Apple Announces Lighter, Thinner iMac Models with Fusion Drive - Page 2

Dan-- · Oct 23, 2012, 01:20 PM

This sounds similar to Intel's SRT (SSD caching) but with OS X managing the locations, and it does not appear to be a cache, but just additional drive space.

Having just put an SSD into my MBP after pulling the optical drive, I'd like to have this functionality there.

BillyBobBongo · Oct 23, 2012, 01:20 PM

Dammit, recently bought a new MacBook Air. There has to be a way to get a new iMac without the wife revoking my privileges!

diamond3 · Oct 23, 2012, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sigamy

Did they remove the FW800 port too? I have 4 FW enclosures on the floor connected to my 2011 iMac. Guess I won't be upgrading until Thunderbolt prices come down to my level.

For the price you are spending on an iMac, the thunderbolt to firewire adapter shouldn't be too unreasonable of a purchase. $30

drummingcraig · Oct 23, 2012, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mganai

The flash in hybrids is used typically for cache.

Apple, instead, is going the whole nine yards: using the SSD for OS and apps as well, while data goes in the HDD.

You're missing my point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by macleod199

It's still a cache. A bigger one, perhaps, but it's exactly the same concept. Especially given that it's determining what to load into automatically - we'll see how well that works!

You're NOT missing my point.

Sacird · 01:35 PM

Guarantee that RAM is soldered as well. Price increase and the thin BS I could care less about. i5 at those prices still? Pass. I'll build one myself Apple, and use your OS if I want.

EDIT: 21 inch is non replaceable 27 inch is. For now.

class77 · Oct 23, 2012, 01:22 PM

Really dumb to make the iMac that thin and take away the optical drive. There was no need to do that.

ps45 · Oct 23, 2012, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BellSmith

Ignorant question: do you think they will have 17 processor models?

To have that many would seem like overkill to me

RemarkabLee · Oct 23, 2012, 01:22 PM

http://www.apple.com/imac/specs/

topgunn · Oct 23, 2012, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by class77

Really dumb to make the iMac that thin and take away the optical drive. There was no need to do that.

How often do you use the optical drive?

vandeetz · Oct 23, 2012, 01:23 PM

I was really thinking of getting this, but I think I'm going to have to pass.

thin and light is great when using a laptop or a tablet, I don't see the advantage in a desktop unit. I'm not concerned with these in a non portable and would prefer to have an optical drive. I'm not willing to spend more money and have increased desk clutter to have an external dvd drive.

I'm just not willing to pay these prices for less functionality and I can't imagine anyone that wants an optical drive would buy one of these machines. Unfortunately the Mac Pro's have become strictly pro machines ($$$) and those that would take a tower are left out in the cold here.

beyond that I hate that with every new machine I have less and less user serviceable parts. I want to be able to do minor upgrades. I'm not going to buy a new computer every couple years and being able to upgrade parts is huge in extending the life of you computer.

just my 2¢

JesseW6889 · Oct 23, 2012, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caliber26

I just bought my iMac in January but this new design is a must-have for me. Luckily, Macs have great resell value so my outta pocket expense won't be too bad.

This machine is love at first sight. I cannot wait to meet her in person.

Sell it RIGHT NOW. In my experience, the rest of the world DOESN'T check MacRumors.com 3 times a day... you only have about a week before yours is no longer the 'latest model available.'

Callumbear845 · Oct 23, 2012, 01:23 PM

According to the web site, RAM IS REPLACEABLE, 4 SLOTS!!!

MacSignal · Oct 23, 2012, 01:24 PM

It seems especially pointless that the new design is thinner.

It wouldn't surprise me if thinner = hotter and more problems with overall reliability and display consistency from the heat. I will let more eager Apple customers do the field testing to see what happens.

I do applaud the addition of a lower glare screen.

NAG · Oct 23, 2012, 01:24 PM

The 27 inch model has 4 user upgradable RAM slots. 21 inch doesn't have any.

slughead · 01:31 PM

Apple innovates once again by reinventing the ssd/platter drive and calling it something other than a "hybrid". BRILLIANT.

... Just like they invented Thunderbolt; oh wait. I mean Firewire; oh wait. I mean the tablet; oh wait.

The circus-seal flipper-flapping applause after that announcement were really negatively impacting my faith in humanity.

Great products today, I'm just trying to be in b4 the "Apple invents new things all the time!" fanboys have their collective orgasm. This hybrid drive is going to improve performance for a lot of people. It will likely have highly inconsistent performance with file access as things get copied to the SSD cache (just like with conventional hybrid drives). Still, it's likely a step-up.

joesegh · Oct 23, 2012, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tungstentim

I hope that's not the situation, as ill end up buying the previous/current model.

I don't need a thin machine, it's going on a desk.

