REALISTIC suggestions for new iMac 2004

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
What I'm asking everyone to post here in this thread:



Based on fitting in the 4+ product line-up, hitting the consumer plus (prosumer catagory) and current prices and tech trends...



What do you think could the specs be for the new iMac and what price point would be "reasonable" (not yehaa great...or what your Aunt Cheryl would buy)?



My suggestion for the average consumer:



? One processor...a G5...1.6 or 1.8 GhZ to keep costs down and choice simple.

? Upgradeable Hard Drive (20-40MB less highest PowerMac HD, 5200 RPM)



? Upgradeable graphics card (standard card be 'ok' for most folks...1 or 2 other choices for gamers and semi-pro designers).



? I/O: 2 FW400, 2 USB2, DVI, Bluetooth, Digital Audio, Airport Extreme (option), ports in front like G5 tower



? Small, visually distinctive case



As to AIO vs. 'Headless'...AIO is great IF the price basicly makes the monitor FREE. If an AIO with non-crippled features can cost between $999 and $1400, THEN AIO is fine. It must be cheap if you're going to throw out the monitor when getting a new computer.



Or



Apple can give "rebates" to ALL iMac owners on their new Mac...$50-75 for CRT iMacs, $200-$300 for LCDs....takes the sting out of the "throwing away the monitor" perspective.







Okay,

We've all read or made suggestions that fall in the wish list catagory;



G5 2.5GhZ, 6 slots, headless, detachable/wireless LCDs for $500



and the pessimistic viewpoint



G4 1.8 Ghz, Same inclosure, different color, won't ship till January



and the "I won't buy until they put ... in it".



There is a fine line between realistic (Apple can still make a profit, it's better than it is now, but NOT as good as the pro line for a price tag in the middle).



Most of the posts I've read either accept minimal is what's going to happen or expect a machine better than the pro line for eMac prices.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 287
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    realistic? if you ask me, being out of stock for 1/4 of a year isn't realistic to me...
  • Reply 2 of 287
    macsrgood4umacsrgood4u Posts: 3,007member
    There are actually plenty of 17" and 20" iMacs available at many Apple Stores and re-sellers. Apple is simply not taking any orders on line.
  • Reply 3 of 287
    cubistcubist Posts: 954member
    Cheaper arm (plastic), AIO, non-upgradable video, 1.5GHz G4. Remember, the iMac is fundamentally a repackaged laptop. It is not a shrunken tower, as the Cube was. We'll see the price hit the $999 point for the 15" model. Prepare to be non-blown-away.
  • Reply 4 of 287
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by cubist

    Cheaper arm (plastic), AIO, non-upgradable video, 1.5GHz G4. Remember, the iMac is fundamentally a repackaged laptop. It is not a shrunken tower, as the Cube was. We'll see the price hit the $999 point for the 15" model. Prepare to be non-blown-away.



    plastic arm? the metal isnt the expencive part of the arm, I would imagine that the guts cost far more than the polished metal cover.
  • Reply 5 of 287
    chipzchipz Posts: 100member
    I have to agree that the new iMac will not be the machine tghat many are hoping for. Due to heat problems, I think Apple will stay with the G4 and crank it up to 1.5 GHz. They may also up the RAM to 512 MB. The HD will most likely remain at 80 GB as that's a pretty good sized HD for this computer. A Firewire 800 port wilol probably be added as well. You must remember, the iMac is a consumer machine meant for persons who want a good, reliable computer - not a user who wants the latest and greatest. For them, there is the PM.
  • Reply 6 of 287
    moazammoazam Posts: 136member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by chipz

    the iMac is a consumer machine meant for persons who want a good, reliable computer - not a user who wants the latest and greatest. For them, there is the PM.



    Yes, and of course the general consumer is an idiot who likes to spend way too much for an under-equipped machine? No.



    Either way, the thing needs a G5. Another G4 and iMac sales will keep declining just like they have been.



