CONTRIVED!!! What a 17" iMac would look like (pic)

pscates · January 12, 2002 12:31AM

First, I THINK this belongs in Future Hardware. If not, then move to wherever is more appropriate.

Taking the shots of Apple's 15" and 17" Studio Displays, getting their measurements, doing the math, comparing the numbers and transferring all that to Illustrator (with the aid of some dialed-in templates), here's what a 17" LCD would look like on the current iMac base:

Doesn't look too weird, I guess. And with the monitor now not being tied to the actual case design like the previous iMac, I'm officially going on record in my belief that by this time next year, Apple WILL unveil a 17" version of the iMac.

Don't laugh...did ANY of us see that 14" iBook coming?

Didn't think so...

[ 01-12-2002: Message edited by: pscates ]

tht · January 12, 2002 12:40AM

Great job pscates.

I do think its aesthetically a little too big for the iMac hemisphere though which may be enough for Apple not to do it. I'd be ok with a DPI increase to 1280x960 on the current 15.1" screen as well.

What I'd like to see is Apple move to an all SMP lineup (except for the notebooks if it can't be done) myself. It'll allow the system to be smoooooth.

[ 01-12-2002: Message edited by: THT ]

kidred · January 12, 2002 12:41AM

It looks a little more unstable tho, maybe they'd weigh the base down more or widen it.

alexander · January 12, 2002 1:31AM

[quote]Originally posted by pscates:

I'm officially going on record in my belief that by this time next year, Apple WILL unveil a 17" version of the iMac.

Don't laugh...did ANY of us see that 14" iBook coming?<hr></blockquote>

The new iBook is the same resolution, though, which makes me think that Apple just got a LOT of complaints about the small text. Bah is what I say.

Thanks for the mockup. I like it, and would tend to agree with you about it appearing eventually. The only thing that makes me slightly wary is that it might be in danger of cutting into the Pro line even more, but the Pro displays will also probably be revised by then, so maybe not.

Alex

bradbower · January 12, 2002 1:34AM

Looks good to me.

Just out of curiosity, since I'm a freak, pscates, could you pretty please mock up an iMac to the same scale, but with a 22" widescreen display (3:4? instead of 2:3? isn't it?)?

:cool: Please?

string · January 12, 2002 3:32AM

Hey, pscates, great minds think alike. I'd also been looking at the 17" possibility, but lacking your legendary Illustrator skills, mine's more of a quick hack:

Existing screen dark blue, lighter blue shows area of Apple 17" display.

I wanted to see if the iMac's monitor bezel could accommodate a 17" panel. Looks like it can but obviously it wouldn't be done as shown. However they may shrink the surround a little so the overall design doesn't look top heavy. A widescreen panel is not out of the question.

suckfuldotcom · January 12, 2002 4:56AM

I'd rather see a 1280x960 (4:3) than 1280x1024 (5:4).

I'm not a big fan of the big square monitor. It just looks weird.

SdC

willoughby · January 12, 2002 8:58AM

After seeing the iMac in person, the screen actually looks a tad small compared to the base. Not something you'd immediately notice, but adding a bigger monitor would fit the whole design really well.

The screen is bigger then the base, but it just seems like it should be a lot bigger. Does that make sense? You have to see it in person to know what I mean.

matsu · January 12, 2002 9:10AM

I second that. I think the 17" panel (perhaps a 4:3 1280 x 960 version) would make the ideal top to the current base.

I don't think It'd cut into PM sales at all. For Apple to do it component costs would have to drop. The panel would be cheaper in the stand-alone ASD variety aswell.

jeremiah rich · January 12, 2002 10:05AM

Coo stuff.

junkyard dawg · January 12, 2002 11:46AM

Wow, that's cool, Pscates!

I have no doubt that when Apple designed this iMac, they tested it with different sizes of LCDs, and made sure that with the current base design, a larger LCD display could be used.

In fact, I'm pretty sure that Apple intentionally made this iMac a quasi-all-in-one for the purpose of changing the display size more easily. With this new design, as LCD prices drop and as the LCD display size norm grows larger, Apple can adapt the imac's LCD size accordingly.

I wouldn't be surprised if at MWNY, Apple unveiled a 17" or 16" LCD iMac model. I'm sending them feedback on the new iMac, telling them to do just that! If enough people do it, then Apple will listen for sure.

BTW, I'd also love to see an iMac with a 22" Cinema Display, next to the 15" and 17" models for comparison. Just for kicks!

applenut · January 12, 2002 1:22PM

I think it has been shown that Apple will listen to its customers and deliver as long as it'll be a good money maker.

a 17 inch LCD imac would be a HUGE money maker.

