ouragan

Better wait a bit longer for Apple to get it right, October 2019 will do just fine


The iMac serves at least 3 different markets:

1- Members of the general public who want to spoil themselves with the affordable luxury of a better computer than what competitors offer for a lower price. For the more affluent consumers, features are key to their decision to buy a more expensive iMac and they want a visible difference from what competitors offer, e.g. a bigger display, a bigger hard disk drive, a wireless keyboard, a wireless mouse.

Customization, a build to order iMac is an important selling point, making sure that consumers get a computer with all the features that they value: massive storage, instant access of SSDs, plenty of RAM, faster CPUs and/or GPUs.

2- Professionals and corporations who can claim the cost of an iMac on their income tax returns. Some will want a low cost model that they can place on every desk while others won't mind paying for the features that they need: a bigger display and/or a bigger hard disk drive.

3- University and Corporate research departments for whom computing power is important as well as overall quality which allows for uninterrupted use over long stretches of time. They need the latest and most powerful desktop CPUs and desktop GPUs and are willing to pay for them. Nothing low powered for them. A desktop computer is not a light and thin laptop.

Again, customization, a build to order iMac is an important selling point, making sure that researchers get a computer with all the features that they value: massive storage and/or the instant access of SSDs, plenty of RAM, faster CPUs and/or GPUs.


Apple came up with an exceptional industrial design for the iMac 2009-2012 which provided ample space behind the display to ensure proper heat dissipation and great acoustic properties. The iMac 2009-2012 form factor projected an overall image and a reality of quality and sturdiness.

When it was first introduced in October 2009, the iMac 2009-2012 was the first computer from Apple to use a quad-core CPU and to include a standard 27 inch display, a wireless keyboard and a wireless mouse for members of the general public.

The iMac 2009-2012 was a resounding success. Most companies won't abandon such a successful industrial design because they know that lightning doesn't strike twice, especially over a short period of time.

In October 2019, it will be 10 years that the iMac 2009-2012 was first introduced. To celebrate the innovative and highly successful industrial design of the iMac 2009-2012, it's time for Apple to return back to basics and for function to dictate the form of an all-in-one desktop computer. It's time for Apple to introduce updated components into a brand new iMac 2019 with the iMac 2009-2012 form factor.

Thin and light are key features for portable computing, MacBooks, iPads and iPhones, but thin and light are foolish for a desktop computer or an all-in-one desktop computer where the emphasis should be on powerful desktop components, large display, massive storage options, exceptional sound quality from loudspeakers, not headphones, and proper heat dissipation.


Here's what I look for in the iMac 2019, beyond a return to the iMac 2009-2012 form factor:

1 - Optional 8 to 14 TB Fusion drives with a 256 GB SSD.

A 8 TB Seagate BarraCuda Pro SATA HDD, 7200 RPM, 6 Gb/s transfer rate, 256 MB cache, 3.5 inch internal hard drive for desktop computers has a retail price of $272.57 on Amazon, while the top of the line 14 TB model has a retail price of $576.29. The 10 TB model sells for $344.99 and the 12 TB model sells for $437.99.

If these internal hard disk drives for desktop computers are available from Amazon, Seagate and Hitachi (HGT), I expect them to be available when buying a brand new iMac. It's both a question of meeting my needs and future proofing my purchase of a brand new iMac.

There is no excuse for offering brand new iMacs with only 2 or 3 TB Fusion drives. Leave a low cost option with a 2 TB Fusion drive, but offer a standard 6 TB Fusion drive with a 256 GB SSD and optional increments of 8 TB to 14 TB Fusion drives with a 256 GB SSD. As Apple offers iPads and iPhones that come standard with a 256 GB SSD, it should be easy to standardize on 256 GB SSDs for Fusion drives in iMacs.

2 - Exceptional sound quality comparable to the iMac 2009-2012, possibly due to the great acoustics of the iMac 2009-2012 form factor and the loudspeakers used. Needless to say, exceptional sound quality is a key feature for anyone who stores his digital music collection on an iMac and enjoys listening to music while performing other tasks on an iMac.

3 - A next generation Ice Lake 10 nm desktop CPU and desktop GPU for the all-in-one desktop iMac, not the less powerful CPU and GPU alternatives typically used in portable computers.

Intel demonstrates 10nm Ice Lake processor, promises PCs will ship with it later this year @

https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/7/18171718/intel-ice-lake-10nm-processor-dell-demo-ces-2019

"Intel is building in Thunderbolt 3, Wi-Fi 6, and DL Boost (deep learning boost) into these Ice Lake chips for laptops and PCs to take advantage of. Intel is now promising that PC makers will have devices with Ice Lake processors on shelves by the end of 2019."

4 - A RAM access door to add memory modules after the iMac is bought.

5 - Possibly a digital FM radio tuner to make it possible to listen to music, talk shows and local news while working on an iMac. Radio stations broadcast over the internet, but there is something to be said about being untied from the internet which in some areas is not reliable and/or high speed.

6 - Possibly a larger display, a 30, 32 or 35 inch display, just like Apple was the first computer maker to offer a standard 27 inch display in an all-in-one computer for the general public.

7 - Possibly some connectors on the right side of the iMac's display for easier occasional access to connectors, let's say 2 USB connectors and 1 or 2 Thunderbolt connectors.

8 - Possibly a better air flow with the possibility for each user to set the fans to run all the time at 10% of their maximum speed, thereby providing a quiet but constant air flow. At present, there is a third party utility "TG Pro" with similar functionality, but it would be great if it were included in every iMac.

As Apple engineers are working on the features to include in the next iMac, I hope that my comment was helpful. An exceptional design for the right price should rekindle iMac sales.