Apple needs to get with the program and update it's antique 30-inch displays.
I'm guessing one of the new features that Apple didn't want to go with is SATA. Frankly I'm a little miffed that my Mac Pro and iMac are stuck with old Firewire technology and the Windows world is cruising around with external SATA ports.
Isn't this along the lines of Dean Kamen's IT hype?
Quote:
"This is according to cryptic tips from people often familiar with the Mac maker's future product initiatives, but who declined to elaborate because they were not authorized to discuss the matter in detail."
But they were authorized to say there is "compelling" new features?
Glass screen with an anti-reflective coating. They work on eyeglasses.
KVM mode to allow use of a laptop with the built-in monitor and attached keyboard and mouse
TV-tuner support in Front Row (why limit ourselves to hardware features)
an off-the-wall one: built-in UPS (if they insist on using laptop components, why not continue the similarities)
I really don't give a **** about Blu-Ray. I don't even watch DVDs on my iMac. And I share my HD videos online or over my home network. Never had a need to create a physical copy as a home user. But I can certainly see the desire for pros. But isn't that what the Mac Pro is for?
A couple of new features rumored to be in the cards for Apple's forthcoming iMac refresh will up the value proposition for prospective buyers in the market for an all-in-one desktop system, AppleInsider has been told.
One of those features is said to have long been on the wish-lists of many Mac users while the other is expected to cater to the semi-professional audio/video crowd. This is according to cryptic tips from people often familiar with the Mac maker's future product initiatives, but who declined to elaborate because they were not authorized to discuss the matter in detail.
So... when the new iMacs come out and there are "new features", are you guys going to say "as predicted first by AI"? This isn't news. It's not even rumors.
I think we're going to see another lame update that only adds an SD slot and one other minor change like BluRay. With expectations set that low it should be easy for Apple to exceed them.
If they make the darned iMac case any thinner there's zero chance of getting a quad core processor or user accessible hard drive bay. I can't explain why their own technicians haven't lynched Jonathan Ive for burying the part with the highest failure rate in the bottom of the case and gluing foil to it. I would much rather they move to an LED backlit display and use the space freed up for better cooling and re-arranging the components so the ones that are most likely to need servicing are easy to get to.
Intel has few options for the iMac right now. Both the Penryn and Clarksfield mobile quads are priced way too high for what you get. There's no way Apple is going to pay more for an iMac processor than they currently do for Mac Pro processors.
However, that brings up a very interesting topic. Intel does have a low power, quad core (8 thread) Nehalem Xeon that draws only 60W. The current high end iMac needs 55W for its CPU and northbridge combo so a 60W CPU with integrated northbridge isn't much of a stretch. In addition the price of the 2.26GHz Xeon is almost identical to the price of the 3.06GHz mobile Penryns in the iMac so it's completely doable.
Convincing people that 8 threads at 2.26GHz with a turbo mode that can clock individual cores much higher is a suitable replacement for a 2 thread processor at 3.06GHz seems like something Apple could pull off.
Convincing us that a 4 thread processor running at just 1.73GHz is an improvement would require Steve Jobs to extend his reality distortion field by several orders of magnitude.
Glass screen with an anti-reflective coating. They work on eyeglasses.
KVM mode to allow use of a laptop with the built-in monitor and attached keyboard and mouse
TV-tuner support in Front Row (why limit ourselves to hardware features)
an off-the-wall one: built-in UPS (if they insist on using laptop components, why not continue the similarities)
I really don't give a **** about Blu-Ray. I don't even watch DVDs on my iMac. And I share my HD videos online or over my home network. Never had a need to create a physical copy as a home user. But I can certainly see the desire for pros. But isn't that what the Mac Pro is for?
This article was so awkwardly written that I had to read the first few sentences a few times to understand what it was even about. I was then dismayed to find that it isn't about anything.
I love AppleInsider (and have been a reader for a long time), but it's sad to see articles like this.
I'm not really sure what the point of this article is, as I would be surprised if the iMac did not come with new features.
