Is new design too radical for public?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I throw this out as my initial reaction was "huh"?



But it is starting to grow on me and the more I look at it, it's making more sense.



I wonder how this "lamp" will go over with the general public. Will they perceive it as a work of art and not a serious computer?



The original iMac had to overcome some of these hurdles and succeed. However, the Cube was perhaps too "designy" and went over many heads and therefore died quickly.



The power of the iMac brand name will help but is it enough to make people take note and have it taken seriously by the masses?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 17
    macgregormacgregor Posts: 1,434member
    I think it is the culmination of Jobs' view of the evolution of the computer....to make it look so unlike a computer, that you think of it as a great device that can do all of these things for you.



    If it wasn't for the price, I could see this even more than the original TV-like iMac, as something in "every room of the house" just like lamps and phones. Oh that's right people are carrying their phones now.



    So is it too radical? Maybe. It doesn't look attractive to me, but maybe another 5% of the public who wouldn't normally buy a computer, might buy it.



    I just wish it were metallic or graphite or the base glowed or something. The idea of organic and "sunflower-like" to me doesn't connote glossy white.
  • Reply 2 of 17
    Once it shows up on Drew's or Mimi's desk on the Drew Carey Show, you'll know "the people" like it.



    [edit] Oh, wait! The Cube was on Drew's desk...



    [ 01-07-2002: Message edited by: starfleetX ]</p>
  • Reply 3 of 17
    I personally am starting to like it more and more.. Just taking some time I guess.. I think it would look the best if the case were made out of the same material as the Cube...
  • Reply 4 of 17
    You people don't get it! It's the "chick" factor. They'll love it and it's got style. The guys will love the power of it. Believe me, this bitch will sell!!!
  • Reply 5 of 17
    macgregormacgregor Posts: 1,434member
    SMacSteve, I hope you're right, but a Cube-like base would have been great!
  • Reply 6 of 17
    It's a beautiful design in my eyes. I was floored from the second I laid eyes on it. The design is very intelligent and functional, from a usability point of view. All the internals are in the base, the CD tray is easily accessable, and then there's the display, which has infinite adjustability. I would love to have a computer like that on my desk. When I'm working on something else, just flip the display up and to the side, and it's out of the way. When using it, I could periodically adjust it for optimal viewing pleasure!



    I know that sounds corny, but display adjustability is paramount to the user experience. I'm sure this new iMac will be a joy to work on.



    Will it go ver the heads of the normal public? Not anymore than the original iMac. I think this one will probably be easier for people to digest because it's not colorful. It has a very professional look to it, and I can imagine it fitting right in at a business, with all the desktop sharper image toys.



    I'm holding out for the 17" version, I bet it's here at MWNY.
  • Reply 7 of 17
    scadboyscadboy Posts: 189member
    The more radical, the better. As has been said many times before, the market right now is saturated with look-alike boxes, though no longer all beige, most are just lumpy grey, black, or tan towers with a monitor, and a mess of cables coming out the back, all the PC companies compete on is price.



    So, imagine you're Joe Average Consumer, and you're walking in a mall that happens to have an Apple store and you see this thing in the window. "iMac?" the sign says it's a computer, but it sure doesn't look like any computer you've ever seen, so you go inside to investigate...



    Now, not every Joe Average Consumer is going to buy one, but you can bet they'll be talking about it when they see it, and more than a few of them will see it as something that is truly different and worthwhile, not just a cheap beige box that runs windows.



    With the economy as it is, it seems that not alot of people are going to be buying new PC's until the second half of this year at the earliest, but those who do are going to want to spend their money on something unique and compelling. Something like an iMac...



    ciao,



    michael
  • Reply 8 of 17
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    I posted this in another thread. I think for these reasons it is a very good design:



    That iMac is great. I'm not even so fond of the dome, but I still think it's great. As (i think) Buon Rotto is fond of repeating, "Good design creates it's own rationale."



    That new iMac just makes so much sense. It'll evolve far more easily than the old one. You know that sony touch-screen easle PC, that's easily in the reach of Apple's new swivel design -- just needs software, a touch sensitive layer, and a pen. If Apple wants to increase the screen size in a year or two on the high end models? No problem, just stick a new panel on the arm. A small size increase up to 17 or 18 inches wouldn't cock-up the design in any way. It'd probably look even better.



    How bout a rotating landscape to portrait type display? Just a question of drivers and a small addition to the arm. I think they should have done this right outta the box. A twisting swivel in the arm couldn't have been hard to engineer, but perhaps the drivers were a peskier issue -- I've heard that those old monitors never really worked bug free.



    The point is that the new iMac design has a lot more room to mature than the old one, and yet it takes even less desk space than before.



    Quite good.



