We should probably refer to it as "mini-Thunderbolt".
Another forked standard requiring an adapter workaround.
No, that's the port that Intel and Apple came up with, so that's what a "Thunderbolt port" looks like.
I'm sure Acer and Dell could come up with a larger port that would be compatible with the existing full-sized DisplayPort connectors. It would actually be up to Intel, not Apple.
More likely that Sony or someone would try to develop a smaller connector (though if the 4-conductor FireWire cables were any gauge, Sony would probably try to remove the power connector in the process).
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips
Sorry, off topic but related to your comment ... I'd like to see the option to sync my iPhones and iPads over wifi let alone via TB. I realize it would be slower but it would be nice to have the choice.
From your lips to Steve's ears! I don't understand why we still don't have 802.11n WiFi sync to iTunes in 2011. It can't be that hard.
Still looking for Thunderbolt devices... otherwise it's just a miniDisplay port with a nifty logo.
Thunderbolt is, for all intents and purposes, largely an external PCI bus. It will be very easy to make Thunderbolt-compatible drives. As easy or easier to build than USB 3.0 drives.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kotatsu
Will it be too much to ask for I wonder, for the iMac to actually get some modern components in it? USB 3 and blu-ray are LONG overdue...
You'll get access to USB 3.0 through Thunderbolt. Either a terminated cable (i.e. at end of the daisy chain) or through a breakout box. It's completely plausible that an external hard drive will get a USB 3.0 connector port (or two) in addition to the two Thunderbolt ports.
As far as Bluray is concerned, Apple is never going to let them dictate built-in Blu-ray DRM into OSX.
It will take a non glossy screen for me to buy any PC. So for now it continues to be the Mac Mini with a separate non Apple matte display.
I sympathize with those wanting matte screens. I prefer them myself. However, I think I know why Apple has chosen to stick with glossy.
When Apple eventually rolls out a new iMac with a touch interface (via Lion and ported iOS apps), that's when the glossy screen will be needed. Just like iPhones and iPads need finger-slidey glass for their screens, so will these new touchable iMacs.
Because of Apple's penchant for consistency of design, they probably foresaw this need and decided to maintain the glossy screen standard until its eventual need. Just a guess though.
Such a box would also need an internal power supply, unless you want another AC brick. Maybe some hard drive bays and quiet fans as well. Basically, it would be a small "dockable" minitower with no CPU.
Especially if you move beyond one bay in the external enclosure.
With todays modern dual core processors you can do RAID through the SATA ports and have performance well beyond what you would get over Thunderbolt. I see far to many starry eyed guys looking at TB as the ultimate in drive expansion support. That may very well be true relative to other external I/O solutions but it isn't exactly cost effective when compared to internally installed drives.
It seems as if some here think I'm ruling out external storage solutions totally. That isn't the case at all. What I'm saying is that it is expensive and not as reliable as an internal solution. Also it generates unnecessary clutter. This should be fairly obvious.
Other considerations are less obvious. For example all modern CPU support chips have multiple SATA controllers in them. So for the most apart supporting internal drives is free. Well except for a slightly beefed up power supply and space considerations. As mentioned above the extra cores in modern CPU's makes it very easy to support things like RAID on those ports, so even though you have a slower interface with SATA, you have more of them to work with resulting in superior performance. Or alternatively you have that TB port available for more interesting things.
In the end I just don't buy the idea that external storage expansion is the way to go in a desk top machine. It is simply an expensive approach to a problem that can be handled in a proper chassis.
Honestly I wish people would let this rest, Blu-Ray is dying and isn't worth supporting.
As for USB 3 I'm certain it will come to the Mac when Apple uses a chip set supporting it. Frankly it is a highly over rated upgrade to USB, but at least I can see some reasons for it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kotatsu
Will it be too much to ask for I wonder, for the iMac to actually get some modern components in it? USB 3 and blu-ray are LONG overdue, and where are the 3.4ghz i7s?
As to the i7's they have to be available before Apple can ship them.
Quote:
The current iMac is like a time capsule with old components of various vintages thrown together. The optical drive (circa 1998) is hilariously outdated.
It isn't that bad. As to the optical drive, all I can say is that it always works at advertised speeds. That is something you can't say for high speed drives. More so because I hardly use the optical I don't want apple wasting money on that sort of hardware when they could be putting other components into the machine.
That's as naïve as saying, "The iPod classic will never be discontinued."
OS XI will redefine the means with which a computer is interacted and the virtual layout of said interface. Can't do it on a vertical screen, though they're still needed.
Screen at an angle. Sliding stand takes the machine from 5 degrees tilt to 90 degrees tilt. 5's for touchscreening, 90's for media playback.
