Speculations on the new iMac's specifications

I think that a 970FX can easily go into the iMac, even with a clock speed as high as 2.0 GHz. I believe Apple can do it if they want to. This is not the question. The question is if they think the time has come to do it.

If Apple is going for an all-daul PowerMac lineup, Apple should use the same processors it does in the PowerMac. The iMacs might use a different bus frequency, but the processors should be the same.

That is, if there are three PowerMac models at 1.8GHz, 2.2GHz and 2.5GHz all dual processors, then the iMac should start at 1.8GHz and go up to 2.5GHz.

This saves Apple money in that they can bulk-order the G5's at those fixed speeds, even more so since the PowerMacs will be duals. This reduces the cost of the iMac and the PowerMac at the same time!

This is also an incentive for IBM to develop the G5 by increasing the demand for G5 processors by a whole lot.

For example, let's assume Apple sells 200,000 PowerMacs and 200,000 iMacs in a quarter. Right now, let's assume that means about 300,000 G5 processors.

Now consider an Apple lineup with all-dual powermacs and G5 iMacs. That's about 600,000 G5 processors per quarter, doubling the number and hence reducing the cost (economies of scale!).

I'm looking for

iMac 15" 1.4Ghz G5 700mhz bus $1299
iMac 17" 1.6Ghz G5 800mhz bus $1599
iMac 20" 2.0Ghz G5 1000Mhz bus $2199


I'm hoping they don't cripple the FSB. The G5
needs a fast FSB to feed the processor. But hey
it's Apple we're talking about here.

There are only three things I want in the new iMac line:

G5 processors topping out at 2.0GHz. (If they don't hit the 2.0 number for marketing purposes then it's not even worth doing)

PCIe graphics

No more 15" model

My speculation is that the G5 I mac will have a PPC 970 fx, and that all powermac will be dual.

That's mean, that in a marketing point of vue, there is no reason to have downclocked G5.
The yields of the G5 FX, will give the yields of the Imac G5. Is the fabbing process is good, there is no reason to see 1,8 and 2 ghz Imac G5.
It's time for Imac to have a fast chip.

Dream / what I think Apple should give the iMac buyer:

15 inch
1.8 GHz 970FX (450MHz bus)
512MB DDR400 RAM (Two free slots, 6GB maximum)
160GB SATA hard-drive
Gigabit ethernet
ATi RADEON 9600XT 128MB
$1299

17 inch
2.0 GHz 970FX (500MHz bus)
512MB DDR400 RAM (Two free slots, 6GB maximum)
200GB SATA hard-drive
Gigabit ethernet
ATi RADEON 9600XT 128MB
$1599

20 inch
2.2 GHz 970FX (550MHz bus)
1GB DDR400 RAM (Two free slots, 6GB maximum)
250GB SATA hard-drive
Gigabit ethernet
ATi RADEON 9800 Pro 128MB
$1999

----------

Now this is what I believe is more realistic:

15 inch
1.6 GHz 970FX (400MHz bus)
256MB DDR400 RAM (One free slot, 4GB maximum)
120GB SATA hard-drive
10/100Mbit ethernet
ATi RADEON 9600 Pro 64MB
$1299

17 inch
1.6 GHz 970FX (400MHz bus)
256MB DDR400 RAM (One free slot, 4GB maximum)
160GB SATA hard-drive
10/100Mbit ethernet
ATi RADEON 9600 Pro 64MB
$1599

20 inch
1.8 GHz 970FX (450MHz bus)
512MB DDR400 RAM (One free slot, 4GB maximum)
160GB SATA hard-drive
10/100Mbit ethernet
ATi RADEON 9600 Pro 64MB
$2099
----------------

For both dream and realistic speculation, I think the iMac will lose its current form factor, followed by one that is slightly less ergonomic - i.e. it loses its arm. The computer housing itself will be larger to allow for hotter interior (bigger heat-sinks, better air-flow). But it will sure as hell be secksy, it will smell "I am a computer that you want!". ;-)

You're assuming the iMac case is going to be the same. I say we see a whole new form factor. Under 2Ghz the 970fx will average less than 24watts.

