new imac

I seriously doubt you'll see a drastically new iMac anytime soon. They still have other products to migrate over to Intel, and the iMac saw 2 revisions in about a day and half not too long ago.

Is that site trying ot say that the best looking Desktop on the market, looks old fashioned! Any design revisions will be slight and wont happen for at least the next year.

It doesn't need a redesign. It is light years ahead of PCs in its form. It defined the all in one, and continues to be the best of class.

That didn't even need to be said. It's more than obvious!

The only thing the iMac needs IMO is

more color choices. White is getting a bit stale. And perhaps something nifty like an expresscard slot. Toss Merom into a 20in iMac and you have one hell of a nifty computer system that can run damn near anything.

Old design?

The iMacs current incarnation is introduced in october 2005 along with the iPod video.

This formfactor is just 1.5 years old.

If you call that an old design take a look at the current iBook: it has the "same" design as it was in may 2001.
Or the 17"MacBookPro: exact the same design as in januari 2003.
Or the 15"MacBookPro: it sports the same squar formfactor as the january 2001 titanium 15"PB G4... well... almost

And maybe 1,5 year is long from a windows PC user point of view. (but hey, their OS, windows XP hasn't changed for over half a decade, so they have to try something to make their products look new)

Add a model with a larger (23") screen and add an aluminium finished case or a Black One)))
(something like hmurchison just said)

[edit typo]

I don't think that they will make major changes in the design. The question is will they make some small improvements anytime soon, or will they leave the iMac untouched until this fall/winter.

Definately. I have a friend that has a g5 iMac and the Gateway all in one design. No comparisson. The Gateway is a joke.

The iMac is great as it is now... it needs but one upgrad and I am not sure how Apple will do it, but I wouldn't mind just right slap on the front:

It needs easy to access FW and USB for when you sit down to transfer photos or video from you camera. I ended up leaving the cords plugged in to the iMac so I don't have to shift around to the back of the machine, but then I plug or unplug a camera 5 or more times a day as is the nature of my work.

Why not just put a small attractive hub in that sits under the lip of your monitor/cpu?

Nice idea, but then I have to plug in things twice... as it is the wires just get tossed over to the side where all the other wires and fed out and so get "lost" in the spaghetti.

Also, that would mean having to fork out another 20-30 bucks, which my company would prefer to spend on truly needed items.

Design does not need to be impractical... it can be practical and aesthetic. For example, they could hide it behind the Apple emblem, which would then move out of the way when you wanted to use the jack. Apple could do it and do it right.

THE CHIN IS SACRED! IT MUST NOT BE DESECRATED BY FUNCTIONALITY!

I read a post here a few weeks ago literally defending the iMac's "chin" as some sort of aesthetic marker as to where the desk stops and the monitor begins. Like a "picture frame" or "matte." No, he was serious.

Oh that innovative jobs, putting extra plastic around the monitors.. makes you wonder why they gave up CRTs...

I'm not going off on the iMac today, I'd never buy one even if they put a 20 inch monitor and a dual opteron and fit it in the current cinema display enclosure. It's got functionality, but I need a PCI slot more than I need an iSight. Some don't, but I do.

Most don't, but you do.

It wasn't me, but I will say that any PC maker would have littered ports all over the front had they been given the iMac design. The fact that Apple didn't makes them different. . . and classy. Despite the lack of function, you do have to admit that the iMac is striking, and some of the affect may be lost if the facade is altered.

Not a manifesto -- just a thought.

Fair enough


It's pretty cool, I gotta say, that Apple made the iMac look so streamlined--so it's like it's floating over the desk.

