what will the feature bring to imacs?

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
enough for powerfamily



what about imacs?

we will see something special or not?

don't stuck to 970.



thanks for your time!!!!!!!!!
«13

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 47
    My wish list:



    -Price drop would be nice

    -The option to customize the graphic processor upon purchase (The GForce FX is okay, but I'd pay a premium for 128 megs or a Radeon 9200. I don't want to crack the case, but I'd like to be able to buy the best there is and use it as long as possible and upgrading the GPU would do that for me.

    -Colored bases, I'm a sucker for Bondi, which is why I STILL love my 350mHz iMac

    -The option to buy a high end base with a 15 inch monitor (not all of us are video editors)

    -Monitor sharing, unless that is already possible... I haven't checked the specs lately
  • Reply 2 of 47
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Death.





    Seriously. The iMac is the barrier to expandable lowcost Headless Powermacs.



    It must die.



    Emac must be the only lowend computer followed by Headless somewhat expandable computer and then the Powermac line.
  • Reply 3 of 47
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    As much as this hurts me to say (considering my ownership and absolute love and support of the iMac and all things "i"), I kinda have to agree with the previous post.







    The eMac is, basically, what everyone was SCREAMING for 2-3 years ago for the iMac to be: 17" and G4-based.



    Part of me always thinks "just rechristen the eMac the iMac (since it looks like what everyone associates with the iMac...a cool jellybean AIO) and let that handle the schools, consumers, grannies, budget-buyers, etc. Between that and the soon-to-come 970-equipped PowerMacs, position a nice semi-expandable thing (like the reborn "iCube" thing talked about in another thread in Future Hardware), pack it with 1GHz - or more - G4 power, put on all the digital hub-friendly ports and features and pair it with a nice, matching LCD display (use same size/resolution as those used on the 17" PowerBooks and 17" iMacs).



    OR, people can simply CHOOSE THEIR OWN.



    Short of designing the LCD iMac to have removable screens that you can have popped off and replaced with a Apple-designed/manufactured 15", 17" and 19" ones (ain't gonna happen, I'd imagine), maybe people balk at being tied to a set screen in your typical AIO?
  • Reply 4 of 47
    soopadrivesoopadrive Posts: 182member
    I think it would be a mistake for Apple to rid the iMac of their assembly line. I've had many college students come up to me and ask questions regarding the iLamps and that they are interested in buying one. If Apple can reduce the cost of the iLamps, I think that could boost their marketshare. Remember, the iMac has revolutionized computers as we see today and continues to do so with each revision. Lets keep that tradition.
  • Reply 5 of 47
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    The eMac is absurdly late, as Pscates pointed out. There's nothing to keep the iMac from being priced like an eMac right NOW! If they can't commit to getting it done at a reasonable price, then they ought to drop it. Really, there's no need for an eMac, we have LCD's all over our schools (that combined with a small desktop case STILL cost less than a CRT eMac). If the iMac were priced right, the eMac could go home and a proper cube like, heasless, moderately expandable machine could take the place of the iMac at it's current price points.



    Aww hell, we all know this is the right play, just a matter of time before Apple either wises up or loses yet another 10th of a percent overall marketshare. And lest you trot out the familiar, yeah but... they're selling more! Regardless that that line of thinkin is incorrectly oblivious to the health marketshare levels that a platform demands, forget all that and think of education, where the Mac has been getting clobbered big time. They need a cheaper LCD machine, or a DIRT CHEAP CRT machine to even have a shot of getting into most university labs.



    The newest York lab I know of, ALL NEW, is about 1/10th macs. 6 years ago, it would have been over 50% mac. Something to think about.
  • Reply 6 of 47
    Personally, I don't see how dropping the iMac is at all beneficial. The iMac has always been about being for the consumer, and being ahead of its time. Most consumers are not like you and me, where we want to expand the capibilities of the machine by adding in a new PCI card, or things like that. They are interested in it just working. The iMac does just that, and it has the revolutionary design. The only flaw I can see with it is its lack for graphics upgradability. However, I am certain that if Apple offered that you bring it into an Apple Store, or send it off to Apple, and they upgrade it for you, I couldn't be too upset about that.



    I do agree that the price point for the iMac needs to come down. However, I think it is as high as it is now because of the processor that is in there currently: the G4. I know that the G4 is expensive, and that Motorola is charging a premium (sp?) for it. I think that if Apple can put a 970 into it (those are cheaper to make because more companies can use it), it can reduce the cost of one. As a side bonus, it improves the performance of the machine.



