I suggest that it is unlikely you will see any magnesium. Its not a pretty metal anyway - it might get a white paint job, but I think it will be the internal frame, just like it is in laptops. Providing a large heatsink, and a very solid structure to support the machine.
I just cant see the monitor arm being replaced with a plastic one - the metal one is already a bit sloppy. Im guessing that to get more plastic parts into the machine means dumping the arm, and going with a new form factor.
Could this mean that rather than iMac replacement we are going to get an eMac replacement? Bringing LCD to the low end?
My reading of the rumor was that a new 20" monitor would be introduced at the same time - presumably in G5 styling.
Macworld screws up again. The DigiTimes article clearly states:
The next generation of the ?New iMac? that Apple Computer is going to launch in the first quarter of next year will have a magnesium-alloy case and a high proportion of plastic parts for cost reduction, according to sources in Taiwan?s IT industry.
Apple uses a stainless steel and zinc alloy to manufacture its current generation of New iMacs, the sources said.
So they are talking about the internals being made of magnesium-alloy instead of stainless steel and zinc. Externally it will still be made of plastic.
What is it with Steve and magnesium, anyway? He really seems to like that stuff. Anyway, if they've found a way to make a substantially less expensive iMac, bully for them. I consider the 20" iMac to be a brilliant design for a consumer machine, but it really sorely needs to come down below $2K. Preferably a ways below $2k.
I'd like to see how this impacts the case design, too. I can only assume that Apple used stainless steel the first time for a reason.
Mag(nesium) wheels were the coolest thing you could get for wheels on your car in the 60's...
Apple's consumer line needs a sort out. A re-think.
I haven't seen the 20inch iMac2 in person. But I'd guess it LOOKS the part. But with underspecced cpu and graphics card for an outrageous sum of money? No thanks.
The macworld.co.uk poll reflected current feelings. PowerMacs, iPods and Powerbooks/iBooks. The iMac2 and eMac get a laughable 5% vote between them. If the iMac or eMac want to be no.1 in Christmas wants next year? Something drastic needs to change. As it is, they're both flawed. And the disappointing sales reflect that.
What a turnaround in the last few years. Now the PowerMac is outselling the iMac!
Cut the price. Cheaper 'plastic' components. A G5. A decent graphics card.
It's as obvious now as when the Cube was ridiculously overpriced. At least you could expand the damn thing...
You can scream 'Spec whore' all you want. But you'll just be a Pussycat singing along with the rest of the cat's chorus of niche boutique buyers... And the original coloured iMac wasn't that. Niche.
Digitimes? Weren't they the folks that had everyone sold on the 15.4" PowerBook? Sounds like another outfit with zero sources pushing for page hits to me - anything to bring in the advertisers.
Nothing like Appleinsider of course. If you see a news item there you can be more or less certain it is gonna happen. Oh, yes and no ads.
I haven't seen the 20inch iMac2 in person. But I'd guess it LOOKS the part. But with underspecced cpu and graphics card for an outrageous sum of money? No thanks.
Funny, since consumers are ditching towers for laptops in droves. Fire-breathing CPUs and GPUs are obviously not very high on the list of consumer demands (hint: most consumers aren't trying to render 3D on the cheap ). On the other hand, consumers do have a hunger for large screens.
Quote:
The macworld.co.uk poll reflected current feelings.
It might have reflected current feelings in those who responded to a web poll by macworld.co.uk. It's nearly impossible to conclude anything substantial from that.
Quote:
It's as obvious now as when the Cube was ridiculously overpriced. At least you could expand the damn thing...
The Cube is not expandable in any way that is relevant to the consumer market. Trust me on this. I've expanded my Cube. The business of adding a hard drive required me to drive to every hardware store in town looking for a miniscule allen wrench sized just so to fit into a difficult, narrow gap in the Cube's internals. I've been toying with the idea of replacing the stock RADEON (the fan is getting obnoxious) and I'm not at all looking forward to that. Cube-edition graphics cards are rare and expensive, and the contortions required to retrofit other graphics cards are... unattractive (I have to cut into what?!). That's not even going into the problems posed by the case and the DC/DC unit, neither of which were engineered with expandability in mind - they provide enough power and heat dissipation for the stock configurations, period.
You can say that the iMac requires a price drop, and I'll be right there with you. It is sad that the PowerMac is outselling the iMac, and Apple can change that by bringing the price down (and killing the 15" outright - the 17" is the top selling right now according to the Apple Store's top ten list, price notwithstanding).
What the iMac needs to do is hit a more realistic consumer price point and offer a clear alternative to the 14" iBook.
