LCD iMac

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
It's coming sooner or later.



I really believe it's going to be like an elegant evolution of what AirPort is. See, AirPort allows you to connect your computers to each other and the internet wirelessly, but that's still not easy enough and just not the most logical thing, setting up filesharing and logging in and out and mounting volumes, configuring things, all of that stuff (especially with the crippled file sharing in OS X; you have to do a hack to get it to share more'n your "Public" folder--lame). You're carrying around your hard drive (sensitive), your processor and RAM and optical drives and sound card and everything you DON'T need. Plus in order to make it portable and small, you sacrifice upgradability.



Why not just make a wireless display? When you think about it a little, it wouldn't be feasible to clog up the airwaves with a million monitors with 60-some million colors and thousands of pixels being manipulated in near real time. Why not just send rendering messages to the screen, and have the screen (wireless/portable) render things itself? It could be smaller, lighter, and more efficient, without sacrificing upgradability OR boosting the price for small, light, rugged components. And you could have multiple displays going at one time--for different people--which fits so well with OS X.



Imagine being able to show your iMovies on your iPad or portable iMac LCD screen in the living room without lugging around your iBook and mounting volumes and dealing with slow AirPort speeds. Being able to browse the web like pen on paper. Being able to let the kids play games and learn to write and do math and talk to their friends and surf the web where you can watch them, without having to teach them to type or worrying about them sticking their fingers in your $800 SuperDrive or unplugging the cords or whatever. Imagine being able to lift your monitor right off your desk and take it with you into the kitchen and have an interactive cookbook, with the infinite resources of the internet, right at your finger tips, without wasting paper printing out the recipe, just to find out you don't like it, or wasting your breath running back and forth. Or imagine being the system administrator of like 50 headless G4 servers--and being able to control them all with one lightweight, easy-to-use portable touch screen display (I'm sure you could dictate to it, or connect a keyboard, as well, though). It sounds like a really, really cool idea to me.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 49
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    [quote]Why not just make a wireless display? When you think about it a little, it wouldn't be feasible to clog up the airwaves with a million monitors with 60-some million colors and thousands of pixels being manipulated in near real time. Why not just send rendering messages to the screen, and have the screen (wireless/portable) render things itself?<hr></blockquote>



    That's a tried and true idea for handling remote user interfaces, which require a minimal amount of data to be sent back and forth. Interfaces tend to be assembled out of static components and changed rarely (from the point of view of a computer).



    Keep in mind that in order to implement this idea, you're building a computer into the monitor - essentially building a X terminal - which will drive the price of the monitor up accordingly. Also, video and OpenGL animation will be impossible unless you build in a powerful CPU, AGP and a video accelerator - and then you have a full-blown Mac on an AirPort network, not a wireless monitor.



    [ 11-12-2001: Message edited by: Amorph ]</p>
  • Reply 2 of 49
    fran441fran441 Posts: 3,715member
    Wireless monitor = mega radiation. Right? Plus, how would you power the thing?



    Any way, what if you have more than one screen around? Wouldn't it mess up the other's picture? Imagine a computer lab of these things and the screen of one overlapping another! :eek:
  • Reply 3 of 49
    bradbowerbradbower Posts: 1,068member
    I don't know, Fran. I'm just dreaming. I started this thread with the intentions of talking about the next iMac, if it may be LCD, but I ended up theorizing a little But that's what AI is for.
  • Reply 4 of 49
    Apple would be wise to take a look at all the things that make its and others' current systems a needless pain in the ass, and to fix them.



    Off the top of my head, I can think of a few things:



    - Make the keyboard and mouse cables longer or eliminate them.

    - Allow for upgradeable graphics.

    - Continue to include a handle that is accessible from the top of the package. It is reassuring to see a right way of moving the computer, and of course protection against dropping it.



    [ 11-12-2001: Message edited by: Mac The Fork ]</p>
  • Reply 5 of 49
    Hey, I think that a wireless, water-proof, touch-screen with built in easy-networking is really the future.



    It may drive the price up accordingly Amorph....but since when did Steve Jobs or his allegiant followers give a damn?



    A low-cost solution would equal a crappy design. Who wants that? Microsoft would I'm sure.
  • Reply 6 of 49
    nebrienebrie Posts: 483member
    [quote]Originally posted by Fran441:

    <strong>Wireless monitor = mega radiation. Right? Plus, how would you power the thing?