    In closing (sorry for the long post, but hang in there!), I think it would be foolhardy to ditch the iMac. People recognize it, it does have a graceful look to it, and it is AIO. All in all, it is a very elegant machine with very few short-comings. Remember, this machine was never meant for the Prosumer, it is meant for the Consumer. Most consumers have NO CLUE how to upgrade their machine at all.
  • Reply 7 of 47
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Actually the G4's that Apple uses in the e/iMac are veddy veddy CHEAP, under a hundred bucks, cheaper than mid-low range x86.
  • Reply 8 of 47
    junkyard dawgjunkyard dawg Posts: 2,801member
    I'd like to see one of two things happen with Apple's low-mid range:



    1. iMac:

    ? Lower price.

    ? Full sized AGP slot.

    ? CPU daughter-card.



    Essentially, make the iMac a Cube with a display attached. I can understand forcing PCI users to buy towers, but not high performance video card users. And I do know of one person who didn't buy an iMac because of a lack of upgradability.



    2. Keep the iMac as-is, and resurrect the cube.

    ? Cube should have same characteristics as last (AGP slot, CPU daughtercard.

    ? Ports should be easier to access.

    ? Mount the optical drive horizontally so it's easier to use and runs faster.

    ? Price: It should cost LESS than an iMac because it doesn't have a display. Something like $799, $999, $1299. The $799 cube can be the loss-leader, w/lame optical drive, small HD, and cheesy video card.



    I'd rather see option 2, because there really is a market for dolts who don't know ANYTHING about the guts of their computer and have zero desire to upgrade or expand it. But an expandable iMac would be very nice, although I'd probably still go for a tower because I like the expandability. I just think Apple needs to see expandability in shades of grey rather than black&white...give the low end SOME expandability, like AGP and CPU, and then leave the PCI, optical drives, and HDs expansion to the expensive towers. I find it hard to imagine that giving the iMac an agp slot would cannabilize tower sales more than it would attract new Mac users.
  • Reply 9 of 47
    slackulaslackula Posts: 262member
    Quick side question for a newbie: Poster a couple above notes that iMac has "AIO". What does that stand for? Thanks!
  • Reply 10 of 47
    thegeldingthegelding Posts: 3,230member
    aio=all in one



    a computer that is basically one part for everything...like the iMac and eMac



    g
  • Reply 11 of 47
    agent302agent302 Posts: 974member
    I know this is fairly anecdotal (ok, completely anecdotal), but normal people like the AIO design. My parents, for example, are fairly tech savvy. However, my dad has explicitly told me that he will never by another tower (their last tower being a Performa 6400, which the only upgrade was an ethernet card installed into the PCI slot by the AT&T cable tech guy). 90% of people don't need/want an AGP slot, or even a headless design.
  • Reply 12 of 47
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Not only is it completely anecdotal, it's completely incedental. Fact is that e/iMac's combined barely register a percent of all desktops sold. Whatever you may theorize about what most people prefer or need, I can point you squarely towards numbers that do not lie about what most people actually buy. People who want AIO's will buy laptops as the portability premium decreases (ie, laptops get closer and closer in price performance, as makes little difference to most) Why buy a home-bound laptop?
  • Reply 13 of 47
    axdigitalaxdigital Posts: 12member
    it will be a big mistake at this time to discontinue imac



    imac deserves more



    it's price is high?

    (you are lucky in us/greek price for the top imac 17" is: us edition=2240 euro and gr edition=2461 euro-if you don't believe me go 3w.applestore.gr)



    so let's imagine something good for the future of imac



    bluetooth ready?

    bluetooth mouse and keybord?

    new design?



    i am waiting...
  • Reply 14 of 47
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by axdigital

    what will the feature bring to imacs?



    A spell checker!!!

    oh wait...

    we already have that
  • Reply 15 of 47
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Matsu

    Not only is it completely anecdotal, it's completely incedental. Fact is that e/iMac's combined barely register a percent of all desktops sold.



    But they register a sizeable percent of all Apple desktops sold, even if you measure them against PowerMac sales in that line's prime.



    The iMac outsells the eMac, so those calling for its death had better explain why Apple will kill a better-selling line for a weaker one.



    As for anecdotes, I just did a house call for a Cube owner, and she responded to my compliment of her machine by rhapsodizing about the iMac she got to use at work. She clearly considered it a superior machine.



    So, YMMV. But, once again, I'm not going to let Matsu get away with using the PC box maker's wholesale incompetence at designing AIOs become an argument against Apple's.
  • Reply 16 of 47
    beigeuserbeigeuser Posts: 371member
    How about water cooling? If not the iMac, maybe for the PowerMac? I remember Steve making a big deal out of the fanless and silent original iMacs. Water cooling will make Macs almost silent again. No noise disturbing you from listening to music which you bought from the iTMS. Silent operation is almost a requirement for a digital hub.



