TAM a indication of what could be?
I was just at some site looking at pictures of the flat-panel Twentieth Anniversary Mac from a few years ago.
You know, it's not a bad-looking machine. Probably WAY before its time and a bit steep in the price ($10,000?!?).
But look at what all they got in there in that space, people.
Could they take that basic premise of everything mounted vertically and flat and update the plastics and overall "vibe" to be more inline with 21st century iStyle and...presto.
I'm not saying a COMPLETE copy job, by any means (TAM had an iBook-ish 12.1" screen at 800x600 for one thing...), but with adjustments and tweaking and all.
A lot of mockups circulating around (including ones I've done as well) keep focusing on the "guts" behind the LCD, adding thickness/bulk to the product.
But it looks like this TAM had everything down below the screen, helping to raise the screen up a bit. What if things were stacked a bit more horizontally spread, giving the 15"/1024x768 screen some "drop-down" room.
If you notice in the photos below, you could easily make room for a 15" screen by eliminating the speakers to the right of the screen, buying more width space. Then, doing the same down below to fan the "guts" out a bit more horizontally, giving some room for the larger screen to reside.
And this leads to another question: the CD-ROM drive on the TAM was mounted flat as well. We've all been conditioned over the past two years to see only a slot-loading CD drive on iMacs...but, I have to ask: is that any sort of carved-in-stone gospel? What if it simply hindered a better design and was actually a liability?
No one seems to bitch and moan that the G4 and the iBook have tray-loading drives. What if, like the TAM, the CD/DVD tray on the new flat-panel iMac WAS mounted vertically and DID pop out as a small, trayed unit for you to insert the disk into.
Would this be the end of the world?
Does this new iMac HAVE to have a slot-loading drive?
I don't know...I'm asking.
Anyway, the more I look at these TAM pictures, I can see that it's actually quite snazzy and, as I said above, probably way before its time.
I think a flat-panel iMac based loosely around the design of the TAM and housed in glossy iBook white would be quite a groovy little machine!
Here's some pics for those of you who (like myself) aren't that familiar with the TAM and its design:
<a href="http://www.apple-history.com/aniversary.html"; target="_blank">http://www.apple-history.com/aniversary.html</a>;
<a href="http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/20th_mac/index.html"; target="_blank">http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/20th_mac/index.html</a>;
You know, it's not a bad-looking machine. Probably WAY before its time and a bit steep in the price ($10,000?!?).
But look at what all they got in there in that space, people.
Could they take that basic premise of everything mounted vertically and flat and update the plastics and overall "vibe" to be more inline with 21st century iStyle and...presto.
I'm not saying a COMPLETE copy job, by any means (TAM had an iBook-ish 12.1" screen at 800x600 for one thing...), but with adjustments and tweaking and all.
A lot of mockups circulating around (including ones I've done as well) keep focusing on the "guts" behind the LCD, adding thickness/bulk to the product.
But it looks like this TAM had everything down below the screen, helping to raise the screen up a bit. What if things were stacked a bit more horizontally spread, giving the 15"/1024x768 screen some "drop-down" room.
If you notice in the photos below, you could easily make room for a 15" screen by eliminating the speakers to the right of the screen, buying more width space. Then, doing the same down below to fan the "guts" out a bit more horizontally, giving some room for the larger screen to reside.
And this leads to another question: the CD-ROM drive on the TAM was mounted flat as well. We've all been conditioned over the past two years to see only a slot-loading CD drive on iMacs...but, I have to ask: is that any sort of carved-in-stone gospel? What if it simply hindered a better design and was actually a liability?
No one seems to bitch and moan that the G4 and the iBook have tray-loading drives. What if, like the TAM, the CD/DVD tray on the new flat-panel iMac WAS mounted vertically and DID pop out as a small, trayed unit for you to insert the disk into.
Would this be the end of the world?
Does this new iMac HAVE to have a slot-loading drive?
I don't know...I'm asking.
Anyway, the more I look at these TAM pictures, I can see that it's actually quite snazzy and, as I said above, probably way before its time.
I think a flat-panel iMac based loosely around the design of the TAM and housed in glossy iBook white would be quite a groovy little machine!