    Any way, what if you have more than one screen around? Wouldn't it mess up the other's picture? Imagine a computer lab of these things and the screen of one overlapping another! :eek: </strong><hr></blockquote>



    No, it'll just run over Airport, no mega radiation. We used to sneak around the lab shooting microwave guns at other people but that's another story It would be powered by a powerbook-battery sized battery.
  • Reply 6 of 49
    fran441fran441 Posts: 3,715member
    Hey, M$ is making the X Box now. Who says a computer isn't that far behind?
  • Reply 8 of 49
    Think iBook with the screen where the keyboard is.

    Have a docking/transmitter station that can accept the wireless thingy as a screen. Thingy recharges while in the dock.

    The thingy would need the processor and harddrive but cd, printer, keyboard etc would be in/attached to the dock.



    Anyone remember the Duo? Same general concept but updated and without the clunkiness and duplication.



    Pen interface when not docked.

    If the pen interface was pressure and tilt sensitive then we'd have the ultimate Photoshop/Painter machine. An artist's sketchpad.





  • Reply 9 of 49
    [quote]Originally posted by Fran441:

    <strong>Hey, M$ is making the X Box now. Who says a computer isn't that far behind?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    God! If they make a computer I do not know what I am going to do! That would be so shity! I can not even discribe it!
  • Reply 10 of 49
    An LCD iMac would rule, colored in Snow or Sage.
  • Reply 11 of 49
    I think what you're talking about, while certainly a great idea and the general direction we seem to be heading in, is still a few years down the line. What you are describing (base station that does all the computing and terminal LCDs that accept input and deliver output) is a less sophisticated implementation of what a lot of futurist speculators (most notably Ray Kurzweil) are predicting: namely, each house with a kind of "mainframe" computer that stores your data and performs calculations and is accesible from anywhere via ubiquitous wireless networking. Certainly a very cool idea, but won't happen for a while. Your idea, though, seems like it could be implemented immediately. I doubt that the general public is mentally or financially capable of such a dramatic upgrade to the concept of what computing is, however (yes, I realize the concept of terminals are not new, but how many average Gateway Joes know what a VT100 is, much less how neat such a system is. I mean, think about how many posts you've read from OS X upgraders complaining about their "new" multiuser file structure).



    Whoa. sorry. I didn't mean for that to be so long.
  • Reply 12 of 49
    [quote]Originally posted by Fran441:

    <strong>Hey, M$ is making the X Box now. Who says a computer isn't that far behind?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    That would be fun! All the current box makers would have to realize that everytime they install windows they are subsidizing their competitor. That would cause the biggest migration to Mac OS and Linux ever.
  • Reply 13 of 49
    I have been an avid follower of the Mac since I was 6. That is right, since the original 128K machine. Now, the idea of an LCD iMac is a great idea. However right now it will never work. For one reason and one reason only: Price.



    The cost of LCD's are coming down, but not enought to make it worth while to make it into an iMac. Yes, the cool factor would be awesome, and it would work out great, especially since everything to them is size and function. I don't see this happening til 2003 at the earliest.



    What Apple will do is when the G5 comes out, I can see them sticking the G4 in their iMac line, bringing iDVD back to where it was meant for, the consumer. I honestly see the G5 coming out MWSF and ALSO the G4 iMac. Steve has said that he wants the DVD-R/CD-RW in the consumer machines, and while that won't happen this MW, I can see it happening in MWSF 2003, probably when the iMac2 (LCD version) will come out.



    [ 11-12-2001: Message edited by: Mike Eggleston ]</p>
  • Reply 14 of 49
    Probably.



    Steve Jobs has been quoted as saying "Early 2002." in reply to a question of just when the SuperDrive would be available in the consumer line. So January (MWSF) or February (MWTY).
  • Reply 15 of 49
    A 15inch LCD with a G4 would be a super nice machine. I still think we'll see a flat CRT (17inch???) before an LCD simply due to cost.



    By the way, I just received my 17inch LCD and it's beautiful. I've got it next to my Sony 21inch and i think the LCD is nicer.
  • Reply 16 of 49
    [quote]Originally posted by Amorph:

    <strong>



    That's a tried and true idea for handling remote user interfaces, which require a minimal amount of data to be sent back and forth. Interfaces tend to be assembled out of static components and changed rarely (from the point of view of a computer).



    Keep in mind that in order to implement this idea, you're building a computer into the monitor - essentially building a X terminal - which will drive the price of the monitor up accordingly. Also, video and OpenGL animation will be impossible unless you build in a powerful CPU, AGP and a video accelerator - and then you have a full-blown Mac on an AirPort network, not a wireless monitor.



    [ 11-12-2001: Message edited by: Amorph ]</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Hmmmmm.... I'm liking this line of thinking, Amorph.



    Apple AirPort = embedded processor and OS

    Apple iPod = embedded processor and OS



    Apple Studio Display 2 = ????????