    -M
  • Reply 7 of 287
    Quote:

    Originally posted by chipz

    I have to agree that the new iMac will not be the machine tghat many are hoping for. Due to heat problems, I think Apple will stay with the G4 and crank it up to 1.5 GHz. They may also up the RAM to 512 MB. The HD will most likely remain at 80 GB as that's a pretty good sized HD for this computer. A Firewire 800 port wilol probably be added as well. You must remember, the iMac is a consumer machine meant for persons who want a good, reliable computer - not a user who wants the latest and greatest. For them, there is the PM.



    Heat problems can be solved by using low frequency G5... I'm not sure that a 1.2GHz G5 dissipates so much heat!
  • Reply 8 of 287
    Why would an iMac need Firewire 800?



    My question really should have been:





    What specs/features would be compelling or spur sales, while still being possible for under $1500?



    The biggest complaints I've read on the boards about the iMac:



    ? Price: Too expensive for the old specs and what consumer market it was aimed at



    ? Poor Graphics CardNon upgradeable graphics card (bad for gaming0



    ? Non-reuseable monitor: Can't use monitor when getting a new computer/wasted expense.



    What ways would you guys suggest to address these issues?





    Heat issues aside, Apple will NOT improve iMac sales unless the new iMacs have a G5 or Dual G4 OR drop prices drasticly.
  • Reply 9 of 287
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Quote:

    Why would an iMac need Firewire 800?



    The more appropriate question is "why wouldn'tan iMac need FW800?"



    Computers are purchased to meet the needs for years beyond their purchase. FW components are available today so there is no reason why an Apple homegrown tech isn't taken advantage of.



    The iMac needs



    1. Upgadable graphics

    2. Seperate monitor

    3. Lower prices



    We need 2 out of the 3 Apple. Take your pick.
  • Reply 10 of 287
    I'm going to stretch the REALISTIC part...



    I would love to see iMacs come with an iSight or a built in iSight. This would be a cool extra and would help to increase the number of people out there with whom one can video conference. Aplle has pushed the adoption of many technologies. Tiger is going to improve on iChat AV, what we need is more computers out their that are ready for it. I think more people will use it if they come with the computer, rather than going out and buying the thing.



    I know, probably won't happen.
  • Reply 11 of 287
    emig647emig647 Posts: 2,455member
    I like that prediction carson... for some reason I don't see them doing it, but it would be great.



    I would bet the farm apple will in now way release a 1.5ghz g4. If they were going to they would have MONTHS ago. Obviously it isn't that hard to throw in a 1.5g4 if they can fit it into a laptop. Judging by the heat problems and WWDC, apple has put a lot of time and effort into the g5 iMac... I don't believe they will let that go.



    My prediction ... realistically.



    low end

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

    1.6ghz g5

    nVIDIA 5200 64mb

    80gb drive (ata 7200)

    1 fw 400 / 1 fw800

    4 usb 2.0

    17" LCD BUILT-IN

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

    $1,599.99



    (why 1.6? because they discontinued the powermac and still have a sufficient supply of these procs). This was reported on a few months ago. I'm too lazy to find url. Also the difference between a 1.5ghz g4 (WITH NO L3 CACHE!!!) and a 1.6ghz g5 is exponentialy different. Paying for anything less would sting very bad in sales right now.



    high end

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

    1.8ghz g5

    ati 9600 64mb

    120gb drive (ata 7200)

    1 fw 400 / 1 fw800

    4 usb 2.0

    20" LCD BUILT-IN

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

    $1,999.99



    I have heard rumors apple plans on dropping the 15" lcd's... if this isn't true then we'll see another 1.6 for 1299. I don't feel prices on LCDs have dropped enough in the last year for them to be able to manufacture an LCD AIO that much cheaper. Time will tell.
  • Reply 12 of 287
    beigeuserbeigeuser Posts: 371member
    Formfactor: AIO - because if it's not AIO, they will probably give it a new name.