Here's some pics for those of you who (like myself) aren't that familiar with the TAM and its design:
<a href="http://www.apple-history.com/aniversary.html"; target="_blank">http://www.apple-history.com/aniversary.html</a>;
<a href="http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/20th_mac/index.html"; target="_blank">http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/20th_mac/index.html</a>;
Comments
Think glossy iBook white with gray/silver accents (iBook/iPod).
I'm just digging on the general shape and design, not the dark, angular old-school enclosure...that would be given the "iTreatment", for lack of a better word.
With the iMac's guts centred closer to its base, they could mount a wide 15" LCD with extra room beneath for larger speakers. The machine's centre of gravity would be lowered, too, making it more stable.
For those of you with LCD Studio Displays, how stable are they?
Quick and dirty 10 minute sketch (it's late and I'm not going for detail or perfection here), but you get the idea:
-alcimedes
I know, I know...it goes against the whole "all-in-one" thing. But it's SPEAKERS. They're meant to be spread apart as much as possible for better separation, plus nice as the iMac's built-in ones are, they're still crappy built-in computer speakers.
If Apple's on this whole kick about digital music, then include some cool speakers that the user can sit on his or her desk to their liking and ditch the built-in tinny ones.
This still leaves the option of SoundSticks or even just an iSub for those who want something more.
I'll update it tomorrow sometime.
This base would be like the ones on the SoundSticks: heavy enough to allow for the iMac body to be angled back and forth quite a bit, depending on the height of the user, their desk set-up, etc. The pic above has it tilting back quite a bit, but you could also lean it forward a bit more (say, if a kid was using it) and the base would have enough weight to allow that and keep it solid and steady.
But it would be a cool dual-direction connection/hingle, that would allow the thing to be tilted back and forth AND left to right, which the original iMac never had and you were left manually spinning it around or buying one of those third-party stands for it.
Regarding the CD, what if it just simply pooched out a bit when you hit the eject. It came out flat, toward you as a little unit and you simply slide (or drop from above?) the CD/DVD into it, give it a little press and it goes back in?
The USB, Firewire, Ethernet, etc. ports could all be on the side (right side, as the current iMac?) and lined up like the iBook's, to save space and fit in a neat little row.
Take a cue from the G4 Cube and house the power supply in a separate box to save space and avoid some of the heat issues.
With the Cube (and the dual-USB iBook) they proved they can get A LOT of stuff into a fairly tight space and still have it work well.
They probably wouldn't even have to get THAT tight and small with the iMac because they'd have a bit more room to spread stuff out.
Lots of engineering lessons and breakthroughs from the G4 Cube and the 2001 iBook could be put to good use here.
Oh, if they include pro speakers, they better make them with the digital audio port like in the Towers, and not USB based, like with the cube. I was reading somewhere that only one USB audio device can be connected at a time, which is why iMacs and newer towers can use the iSub, but the cube can't. Just food for thought.
And pscates, bravo on the idea, I wholeheartedly second it.
I don't think the new iMac will look too like the Studio Displays; it has to retain a certain cuteness; a 'face' if you like and the SD's are too slick.
Nice one pscates.
Other benefits of the TAM style case. Lots of room! Apple needs this for fanless cooling, it's the only way they could produce a thin machine without a fan. They could also add a third RAM slot! And, possibly, use a cube style AGP slot. Another cool touch? Make the entire back out of a thick aluminum plate (stylized of course) All the internals could use it as a heat sink -- a few appropriate vents at the top and sides. It could look quite nice and actually be very efficient at dealing with heat.
Think about it. They could basically unwrap a cube's internals and lay them in flat, yet still retain a nice volume of cooling air in the case. hmmm...
Do you think that Steve would let all that cube development go to waste?
[ 12-11-2001: Message edited by: Matsu ]</p>
That said, what if a standard slot loader were mounted a slight angle to the screen? Whats the right amount of angle? Shooting up at a shallow angle it might cause you to constantly get finger marks on the screen. Shooting down, they'd have to raise the machine even further, or put the drive mostly behind the screen rather than under it (thus loosing a lot of the case volume benefits of the TAM layout). They could offset the opening on the horizontal -- no more fingers on screen or height issues, but it'll be asymetric and we don't know if Steve likes that.