The german apple refurbished shop is still open since 2.6. This is very uncommon.
I hope, that in the next week there will be something new.

iMac G5 ?1?

I would really like to see them let the consumer choose both the screen size and the processor speed, so if someone doesn't need the fast processor, but really wants a large display, they could save some money.

As for my predictions, no more 15" model. Case redesigned a bit, but not too different, all with the 970fx:
17" Display
1.4 GHz G5 (700 MHz bus)
256 MB RAM
Combo Drive
$1399

17" Display
1.8 GHz G5 (900 MHz bus)
512 MB RAM
SuperDrive
$1699

20" Display
2.0 GHz G5 (1000 MHz bus)
512 MB RAM
Super Drive
$2099

My only hope is that Apple do what they did when they introduced the current generation iMac...that is change processor-- in this case, go from G4 to G5.

Unfortunately, if this is not considered a new generation (i.e. new form factor), my fear is that we're in store for a simple bump to 1.5ghz G4.

I'm going to be optimistic, given that the G5 apparently costs less to manufacture than the G4 does on average:

15-inch

• 1.6 GHz G5
• 256 MB of DDR333 memory
• 64 MB GeForce PCX 5300 video
• 80 GB SATA hard drive
• Combo drive
• $1099

17-inch

• 2 GHz G5
• 256 MB of DDR400 memory
• 128 MB GeForce PCX 5700 video
• 80 GB SATA hard drive
• Superdrive
• $1599

20-inch

• 2 GHz G5
• 512 MB of DDR400 memory
• 128 MB GeForce PCX 5700 video
• 80 GB SATA hard drive
• Superdrive
• $1999

Obviously I'll likely be wrong about at least some aspects of those specs, but hopefully I'm not too far off the mark.

I believe that Apple has an opportunity to deliver a new generation iMac that is as much a leap as the current version was over the original.

The interesting factor with the new iMac is that it was probably designed for the 970FX well before IBM fab problems surfaced. The situation might be one of IBM busting @ss for Apple, delivering the 975 for the dual PMs and the 970FX for the iMacs. This allows the iMac to have significant speed boosts without hurting the PM line - especially if IBM came up with some special pricing to make up for the problems.

I believe that the new iMac will have a lot of speed related technology from the PM in order for it to blow similar priced PCs out of the water. Fast FSB, memory, etc. In terms of speed, there is no reason why the imac can't be .2 or .4 gigs below the top of the line PM. If a 3 gig PM is announced then the imac could top out at 2.6 to 2.8, which would drive the PC lovers (and M Dell) nuts. If PM's remain all duals (with one low end single) there is no reason for not having the iMac to be the single chip platform - matching, or just about matching, the dual platform PM's speeds. Hell, if the iMac remains the single processor AIO offering is there any reason why it can't use (assuming availability of chips) the fastest G5 available in the PM? If a 3 gig AIO 20" iMac was available for $2,495 would you be interested?

I would also not be surprised to see an improvement in the displays - along with the new displays for the PM.

I won't guess at pricing, just that Apple will maintain their margins close to their normal levels. The issue is to deliver something that will have us reaching for the credit cards very quickly. Personally i want a G5 3 gig 20" iMac and $2,495 sounds OK for that beast . . .

Whats with the premature specification?

Although the predictions for the new imac sound great, I'm afraid Apple is going to be more conservative in its line-up. Most likely, the iMac will get the G5 processor, but a lower speed one, perhaps topping out at 2.0 GHz. I really don't foresee any other major changes at this time. One thing I feel Apple must do to remain competitive, is ship iMacs (as well as other Macs) with at least 512 MB RAM. Even some Windows machines ship with 1 GHz RAM!

Hmm, this is one thing, the other thing is we don't know where IBM is with the yield issues they had. They said some time ago that the situation was improving, but still not at the point they expected. So, if the yields remain below optimal levels (and Xserve G5 estimated shipping -- 4-6 weeks -- indicates so), then I seriously doubt they would be capable to feed with G5 processors Power Macs AND Xserves AND iMacs. No, I don't think so.

I think you mean GB, not GHz, but that's alright.

Anyways, I could see Apple having 512 MB of RAM on the 17-inch, but I think that the 15-incher will stick to 256 for the all-important low starting price.