Regardless, I'd like to see Blu-ray drives and an SSD in the new models. I'm hoping that Blu-ray support in FCS3 (albeit very basic) signifies a softening of Apple's policy.
i agree that the current imac range is thin enough and would better benefit from updated and new features.
a matte screen would be a very important feature. Personally i dont mind them much for average use but i have one of the glossy screens and 2 older imacs in a small design studio and guess which one makes us close the blinds?
i think if they manage to gain enough space they could add a laptop battery option to an imac to have a built in ups. With all the fuss about time machine etc - this feature might go down well with pros not wishin to spend on a mac pro
and yeah mr jobs i love that expression - "bag of hurt" but i use it when i think of the gaping hole in the line up. I think any person using a mac in any professional capacity craves beautifully designed tower which is small and light (mac pro is exp even cos of its case and shipping) - a single desktop class cpu will do (esp since quad and 6 core cpus are moving along. Space for 2 hard drives. Maybe space for 2 X 3.5 inch and 2X 2.5 (booting from an ssd is an option for xserves!). Single optical drive, memory card slot. Upgradable gfx card with both mini display port and dvi connectors and and perhaps 2 pci x slots for unternal expansion (sound video i/o). Esata doesn't need anything other that the right connectors off the motherboard so it would be nice but not essential as fw is still decent enough.
i think they could make a beautiful, compelling machine that might cannabalise their imac market but i think it will add a couple more % points to their overall marketshare. IT will also mean that people will replace their machines more often. If i buy a mac pro today i know i'll want 5 years out of it. If i buy somethin as above i'll expect to change it after 3.
The problem I have with Blu-ray drives being included as an option is that we still don?t have support at the OS level to make AACS encrypted video play in HD. Apple could have included that and then let their customers buy external drives for Blu-ray playback but they haven?t. They also haven?t included it Snow Leopard as of yet. The licensing has been simplified more than enough time to at least get that ball rolling and it?s not in Apple?s favour to make Blu-ray on a PC a big to-do when they are clearly pushing their digital content as a "good enough" quality, convenient alternative to buying a Blu-ray player.
It?s a tactic that seems to be working when you consider that people with Blu-ray drives prefer them for large HD TVs, not relatively small PC screens, and when DVD and upconverting-DVD players still offer a "good enough" alternative for many over Blu-ray. Blu-ray?s resolution and bitrate is by far superior to anything Apple can push over the web at this point, but best doesn?t always win out in tech, it?s usually ?good enough? coupled with convenience.
Quote:
Originally Posted by al_bundy
blu-ray drives are cheaper. i saw one at newegg last week for $58. If apple buys 5 million a year then say $20 per drive for them. or maybe less
But not the slim, slot loading drives that fit into the iMacs.
Serious processor option like the Xeon L5520 processor (2.26GHz 4 core 8 thread 60W Nehalem)
Serious GPU (the GT120 may be discrete, but it's a joke and the GT130 isn't worth the insane upgrade price)
eSATA would be nice, but FW800 is fast enough for anything less than a multi-drive array.
More USB ports would also be nice. Even the mini has 5 now.
Another nice option would be the one they now offer for the xServe, an SSD boot drive plus the standard drive bay for high capacity storage. Maybe offer people a choice between a 3.5" drive or two 2.5" drives.
The problem I have with Blu-ray drives being included as an option is that we still don’t have support at the OS level to make AACS encrypted video play in HD. Apple could have included that and then let their customers buy external drives for Blu-ray playback but they haven’t. They also haven’t included it Snow Leopard as of yet. The licensing has been simplified more than enough time to at least get that ball rolling and it’s not in Apple’s favour to make Blu-ray on a PC a big to-do when they are clearly pushing their digital content as a "good enough" quality, convenient alternative to buying a Blu-ray player.
It’s a tactic that seems to be working when you consider that people with Blu-ray drives prefer them for large HD TVs, not relatively small PC screens, and when DVD and upconverting-DVD players still offer a "good enough" alternative for many over Blu-ray. Blu-ray’s resolution and bitrate is by far superior to anything Apple can push over the web at this point, but best doesn’t always win out in tech, it’s usually “good enough” coupled with convenience.
But not the slim, slot loading drives that fit into the iMacs.
HP includes Blu-Ray drives on it's higher end laptops as standard and offers a Blu-Ray burner for $150 more. it shouldn't be that big a deal for apple to do this since all their products are premium
I'm going to go on record as speculating that one of the new features is an external multi-touch trackpad instead of the Mighty Mouse. In my experience, the MacBook (Pro/Air) trackpad is superior to any mouse. This is in stark contrast to any PC laptop, where the first thing I do is plug in a mouse. Perhaps it might even be an external keyboard with a multi-touch trackpad included.
There's no other explanation for why Apple hasn't touched the Mighty Mouse in years, despite the problem with the trackball getting jammed requiring manual cleaning.