Geez, do you ever wonder how much free focus group work we provide for Apple?
I'm off work today, so I'll probably get really accurate and anal (take measurements from Apple's site and so forth) and truly refine my idea with front, back and side views AND detail my swivel/tilt hinge idea.
I'll do those as black and white line drawings (for clarity), then if I'm up for it, I'll attempt a nicer 3/4 "beauty shot" with a more a realistic, finished look (gradients, highlights, shadows, etc.).
And I do like the idea (if it isn't terribly expensive) to make the speakers connect to a port like the towers have, and not USB. Figuring one of the two USB ports are always going to be used by the keyboard, leaving only one extra for digital camera, inkjet, etc. It would get annoying to have to unplug your speakers everytime you wanted to plug in your camera or print (or scan) something with another USB device.
Of course, there's the "buy a 4-port hub!" thing, but I wonder if most people are savvy enough (newbies, I'm thinking) to realize that.
In the interest of completeness (is that even a word?), it would be kinda cool if Apple shipped a small, simple 3-4 port USB hub with these new iMacs, colored white and glossy to match the iMac, and saving people the aggravation of getting home, unpacking, setting everything up, THEN realizing that they have to go BACK out and drop another $30-50 on a hub because some salesman forgot to recommend one or didn't take enough interest to find out what all other devices the customer owns (or planned to own before day's end) and how he'd be using them all.
I know more people who've bought iMacs and they get home and slowly realize "hey, if I want to print, I have to pull my speaker cable out...and if I want to use my Zip drive, then I can't have my camera connected and then...WTF?!?!?!"
I never had one, so I'm not sure what went in the egg-drop part, but I always assumed it was the power supply, and maybe the HD (though this was before firewire, so it would have to be SCSI, and anyone around during that time will remember external SCSI start-up issues).
Anyway, with all the Cube and ibook technology that is out now, I have to say, I like the TAM imac mock up above. Very nice!
Could of had the power supply though...
Why not just use the iBooks?
<strong>One things about the TAM that people forget (or never new, good job Apple marketing) is that a good protion of the size of the machine was housed outside the screen/CDROM body, in this 8" high half-egg. Think Mork and Mindy for those of you old enough or who watch Nick-at-Night.
I never had one, so I'm not sure what went in the egg-drop part, but I always assumed it was the power supply, and maybe the HD (though this was before firewire, so it would have to be SCSI, and anyone around during that time will remember external SCSI start-up issues).
Anyway, with all the Cube and ibook technology that is out now, I have to say, I like the TAM imac mock up above. Very nice!</strong><hr></blockquote>
IIRC, everything was inside the case except for th e powersupply. That egg shaped thing was a custom subwoofer.
As far as I know, the guts were all in the main unit itself...and that was 4-5 years ago! With the Cube and the dual USB iBooks, you KNOW Apple's learned a few things about making lots of stuff fit into a small area.
If they can make a machine THAT flat and cool five years ago, well...
It is really one of the sickest machines Apple has made. It had TV in, radio, modem, printer, etc. It also included 1 PCI slot (although you had to attach this weird backing to the case, so it stuck out a bit on top, but for a pci slot in that machine it was great!) If it only had a G4 processor, instead of that 250 603e (or was it a 604?), and a bigger display, I would try and get one today.
If Apple could find a way to use what it has learned today, plus what it already knows, the flat panel iMac could be a thing of beauty.
Unfortunately, Apple's iMac has always been consumer, and therefore cute-sy (Dalmatian/Flower power!). So don't get your hopes up of having the machine resemble anything like the TAM.
Now, on the other hand, I cant wait for the 30th anniversary mac...
It might be better to take the powersupply out of the case (like the cube). There are three advantages I can think of. You remove heat and gain space (which makes it even easier to cool) and you create a very easy way of dealing with bad power supplies. I don't think it happens all that much but it's happened to me (on a PC) and I remember thinking how much better it would be to just use external powersupplies. It's got to be a bear to change on an iMac.
pscates, where's v.2 mock-up? I can't wait.