Edythemighty

The mystery of the iMac's pricing.

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:20:42 -0400

In what is very much an interesting post, marco writes about what we already know: Apple is the shiznit (in their products, at least)

marco:

The more I think and learn about the curious pricing of the 27” iMac, the more bizarre and incredible it seems.

It has a resolution of 2560x1440, which no other monitor in the industry seems to have (that I can find). 30” LCDs are the same width but 1600 tall. Shrinking 2560-wide into a screen that’s 3” smaller diagonally yields an impressive pixel density, especially given the panel’s still-immense size.

It has an IPS panel. IPS is the best and most expensive LCD type, giving the best viewing angle and the least color- and brightness-shifting as the angle increases in any direction. Nearly every panel on the market, including every laptop panel, is the cheap TN type. (TN panels wash out as soon as you move your head slightly, especially vertically, which is why it’s so hard to find a good viewing angle for your laptop lid while watching a dark movie.) Other 27” TN panels exist (only at the lower 1920x1080 resolution), but I can’t find any other 27” IPS panels.

It’s also LED-backlit.

So it’s a very high-specced, brand new panel that’s apparently not being mass-produced yet (since no other monitors for sale are using it). That must be expensive. How much of the base 27” iMac’s $1700 retail cost does this represent?

The closest existing panel for comparison, spec-wise, is the 30” IPS panel that Apple uses in their Cinema Display. It has the ultra-high resolution and size, but doesn’t compete with the 27” iMac’s panel for brightness, contrast, power efficiency, or color range. It’s overpriced by today’s standards at $1800, but not by much — Dell’s original 30” monitor with the same panel is $1200, and a newer version with better specs (although still not as good as the new iMac’s) is $1700.

A standalone monitor with the new iMac’s panel would be perfectly reasonably priced at about $1500. From Dell. Apple’s only charging $200 more than that for theirs, and there’s an entire high-end computer stuck to the back of it.

When they mentioned on last week’s quarterly earnings call that they expected lower profit margins for a new product, I don’t think anyone expected a change of this magnitude. How are they making anything — or even not losing money — with the base-model 27” iMac?

My guess: a massively successful negotiation with the panel’s manufacturer (most likely LG) to get not only an incredible price on these panels, but also apparent exclusivity for a while. It’s a hell of an accomplishment, and presumably a hell of an effort, for a computer that isn’t Apple’s most-selling model (or even product line). That raises a more interesting question: Why?

Until we know why the panel is so cheap, I bet we’re going to see a lot of Mac Pro owners buying 27” monitors for $1700 and trying to figure out what to do with the free computer stuck to the back. For new-computer shopping, a lot of people are going to abandon whichever laptop or Mac Pro they were considering and get this instead.

That helps answer the “why” question: Maybe Apple wants to push more buyers away from today’s default system-type choice — laptops — and show them why they should consider getting a fast, spacious desktop instead. And, for the time being, it’s a desktop with absolutely no equivalent in the PC world.

mattack: Linus going for Windows 7 via @jonobacon via...

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:02:56 -0400

mattack:

Linus going for Windows 7 via @jonobacon via @dotwaffle.

edochiiba: (via sanahastumblr)

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:33:20 -0400

edochiiba:

(via sanahastumblr)

(via mauvaisesnuits)

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:32:27 -0400

(via mauvaisesnuits)

Best Halloween costume ever (via loveyourchaos)

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:51:00 -0400

Best Halloween costume ever (via loveyourchaos)

Today, we got our class shirts at school. My class's shirt says "2010, the best there's ever been". The junior's shirts say "2010, the be--2010 I'M HAPPY FOR YOU AND I'MMA LET YOU FINISH, BUT 2011 HAS THE BEST SHIRT OF ALL TIME! OF ALL TIME!". I'm failing this year so I can graduate with them. MLIA

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:42:39 -0400

(via papertissue)

spiegelman: Ladies and gentlemen, your President is a robot. ...

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:20:07 -0400

spiegelman:

Ladies and gentlemen, your President is a robot. Or a wax sculpture. Maybe a cardboard cutout. All I know is no human being has a photo smile this amazingly consistent.

On Wednesday, the Obamas hosted a reception at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, during which they stood for 130 photographs with visiting foreign dignitaries in town for the UN meeting. The President has exactly the same smile in every single shot. See for yourself — the pictures are up on the State Department’s flickr. And, of course, compressed above into 20 seconds for your viewing pleasure.

"Folks these days like to reason with their kids. That’s just plain hokey. I like to use good..."

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:10:09 -0500

“Folks these days like to reason with their kids. That’s just plain hokey. I like to use good old-fasion fear. It’s like the hammer of Thor - All Powerful!”

- Henry via PSYCH

Spamming

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:33:38 -0500

Uploaded with plasq’s Skitch!

Cap America is dead via www.shortpacked.com

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:14:29 -0500

Cap America is dead via www.shortpacked.com

"Most games are actually 4D. You play 5 minutes, and suddenly it’s 5 A.M."

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:22:41 -0500

“Most games are actually 4D. You play 5 minutes, and suddenly it’s 5 A.M.”

- vmas

"one hundred pictures of some of the most ruthless killers the world has ever known: sfw one..."

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:54:44 -0500

“

one hundred pictures of some of the most ruthless killers the world has ever known: sfw

one unclothed female body: nsfw

boobs: truly the most dangerous thing known to man”

”

- sidewalkchalked on a post about Nazi photos on LiveJournal. The comments leading up to it are good too.

Favorite songs from: The Animals

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:24:00 -0500

The House of the Rising Sun

Obviously, their classic. The classic New Orleans tale, made a legend.

Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood

Originally written for Nina Simone, the Animal’s version just has more feeling in it.

Club A-Go-Go

Just makes you wanna dance like you’re in 1965, doesn’t it?

She Can’t Help It

Same as above, just makes you want to do that shoobedoo

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:43:30 -0500

You think you’ve got what it takes to listen to In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida in it’s entirety?! 1968’s 17 minute classic, you just know you have to be a little high to make it through, just as they were stone cold when making this song.

"More copies of the game were sold via our website on the day the Linux version released than any..."

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:14:00 -0500

“More copies of the game were sold via our website on the day the Linux version released than any other day. This day beat the previous record by 40%. There is a market for Linux games after all :)”

- 2D Boy: I love you, 2D Boy! » Blog Archive » World of Goo Linux Version is Ready!

Impressed with the Iron Gym pullup bar

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:53:00 -0500

Here is one product that does work as seen on tv. The Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar comes in 5 pieces, easily put together with 4 screws, and can hold up to 300 pounds. The only “installation” necessary is a little hook-like device that keeps the Iron Gym from flying off of the doorway, but overall a great buy, especially for $30, when it works as a pullup and pushup bar. Granted, I only weigh around 130 lb, so I’m not exactly pushing the limits, but for me, it’s money well spent. My next workout purchase will be the Bowflex Motivator 2 Home Gym if I somehow become filthy rich in a very short amount of time.

OpenGoo: An Open Source Web Office

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:46:18 -0500

OpenGoo: An Open Source Web Office:

OpenGoo has one goal: to make the best Web Office. Period.

OpenGoo is Open Source, and complies with all relevant Open Standards. You are free of vendor lock-in. You can customize it and extend it however you want. You can own your information.

My background in full

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:24:51 -0500

My background in full

An oldie but a goodie

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:22:53 -0500

An oldie but a goodie