at Think Secret , Apple may indeed have the answer to my prayers. You click on this LINK for the full story but I’ll break it down for you here.

The new low-cost Mac, according to Think Secret, is said to be priced at $499 (WOW!). It is supposed to be powered by a 1GHz plus (they actually said 1.25GHz) G4 processor in a flat enclosure roughly the same height as an Xserve with video outputs that support both VGA and DVI. A combination CD-R/DVD drive (with a rumor-rumored SuperDrive as an available option), a 40 to 80 Gig Hard Drive, 256MB of RAM, and the usual ports found on any new Mac to include:

USB 2
FireWire 400
10/100 Ethernet
56K Modem
Airport Extreme slot

Software is to include iLife (minus iDVD if there is no SuperDrive) and AppleWorks.

I suppose I should be giddy at the prospect of this since I have screamed and yelled and thrown web-based temper tantrums over Apple not really having an entry level computer, but I have to wonder if this is just a little too late to be true. Yes, I know about the eMac, but this isn’t a true entry-level machine (even though I called it a great starter machine in another article) since it has a built-in monitor IMO

With the exception of the eMac and the current portable line, Apple is moving swiftly into 64 bit processor land. Its flagship OS X is getting more and more 64 bit code built into it. Tiger (10.4) will be able to be installed on my 32 bit G4 machines (2002 933MHz QuickSilver and 2004 933MHz iBook), but beyond that the waters are somewhat murky.

Panther (10.3) has now been around for about a year and a half. I expect that Tiger will have a similar lifespan so we are looking at late 2006 early 2007 for the next revision (Ocelot? Chinese Desert Cat? Iberian Lynx?). Chances are, many if not all of the 32 bit G4 based Macs won’t be able to run it. Don’t scoff. IBM is already gearing up their next gen PowerPC processor (Apple will probably be really original and call it the G6), and certainly we will have machines that will use them. How lowly will the G4s be by then? What would be the point to have a relatively recently purchased computer that will only be good for two years or less? While PC buyers are conditioned to be outdated after six months (part of the reason used PC hardware is so dirt cheap), Mac users want and expect a little more.

If a low cost machine comes out at the next MacWorld (A dubious prospect at best), Apple will need something better than a single-core G4 even at cheap prices to impress me. Thrown in a 1.6 to 1.8 G5 at the 600 (800 with a SuperDrive) dollar range and now we’re cooking with gas! The only problem with this is that it would certainly eat into iMac sales.

Sigh. I guess I can’t have it both ways. If Think Secret is correct, it would be a major vindication for everyone that has been wanting one of these for a long time. I know I would buy one to replace my kids old G3 iMac, but I wouldn’t buy one for myself unless the specs were a little higher.

Who knows? Maybe Think Secret nailed it. If this is true, I will post a picture of me eating this column. Heh heh, of course everything will have to be true (specifications and all) to get me to pay up. I have that with a side order of crow…to go please.