Because I often have the benefit of talking to people more interesting than myself, I come across lotsa interesting esoteria.
Why does Steve likey magnesium so? (If he actually likes it at all?)
It could be that it's light, very very strong, and pretty easy (and cheap) to work with these days. Casting magnesium is getting easier all the time, add some high speed polish and it as a beuatiful lustre too -- not as bright as chrome or stainless, but deeper and a little darker.
Working with magnesium is cool, and it's everywhere: cameras, Panasonic's nearly indestructible laptops, the frame of the iBook IIRC, motorcycle parts, and soon, entire engine blocks!
I'd love to see a polished magnesium powerbook, tres chic.
A magenesium iMac would be nice too.
Apple still needs a headless consumer machine, mebbe a cube redux, priced right, single low G5, standard Graphic card, decent price.
But really, its flash point is so high, that any conditions that would have lit it up would be catastrophic anyway. It's used as a structural element these days in a lot of stuff. BMW will put in an engine block soon, motorcycles use it increasingly. I don't think it's much of a problem for modern magnesium alloys.
Don't be expecting the next iMac to be made out of Magnesium or any other alloy!
What the DigiTimes article seems to be is indicating is that the internal chasis will be made of Magnesium instead of Zinc, the Stainless Steel swingarm will be eliminated and more plastics will be used, all in an effort to bring the price down.
In other words, this either marks the return of a true all-in-one iMac design or they are confusing this with an all new falt-panel eMac.
If Apple wants the iMac to be a big seller, they need to have the next iMac cost $999 to $1499. It doesn't really matter what is in it. If the eMac is available at the same time and presuming it costs $699 to $999, the new iMac won't be that big of a seller as the original.
Regardless, the iMac won't be as big a seller as the original anyways since a majority of budget buyers will be buying the iBook G4.
Originally posted by Lemon Bon Bon You can scream 'Spec whore' all you want. But you'll just be a Pussycat singing along with the rest of the cat's chorus of niche boutique buyers... And the original coloured iMac wasn't that. Niche.
Lemon Bon Bon
That's twice now, in 3 days...any time you want to start making some sort of sense in a post pertaining to me or something I've said, be my guest. I'd be curious to understand WHAT in the hell you're trying to say.
Comments
I just sprayed a half-mouth full of soda onto my desk and front of my shirt when I read your "have a nice big glass of STFU" comment.
Man, I look HORRIBLE now. Everyone keeps asking me "what happened"?
(See sig) 8)
Originally posted by Wrong Robot
while those people I mentioned might be ignorant not-do-research-before-purchase types, they are still a large part of the market
Then they get the gadget/gimmick-laden, bloated, shitty ass tech-support-hotline-connected computers they deserve.
I just cant see the monitor arm being replaced with a plastic one - the metal one is already a bit sloppy. Im guessing that to get more plastic parts into the machine means dumping the arm, and going with a new form factor.
Could this mean that rather than iMac replacement we are going to get an eMac replacement? Bringing LCD to the low end?
My reading of the rumor was that a new 20" monitor would be introduced at the same time - presumably in G5 styling.
The next generation of the ?New iMac? that Apple Computer is going to launch in the first quarter of next year will have a magnesium-alloy case and a high proportion of plastic parts for cost reduction, according to sources in Taiwan?s IT industry.
Apple uses a stainless steel and zinc alloy to manufacture its current generation of New iMacs, the sources said.
So they are talking about the internals being made of magnesium-alloy instead of stainless steel and zinc. Externally it will still be made of plastic.
Originally posted by Amorph
murbot gets a beer!
What is it with Steve and magnesium, anyway? He really seems to like that stuff. Anyway, if they've found a way to make a substantially less expensive iMac, bully for them. I consider the 20" iMac to be a brilliant design for a consumer machine, but it really sorely needs to come down below $2K. Preferably a ways below $2k.
I'd like to see how this impacts the case design, too. I can only assume that Apple used stainless steel the first time for a reason.
Mag(nesium) wheels were the coolest thing you could get for wheels on your car in the 60's...
Apple's consumer line needs a sort out. A re-think.
I haven't seen the 20inch iMac2 in person. But I'd guess it LOOKS the part. But with underspecced cpu and graphics card for an outrageous sum of money? No thanks.
The macworld.co.uk poll reflected current feelings. PowerMacs, iPods and Powerbooks/iBooks. The iMac2 and eMac get a laughable 5% vote between them. If the iMac or eMac want to be no.1 in Christmas wants next year? Something drastic needs to change. As it is, they're both flawed. And the disappointing sales reflect that.
What a turnaround in the last few years. Now the PowerMac is outselling the iMac!