If the rumors about a 24" iMac being added to the mix don't pan out, then I hope the updated 21.5" iMacs get the i7 option and they drop the i3 altogether. Surely if they can squeeze it into the 13" MacBook pro...they can fit it in the 21.5" iMac. Also thunderbolt is a given. But Id like to see the ability to add an extra SSD drive in the 21.5" model like you can in the 27".
Lastly, I hope the ability to use the 21.5" as an external monitor is added like in the 27" model. Because Once the iMac becomes obsolete, it'd be nice to have the option to use it as an external monitor with either a new iMac or a MacBook pro down the road.
Can't wait for these updates. I want an iMac as my main computer/hub at home.
Some are saying updates will come as early as April....but Im thinking May is the month.
I love the current iMacs but I'm beginning to long for a new design. This one has been around for years now, only changing from white plastic to the aluminum and black glass currently used.
My favourite iMac was the "lamp" but something like that might not happen again because there's no more computer to hide in the base like they did with the lamp iMac. It's ever more comfortably fitting right behind the screen, lending for a very clean all in one look.
What do y'all think the next iMac will look like? Less chin perhaps? More like the cinema displays? Maybe we'll see an articulating neck like the lamp iMac after all, once OSX Lion's full screen apps and more iOS like UI begin to open up OSX for touch leading to an iMac that can move horizontal for an ergonomic touch experience.
I am also curious as to what the next design could be other than no chin at all.
The lamp design was fun. Don't forget the the chin on the first aluminum mac was bigger than the current design. I'm also glad they switched to 16:9 from 16:10.
Personally, I think the current design of the iMacs is the perfect evolution. As far as form factor goes, I for one don't particularly want a radical new design.
For me updating the insides and adding thunderbolt ports are far more important to me on my wish list.
If anything, I'd like to see an additional iMac size....like the rumored 24"....otherwise I would just want to see Sandy Bridge and i5/i7s across the board. Plus perhaps the ability for the 21.5" iMac to act as a second monitor like the 27" can. As well as the ability to add a second SSD like you can in the 27".
Better graphics and CPU of course.
Maybe even a small SSD drive standard across the board to load the operating system and key programs for fast start up and run times. But maybe that's pushing it.
The rest of my wish list centers around the release of LION.....in particular... Typeface INDEPENDENCE! :-)
I hate that they've switched from 16:10 to 16:9. It's not a TV. If I wanted 16:9 or 2.39:1, I would have bought a TV.
I don't mind the 16:9...in fact I kinda like it. If the rumors about a 24" iMac being added to the line up are true, that'll look the best of the bunch in that ratio IMHO.
I also don't mind the glossy screen. I prefer it over a Matt screen.
So all in all I hope the form factor doesn't change at all really. It's the inside I care about.
Honestly I wish people would let this rest, Blu-Ray is dying and isn't worth supporting.
/agree
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69
As for USB 3 I'm certain it will come to the Mac when Apple uses a chip set supporting it. Frankly it is a highly over rated upgrade to USB, but at least I can see some reasons for it.
just to make a point to all those demanding USB3 ... INTEL the company behind the USB spec STILL hasn't rolled out a chipset with 3.0 baked in.. Now, since we all know that Apple has based all of it's Intel based mac's on intel designs... Not having USB isn't that shocking.
It isn't that bad. As to the optical drive, all I can say is that it always works at advertised speeds. That is something you can't say for high speed drives. More so because I hardly use the optical I don't want apple wasting money on that sort of hardware when they could be putting other components into the machine.
Well I'll not get too wordy on this ... However I certainly could... Apple seems to always release optical drives that are rip locked... Perhaps this has changed in the recient past but every apple branded optical going back to my trusty silver G4 have this wonderful feature.
just to make a point to all those demanding USB3 ... INTEL the company behind the USB spec STILL hasn't rolled out a chipset with 3.0 baked in.. Now, since we all know that Apple has based all of it's Intel based mac's on intel designs... Not having USB isn't that shocking.
I never understood why this is so difficult for people to understand. You can't implement what your supplier doesn't have. As to third party USB3 chips they only started to stabilize late last year.
Now if someone where to ask is Intel making a mistake dragging it's feet with respect to USB 3, I'd say yes! Frankly I don't see it competing with Thunderbolt at all as the two standards aren't even in the same league.
For Apple USB 3 isn't a big deal as there are well supported Mac alternatives.
Quote:
Well I'll not get too wordy on this ... However I certainly could... Apple seems to always release optical drives that are rip locked... Perhaps this has changed in the recient past but every apple branded optical going back to my trusty silver G4 have this wonderful feature.
So what is "rip lock"? I don't really use my optical much at all but have had little in the way of problems with it.
Comments
We should probably refer to it as "mini-Thunderbolt".
Another forked standard requiring an adapter workaround.
No, that's the port that Intel and Apple came up with, so that's what a "Thunderbolt port" looks like.
