Time To Ponder The Headless Mac?

Of all the great products Apple is selling, the iMacs are dying. Their sales have been down drastically (one fourth) compared to previous sales quarters. Apple would have had a stellar year profit-wise, if the iMacs hadn’t been a drag on their bottom line. Perhaps it is time to look for Apple to make a replacement for the ageing iMac.

Why? Some say its the design of the iMac, with its small round base and its tilt-arm flat screen. They call it “Design Resistance,” which means that something is too different to be very popular, despite the fact that it is beautiful and well made. (Is this why we don’t all drive BMWs?)

Others say the iMac sales are down because the iMac has no expansion capabilities, and it is considered a dog, being too slow compared to the G5s. That, and the fact that flat screens now are cheaper and provide better picture quality than what is available for the iMac. There is no monitor option with the iMac

In any case, perhaps it is time for Apple to uncrate the monitor from the computer once more, and abandon the all-in-one design to the low end eMac. Thoughts of the Cube come around again, because it was small and elegant, but I doubt Apple will go that way any more.

Of course, Apple could just convert the present iMacs to G5s, give them all 20″ monitors, and sell them for the price of the lower end iMacs. THAT would boost their sales, wouldn’t it? IBM is set to announce faster G5 chips early this year, which make the current G5 chips more costworthy for an iMac. TFT monitor prices are falling too.

However, I believe Apple would do well to leave the iMac’s all-in-one design and produce instead a headless iMac. One that would appeal to people who normally don’t think they could afford a Mac at all. Apple could also introduce at the same time a variety of cool and inexpensive flat screen monitors to match these new iMacs.

And while I am at it, if Apple makes the new iMacs in colors again, make one in Black. Black is still a cool color, IMO.

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