I'm thinking MWNY. $1999 for 17 inch iMac.

max8319 · January 12, 2002 4:11PM

i don't know. 17" would be nice, but a WIDESCREEN imac, somewhat like the pb, would be cool.

i don't know about screen ratios, but if they could make one like the ACD proportions, just with the height being the height of the 15" display or the 14" display. i don't know how that'd look or it might be too big, but it's an idea

pscates · January 12, 2002 4:52PM

Actually, sometime tonight or tomorrow, I'll sit down and do one with a Cinema Display size, as well as a smaller (15"?) widescreen.

Be curious to see what will exist a year from now. Now that I think about it, that's probably the coolest thing about this new iMac's design: they didn't paint themselves into a corner:

- LCD is separate from the base, although still considered an all-in-one. TOTALLY paves the way for future screen size increases. Brilliant!

- Didn't try to incorporate speakers into the design (where the hell would they go?) and, instead, opted for an approach that I remember calling for on more than several occasions: Me: "Hey, use those little Harman/Kardon softball speakers because they sound better, offer better separation, etc.". Some of you: "you're CRAZY...Apple will never do that because it ruins the all-in-one thing. GOTTA keep the speakers onboard!". HA!

- Didn't insist on keeping the optical drive a slot-loading design, possibly hampering performance, the type of drives used, speed, etc. I'd hate to think this new iMac couldn't use a SuperDrive because Jobs simply INSISTED that the thing have a slot-loading optical drive.

- Put in a G4, with all its heat and power issues apparently worked out. This leaves some headroom, right? If they'd stayed with the G3 with this new design and THEN tried to implement a hotter G4 at some point, the engineering, regarding heating, cooling, circulation, power, etc. would all have to be recalculated and revisisted. Won't future G4 chips run faster AND cooler? Isn't that what Apollo is all about? I don't know...I'm asking.

To me, this new iMac design looked really, really hard at the various shortcomings in the previous CRT iMac's design and addressed most of them (not nuts about the new RAM situation) beautifully.

This design, for all the reasons outlined above, could truly stick around for a good long time, while still allowing for screen size upgrades, faster G4s, covers all the bases regarding optical drives, audio, etc.

It's GREAT!

bradbower · January 12, 2002 4:52PM

Hrm. The new iMac isn't really "all-in-one," is it? What should we call the new form factor (besides iLamp, Luxo Jr, LumpStickRectangle, cantaloupe, etc etc..)? "Quasi-all-in-one"? "All-connected-to-one"? "Pivoting display on a base"?

Come on guys, let's discuss this one.

P.S. Come on, pscates, pleeeaaasee show us a 22" widescreen cinema iMac

suckfuldotcom · January 12, 2002 11:08PM

22" LCD?

New, from Apple: THe Falls-Flat-on-its-Face-iMac.

SdC

macgregor · January 12, 2002 11:19PM

I think the larger screen looks great and I bet the ectra weight of it wouldn't be a problem. The only thing that might be significant is the amount of force that you could exert as a lever in moving it around. An extra inch may make things flex abit more than is good for the monitor.

Since I have yet to see one, this is only a guess. Seems like with the optical drives and memory being pretty standard, I wonder if 17" screens and wide-screens could become made-to-order from the website.

applenut · January 12, 2002 11:34PM

[quote]Originally posted by pscates:

\\

- Didn't try to incorporate speakers into the design (where the hell would they go?) and, instead, opted for an approach that I remember calling for on more than several occasions: Me: "Hey, use those little Harman/Kardon softball speakers because they sound better, offer better separation, etc.". Some of you: "you're CRAZY...Apple will never do that because it ruins the all-in-one thing. GOTTA keep the speakers onboard!". HA!

\\

<hr></blockquote>

don't be too proud of your prekeynote mumblings.

Apple did keep an internal speaker and the lowend comes only with that internal speaker.

addison · January 13, 2002 8:29AM

You can't order the iSticks instead of the round speakers, which seems a mistake.

matsu · January 13, 2002 9:06AM

USB sound is in general a mistake.

I wanna know when I'll be able to get a 5.1 set-up for a mac! OSX supposedly supports it, it'll just take some games to actually support 5.1 and we're set.

paul · January 14, 2002 4:24AM

[quote]Originally posted by Matsu:

USB sound is in general a mistake.

I wanna know when I'll be able to get a 5.1 set-up for a mac! OSX supposedly supports it, it'll just take some games to actually support 5.1 and we're set.<hr></blockquote>

Is it possible to get 5.1 over USB?

CONTRIVED!!! What a 17" iMac would look like (pic)

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