Someone earlier mentioned a multi-touch screen, but having used an HP touch screen on a number of occasions, I have to say that it's much more of a gimmick than a truly useful feature. Whatever limited applications there are that really take advantage of it, it's not practical for regular use. Normally it just feels like my arm is about to fall off from having to hold it out, extended, for a period of time.
That said, I do want to have gestures on a mac desktop. I had been expecting Apple to release some kind of iPod/iPhone app that could allow it to act as a gesture device, but a new keyboard with some type of gesture surface (maybe in the space that used to be occupied by the numerical pad) would be welcome and not as physically strenuous as
having to lift up the whole arm over an extended period of time trying to gesture
on a touch screen.
As far as Blu-Ray, I hope it's just optional given that Apple wouldn't ship with just a Blu-Ray reader; it would also have to burn, and therefore probably more expensive. And it would only make sense on the 24" model since the 20" screen doesn't display the full 1080 vertical pixels, thus limiting the actual usefullness of Blu-Ray.
Hopefully the long requested feature is finally the option for an anti-glare screen!
Blu-ray - people may say that they won't watch blu-ray, but you can burn blu-ray in fact FCP now supports it
1.5-2 TB support
eSATA(high end only)
5.0 MP iSight (many of you seem to have forgotten that Apple ordered 5 MP cameras a while back, more likely to go into an imac than a tablet.)
Definitely Not
Multi-touch
USB 3.0
Nehalem Xeon (will never happen in the imac xeon is a server processor)
You're crazy.
There is no faster CPU available. The only thing Intel offers is more cores and newer designs. Within the thermal envelope of the current iMac and the price of the chips they're currently using there is only one chip that would offer better performance and it's a Xeon.
More RAM? 4GB is more than enough for consumers and 4GB DIMMs are insanely expensive still.
Better video, I sure hope so, but Apple usually waits for a second revision before upgrading them.
Slimmed down. I hope not because it will prevent use of higher performance parts.
Quad core. I hope so, but it won't happen if the case is slimmer.
Don't care about BluRay and cannot see any point in a 5MP iSight.
Apple doesn't like eSATA and it's not needed on an iMac.
I agree that multitouch and USB 3 aren't coming this year.
As I've already stated, the iMac can't get any faster unless Apple re-designs it (makes it bigger) to allow desktop processors or they go with the Xeon L5520.
Comments
As an owner of an iMac, I don't think the next iMac needs to be any thinner or sleeker. Its thin and sleek enough.
Give it more/better features, ie nehalem processors and blue ray. That would be a good start.
I'm guessing one of the new features that Apple didn't want to go with is SATA. Frankly I'm a little miffed that my Mac Pro and iMac are stuck with old Firewire technology and the Windows world is cruising around with external SATA ports.
A couple of new features
...
One of those features
...
while the other is expected
...
Still, both features have been characterized as significant announcements
...
Either way, the new iMac offerings
...
[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
I am so psyched up for this!
Really...
Wait, what am I psyched up for?
Isn't this along the lines of Dean Kamen's IT hype?
"This is according to cryptic tips from people often familiar with the Mac maker's future product initiatives, but who declined to elaborate because they were not authorized to discuss the matter in detail."
But they were authorized to say there is "compelling" new features?
So- when will that happen ????
1. A decent graphics card option for gaming (ATi 4870 or similar).
2. Quad-core CPUs.
3. eSATA ports.
I guess what I really want is a more basic Mac Pro. Some kind of base tower for around £1000.
Standard desktop memory instead of SO-DIMMs
user-replaceable hard drive
SSD
More USB and FireWire ports
Glass screen with an anti-reflective coating. They work on eyeglasses.
KVM mode to allow use of a laptop with the built-in monitor and attached keyboard and mouse
TV-tuner support in Front Row (why limit ourselves to hardware features)
an off-the-wall one: built-in UPS (if they insist on using laptop components, why not continue the similarities)
I really don't give a **** about Blu-Ray. I don't even watch DVDs on my iMac. And I share my HD videos online or over my home network. Never had a need to create a physical copy as a home user. But I can certainly see the desire for pros. But isn't that what the Mac Pro is for?
A couple of new features rumored to be in the cards for Apple's forthcoming iMac refresh will up the value proposition for prospective buyers in the market for an all-in-one desktop system, AppleInsider has been told.
One of those features is said to have long been on the wish-lists of many Mac users while the other is expected to cater to the semi-professional audio/video crowd. This is according to cryptic tips from people often familiar with the Mac maker's future product initiatives, but who declined to elaborate because they were not authorized to discuss the matter in detail.
