…Kung Fu Panda 2 on Blu Ray with 7.1 DTS Master HD... Nothing can touch it.
Except a Pixar movie. ????
Originally Posted by iSheldon
Agreed . I hope they finally get the iMac right after all these lean years. I can finally put my white iMac to sleep.
Or you could just buy a third-party IPS display after all these years…
Originally Posted by SpamSandwich
Why? If it's not a big deal for a laptop, I'd like it to be included in the iMac.
Does it matter anymore? Say the power goes out. You don't lose anything. Your documents are saved as you type, so they're right back where they were when you boot back up. UPS' and other battery solutions are from the decades where we were told we had to save before quitting. They never should have happened, but 'what if's' are useless; let's just move forward to the future as it should have always been.
You might be right. But I'll still keep my other devices and would be interested in seeing what Apple could do for the HEC even if I think and Apple HDTV isn't nearly a ready for what has been proposed.
to be perfectly honest, I covet the large screen iMac, too. I have the orig. intel 20" white iMac running SL...i bought the latest Apple BT KB and have the Apple BT MagicPad.
I was in an Apple store recently and I really like the improvements Apple has made to Safari in Lion and pretty much everything else in Lion. Or maybe it was ML. Anyway...they are, indeed, exquisite machines!
Apple is constantly looking for ways to cut costs. Making things thinner, even iMacs, reduces the amount of material use which saves them money. Eliminate the optical drive will save them tons of money.
Excellent point...Seems obvious now...I thought Apple just liked extra thin things. But the more weight they can shave off the iMac the less avgas is used on the 747's getting them here from china.
to be perfectly honest, I covet the large screen iMac, too. I have the orig. intel 20" white iMac running SL...i bought the latest Apple BT KB and have the Apple BT MagicPad.
I was in an Apple store recently and I really like the improvements Apple has made to Safari in Lion and pretty much everything else in Lion. Or maybe it was ML. Anyway...they are, indeed, exquisite machines!
It's just that I keep my MBP at home so much now with the other two devices in my possession. You get so much more for less money it finally makes sense. I predicted this might happen back in 2010 when the iPad came out, but I wasn't sure I'd be one to fall into that category.
It's just that I keep my MBP at home so much now with the other two devices in my possession. You get so much more for less money it finally makes sense. I predicted this might happen back in 2010 when the iPad came out, but I wasn't sure I'd be one to fall into that category.
Good problems to have!
I agree, the iPhone, a wifi iPad (7"), iCloud and a big screen ATV....we may just be able to get all that for the price of iMac. And if one can work it out so they don't need a full fledged computer...all the better.
Hard to give up the desire for a beautiful iMac are your desk though!
The fact that you can already buy a 1tb hard drive for around $100 means that they will soon be $50, and then $25 ect ect. Also a hard drive is far smaller than a stack of dvds (especially if you have cases) and easier to organize. Hello the future... I mean present.
The problem with hard drives is that they can go bad sitting on the shelf. You go to plug it in and - pfftt, nothing. Not reliable long term storage. SSD memory can be damaged by Cosmic Rays. Current day optical is not very long lived either. That leaves LTO tape which is archival, but prohibitively expensive.
Seems like Internet 2 and cloud storage is the way to go.
1) Why is it necessary for a desktop? If my power were to go out (something I can't recall happening in the last decade) my WiFi and cable modem would be out of commission so it's a moot point. I assume that Mac users likely live in areas with decent power grids. If it is an issue what percentage of Mac users do you think it would affect? How many desktop units does that amount to. If the Mac Pro/Power Mac has never had one then why expect it in the iMac which is already compact and isn't what I think Apple would call a mission critical machine that needs to capture every change that might have happened within the last couple seconds. It all just sounds like more hassle and cost than it's worth. I certainly don't want to pay for it.
2) Remember that components in a notebook are designed to power efficient for a battery. The 2.5" HDD runs off of USB power. A 3.5" HDD doesn't. Then there is the screen. How much more power does a 27" display need over a notebook? Then there is the CPU, GPU and other components.
11" MBA — 45W
13" MBA — 45W
13" MBP — 60W
15" MBP — 85W
21.5" iMac — 205W
27" iMac — 310W
Do these scale perfectly? Are there technical issues with the amount of power needed? I have to think that UPS batteries weigh as much as a car battery and yet supply so little time for a reason.
I don't think he's talking about a battery that lasts 7 hours. Just one that works for 15 minutes in a 'minimal use' mode. You know, brightness minimal, unused wifi/Blutooth shutdown, automatically stop playing media content, eject disks and other drives and tell the user he has 15 minutes before the computer will power off.
