Next-gen iMacs to bundle new Apple keyboard
An overhaul to Apple Inc.'s popular line of iMac computers, now due in a matter of weeks, will see the company's latest industrial design efforts extend beyond the systems themselves, AppleInsider has learned.
The new all-in-one signature desktops, expected to be available only in 20- and 24-inch configurations, have been described as both slimmer and sleeker than the 17-, 20- and 24-inch models they will replace.
The streamlining, however, won't stop with the iMac enclosure. Each new model will come dressed to impress, bundling a snazzy new Apple keyboard of similarly slender proportions, people familiar with the project say.
Tapping the wizardry of industrial design chief Jonathan Ive and his team, the Cupertino-based Mac maker has reportedly crafted a super-slim external keyboard for the new Macs. It's said to draw upon the aesthetic and feel of the low-profile keyboard which was first integrated with the company's 13-inch MacBook portables in May of 2006.
On its website, Apple explains that MacBooks "features a unique keyboard design that sits flush against the bed for a sleeker, lower profile."
"YouÂ?ll also find a firm touch when typing," the company adds. "That ought to make your fingers happy."
As was exclusively reported by AppleInsider back in March, Apple plans to carry the new iMac and keyboard design over to the 20- and 24-inch models exclusively. The 17-inch model -- which has fallen out of the firm'sÂ* high-quality, high-definition media strategy --Â* is expected to become the subject of considerable neglect, withering away alongside similar underachievers like the 12-inch PowerBook and soon-to-be-sacrificed Mac mini.
A close-up of the MacBook's low-profile keyboard.
When they arrive later this month or early next, the new iMacs should help maintain the flow of foot traffic at Apple's international retail chain, which during the recently-ended June quarter combined to sell more Macs than any other quarter in the segment's history, AppleInsider has been told.
A close-up of the MacBook's low-profile keyboard.
The iMacs may also have some company in the software department. According to a separate series of unconfirmed reports, the company recently began preparing some of its high-level suppliers for the next iteration of its iLife digital lifestyle software suite, due sometime in the August - September time frame.
Given the more than half-year delay beyond the suite's traditional January update cycle, Apple may elect to change the name of the software bundle from iLife '07 to iLife '08, those people say.
The new all-in-one signature desktops, expected to be available only in 20- and 24-inch configurations, have been described as both slimmer and sleeker than the 17-, 20- and 24-inch models they will replace.
The streamlining, however, won't stop with the iMac enclosure. Each new model will come dressed to impress, bundling a snazzy new Apple keyboard of similarly slender proportions, people familiar with the project say.
Tapping the wizardry of industrial design chief Jonathan Ive and his team, the Cupertino-based Mac maker has reportedly crafted a super-slim external keyboard for the new Macs. It's said to draw upon the aesthetic and feel of the low-profile keyboard which was first integrated with the company's 13-inch MacBook portables in May of 2006.
On its website, Apple explains that MacBooks "features a unique keyboard design that sits flush against the bed for a sleeker, lower profile."
"YouÂ?ll also find a firm touch when typing," the company adds. "That ought to make your fingers happy."
As was exclusively reported by AppleInsider back in March, Apple plans to carry the new iMac and keyboard design over to the 20- and 24-inch models exclusively. The 17-inch model -- which has fallen out of the firm'sÂ* high-quality, high-definition media strategy --Â* is expected to become the subject of considerable neglect, withering away alongside similar underachievers like the 12-inch PowerBook and soon-to-be-sacrificed Mac mini.
A close-up of the MacBook's low-profile keyboard.
When they arrive later this month or early next, the new iMacs should help maintain the flow of foot traffic at Apple's international retail chain, which during the recently-ended June quarter combined to sell more Macs than any other quarter in the segment's history, AppleInsider has been told.
A close-up of the MacBook's low-profile keyboard.
The iMacs may also have some company in the software department. According to a separate series of unconfirmed reports, the company recently began preparing some of its high-level suppliers for the next iteration of its iLife digital lifestyle software suite, due sometime in the August - September time frame.
Given the more than half-year delay beyond the suite's traditional January update cycle, Apple may elect to change the name of the software bundle from iLife '07 to iLife '08, those people say.
Comments
I know many people who could barely afford the $999 iMac, but if Apple is going to eliminate the 17" iMac altogether, then what are they going to sell at the $999 price range?
Similar problem with the elimination of the Mac minis -- this is the ONLY entry-level computer that Apple offers, and it makes it financially easy for users with existing hardware to add a Mac into their lives. Even though the Mac minis are incredibly overpriced & horribly underpowered, it's still a low price of entry.
If all these pending changes to Apple's product line are to come true, then Apple would be showing once again that they have an incredible knack for COMPLETELY IGNORING customers who are on a limited budget, and that Apple caters only to the rich and famous.
