D_Fresh's Journal: Rumors are swirling

At the risk of becoming a broken record, I have to mention that the specs for the new Macs are flying around the web - dual processors all, and a pricing scheme that's a bit steep compared to current levels. If the rumor sites are to be believed (and I think they are), a dual-867 MHz starts at $1699, a dual-GHz at $2499, and a dual-1.25 GHz at $3299. No word on the other specs, but they must be fairly good if the price points have raised that much.

My plan is to get the low-end dual-867 MHz model, much as it pains me to do so, because a) it's the only one shipping right away, and I need it for a class I'm taking in September, and b) I can only spend up to $2200, which rules out the mid-range model. Considering I was seriously tempted by the flat-panel iMacs, a low-end G4 desktop isn't the end of the world - provided I can get a reasonable graphics card like the GF4 Ti. Rumor is that the Radeon 9000 will be standard in all but the dual-867 - don't know much about that card, but if this is true it's good news for ATI and the graphics accelerator world in general. I was getting a bit worried that nVidia had it all wrapped up, Apple account and everything, which is always bad news for prices.

I suppose I could just settle for the current high-end dual-GHz model, which is rumored to be dropping in price to $2199, but that's at the top of my price range at the moment (damn this new house and unemployment) and also lacks the new gewgaws of the latest hardware. And I'm nothing if not an early adopter at heart, if not always in practice. Must...have...new...gadget.

Thanks to the two of you who commented on my last entry - apparently I have more fans than appear on the list! I'm afraid I'm still going to pay for .Mac, in part because I need the email address and the backup software, and in part because I want to stay abreast of All Things Apple, especially if I'm going to be an IT Coordinator at a school. But I really appreciate and enjoy the feedback, and I promise to branch out and talk about some non-Apple topics sometime soon. :)