Headless iMac Idea

mellomello
Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
I was thinking about my first mac which was an Apple IIc. The way

that the keyboard was built-in would be perfect for new variation

of it. I'm visualizing that it would look like a full size keyboard with

the metallic styling of the Al powerbook, approximately 1 -1.25 inches

thick, wireless bluetooth mouse, and any monitor that you would

want to hook up to it. The DVD slot would be on the right side by

the number keypad.



Maybe it could be extended about 3 inches past the F keys with the

G5 cheesegrater grill styling. Also, it would be a perfect place for 2

processors. (Protection from searing your fingertips)



Here is a pic of the original Apple IIc:





So...What do you guys think?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    imacfpimacfp Posts: 750member
    It's an interesting concept, but if it's basiclly a headless laptop it woudln't give much expanson room. If Apple figured out a way to allow access to the iMac's video card that would provide the kind of expanson most people want. A headless iMac would be great but Apple loves those high margins. I beat you that Apple would find someway of making you want or need to use one of their displays even if they had a headless iMac. I'm also sure a headless iMac would have the same specs and prices of the current iMac. Let's say a headless iMac was $1,000.



    $1,000 + $399 15" LCD =1400 (I'm guessing at the 15" price)



    $1,000 + $699 17" LCD=1699



    $1,000 + $1299 20" LCD=2299



    Yes you could use you current display or a less $$$ one but most people wouldn't. Given the way Apple is I just don't think that a headless iMac would, like magic, give people any savings or increase in specs. It might not be a popular idea, but given how Apple seems to think it makes sense.
  • Reply 2 of 5
    altivec_2.0altivec_2.0 Posts: 995member
    I think they should just chop the display off the current iMac and sell the base as is. You'd probably save hundreds on getting the screen off there. It could be like the Sphere instead of cube!.
  • Reply 3 of 5
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    Actually - and I said this about 15 months ago, before the 17" iMac was unveiled - I always thought that the screen could somehow be detachable (even if only through an authorized Apple service provider) so that you could "upgrade" monitors as other sizes came out.



    Lo and behold, a couple of months later the widescreen 17" model was released. And now the 20".



    But it would be cool if Apple somehow sold the panels themselves and if you owned an older, first-gen LCD iMac, you could take it in, the tech could pop the 15" off and install a nice new 20" one in its place.



    Of course, I realize that goes against the entire concept of "buy a new computer!" business model companies might like to employ...







    But it's still cool.



    Short of that, I do agree that I think the iMacs should be a TAD more build-to-order: in other words, if you want a 20" screen and only a 40GB hard drive and a Combo Drive only, that should be something you could configured at the online Apple Store...just like you're able to do with various other Macs.



    You get locked in to dropping $2199 for the joy of that gorgeous 20" screen. What if you had no use whatsoever for a SuperDrive? Or a big 80GB hard drive? The option to downgrade - both to save a few hundred bucks AND get the machine you truly want - would be nice.



    You get to add backlighting to your PowerBook, Bluetooth to your iBook, various hard drive sizes to most models, etc. I bet Apple would sell the heck out of the 20" IF, via online store "downgrading", people could get them with just a Combo Drive.



    But I understand why it's the other way.
  • Reply 4 of 5
    dmband0026dmband0026 Posts: 2,345member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Altivec_2.0

    I think they should just chop the display off the current iMac and sell the base as is. You'd probably save hundreds on getting the screen off there. It could be like the Sphere instead of cube!.



    But than they would have to figure out a way to make it fanless, or else it wouldn't be a true descendant of the Cube.
  • Reply 5 of 5
    baumanbauman Posts: 1,248member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pscates

    But it would be cool if Apple somehow sold the panels themselves and if you owned an older, first-gen LCD iMac, you could take it in, the tech could pop the 15" off and install a nice new 20" one in its place.



    Yeah, it's a shame the Graphics cards are limited to the native rez of the original LCD, too.



    What I want to see is to be able to pipe another computer through my iMac monitor and a KVM switch. That would be the shiznit.
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