    And PS. Those are full cache G4s in there. See the heat sink Apple uses to cool those guys in the Pro Machines. That enclosure must be very good a dispersing heat. Apollo is on the way, and it is going to raise the speed of this machine quite a bit before years end.
  • Reply 9 of 17
    kidredkidred Posts: 2,402member
    Matsu, I totally agree with you.



    This will be bigger then the first iMac. I'm getting my wife one
  • Reply 10 of 17
    There is also a danger, that if the design is too radical, people will write if off as a toy, or a gimmick. I don't believe that's the case with the iMac, because to me it looks very functional, but this is an image problem that Apple has.



    Personally, I think the new iMac looks like something I'd want on my desk...it takes up little space, and then it has that awesome LCD that totally adjustable. ****in' cool! And I say, **** Joe Consumer, because he's too busy buying a Wintel to care about Apple.



    Joe Consumer doesn't buy a Mac. The people who buy Macs are a bit different, a bit eccentric in their own ways. This is Apple's market, and I think it would be foolish of Apple to go after Joe Consumer, because Joe Consumer doesn't value the things that make a Mac so special. Joe Consumer doesn't use his computer to create, he uses it to play games and surf the internet. Joe Consumer is a right wing redneck, who likes to drink lots of bud light and watch TV. Joe Consumer would think Steve Jobs did too much acid. Joe Consumer buys Wintels because he has a powerful need to conform to the masses. Joe Consumer doesn't think for himself.



    Get my point? Apple doesn't sell to Joe Consumer, Apple doesn't target Joe Consumer, and Apple is better off not doing so. Apple's got a niche market and that's fine for now...they can build up their marketshare but it isn't going to happen by selling to Joe Consumer, it's going to happen by selling to people who are creative, think for themselves, and don't mind being different, being non-conformist.
  • Reply 11 of 17
    gfeiergfeier Posts: 127member
    [quote]Originally posted by Junkyard Dawg:

    <strong>

    I'm holding out for the 17" version, I bet it's here at MWNY. </strong><hr></blockquote>



    Naaah, JD, you'll be holding out for 19" and a HyperDrive-equipped 2 GHz G5 by then.
  • Reply 12 of 17
    macgregormacgregor Posts: 1,434member
    Matsu, good points on the expandibility aspect of the overall design and the swivel display is a cool idea. I just think to hit a bigger market you need more colors and some kind of obvious if limited upgrade path.



    Three USB's is another nice detail that makes me think Steve Jobs is listening.
  • Reply 13 of 17
    bungebunge Posts: 7,329member
    This is when a simple tower could come in handy. If a consumer wants a low end mac, but doesn't dig the new design, a $999 tower would fit the bill. Add a 15" monitor and it's $1499. That's $200 more than the low end iMac, a small premium to pay for a little expandability or because you just don't like the funky iMac.



    Personally I loved the Key Lime iBook. I'm not kidding. But I'd also be the first to admit that most people probably should hate it. Apple should offer these off beat products because it's what they do best, but if they're serious about increasing their market share then they need to have a product that in some sick way appeals to the lowest common denominator. That doesn't mean dumping their beautiful products, just making sure the lowest rung of their products is accessible.



    Think of it as a stepping stone for the weak!
  • Reply 14 of 17
    [quote] Naaah, JD, you'll be holding out for 19" and a HyperDrive-equipped 2 GHz G5 by then. <hr></blockquote>



    LOL, well yeah, there's ALWAYS something better to wait for. But I've always been very critical of the iMac's display size, and this new one still has a very small display. Unlike the CRT iMac, this LCD is of the highest quality, so at least the picture will be tip-top. I could see myself living with this 15" LCD iMac. But a 17" iMac would be much, much nicer, especially for gaming.



    I've been saying this for years, and I suppose I'll go on saying it, since Apple doesn't seem to care about the market that a large-screen iMac would tap into. But I'm hopefull that they will see the light.
  • Reply 15 of 17
    This is the first computer from Apple recently that I would like to see in black. Why not offer both? Then it would fit in everywhere.
  • Reply 16 of 17
    g4dudeg4dude Posts: 1,016member
    [quote]Originally posted by apple.otaku:

    <strong>This is the first computer from Apple recently that I would like to see in black. Why not offer both? Then it would fit in everywhere.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Funny you bring that up. I just showed my mom the new iMac and she said "I only want it if it comes in black."

    Also while I'm at it, I don't really like the way it looks. Sorry, I don't. There's no doubt in my mind that it will sell well but I don't really like it. My favorite product still it the Key Lime and Graphite iBooks. I really miss the colors, and the girls thought my iBook was cute which was a real plus. I also liked the Indigo, Sage, Ruby, Graphite iMacs. Apple is turning white into the "new beige." Don't like it. My $.02



    [ 01-08-2002: Message edited by: G4Dude ]</p>
  • Reply 17 of 17
    Well, I don't like it either but I could probably live with it if it were black. I just don't like this glossy white stuff. The new Power Macs will likely have a white front as well.
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