    NEC of Japan has just released a water-cooled Win XP computer using a 2.4-3.0GHz P4. The prices start from around $1,700.00 for the 2.4GHz model. For those who can read Japanese, specs can be found here:



    http://121ware.com/community/navigat...200305&ND=4615
  • Reply 17 of 47
    snoopysnoopy Posts: 1,901member
    I know a Windows PC user who switched to Mac because of the flat panel iMac. Such a computer is extremely appealing to many people, especially those who hate clutter and have an eye for things that look nice in their home. Possibly the manufacturing cost is too high; so Apple needs to engineer it for economy and drop the price.



    Furthermore, Apple needs to build both the iMac and a consumer Mac without an attached monitor, like say the Cube or whatever Steve and Ives come up with. Consumers who prefer one over the other cannot be talked into changing their mind just so Apple can build fewer models. Apple's poor market share makes it harder to do this and stay profitable. If Steve sees the light, he could build the first headless consumer Mac on a low development budget, and it would not be a thing of great beauty. If market share goes up, and demand for a headless consumer Mac proves to be high, then Apple can refine it.
  • Reply 18 of 47
    gamblorgamblor Posts: 446member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Amorph

    quote:

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Originally posted by Matsu

    Not only is it completely anecdotal, it's completely incedental. Fact is that e/iMac's combined barely register a percent of all desktops sold.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------



    But they register a sizeable percent of all Apple desktops sold, even if you measure them against PowerMac sales in that line's prime.







    Why did I know Amorph was going to reply to this? Took the words right out of my mouth...
  • Reply 19 of 47
    cory bauercory bauer Posts: 1,286member
    The way I see it, there are two paths Apple can take with the iMac.



    The first scenerio would be to move all the desktop products down the price brackets. Create a new Sub-$700 line which the eMac can inhabit. Place the iMac in the $700 - $1300 price range, and Allow the Powermacs to pan a larger price range, from $999 and up. With the advent of the 970, Apple should be able to build products that perform better than todays line up at cheaper prices. No one's going to want a G4-equipped Apple computer after the 970's are released, thus making the value of the G4 "worthless". So put 1 - 1.4Ghz G4 processors in the eMacs and iMacs (the sub-$700 to $1300 computers). Put the 1.4 - 1.8Ghz 970's in the Powermacs, have Dual Processor Powermacs start at about $1,599. Could Apple pull this off? I think so. Think about it. When the top of the line Powermac was a Dual 1Ghz, on the day the Dual 1.25Ghz Powermac was announced, the Dual 1Ghz dropped about $1,000 in cost (or some extravagant amount like that). It happens all the time, we just don't see it in the iMacs and eMacs because Apple hasn't had some kind of "breakthrough" Processor upgrade. A new iMac has never been more than 200Mhz more than the model it replaced, but a new Powermac has been as much as 500Mhz (both processor upgrades added together). If the 970 is released in the 1.4Ghz - 1.8Ghz range as rumored, we'll be looking at a full 800Mhz increase in the top of the line Powermac. And that's just Mhz we're talking about. Fini.



    Alright, the second scenario would see the demise of the iMac altogether. The Performance & Functionality gap between desktops and laptops is getting thinner and thinner. Nowadays, you don't have to sacrifice much-needed computer performance to have a laptop like you used to. I am certain this trend will continue, as will laptop sales, which will simply make an all in one, silent, unexpandable desktop system obsolete. Powermacs will then fill in the entire desktop Product line, or some lesser expandable Powermac will be added to fill the shoes of the iMac (the Cube would be well suited for this duty). At this point there's almost no reason to get an iMac instead of an iBook or 12" PowerBook. Take a look for yourself at the Apple Store and compare the iMac specs to iBooks and PowerBooks. It costs relatively very little more at this point to go portable...thus, bye bye iMac. The year of the portable, anyone?
  • Reply 20 of 47
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    Quote:

    The option to customize the graphic processor upon purchase (The GForce FX is okay, but I'd pay a premium for 128 megs or a Radeon 9200.) I don't want to crack the case, but I'd like to be able to buy the best there is and use it as long as possible and upgrading the GPU would do that for me.



    Sounds reasonable to me, although I think they're just going to stick with putting better graphics on the high end than on the low end, and no customization.



    Quote:

    Colored bases, I'm a sucker for Bondi, which is why I STILL love my 350mHz iMac



    The blueberry-colored 350 MHz iMac:





    And the bondi-colored 233 MHz iMac:





    Yours is blueberry, sorry.
Sign In or Register to comment.