Cut the price. Cheaper 'plastic' components. A G5. A decent graphics card.
It's as obvious now as when the Cube was ridiculously overpriced. At least you could expand the damn thing...
You can scream 'Spec whore' all you want. But you'll just be a Pussycat singing along with the rest of the cat's chorus of niche boutique buyers... And the original coloured iMac wasn't that. Niche.
Lemon Bon Bon
Nothing like Appleinsider of course. If you see a news item there you can be more or less certain it is gonna happen. Oh, yes and no ads.
Originally posted by Lemon Bon Bon
I haven't seen the 20inch iMac2 in person. But I'd guess it LOOKS the part. But with underspecced cpu and graphics card for an outrageous sum of money? No thanks.
Funny, since consumers are ditching towers for laptops in droves. Fire-breathing CPUs and GPUs are obviously not very high on the list of consumer demands (hint: most consumers aren't trying to render 3D on the cheap
The macworld.co.uk poll reflected current feelings.
It might have reflected current feelings in those who responded to a web poll by macworld.co.uk. It's nearly impossible to conclude anything substantial from that.
It's as obvious now as when the Cube was ridiculously overpriced. At least you could expand the damn thing...
The Cube is not expandable in any way that is relevant to the consumer market. Trust me on this. I've expanded my Cube. The business of adding a hard drive required me to drive to every hardware store in town looking for a miniscule allen wrench sized just so to fit into a difficult, narrow gap in the Cube's internals. I've been toying with the idea of replacing the stock RADEON (the fan is getting obnoxious) and I'm not at all looking forward to that. Cube-edition graphics cards are rare and expensive, and the contortions required to retrofit other graphics cards are... unattractive (I have to cut into what?!). That's not even going into the problems posed by the case and the DC/DC unit, neither of which were engineered with expandability in mind - they provide enough power and heat dissipation for the stock configurations, period.
You can say that the iMac requires a price drop, and I'll be right there with you. It is sad that the PowerMac is outselling the iMac, and Apple can change that by bringing the price down (and killing the 15" outright - the 17" is the top selling right now according to the Apple Store's top ten list, price notwithstanding).
What the iMac needs to do is hit a more realistic consumer price point and offer a clear alternative to the 14" iBook.
See, if you were using an LCD iMac, you'd have been able to quickly rotate that sucker out of harm's way with one finger.
And Wrong Robot is the winner of the Sig Of The Week award. PM Amorph to see what you've won! heh heh
Originally posted by Carson O'Genic
Can somebody please let me in on what STFU means. Thank you.
FU means probabily $$$$ You, for the rest i have forget ...
Originally posted by Carson O'Genic
Can somebody please let me in on what STFU means. Thank you.
Shut The F**k Up
Originally posted by SonOfSylvanus
Shut The F**k Up
Now I feel stupid, I guess I'll just STFU.
Why does Steve likey magnesium so? (If he actually likes it at all?)
It could be that it's light, very very strong, and pretty easy (and cheap) to work with these days. Casting magnesium is getting easier all the time, add some high speed polish and it as a beuatiful lustre too -- not as bright as chrome or stainless, but deeper and a little darker.
Working with magnesium is cool, and it's everywhere: cameras, Panasonic's nearly indestructible laptops, the frame of the iBook IIRC, motorcycle parts, and soon, entire engine blocks!
I'd love to see a polished magnesium powerbook, tres chic.
A magenesium iMac would be nice too.
Apple still needs a headless consumer machine, mebbe a cube redux, priced right, single low G5, standard Graphic card, decent price.
But really, its flash point is so high, that any conditions that would have lit it up would be catastrophic anyway. It's used as a structural element these days in a lot of stuff. BMW will put in an engine block soon, motorcycles use it increasingly. I don't think it's much of a problem for modern magnesium alloys.
What the DigiTimes article seems to be is indicating is that the internal chasis will be made of Magnesium instead of Zinc, the Stainless Steel swingarm will be eliminated and more plastics will be used, all in an effort to bring the price down.
In other words, this either marks the return of a true all-in-one iMac design or they are confusing this with an all new falt-panel eMac.
Regardless, the iMac won't be as big a seller as the original anyways since a majority of budget buyers will be buying the iBook G4.
Originally posted by Lemon Bon Bon You can scream 'Spec whore' all you want. But you'll just be a Pussycat singing along with the rest of the cat's chorus of niche boutique buyers... And the original coloured iMac wasn't that. Niche.
Lemon Bon Bon
That's twice now, in 3 days...any time you want to start making some sort of sense in a post pertaining to me or something I've said, be my guest. I'd be curious to understand WHAT in the hell you're trying to say.