Apple's Macintosh line
I thought it was smart of Apple to cull their Macintosh products in 1998 and introduce the four square product matrix. The current line-up seems pretty effective but I'm just concerned Apple might become far too diversified and forget that the segmentation is what saved them in the late 90's.
I mean, look at this:
Mac mini G4
1.25 and 1.42GHz
eMac G4
ComboDrive and SuperDrive
iMac G5
17" 1.8GHz, 17" 2.0GHz, 20" 2.0GHz
iBook G4
12" 1.25, 14" 1.33 ComboDrive, 14"1.33 SuperDrive
PowerMac G5
Single 1.8GHz, Dual 2.3GHz, Dual 2.7GHz
PowerBook G4
1.5GHz 12" ComboDrive, 12" SuperDrive, 15" ComboDrive, 1.67GHz 15" SuperDrive, and 17".
Back in 1999 it was Consumer Desktops & Notebooks vs Professional Desktops & Notebooks. There used to be a clear cut definition as to what model belongs to what segment. iMacs and iBooks were consumer Macs, PowerMacs and PowerBooks were professional Macs. The consumer hardware were enough for everyday use but does not encroach on the Power models and price differences were obvious.
These days, what used to be the consumer offering has become a mix of mid-range and low end products. Take the iBooks and PowerBooks for example. You can get the 14" iBook G4 or the 12" PowerBook G4 for the same price yet the PB is more powerful and packs more features although it doesn't have a DVD burner. Both have the same screen resolution but the iBook is heavier and larger. Which do you choose?
Also, the iMacs have become very powerful with the recent update. For the same price, you can get a 20" iMac 2.0GHz or a PowerMac 1.8GHz. They serve different purposes but small to medium production houses wouldn't look out of place using the iMacs especially because you don't have to spend extra for a display.
Maybe the product matrix isn't required anymore but they must remember that a highly diversified Apple wouldn't be a healthy Apple because they would stretch limited resources over too many product lines and confuse customers.
I mean, look at this:
Mac mini G4
1.25 and 1.42GHz
eMac G4
ComboDrive and SuperDrive
iMac G5
17" 1.8GHz, 17" 2.0GHz, 20" 2.0GHz
iBook G4
12" 1.25, 14" 1.33 ComboDrive, 14"1.33 SuperDrive
PowerMac G5
Single 1.8GHz, Dual 2.3GHz, Dual 2.7GHz
PowerBook G4
1.5GHz 12" ComboDrive, 12" SuperDrive, 15" ComboDrive, 1.67GHz 15" SuperDrive, and 17".
Back in 1999 it was Consumer Desktops & Notebooks vs Professional Desktops & Notebooks. There used to be a clear cut definition as to what model belongs to what segment. iMacs and iBooks were consumer Macs, PowerMacs and PowerBooks were professional Macs. The consumer hardware were enough for everyday use but does not encroach on the Power models and price differences were obvious.
These days, what used to be the consumer offering has become a mix of mid-range and low end products. Take the iBooks and PowerBooks for example. You can get the 14" iBook G4 or the 12" PowerBook G4 for the same price yet the PB is more powerful and packs more features although it doesn't have a DVD burner. Both have the same screen resolution but the iBook is heavier and larger. Which do you choose?
Also, the iMacs have become very powerful with the recent update. For the same price, you can get a 20" iMac 2.0GHz or a PowerMac 1.8GHz. They serve different purposes but small to medium production houses wouldn't look out of place using the iMacs especially because you don't have to spend extra for a display.
Maybe the product matrix isn't required anymore but they must remember that a highly diversified Apple wouldn't be a healthy Apple because they would stretch limited resources over too many product lines and confuse customers.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 9:02 AM.
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