[jaak]

> My 10-core test unit prices out at $9,599, and a comparable 18-core unit would be $11,199, a 17% increase in cost.

All I can say here is "Wow!!!" That's an amazing price for a computer that is completely user hostile to upgrade or repair.

[nickpeterson]

Macs retain value. Buy the spec you need, use it for 2-3 years, sell for 70 percent the original value, then buy the newer version. Besides, I highly doubt Intel CPUs are going to massively improve over the next two years since they haven't for the last 5.

[cmrdporcupine]

Yes, it's insane. It's a lifestyle accessory.

But put in the context of _workstation_ prices -- which I guess is what it's sort of in the category of -- check out what a Sun 2 (68010) workstation cost in 1986:

"A color 2/160 with 8Mb of memory, two 71 Mb SCSI disks and 60 Mb 1/4" SCSI tape cost $48,800 (1986 US price list)."

That's $109,766.16 in today's dollars.

Or more modest and perhaps more comparable, an HP 9000 Model 705 PA-RISC workstation (32mhz, HP-UX) in 1991 was priced around $5000. That's $9000ish in today's dollars.

People bought stuff like that back then. Low volume, prestige item, specialized market, and I guess Apple must figure they will still do that now.

Workstation class machines have always been overpriced.

[jcadam]

Yea, you know, if I'm doing work that requires 18+ cores of CPU and gobs of RAM, I'm going to pack that beast into a rack (bet I could build a sweet epyc based system with more capability for less than $10k) and connect to it from a laptop/small desktop.

Besides, that thing is going to get hot, and Apple doesn't exactly have the best track record when it comes to thermal design (see: apple ///)

[scarface74]

Really the Apple /// a computer that came out in 1980? Is that what you are going to base your doubts on the thermal design of the iMac?

[jcadam]

It was the start of Apple's long tradition of form over function.

[scarface74]

How has Apple survived over 40 years if it were just about form over function while most of its contemporaries over the years have disappeared?

[cmrdporcupine]

Arguably it's not the same Apple. I don't see a lot of continuity in approach between the company that brought us the Apple IIe and the company that makes the iPhone.

[mgkimsal]

could have looked at the more recent thermal paste gpu issues with mbp 2011 (which i was hit by) or the similar imac problems in 2012(?)

[jcadam]

I know. This sort of thing is the reason I'm not a mac user anymore. Remember the old PowerMac towers? Expensive, yes, but those things were made to be opened up and upgraded.

[bhj]

Perhaps Apple has market research indicating that most companies don't upgrade or repair these kinds of machines.

[cowsandmilk]

Yep, many companies don't upgrade these machines and actually dump them at the end of the warranty. Hacker news actually turned me onto going to ebay to buy used workstations as a pretty good source for inexpensive computers that have Xeons. HP or Dell give you a 3 year warranty, you don't upgrade or change parts because that fucks with warranties, then you dump them onto a reseller. Or, frequently, you actually rented it from HP or Dell for those 3 years, and they are the ones dumping computers onto resellers.

[tinus_hn]

Dell workstations are really easy to open up and replace parts in. Do you think we ever open hem up and replace parts?