This is ridiculous. I don't even like the fact that they're removing optical drives from the laptops, but at least in a laptop, there's a rationale: to make them thinner/lighter or to be able to give more space to the battery. There is no reason whatsoever to remove optical drives from the iMac or the MacPro. Space is not an issue. There are still plenty of reasons for some people to use optical drives (I use them constantly) and they're so inexpensive that it doesn't really add more than a few dollars to the price.
And don't tell me I can get an external drive. Apple is anal about how their computers look, but it's okay to have another stupid box sitting on my table that could have been in the computer the whole time? This is insanity. If they don't want to include it in the base configuration, fine, but it needs to be an option.
I was never paranoid about Apple, but this is about forcing people to use iTunes instead of listening/copying CDs or watching DVDs. An ethical company would still give me the choice. I could live with Apple not supporting Blu-ray, since if I buy a Blu-ray movie, I want to watch it on a big screen anyway, but I will be really pissed if they do go ahead and remove the optical drive from all their machines. I do a lot of audio work and it's much more convenient for people to send me the source files on CD than it is for them to use DropBox or whatever. The uncompressed files are simply too big.
Apple is lucky that Wintel machines are so freaking bad because if they weren't, I would give thought to switching. And that's after being a Mac user since the very first Mac and an Apple user since around 1979. That combined with this bug laden release of Mountain Lion is really pissing me off! I always said that Apple would never turn into Microsoft, but it sure seems to be happening.
There is no reason whatsoever to remove ADB ports from Macs.
*ahem*
And don't tell me I can get an external drive.
Hey, you can always… oh.
I was never paranoid about Apple, but this is about forcing people to use iTunes instead of listening/copying CDs or watching DVDs. An ethical company would still give me the choice.
{reference to other pointless, old, discontinued tech that absolutely no one uses anymore in the same format as my first quote}
Windows is currently no different that Apple on this. Even in Windows 7 you must use third party software to watch (commercial) BluRay. There is finally third party software on the mac that WORKS called "Mac BluRay Player". The only caveat is that it needs you have to have an internet connection for it to get the initial key to decode it. I use this and Avatar looks amazing on my Mac. It's about time that some developer has stepped up. But, to leave no option for an internal optical drive on the pro might be a mistake. It's not just about Watching DVD's on a pro machine, but it's about producing. While there is still a market for BluRay, Final Cut X does offer the option to author a BluRay as does toast etc..
Where BluRay is concerned, Apple has taken a lot of steps in the direction to have hardware compliancy with BluRay standards because these are the same standards set upon iTunes media by the movie studios. For example all of Apple's current monitors are now HDCP compliant as Mini Display Port and even Thurnderbolt support this standard. Apple may still do a 180 and write the own software player. They could sell it as an option in the Mac Store so that those people wanting to pay more money for a software player could do it. This way if you want to play a BluRay on it, you can, but you don't have too buy the player and pay extra if you don't wan it. Just my 2 cents.
There will be those who'll argue that 'optical drives' are obsolete etc., but to remove them from desktop systems (where there's very little concern for saving a few millimenters that they take up) would be a questionable move as I know many (especially college students) who still watch (RedBox) DVDs etc on their iMacs.
We'll See if they decide to keep them or not...
It'll probably become a BTO option. Desktop systems don't need optical drives anymore unless the system itself is being used to burn media. Apple doesn't sell BD units, and DVD units are no longer standard on anything but the cheapest Windows machines.
If its technically feasible i would prefer Apple to do some design innovation and use the space available by removing the Superdrive, in providing an ultra efficient active cooling system which will be able to cool down a desktop class Graphics processor. so the new iMac could have a desktop class graphics instead of the current Mobile version which has half the performance of its desktop class GPU. Apple don't have to rely on the stock Desktop GPU design. They can come up with a more space efficient design cooled by the state of the art cooling system designed into the space available by getting rid of the Superdrive.
If Apple can manage to include a desktop class GPU in the iMac, they will be a winner hands down.
Why haven't you used HandBrake to copy those videos to your drive? DVDs are MPEG-2. MPEG-2!!!!!!! MPEG-2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't expect anyone to scrap their DVDs but if you have a method of ripping them that allows the media to be slower and ported everywhere easily they why not use it?
Because those transcoded movie files take up hard disk space.
Because those transcoded movie files take up hard disk space.
A terabyte HDD is under $100. I know that printing plastic discs is cheaper than NAND or even spinning disk media, but the latter will last you far longer.
Comments
Originally Posted by Andysol
…Kung Fu Panda 2 on Blu Ray with 7.1 DTS Master HD... Nothing can touch it.
Except a Pixar movie. ????
Originally Posted by iSheldon
Agreed . I hope they finally get the iMac right after all these lean years. I can finally put my white iMac to sleep.