I know what it looks like inside the box, and I know that they couldn't put ports on the chin even if they tried, but I think that they should just make the thing an inch thicker and try to lose the chin altogether. Nobody looks behind the monitor, that's why the ports are there. Therefore, having another inch of depth wouldn't hurt either

Also, the thing is so big now, I think just ONE PCIe slot would be nice. It wouldn't add much thickness (have it parallel to the mobo with a perpedicular daughter card; make a small dent in the case to accomidate cables coming out of it). Oh no, I still wouldn't buy an iMac, but I think that alone, over time, could create a huge demand for video cards for mac so Apple would have more options in future machines (people make cards, people write drivers, Apple can use the cards and the drivers). Not to mention that using off-the-shelf cards in a PCIe slot would be cheaper than custom designed cards, thus Apple would make a few bucks more profit. Just a thought.

The demand increase goes like this:
1) Currently, the only Mac that has the potential to use PCIe cards is the PowerMac, which happens to be the worst-selling computer Apple makes (I own one, just saying people buy way more of everything else)
2) If the new iMac had a PCIe, that's a million, eventually two million, macs that can use 3rd party cards
3) More potential sales = more demand.
4) Apple has retail stores, so imagine people bringing in their iMacs with an x1600 and upgrading to an x1800 within 20 minutes. This might kill Apple's little deal with having iMac buyers replace their machines in leui of upgrading though.. I donno, let Apple figure that out.

We'll see what they do with the new iMac design. I'd imagine January '07 is the time to look for it.

What's a PCI slot?

Ok ok so I have an idea but I can't see my dad calling me asking "Son - I like those new iApple thingies - does it have PCI slot?" but I could see him asking "Son - this new iMac computer looks fantastic - just one thing - where do I plug my camera in"

My point is this. The iMac is a consumer computer and I think additions like PCI slots just bump up the price when only a small minority would use them.

As for the ports - I think a trade off would be to have the slot on the bottom or the side but not the front - it would compromise the aesthetics of the machine..

I prefer macs for their simplicity. I never upgrade individual components because by the time there is a quicker graphics card say - there is usually a quicker processor and more to the point there's probably a new fancy design or feature like a remote control that makes buying a whole new machine more far more attractive than updating individual components.

Computers for me are consumer goods and the only analogy i can think of is the fact I wouldn't buy a new card for my TV or try and upgrade the speakers - I'd much rather get a new telly. In my mind, apple computers have more in common with Sony TVs than dell desktops. Plus, Macs have a good resale value so for me changing them every 2 years isn't that painful. I can't speak for everyone but I'm sure apple is aware of consumers like me and more to the point - make far more money from people like me.

Oh and remember - not all countries have apple stores and apple don't make the graphics cards...

Sorry - I didn't mean to dismiss some very valid points but I just think that more options can sometimes put people off rather than make something more appealing. The apple remote is a good example of this...

my wishes

1. lighter in weight
2. Chinless iMac
3. Two colors (black & white)
4. Conore CPU instead of Merom
5. PCIe
6. Aluminum Casing (to make it lighter)
7. As thin as possible

and

23" iMac

I agree (with one above). Keep the iMac simple (of course add some USB ports and make them a little more accessible). I get 25% for a 3 year old iMac. Let's see: 1,600 bucks for a new iMac set up right. Three years of hard use where the Mac saves me endless hours of work, impresses my friends and coworkers, entertains me, and overall does what a computer should do. Sell it for 400... comes out to 1200 which is 400 per year, less than 40 bucks per month, a little less than 2 bucks a day, 7-8 hours per day comes out to pennies per hour and no reason in Hell I should complain. Of course, this does not consider cost of apps, but more and more those are included with the Mac in the first place.

The iMac is a great buy right now as it is. I have been a computer user for almost 20 years now and have only added USB and FW cars to one my 19 machines (13 personal ones along the way, 6 at work) mainly because some of my older periphs don't work off hubs.

Adding PCI slots adds costs most people don't need.

The iMac plus an all-in-one printer, plus a couple of apps, comes to about 2500 and will last 3 years easily, more likely 5, and can still be resold for good money.