On a related note, I deliberately highballed the price I'm guessing for the 15-inch model, believe it or not - I think Apple will be very tempted to hit $999 if it's at all possible. Fred Anderson, in a financial call earlier this year, talked about how Apple knew it was missing sales because it wasn't hitting the $999 "sweet spot." I don't think that a slightly cheaper Superdrive eMac was the only thing Apple wanted to offer in that area.

I think everybody is missing a potential possibility with the iMacs.

COLOR

The original iMacs were offered in what?.. five different colors, as the minis currently are.

My predictions for WWDC:

iMac:
Silver, Blue, Gold, Pink & Green color offerings
1.8 SP, 2.2 SP, 2.6 SP G5's
Either 15", 17" & 20" OR 17", 20" & 23" OR Headless iMac in colors mentioned above to attach to new displays.
*Price drops

PowerMacs:
2.2 DP, 2.6 DP & 3.0 DP PowerMac G5's
PCIe, 1TB storage capable
1.2, 1.5 & 1.8 OR 2.0GHZ FSB
Standard 1GHZ RAM

iPods:
4G iPods w/ color screens, iPhoto integration & Camera integration (connect your camera and download the pictures to your iPod to empty your cameras card when your Mac isn't handy), & Keynote integration which allows you to use your iPod for presentation with musical or notational integration.

PowerBooks:
New BLACK PBs
1.8 SP, 2.2 SP, 2.6 SP & 3.0 SP G5's
12", 15", 17"
PCIe

eMacs:
1.2 & 1.5GHz
200 MHz FSB
80 GB HD
Possible multiple colors
*Price drops

iBooks
1.2, 1.33 & 1.5GHz
200 MHz FSB
60 & 80Gb HD
Standard Superdrive in Top-end model
Possible multiple colors
*Possible price drops

Displays
19", 23" & 30"
New design to match PM design
possible multiple colors in the 19"
Better resolutions across the board
*Prices raise $100 each for bottom two configs, $400 for top-end

~ New iApp
~ atleast 60 new functions for Tiger - Price: $149 (WAY BETTER 64 bit support!!!)
~ Announce new Movie store
~ Announce OS Xl to arrive in 1 1/2 years
~ and much, much more!

Oh yeah.. and a promotion for people who purchase the new multiple color Macs in the first week after WWDC will recieve a matching iPod mini for free!!

My perdictions for WWDC.

Ipod

4G up to 60 GB
no more 15 GB
price range is the same
won't ship intill September to November


Imac
15 inch
1.6 GHz G5
256 mb ram
80 GB HD
ati 9200
17 inch
1.8 Ghz G5
256 mb ram
120 GB HD
ati 9600
20 inch
2.0 Ghz G5
512 MB ram
160 GB HD
ati 9600
price range of $1099-1899

Powermac

DP 2.4 G5
512 mb ram
120 GB HD
ati 9600
DP 2.8 GHz G5
768 MB ram
160 GB HD
ati 9800
DP 3.0 Ghz G5
768 MB ram
160 GB HD
ati 9800
price range of $1799-2699

The iPod won't be updated at WWDC. It's a developers' conference, first of all. Announcing iPods there would not only be wasteful, it would seemingly confirm the fears of everyone who's afraid that Apple will give up computers.

Furthermore, Toshiba said that the new 1.8" hard drives would only start shipping in July/August. That's not enough time for there to be an announcement, especially considering the iPod mini fiasco. Remember that Apple still has to assemble the iPods themselves before they can be considered ready.

MacMorsel:

Those aren't predictions that you made, by the way - those are purely daydreams. Apple will not overhaul their whole lineup in one show, especially not when they already did a few updates (eMacs, iBooks, PowerBooks) just a couple months before.

The one thing I could see Apple doing with iMac G5s that you mention would be colours, but if they do as much I think they'll remember their lessons from the iMac G3, i.e. keep the colours relatively tame and low in number. It's easy to justify having five colour options for a $250 MP3 player. It's much harder to do that with a $1000+ computer lineup. I say that Apple doesn't go any further than three colours at most, and that they play it safe (blue, green, silver) if that's the case.