Or you could just buy a third-party IPS display after all these years…
Originally Posted by SpamSandwich
Why? If it's not a big deal for a laptop, I'd like it to be included in the iMac.
Does it matter anymore? Say the power goes out. You don't lose anything. Your documents are saved as you type, so they're right back where they were when you boot back up. UPS' and other battery solutions are from the decades where we were told we had to save before quitting. They never should have happened, but 'what if's' are useless; let's just move forward to the future as it should have always been.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
You might be right. But I'll still keep my other devices and would be interested in seeing what Apple could do for the HEC even if I think and Apple HDTV isn't nearly a ready for what has been proposed.
to be perfectly honest, I covet the large screen iMac, too. I have the orig. intel 20" white iMac running SL...i bought the latest Apple BT KB and have the Apple BT MagicPad.
I was in an Apple store recently and I really like the improvements Apple has made to Safari in Lion and pretty much everything else in Lion. Or maybe it was ML. Anyway...they are, indeed, exquisite machines!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eriamjh
Apple is constantly looking for ways to cut costs. Making things thinner, even iMacs, reduces the amount of material use which saves them money. Eliminate the optical drive will save them tons of money.
Excellent point...Seems obvious now...I thought Apple just liked extra thin things. But the more weight they can shave off the iMac the less avgas is used on the 747's getting them here from china.
build to order option!! Those that want it can have it! I'd rather have room for ssd drives!
They may even keep the current iMac with the ODD...and the newest iMac will be thinner sans the ODD. Rather like the MBP? Just say'n
It's just that I keep my MBP at home so much now with the other two devices in my possession. You get so much more for less money it finally makes sense. I predicted this might happen back in 2010 when the iPad came out, but I wasn't sure I'd be one to fall into that category.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
It's just that I keep my MBP at home so much now with the other two devices in my possession. You get so much more for less money it finally makes sense. I predicted this might happen back in 2010 when the iPad came out, but I wasn't sure I'd be one to fall into that category.
Good problems to have!
I agree, the iPhone, a wifi iPad (7"), iCloud and a big screen ATV....we may just be able to get all that for the price of iMac. And if one can work it out so they don't need a full fledged computer...all the better.
Hard to give up the desire for a beautiful iMac are your desk though!
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
I assume that Mac users likely live in areas with decent power grids.
L.A. has rolling blackouts at times. Is L.A. considered a "decent" place?
Quote:
Originally Posted by pinkunicorn
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/mac_accessories/storage ;
The fact that you can already buy a 1tb hard drive for around $100 means that they will soon be $50, and then $25 ect ect. Also a hard drive is far smaller than a stack of dvds (especially if you have cases) and easier to organize. Hello the future... I mean present.
The problem with hard drives is that they can go bad sitting on the shelf. You go to plug it in and - pfftt, nothing. Not reliable long term storage. SSD memory can be damaged by Cosmic Rays. Current day optical is not very long lived either. That leaves LTO tape which is archival, but prohibitively expensive.
Seems like Internet 2 and cloud storage is the way to go.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
1) Why is it necessary for a desktop? If my power were to go out (something I can't recall happening in the last decade) my WiFi and cable modem would be out of commission so it's a moot point. I assume that Mac users likely live in areas with decent power grids. If it is an issue what percentage of Mac users do you think it would affect? How many desktop units does that amount to. If the Mac Pro/Power Mac has never had one then why expect it in the iMac which is already compact and isn't what I think Apple would call a mission critical machine that needs to capture every change that might have happened within the last couple seconds. It all just sounds like more hassle and cost than it's worth. I certainly don't want to pay for it.
2) Remember that components in a notebook are designed to power efficient for a battery. The 2.5" HDD runs off of USB power. A 3.5" HDD doesn't. Then there is the screen. How much more power does a 27" display need over a notebook? Then there is the CPU, GPU and other components.
Do these scale perfectly? Are there technical issues with the amount of power needed? I have to think that UPS batteries weigh as much as a car battery and yet supply so little time for a reason.11" MBA — 45W
13" MBA — 45W
13" MBP — 60W
15" MBP — 85W
21.5" iMac — 205W
27" iMac — 310W
I don't think he's talking about a battery that lasts 7 hours. Just one that works for 15 minutes in a 'minimal use' mode. You know, brightness minimal, unused wifi/Blutooth shutdown, automatically stop playing media content, eject disks and other drives and tell the user he has 15 minutes before the computer will power off.
This is ridiculous. I don't even like the fact that they're removing optical drives from the laptops, but at least in a laptop, there's a rationale: to make them thinner/lighter or to be able to give more space to the battery. There is no reason whatsoever to remove optical drives from the iMac or the MacPro. Space is not an issue. There are still plenty of reasons for some people to use optical drives (I use them constantly) and they're so inexpensive that it doesn't really add more than a few dollars to the price.