It could potentially save money in the long-run, as Apple could use the same mobo to do both CPU AND GPU revisions.. economy of scale and whatnot.. Not to mention the economy of scale of using off-the-shelf video cards, and having demand for 3rd party drivers (which would be filled by 3rd parties, saving development costs of drivers).

This is all purely speculatory, however, I don't think it would require a thicker case--just a smaller mobo.

I used to test HP/Compaq/Dell/IBM motherboards (for moneys!). One of the servers had an AGP slot that just stuck out the side of the motherboard--making the AGP card colinear (co-planar ??) with it. It could use any single-slot AGP card (probably 8 inches long, tops) and it fit into a 1U (1.75 inch thick) case. It was both easy to install and added no thickness to the mainboard.

Full disclosure: that particular mobo tested 'bad.' Me and my collegue then attempted the "mallot" test, which it passed with flying colors [er.. capacitors].

Yeah, I agree with that too. I love the aluminium displays Apple sell on their own. I would like them to put the optical drive where the imac base is so the slot if facing towards you. Then get rid of the chin by moving the computer parts to where the drive was. I can't think of a better place to put the ports though because the ethernet needs to be attached to the motherboard.

I wonder why they don't hire you instead of Ive

he's not perfect though - I've (pun intended) not forgiven him for that horrendous angle poise mac with silly base - what was he thinking?

I'm not sure if you have an iMac or not, but I do and the CD/DVD drive is very handy and easy to use right where it is. The iMac G4 had a front mounted CD/DVD drive, and it was much more cumbersome.

The iMac G4 lamp-style? Most folks don't describe it as "horrendous" at all. Very functional consumer machine for its time, & quite problem-free overall. My one gripe with it is when the keyboard is up against the base, it gets in the way of the fold-down CD tray door. I've always liked the looks of it, myself.

Since when did you have access to the opinions "most folk" - anyway I don't care what they think - I still say it was awful - it would have worked better now as display sizes are bigger but back then it seemed poorly weighted with too much base and not enough display.

I think they got the the balance just right with G5 iMac design..

I think I'll create a new user account...


You might say "awful," but that didn't seem to be the general consensus, anyway. I think it was about right with the 17". though I agree with the 15" the base did seem a bit bulky. I love the functionality of the articulating arm, though. I like the G5 iMac as well. No argument there. I see no pressing need for a radical overhaul.

I loved the G4 iteration when it was introduced, and then thought the G5 was fantastic when it came out. In their time, as far as all in ones go, each was best in breed. What more can you ask for?

23"

Ive had my intel iMac for about a month and a half now and each time I look at it its like "It looks more like artwork than a computer..." Some with OS X...While doing work I just look up at Dashboard and think "Wow..." lol Also I have come to like the chin to it. And for those Windows users if it didn't have a chin they would just be saying even more often "Ok where's the box hidden?" lol

I take your point - I think my opinion changed over time. The arm was an excellent feature in principle - but I can't help thinking it looks like an expensive ladies toy if you get my drift. As for the original iMac - this should be in a museum or an art gallery...

Sorry to waffle on about the design of stuff but I do think apple tends to get it right more often than not. The cube was stunning but the orange and blue powerbooks looked like personalised toilet seats. The titanium powerbook was streets ahead of anything on the market and I think the ipod shuffle is so simple it's brilliant. I think the iMac is up there with the best designs Ive has produced..

The cheeky man - you'd think he'd buy his own!!! (sorry - couldn't resist )

How soon before the iMacs are available in black, and their CPUs get bumped up like the MacBook Pros?

Probably a few weeks: the MacBook Pro has been updated something like 3 times since it's introduction in one way or another... oh how the times have changed.

The current imac design IS a redesign they've only been using the current body since the 1.9/2.1 g5 isight model, before that it had a different back shape, port placement, weight, etc.

They've never done that to a machine that HASN'T been a redesign.

So that IS the new design a refined one based on the original imac g5.