I think the return of color would be a mistake. I get the feeling that the G5 iMac is being primed as the "grown up" iMac. Still sleek and gorgeous of course, but more refined and powerful. It'll still be white, but with more chrome and/or metal accents and fittings.

You gotta remember that when the fruit-flavored iMacs were all the rage there were no inexpensive, powerful iBooks and eMacs or multi-colored iPod minis to also appeal to the youth/female/hipster market. Now the G5 iMac can take its rightful place as the elegant prosumer machine it has recently tried to be, but finally with the specs to back it up.

I think in the next few months they will make the Super drive in all systems and no downgardes.. this would make every mac having DVD burning capabiities and maybe for some new software that would use that.

these threads kill me.
no one knows anything about what or IF apple will introduce ANYTHING at wwdc or than "TIGER".

True, nobody outside Apple and its contractors knows anything or if they do they're under non-disclosure. However you have to figure that small bits of information leak from time to time whether true or not. Those tiny leaks, and guessing are what speculation is based on. If you're not interested in speculation, I don't know why you'd be here. It's the subject of the thread.

With that said, I really think (and hope) Apple will be trying to offer a low end iMac below $1000. I speculate that. Screw the specs, offer an iMac with an adjustable LCD for $999!

I don't think the iMac is going to get updated before the PowerMac. Nor is WWDC a good choice for the iMac update. But I think the LCD iMac is a luxury item. Apple should just put a cinema wide style screen in an old style eMac iMac one piece enclosure, and have that lower priced iMac back. Just have a different version for affordability. It's cool as h3ll, but it's too expensive for your every day computer buyer. eMachines, and stripped down celeron processor driven PC's are attracting all the new computer buyers. Not many people want to spend that kind of money on their first computer, and too many parents just cant afford it like they could with the bondi blue iMac.

my 2¢

Since we're guessing...

I think we'll see both the new PowerMacs and the iMacs arrive at WWDC (and that's it for Macs). The new PowerMacs will be much faster and may come with the 975, but failing that will be dual 2.5+ GHz 970FXs. There's a decent chance of seeing PCI Express, I think -- Apple may want to try leading here for a change, and they may get on board with the latest ATI or nVidia GPUs.

For the iMac I'm thinking there is a good chance that the form factor will change, and it might even morph into a low-end headless unit. The 970FX was designed for this machine, and if the yields are getting better as IBM claims then we'll see them at speeds of 1.8 - 2.2 GHz or so. The FSB will run at 1/2 processor clock, but the iMac will not have dual bank RAM and may only have DDR333. If they change to a headless machine the GPU will be on a card and there maybe BTO variations, or at least pre-built configs for those serious about their graphics.

Regardless of my accuracy I confidently predict that many users will be right back here complaining that they are too slow, too expensive, too hard to get, too late to save Apple, etc.

If iMac G5 is released, it will have a 970fx at a minimum of 2.0Ghz.
I said this once before, I do not believe that Apple will release any machine with PCIe at WWDC. Maybe by MWSF we will see this, but not at the end of the month.

I wish it were true that PCIe Macs were going to be released, but it doesn't add up with me.

I hope to see iMacs at 2.2, 2.4, and 2.6. I would also like to see PM's all dual at 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5.

I don't want Apple to just reach 3.0, I want them to break it. I also want to see more prosumerish specs on the new iMac.

It would be nice if Apple tossed in a new XServe speed bump and announced that these machines were being shipped to VT in mass. I want to see Big Mac II take the top prize in Supercomputing.

Just my dumb WAG:

iMac G5s would have to be redesigned to handle the heat load, even with a 1.6 GHz 970FX. A single variable speed fan will do the trick. There could be a pitched radial heat sink similar to those used on fast new GPUs but it'd take up more room than what's used in the G4 iMac now. Adding a beefier GPU would also increase the heat load.

With all of this in mind, I'd imagine some sort of shape change would be in order. Instead of the ring of little slits around the base, they could have a continuous slot around the base, making the iMac look like it's floating:

Of course, the design could be something completely different.