So... when the new iMacs come out and there are "new features", are you guys going to say "as predicted first by AI"? This isn't news. It's not even rumors.
If they make the darned iMac case any thinner there's zero chance of getting a quad core processor or user accessible hard drive bay. I can't explain why their own technicians haven't lynched Jonathan Ive for burying the part with the highest failure rate in the bottom of the case and gluing foil to it. I would much rather they move to an LED backlit display and use the space freed up for better cooling and re-arranging the components so the ones that are most likely to need servicing are easy to get to.
Intel has few options for the iMac right now. Both the Penryn and Clarksfield mobile quads are priced way too high for what you get. There's no way Apple is going to pay more for an iMac processor than they currently do for Mac Pro processors.
However, that brings up a very interesting topic. Intel does have a low power, quad core (8 thread) Nehalem Xeon that draws only 60W. The current high end iMac needs 55W for its CPU and northbridge combo so a 60W CPU with integrated northbridge isn't much of a stretch. In addition the price of the 2.26GHz Xeon is almost identical to the price of the 3.06GHz mobile Penryns in the iMac so it's completely doable.
Convincing people that 8 threads at 2.26GHz with a turbo mode that can clock individual cores much higher is a suitable replacement for a 2 thread processor at 3.06GHz seems like something Apple could pull off.
Convincing us that a 4 thread processor running at just 1.73GHz is an improvement would require Steve Jobs to extend his reality distortion field by several orders of magnitude.
eSATA
Standard desktop memory instead of SO-DIMMs
user-replaceable hard drive
SSD
More USB and FireWire ports
Glass screen with an anti-reflective coating. They work on eyeglasses.
KVM mode to allow use of a laptop with the built-in monitor and attached keyboard and mouse
TV-tuner support in Front Row (why limit ourselves to hardware features)
an off-the-wall one: built-in UPS (if they insist on using laptop components, why not continue the similarities)
I really don't give a **** about Blu-Ray. I don't even watch DVDs on my iMac. And I share my HD videos online or over my home network. Never had a need to create a physical copy as a home user. But I can certainly see the desire for pros. But isn't that what the Mac Pro is for?
Ya want a Mac Pro then.
I love AppleInsider (and have been a reader for a long time), but it's sad to see articles like this.
Regardless, I'd like to see Blu-ray drives and an SSD in the new models. I'm hoping that Blu-ray support in FCS3 (albeit very basic) signifies a softening of Apple's policy.
a matte screen would be a very important feature. Personally i dont mind them much for average use but i have one of the glossy screens and 2 older imacs in a small design studio and guess which one makes us close the blinds?
i think if they manage to gain enough space they could add a laptop battery option to an imac to have a built in ups. With all the fuss about time machine etc - this feature might go down well with pros not wishin to spend on a mac pro
and yeah mr jobs i love that expression - "bag of hurt" but i use it when i think of the gaping hole in the line up. I think any person using a mac in any professional capacity craves beautifully designed tower which is small and light (mac pro is exp even cos of its case and shipping) - a single desktop class cpu will do (esp since quad and 6 core cpus are moving along. Space for 2 hard drives. Maybe space for 2 X 3.5 inch and 2X 2.5 (booting from an ssd is an option for xserves!). Single optical drive, memory card slot. Upgradable gfx card with both mini display port and dvi connectors and and perhaps 2 pci x slots for unternal expansion (sound video i/o). Esata doesn't need anything other that the right connectors off the motherboard so it would be nice but not essential as fw is still decent enough.
i think they could make a beautiful, compelling machine that might cannabalise their imac market but i think it will add a couple more % points to their overall marketshare. IT will also mean that people will replace their machines more often. If i buy a mac pro today i know i'll want 5 years out of it. If i buy somethin as above i'll expect to change it after 3.
It?s a tactic that seems to be working when you consider that people with Blu-ray drives prefer them for large HD TVs, not relatively small PC screens, and when DVD and upconverting-DVD players still offer a "good enough" alternative for many over Blu-ray. Blu-ray?s resolution and bitrate is by far superior to anything Apple can push over the web at this point, but best doesn?t always win out in tech, it?s usually ?good enough? coupled with convenience.
blu-ray drives are cheaper. i saw one at newegg last week for $58. If apple buys 5 million a year then say $20 per drive for them. or maybe less
But not the slim, slot loading drives that fit into the iMacs.