    CPU: G5 - because if it's only a G4, Apple would have already released the specs and started taking pre-orders.

    # of CPUs: Single processor - Heat and cost. no brainer.

    Clockspeed: 1.5 - because it needs to be faster than the current iMac but slower than PowerMacs. It should match the clockspeed of Powerbooks.

    LCD: 17" and 20" - Apple wants 16:9 on all monitors. A 15" 16:9 will be pointless.

    Ports: Same as current iMac except some should be in front of machine. Maybe optical audio out.

    Hard drive: SATA 120GB and above

    CD drive: Superdrive

    Keyboard/Mouse: Standard WIRED mouse - unless they found a way to use troubleshooting keystrokes with the wireless keyboard but that would mean new boot ROM.

    GPU: The fastest mobile GPU available at the time.

    Wifi and bluetooth, iSight etc: Optional. Apple doesn't want to make the iMac any more expensive than it is.
  • Reply 13 of 287
    emig647emig647 Posts: 2,455member
    You think they'll go with the more expensive SATA?? How come? What advantage does it offer in the iMac?
  • Reply 14 of 287
    ua2006ua2006 Posts: 84member
    I think we'll definitely see a G5. However, if it is basically a screen with everything behind the LCD like some sources have previously mentioned, it's gonna be tough for Apple to cool that processor down. Especially since I would imagine that so much heat behind an LCD could probably damage it. Who knows what the final product will look like.
  • Reply 15 of 287
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by The One to Rescue

    Heat problems can be solved by using low frequency G5... I'm not sure that a 1.2GHz G5 dissipates so much heat!



    Yes, except that a 1,4 ghz G4 will perform better (except for FP) than a 1,2 G5.



    I expect G5 at 1,6 and 1,8. Heat is an issue, if you consider noise, otherwise you have only to put a huge fan like in PC.
  • Reply 16 of 287
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Powerdoc

    Yes, except that a 1,4 ghz G4 will perform better (except for FP) than a 1,2 G5.



    I expect G5 at 1,6 and 1,8. Heat is an issue, if you consider noise, otherwise you have only to put a huge fan like in PC.




    With a 600MHz FSB, a 1.2GHz G5 can be something quite nice IMO, that would be a nice chip for the low-end. Then 1.5 and 1.8 on the mid-end and high-end.
  • Reply 17 of 287
    smalmsmalm Posts: 677member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BeigeUser

    LCD: Apple wants 16:9 on all monitors.



    Unfortunately! Apple should use standard ratio modells to bring the cost down.
  • Reply 18 of 287
    I think apple will try their darnest to get the G5 into the imac, and if what all these sources say are true, I think it will look like the Sony Vaio W pc, basically the pizza box look, a box where everything is behind the monitor and a adjustable stand comes out the back to hold it up.



    According to sales reports the sony vaio w sells extremely well, to the point that they can hardly keep it in stock.



    Personally I like the look of the imac right now compared to the vaio w
  • Reply 19 of 287
    telomartelomar Posts: 1,804member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by emig647

    You think they'll go with the more expensive SATA?? How come? What advantage does it offer in the iMac?



    Flexibility of position and better airflow. The SATA cable is quite a bit smaller and potentially longer than the old parallel cables.
  • Reply 20 of 287
    This is how my theory goes...



    If you look back to when the original Powermac G3s were released in November 1997 you will notice clock speeds of 233/266Mhz in the desktop version . Within 10 months the original iMac was released with a clock speed of 233Mhz. Now, if you ask me, it stands to reason if they could release a machine then that was as powerful as the bottom line Powermac then, they can do it now. They even have the added difference of dual CPUs in the Power Macs now



    The only question is - do they match the original line up (making the new iMac a 1.6Ghz G5) or the current line up (making it a juicy 1.8Ghz)



    Just an idea
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