And don't tell me I can get an external drive. Apple is anal about how their computers look, but it's okay to have another stupid box sitting on my table that could have been in the computer the whole time? This is insanity. If they don't want to include it in the base configuration, fine, but it needs to be an option.
I was never paranoid about Apple, but this is about forcing people to use iTunes instead of listening/copying CDs or watching DVDs. An ethical company would still give me the choice. I could live with Apple not supporting Blu-ray, since if I buy a Blu-ray movie, I want to watch it on a big screen anyway, but I will be really pissed if they do go ahead and remove the optical drive from all their machines. I do a lot of audio work and it's much more convenient for people to send me the source files on CD than it is for them to use DropBox or whatever. The uncompressed files are simply too big.
Apple is lucky that Wintel machines are so freaking bad because if they weren't, I would give thought to switching. And that's after being a Mac user since the very first Mac and an Apple user since around 1979. That combined with this bug laden release of Mountain Lion is really pissing me off! I always said that Apple would never turn into Microsoft, but it sure seems to be happening.
Originally Posted by zoetmb in 1997
There is no reason whatsoever to remove ADB ports from Macs.
*ahem*
And don't tell me I can get an external drive.
Hey, you can always… oh.
I was never paranoid about Apple, but this is about forcing people to use iTunes instead of listening/copying CDs or watching DVDs. An ethical company would still give me the choice.
{reference to other pointless, old, discontinued tech that absolutely no one uses anymore in the same format as my first quote}
Windows is currently no different that Apple on this. Even in Windows 7 you must use third party software to watch (commercial) BluRay. There is finally third party software on the mac that WORKS called "Mac BluRay Player". The only caveat is that it needs you have to have an internet connection for it to get the initial key to decode it. I use this and Avatar looks amazing on my Mac. It's about time that some developer has stepped up. But, to leave no option for an internal optical drive on the pro might be a mistake. It's not just about Watching DVD's on a pro machine, but it's about producing. While there is still a market for BluRay, Final Cut X does offer the option to author a BluRay as does toast etc..
Where BluRay is concerned, Apple has taken a lot of steps in the direction to have hardware compliancy with BluRay standards because these are the same standards set upon iTunes media by the movie studios. For example all of Apple's current monitors are now HDCP compliant as Mini Display Port and even Thurnderbolt support this standard. Apple may still do a 180 and write the own software player. They could sell it as an option in the Mac Store so that those people wanting to pay more money for a software player could do it. This way if you want to play a BluRay on it, you can, but you don't have too buy the player and pay extra if you don't wan it. Just my 2 cents.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaHarder
There will be those who'll argue that 'optical drives' are obsolete etc., but to remove them from desktop systems (where there's very little concern for saving a few millimenters that they take up) would be a questionable move as I know many (especially college students) who still watch (RedBox) DVDs etc on their iMacs.
We'll See if they decide to keep them or not...
It'll probably become a BTO option. Desktop systems don't need optical drives anymore unless the system itself is being used to burn media. Apple doesn't sell BD units, and DVD units are no longer standard on anything but the cheapest Windows machines.
Quote:
Originally Posted by marcusj0015
Well, hopefully they make a blu-ray external Superdrive.
Hope? Go get an internal one now:
http://fastmac.com/slim_bluray.php
If its technically feasible i would prefer Apple to do some design innovation and use the space available by removing the Superdrive, in providing an ultra efficient active cooling system which will be able to cool down a desktop class Graphics processor. so the new iMac could have a desktop class graphics instead of the current Mobile version which has half the performance of its desktop class GPU. Apple don't have to rely on the stock Desktop GPU design. They can come up with a more space efficient design cooled by the state of the art cooling system designed into the space available by getting rid of the Superdrive.
If Apple can manage to include a desktop class GPU in the iMac, they will be a winner hands down.
Originally Posted by sapam
Apple don't have to rely on the stock Desktop GPU design.
Yeah, they do. They only have control over cooling and the case if they use a standard GPU. They can only do very little, if anything, with the PCB.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
Why haven't you used HandBrake to copy those videos to your drive? DVDs are MPEG-2. MPEG-2!!!!!!! MPEG-2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't expect anyone to scrap their DVDs but if you have a method of ripping them that allows the media to be slower and ported everywhere easily they why not use it?
Because those transcoded movie files take up hard disk space.
Originally Posted by pt123
Because those transcoded movie files take up hard disk space.
A terabyte HDD is under $100. I know that printing plastic discs is cheaper than NAND or even spinning disk media, but the latter will last you far longer.