Other spec ideas to complete the picture:

Dual RAM slots, 800 MHz bus, 333 MHz PC2700 memory
512MB (2x256)
80GB SATA 7200 rpm
8x DVD-R SuperDrive
20" LCD
$2099

I'd sure like to see a headless version of this for something like $999.

I'm also wondering about the new G5s. If there's a unified heat sink/fan unit and no front fans in the processor bay, there'd be lots of room for additional internal HDs. For that to work, all models would have to be duals. I wonder if there'll be front-accessible hot-swappable HDs as in Xserve RAID or simply space inside for extra internal drives on higher end models.

As for speeds, I'd guess 2.2, 2.4, and 2.6 GHz, +/- 200 MHz.

Well, less than two weeks to go before we know. \

OK, people here are the specs

No inside knowledge of course, but be prepared to be stunned by my prescience on the 28th!

First things first, the 15" model gets killed and the entry level actually goes up a $100. If you want a <$1K machine get an eMac. 1024 displays are now only on the small, light portables were they belong.

17" iMac G5
1.6 GHz 970fx
Combo Drive
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra 64MB (AGP 8x)
256MB RAM
80GB SATA drive
$1399

17" iMac G5
1.8 GHz 970fx
SuperDrive (8x)
ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 64MB (AGP 8x)
512MB RAM
120GB SATA drive
$1799

20" iMac G5
2.0 GHz 970fx
SuperDrive (8x)
ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 64MB (AGP 8x)
512MB RAM
120GB SATA drive
$2199

Well I doubt they will continue with the 2 to 1 ratio for the FSB. I'm thinking they will set hteir sites on a multiplier of 3 or 4, thus a machine with a 500 MHz bus will run at 2GHz with a 4 to 1 ratio and 1.5GHz with a 3 to 1 ratio. This would allow Apple to make use of reasonably fast memmory and improve dramatically the performance of the current machine.

The bigger question in my mind is where tehy stand with respect to the GPU. What would really be hot is if they went with PCI-Express on the new iMac. That would really give us a machine with extended life span.

Dave

I personally think they'll do what they did with the Cube with the iMac--one free AGP/PCIe slot.

You know I'm neither young/female nor a hipster and I still think the multi colored iMacs where a good idea. Maybe they didn't always make the best color choices but just having a choice is a very positive thing. Besides those colored machines can be an enhancement to many an office.

Thanks
Dave

As Programmer said, we can speculate that the form factor will be different. I am ready to bet a couple of Champagne bottle on this one .

A new technology means a new design, and Apple love to be the leader in fashion computer.

I also think that the computer won't support dual memory banks, and will have only two memory slots. However I'll bet for DDR 400 memory, because this memory is cheap now, and if especially the new powermac G5 use DDR 2.

As for the return of the colors, Apple has now the potential to do it in a very cool fashion. Someone here (sorry, I don't remember the name) had designed some very nice mock-ups of colored iBooks, a la iPod mini. Anyone to try her/his talent in a, possibly metal, iMac with such colors ?

when will all ye geeks out there finally accept the fact that Apple will rather make a product which appeals to hip people than one which appeals to geeks?

colours are good

the current white styling is godawful

Yes, but are they full bottles?

Let the speculation begin!

I also think the colors were a brilliant way to appeal to consumers. That's one choice that consumers really do like to have.

The only problem is that for relatively large, expensive items like personal computers, multiple colors are a logistical nightmare. Last time Apple solved the logistical problem on its end by manufacturing equal amounts of all colors and punting the problem to the retailers, who were (understandably) outraged. Perhaps now that Apple has a significant investment in retail itself they won't try that again - but that leaves the problem of being able to rapidly and inexpensively adjust how many of which color get made for whom. The great cost saver in mass production is consistency: you can have any color you want as long as it's white. Every option introduces complexity, time and cost to the process. And those costs reappear when you have to distribute, stock and display multiple configurations.

I'm not suggesting that it's an insoluble problem, because that's absurd. It's been solved many times, in many ways - but in other industries. Apple's going to have to figure out how to crack this nut its own way, and convince its third-party resellers to play along.

All that said, though, if they can do it, great. If they don't, then they'd better have a heck of a good design.

Yes, it was Jimzip and Pscates. For those who missed that thread, take a look here.