    Digital hub, anyone?
  • Reply 17 of 49
    [quote]Originally posted by david:

    <strong>I think what you're talking about, while certainly a great idea and the general direction we seem to be heading in, is still a few years down the line. What you are describing (base station that does all the computing and terminal LCDs that accept input and deliver output) is a less sophisticated implementation of what a lot of futurist speculators (most notably Ray Kurzweil) are predicting: namely, each house with a kind of "mainframe" computer that stores your data and performs calculations and is accesible from anywhere via ubiquitous wireless networking..</strong><hr></blockquote>



    = Golden Convergence (any other Robert Morgan fans out there?)



    = Thin-client network computing (any other Larry Ellison fans... ehhhh, never mind )



    = Digital Hub (any other Steve Jobs fans out there?)
  • Reply 18 of 49
    [quote]Originally posted by Mac The Fork:

    <strong>Apple would be wise to take a look at all the things that make its and others' current systems a needless pain in the ass, and to fix them.



    Off the top of my head, I can think of a few things:



    - Make the keyboard and mouse cables longer or eliminate them.

    </strong><hr></blockquote>

    Agreed 110%.

    The fact that Apple has to include USB extention cables for their G4 towers (do they still do that?), instead of just making the Pro Keyboard cable a DAMN meter longer, is an absolute and total phukkin embarassment, as is the fact that the Pro Mouse cable is too short for an iBook unless you happen to be left-handed (Think Different!!!)



    Picture being at the million dollar house of a client, setting up a brand new $1499 iMac, and setting it up in a $900 computer hutch.....



    "Ooooops, sorry Mr. Wealthy Client, the keyboard cable won't reach from this slide-out keyboard tray, to the iMac. You'll have to go to Circuit City or Best Buy and hope that you can find a USB extension cable... or of course you can order one over the Internet!!"



    BEEN there and DONE that!! - MORE than once...

    DAMN, I hope someone at Apple is reading this!





    <strong> [quote]

    - Allow for upgradeable graphics.

    </strong><hr></blockquote>



    I'm not quite as strongly in agreement here. The pro line has upgradable graphics, the consumer line can upgrade RAM and hard drive and add USB or FireWire externals till Ted's talking cows come home...



    If you are wishing for the entry-level Mac to have the same options as a PC ATX, I hope you will always be disappointed. That would never fit into Apple's business model.



    Graphics card upgradability in consumer machines pales in comparison to the biggest thorn in the side of iMac sales to non-Apple-fanatic consumers - the small and completely non-upgradable 15" CRT display. 15 godddamm inches has cost Apple hundreds of thousands of unit sales over the last 12-18 months!



    MY solution? Cross a Cube with an LC and give it an ADC connection (just choose your Apple Studio Display LCD size, and upgrade it any time you want!!!).

    Bundle prices for ASDs, of course...



    That's your LCD iMac, and if Apple does something drastically different than this, I'll be severely disappointed (as will Apple's plans for marketshare growth).



    If Apple really, REALLY wants to expand marketshare (as opposed to drooling over using the ADC to force people into buying your high-margin ASDs), they need to give it a VGA port as well. They'll probably end up selling an Apple Studio Display, once the former PC users are hooked on their iMac 2 and ready to replace their ugly beige CRT.





    <strong> [quote]

    - Continue to include a handle that is accessible from the top of the package. It is reassuring to see a right way of moving the computer, and of course protection against dropping it.

    </strong><hr></blockquote>



    I'm all for cool and functional handles, and I hope that the Cube/LC iMac 2 has one that reminds me of the handle on the original iBook (especially if it has a VGA port - think of toting it to a LAN party or from network to network...). Now THAT would embody the spirit of the original Mac, and the spirit of the iMac "Classic"...



    [ 11-13-2001: Message edited by: FormerLurker ]</p>
  • Reply 19 of 49
    LCD iMac, wireless keyboard & mouse packaged neatly like SE/30 - me first!
  • Reply 20 of 49
    Here in Japan probably half the computers now come with LCD displays. CRTs are becoming rare. However, prices are not cheap. The Sony with the LCD and the built in MD is about $2,500 for example.



    This should not be viewed in isolation. The iMac can keep a CRT (albeit a slightly larger one would be nice, and flatter and maybe wider). Then a kind of reborn cube can fill the gap between the iMac at the low end and the towers at the high end. This middle product should be a minitower with maybe one empty PCI slot and upgradable components to give the prosumer more options. Being a minitower with limits to the possibilities for adding lots of stuff it might be fanless or at least have a very quiet fan. Then the price for a complete system could be under $2,000.
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