Hasn't Apple learned anything with the iPod Shuffle? That the LOW END of the market is an incredibly important one to play in?
The current keyboards are terrible and I have waited so long to get a slimline Mac keyboard. Some media buttons would be nice but I think I could give those up on my current slim PC keyboard for a sturdy, lightweight Apple one with a Macbook style. I love typing on the Macbook keyboards.
I do wish you'd stop saying that the Mini's going to die though without suggesting there will be a replacement of sorts. It makes people afraid for no good reason. Apple simply can't leave the sub-$1000 desktop slot empty. But I don't want to get into that again in this thread as this is about the awesome news that new keyboards are coming.
I was looking forward to getting a new iMac, but I may be forced to purchase an older keyboard now.
There are some real concerns here, such as what price point these new iMacs will be offered at.
I know many people who could barely afford the $999 iMac, but if Apple is going to eliminate the 17" iMac altogether, then what are they going to sell at the $999 price range?
Just put it on your credit card. Apple is a permium brand like Lexus!
Am I the only one disappointed in this news? I have played with the new MacBook keyboards and found I didn't like them. They felt like a next-generation version of the old TRS-80 keyboards from the '80s, if anyone remembers them. Horrible.
I was looking forward to getting a new iMac, but I may be forced to purchase an older keyboard now.
I dunno. I love the MacBook keyboard, personally. Great feel.
Just put it on your credit card. Apple is a permium brand like Lexus!
y'know....many many people put things that cost less than 1000 dollars on their credit cards.
The timing of iLife 07.5 (?) is a bit tricky as presumably some features, although back compatible, will require 10.5's Core Animation (not to mention 64 bitness and stuff) for full implementation, so it will be a bit odd to release it a couple of months before they let the Leopard out of the cage...
All in all though, Apple looks brilliantly positioned to make month-on-month gains in market share, as one bit of superb technology and design after another are dangled before our jaded consumer eyes. Halos all round!
Stop being lazy. If you weren't so lazy, you'd have more money.
Am I the only one disappointed in this news? I have played with the new MacBook keyboards and found I didn't like them. They felt like a next-generation version of the old TRS-80 keyboards from the '80s, if anyone remembers them. Horrible.
I was looking forward to getting a new iMac, but I may be forced to purchase an older keyboard now.
I found the MacBook keyboard to be very comfortable and easy to adjust to. I was typing just as fast within a few minutes.
I dunno. I love the MacBook keyboard, personally. Great feel.
Not if you have small hands. I found the Macbook keyboard extremely difficult to type on.
Am I the only one disappointed in this news? I have played with the new MacBook keyboards and found I didn't like them. They felt like a next-generation version of the old TRS-80 keyboards from the '80s, if anyone remembers them. Horrible.
I was looking forward to getting a new iMac, but I may be forced to purchase an older keyboard now.
I agree. Give me a keyboard that feels like an old IBM Selectric and you've got a winner. Modern keyboards are too soft, or squishy... it's like the difference between playing a USB 44-key keyboard (non-weighted) and playing a real piano.
I don't consider myself rich in any way, but it always puzzles me that some people can't seem to afford even a $999 computer, or barely afford it. Get a better job or work harder!
Stop being lazy. If you weren't so lazy, you'd have more money.
None of you people have dependents, do you?
Am I the only one disappointed in this news? I have played with the new MacBook keyboards and found I didn't like them. They felt like a next-generation version of the old TRS-80 keyboards from the '80s, if anyone remembers them. Horrible.
I was looking forward to getting a new iMac, but I may be forced to purchase an older keyboard now.
The MacBook keyboards looked cheaper to many people at first, and that influenced their feelings about using them. But, it's been found that they are among the best keyboards Apple has produced.
As we will never see expensive keyboards again like the old "Pro" models, there is a limitation as to what any company can do.
Even if this a smidgen better than the current mushy models, it will be an improvement.
I don't consider myself rich in any way, but it always puzzles me that some people can't seem to afford even a $999 computer, or barely afford it. Get a better job or work harder!
Stop being lazy. If you weren't so lazy, you'd have more money.
Agreed. My first computer was a Mac SE and an ImageWriter dot-matrix printer.
Price: $4000
Today's computers are cheap price-wise. People shouldn't be afraid of anything less than $2K for a decent computer.
I don't consider myself rich in any way, but it always puzzles me that some people can't seem to afford even a $999 computer, or barely afford it. Get a better job or work harder!
Stop being lazy. If you weren't so lazy, you'd have more money.
It baffles me too, but "some people" have priorities beyond computers (if you can believe that ).
Does anybody know date this month for the June quarter results?
Probably mid, or late, next week.