I'm sure Acer and Dell could come up with a larger port that would be compatible with the existing full-sized DisplayPort connectors. It would actually be up to Intel, not Apple.
More likely that Sony or someone would try to develop a smaller connector (though if the 4-conductor FireWire cables were any gauge, Sony would probably try to remove the power connector in the process).
Sorry, off topic but related to your comment ... I'd like to see the option to sync my iPhones and iPads over wifi let alone via TB. I realize it would be slower but it would be nice to have the choice.
From your lips to Steve's ears! I don't understand why we still don't have 802.11n WiFi sync to iTunes in 2011. It can't be that hard.
Great, another hardware upgrade.. No one can keep up with the latest and newest gizmos available..
So, what would you prefer? Apple hold back technology from their products just because you think you need to keep track of hardware updates?
Here's a thought - don't try to keep up. When you need a product, evaluate what's out there and buy based on that.
Still looking for Thunderbolt devices... otherwise it's just a miniDisplay port with a nifty logo.
Thunderbolt is, for all intents and purposes, largely an external PCI bus. It will be very easy to make Thunderbolt-compatible drives. As easy or easier to build than USB 3.0 drives.
Will it be too much to ask for I wonder, for the iMac to actually get some modern components in it? USB 3 and blu-ray are LONG overdue...
You'll get access to USB 3.0 through Thunderbolt. Either a terminated cable (i.e. at end of the daisy chain) or through a breakout box. It's completely plausible that an external hard drive will get a USB 3.0 connector port (or two) in addition to the two Thunderbolt ports.
As far as Bluray is concerned, Apple is never going to let them dictate built-in Blu-ray DRM into OSX.
My current iMac is about a year old.
The thing that would make me upgrade is a matte-screen.
The gloss is just unbearable..
I have to close all the blinds in my apartment when watching a movie..
It bugs the crap out of me.
Have you tried one of the many anti-glare films for iMacs that are available?
It will take a non glossy screen for me to buy any PC. So for now it continues to be the Mac Mini with a separate non Apple matte display.
I sympathize with those wanting matte screens. I prefer them myself. However, I think I know why Apple has chosen to stick with glossy.
When Apple eventually rolls out a new iMac with a touch interface (via Lion and ported iOS apps), that's when the glossy screen will be needed. Just like iPhones and iPads need finger-slidey glass for their screens, so will these new touchable iMacs.
Because of Apple's penchant for consistency of design, they probably foresaw this need and decided to maintain the glossy screen standard until its eventual need. Just a guess though.
Such a box would also need an internal power supply, unless you want another AC brick. Maybe some hard drive bays and quiet fans as well. Basically, it would be a small "dockable" minitower with no CPU.
Especially if you move beyond one bay in the external enclosure.
With todays modern dual core processors you can do RAID through the SATA ports and have performance well beyond what you would get over Thunderbolt. I see far to many starry eyed guys looking at TB as the ultimate in drive expansion support. That may very well be true relative to other external I/O solutions but it isn't exactly cost effective when compared to internally installed drives.
It seems as if some here think I'm ruling out external storage solutions totally. That isn't the case at all. What I'm saying is that it is expensive and not as reliable as an internal solution. Also it generates unnecessary clutter. This should be fairly obvious.
Other considerations are less obvious. For example all modern CPU support chips have multiple SATA controllers in them. So for the most apart supporting internal drives is free. Well except for a slightly beefed up power supply and space considerations. As mentioned above the extra cores in modern CPU's makes it very easy to support things like RAID on those ports, so even though you have a slower interface with SATA, you have more of them to work with resulting in superior performance. Or alternatively you have that TB port available for more interesting things.
In the end I just don't buy the idea that external storage expansion is the way to go in a desk top machine. It is simply an expensive approach to a problem that can be handled in a proper chassis.
As for USB 3 I'm certain it will come to the Mac when Apple uses a chip set supporting it. Frankly it is a highly over rated upgrade to USB, but at least I can see some reasons for it.
Will it be too much to ask for I wonder, for the iMac to actually get some modern components in it? USB 3 and blu-ray are LONG overdue, and where are the 3.4ghz i7s?
As to the i7's they have to be available before Apple can ship them.
The current iMac is like a time capsule with old components of various vintages thrown together. The optical drive (circa 1998) is hilariously outdated.
It isn't that bad. As to the optical drive, all I can say is that it always works at advertised speeds. That is something you can't say for high speed drives. More so because I hardly use the optical I don't want apple wasting money on that sort of hardware when they could be putting other components into the machine.
There is never going to be a touchscreen iMac.
That's as naïve as saying, "The iPod classic will never be discontinued."
OS XI will redefine the means with which a computer is interacted and the virtual layout of said interface. Can't do it on a vertical screen, though they're still needed.