Speed bump in both processor and RAM
Better video card options
Slimmed down
SSD
Maybe
Quad Core(in higher end)
More ports
Blu-ray - people may say that they won't watch blu-ray, but you can burn blu-ray in fact FCP now supports it
1.5-2 TB support
eSATA(high end only)
5.0 MP iSight (many of you seem to have forgotten that Apple ordered 5 MP cameras a while back, more likely to go into an imac than a tablet.)
Definitely Not
Multi-touch
USB 3.0
Nehalem Xeon (will never happen in the imac xeon is a server processor)
anti-reflective glass
user accessible hard drive
LED backlighting
Serious processor option like the Xeon L5520 processor (2.26GHz 4 core 8 thread 60W Nehalem)
Serious GPU (the GT120 may be discrete, but it's a joke and the GT130 isn't worth the insane upgrade price)
eSATA would be nice, but FW800 is fast enough for anything less than a multi-drive array.
More USB ports would also be nice. Even the mini has 5 now.
Another nice option would be the one they now offer for the xServe, an SSD boot drive plus the standard drive bay for high capacity storage. Maybe offer people a choice between a 3.5" drive or two 2.5" drives.
The problem I have with Blu-ray drives being included as an option is that we still don’t have support at the OS level to make AACS encrypted video play in HD. Apple could have included that and then let their customers buy external drives for Blu-ray playback but they haven’t. They also haven’t included it Snow Leopard as of yet. The licensing has been simplified more than enough time to at least get that ball rolling and it’s not in Apple’s favour to make Blu-ray on a PC a big to-do when they are clearly pushing their digital content as a "good enough" quality, convenient alternative to buying a Blu-ray player.
It’s a tactic that seems to be working when you consider that people with Blu-ray drives prefer them for large HD TVs, not relatively small PC screens, and when DVD and upconverting-DVD players still offer a "good enough" alternative for many over Blu-ray. Blu-ray’s resolution and bitrate is by far superior to anything Apple can push over the web at this point, but best doesn’t always win out in tech, it’s usually “good enough” coupled with convenience.
But not the slim, slot loading drives that fit into the iMacs.
HP includes Blu-Ray drives on it's higher end laptops as standard and offers a Blu-Ray burner for $150 more. it shouldn't be that big a deal for apple to do this since all their products are premium
There's no other explanation for why Apple hasn't touched the Mighty Mouse in years, despite the problem with the trackball getting jammed requiring manual cleaning.
That said, I do want to have gestures on a mac desktop. I had been expecting Apple to release some kind of iPod/iPhone app that could allow it to act as a gesture device, but a new keyboard with some type of gesture surface (maybe in the space that used to be occupied by the numerical pad) would be welcome and not as physically strenuous as
having to lift up the whole arm over an extended period of time trying to gesture
on a touch screen.
As far as Blu-Ray, I hope it's just optional given that Apple wouldn't ship with just a Blu-Ray reader; it would also have to burn, and therefore probably more expensive. And it would only make sense on the 24" model since the 20" screen doesn't display the full 1080 vertical pixels, thus limiting the actual usefullness of Blu-Ray.
Hopefully the long requested feature is finally the option for an anti-glare screen!
Almost Certain
Speed bump in both processor and RAM
Better video card options
Slimmed down
SSD
Maybe
Quad Core(in higher end)
More ports
Blu-ray - people may say that they won't watch blu-ray, but you can burn blu-ray in fact FCP now supports it
1.5-2 TB support
eSATA(high end only)
5.0 MP iSight (many of you seem to have forgotten that Apple ordered 5 MP cameras a while back, more likely to go into an imac than a tablet.)
Definitely Not
Multi-touch
USB 3.0
Nehalem Xeon (will never happen in the imac xeon is a server processor)
You're crazy.
There is no faster CPU available. The only thing Intel offers is more cores and newer designs. Within the thermal envelope of the current iMac and the price of the chips they're currently using there is only one chip that would offer better performance and it's a Xeon.
More RAM? 4GB is more than enough for consumers and 4GB DIMMs are insanely expensive still.
Better video, I sure hope so, but Apple usually waits for a second revision before upgrading them.
Slimmed down. I hope not because it will prevent use of higher performance parts.
Quad core. I hope so, but it won't happen if the case is slimmer.
Don't care about BluRay and cannot see any point in a 5MP iSight.
Apple doesn't like eSATA and it's not needed on an iMac.
I agree that multitouch and USB 3 aren't coming this year.
As I've already stated, the iMac can't get any faster unless Apple re-designs it (makes it bigger) to allow desktop processors or they go with the Xeon L5520.