Screen at an angle. Sliding stand takes the machine from 5 degrees tilt to 90 degrees tilt. 5's for touchscreening, 90's for media playback.
Lastly, I hope the ability to use the 21.5" as an external monitor is added like in the 27" model. Because Once the iMac becomes obsolete, it'd be nice to have the option to use it as an external monitor with either a new iMac or a MacBook pro down the road.
Can't wait for these updates. I want an iMac as my main computer/hub at home.
Some are saying updates will come as early as April....but Im thinking May is the month.
When is LION suppose to be "officially" released?
When is LION suppose to be "officially" released?
"Summer", meaning October.
I love the current iMacs but I'm beginning to long for a new design. This one has been around for years now, only changing from white plastic to the aluminum and black glass currently used.
My favourite iMac was the "lamp" but something like that might not happen again because there's no more computer to hide in the base like they did with the lamp iMac. It's ever more comfortably fitting right behind the screen, lending for a very clean all in one look.
What do y'all think the next iMac will look like? Less chin perhaps? More like the cinema displays? Maybe we'll see an articulating neck like the lamp iMac after all, once OSX Lion's full screen apps and more iOS like UI begin to open up OSX for touch leading to an iMac that can move horizontal for an ergonomic touch experience.
I am also curious as to what the next design could be other than no chin at all.
The lamp design was fun. Don't forget the the chin on the first aluminum mac was bigger than the current design. I'm also glad they switched to 16:9 from 16:10.
I'm also glad they switched to 16:9 from 16:10.
I hate that they've switched from 16:10 to 16:9. It's not a TV. If I wanted 16:9 or 2.39:1, I would have bought a TV.
For me updating the insides and adding thunderbolt ports are far more important to me on my wish list.
If anything, I'd like to see an additional iMac size....like the rumored 24"....otherwise I would just want to see Sandy Bridge and i5/i7s across the board. Plus perhaps the ability for the 21.5" iMac to act as a second monitor like the 27" can. As well as the ability to add a second SSD like you can in the 27".
Better graphics and CPU of course.
Maybe even a small SSD drive standard across the board to load the operating system and key programs for fast start up and run times. But maybe that's pushing it.
The rest of my wish list centers around the release of LION.....in particular... Typeface INDEPENDENCE! :-)
I hate that they've switched from 16:10 to 16:9. It's not a TV. If I wanted 16:9 or 2.39:1, I would have bought a TV.
I don't mind the 16:9...in fact I kinda like it. If the rumors about a 24" iMac being added to the line up are true, that'll look the best of the bunch in that ratio IMHO.
I also don't mind the glossy screen. I prefer it over a Matt screen.
So all in all I hope the form factor doesn't change at all really. It's the inside I care about.
We shall see. :-)
The rest of my wish list centers around the release of LION.....in particular... Typeface INDEPENDENCE! :-)
Keep dreaming. I certainly will.
Honestly I wish people would let this rest, Blu-Ray is dying and isn't worth supporting.
/agree
As for USB 3 I'm certain it will come to the Mac when Apple uses a chip set supporting it. Frankly it is a highly over rated upgrade to USB, but at least I can see some reasons for it.
just to make a point to all those demanding USB3 ... INTEL the company behind the USB spec STILL hasn't rolled out a chipset with 3.0 baked in.. Now, since we all know that Apple has based all of it's Intel based mac's on intel designs... Not having USB isn't that shocking.
Source
It isn't that bad. As to the optical drive, all I can say is that it always works at advertised speeds. That is something you can't say for high speed drives. More so because I hardly use the optical I don't want apple wasting money on that sort of hardware when they could be putting other components into the machine.
Well I'll not get too wordy on this ... However I certainly could... Apple seems to always release optical drives that are rip locked... Perhaps this has changed in the recient past but every apple branded optical going back to my trusty silver G4 have this wonderful feature.
/agree
just to make a point to all those demanding USB3 ... INTEL the company behind the USB spec STILL hasn't rolled out a chipset with 3.0 baked in.. Now, since we all know that Apple has based all of it's Intel based mac's on intel designs... Not having USB isn't that shocking.
I never understood why this is so difficult for people to understand. You can't implement what your supplier doesn't have. As to third party USB3 chips they only started to stabilize late last year.
Now if someone where to ask is Intel making a mistake dragging it's feet with respect to USB 3, I'd say yes! Frankly I don't see it competing with Thunderbolt at all as the two standards aren't even in the same league.
For Apple USB 3 isn't a big deal as there are well supported Mac alternatives.
Well I'll not get too wordy on this ... However I certainly could... Apple seems to always release optical drives that are rip locked... Perhaps this has changed in the recient past but every apple branded optical going back to my trusty silver G4 have this wonderful feature.
So what is "rip lock"? I don't really use my optical much at all but have had little in the way of problems with it.