That appears to not be the situation.

http://www.apple.com/imac/specs/

"8GB (two 4GB) of 1600MHz DDR3 memory; four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots" -27" only. 21.5" does not have this language about user-accessibility.

Mr-Stabby · Oct 23, 2012, 01:25 PM

I love the thinner design, but at the expense of so many things.

1.User Upgradeable RAM looks like it's out. (Confirmed is on 21.5 inch model)
2. SDXC Card Slot at the back? STUPID idea!
3. No SSD option for base model.
4. Most models have 5400rpm HDD Drive, so even slower than the old model,which is pathetic at this cost.
5. Graphics card looks to be a little weak.

Plus it's £100 more in the UK. Not worth it.

Am i still buying one? Yes because i'm a sap....

Awfisch · Oct 23, 2012, 01:25 PM

I don't care what you say about the iPad mini, in my view, the new iMac easily stole the show today. To those who say Apple doesn't innovate anymore, take a look at the Macbook Pro Retina, and now the new iMac.

chillco · Oct 23, 2012, 01:25 PM

The new iMac tech specs page on apple.com says the RAM is user accessible. Hooray!

Source: http://www.apple.com/imac/specs/

(edit: looks like only the 27 inch version is user accessible?)

NAG · Oct 23, 2012, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slughead

Apple innovates once again by reinventing the ssd/platter drive and calling it something other than a "hybrid". BRILLIANT.

... Just like they invented Thunderbolt; oh wait. I mean Firewire; oh wait. I mean the tablet; oh wait.

The circus-seal flipper-flapping applause after that announcement were really negatively impacting my faith in humanity.

Great products today, I'm just trying to be in b4 the "Apple invents new things all the time!" fanboys have their collective orgasm.

Glad the burning Macstrawman fanboys are having their fun too.

Imaginethe · Oct 23, 2012, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RemarkabLee

http://www.apple.com/imac/specs/

In a user accessible slot on the 27inch!

Akkudude · Oct 23, 2012, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Battlefield Fan

When Phil swapped the photo from the 2012 iMac to the older 2011 iMac my jaw dropped into my neighbors apartment.

Same here..
Before that the 2011 was perfectly fine, but after that.. I am also looking forward to the GTX 680 MX with 2 GB

Macboy Pro · Oct 23, 2012, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sacird

Guarantee that RAM is soldered as well. Price increase and the thin BS I could care less about. i5 at those prices still? Pass. I'll build one myself Apple, and use your OS if I want.

It didnt look soldered but there was no evidence of an access panel so you probably have to pay 4x the cost to have Apple put the RAM in. Typical Apple money grab with a huge hype around "WOW, its THIN." Seriously, other then immature 20 somethings, who gives a crap how thin it is? Especially when the thinness is only the edge. Its still just as thick in the back center. Tapered. LOL

RemarkabLee · Oct 23, 2012, 01:26 PM

...I'd be interested to see the iFixIt teardown

vandeetz · Oct 23, 2012, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by topgunn

How often do you use the optical drive?

just because you don't use the optical drive doesn't mean others don't. I know a number of people that use them for dvd authoring also getting digital copies of films and ripping music/movies of the disc.

I think the big deal is, why remove something in a desktop unit that doesn't need to be light and thin? consumers and professionals that have a ned for the drive are left in the cold now, especially with mac pro's being prohibitively expensive

Oct 23, 2012, 01:20 PM	#27
BillyBobBongo macrumors 65816 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: On The Interweb Thingy!	Dammit, recently bought a new MacBook Air. There has to be a way to get a new iMac without the wife revoking my privileges! __________________ "You didn't have a bad experience with tequila, you had an experience with bad tequila!" : tequilatown Mac Pro: 2.93GHz Quad-Core, iMac 21.5":2.7 GHz Core i5, MacBook Air: 1.8GHz i5
	13

Oct 23, 2012, 01:21 PM	#30
Sacird macrumors 6502a Join Date: May 2010 Location: Northern, VA	Guarantee that RAM is soldered as well. Price increase and the thin BS I could care less about. i5 at those prices still? Pass. I'll build one myself Apple, and use your OS if I want. EDIT: 21 inch is non replaceable 27 inch is. For now. Last edited by Sacird; Oct 23, 2012 at 01:35 PM.
	15

Oct 23, 2012, 01:22 PM	#31
class77 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Nov 2010	Really dumb to make the iMac that thin and take away the optical drive. There was no need to do that. __________________ 2011 Mac Mini, 2.7 Dual Core i7, 8GB RAM, 750GB, 10.7.3 24" iMac, 3.06GHz C2D, 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD, 10.6.8 iPad 4 64G, iPad 3 64GB, iPad 32 GB  iPhone 5  Airport Extreme 5
	26

Oct 23, 2012, 01:22 PM	#33
RemarkabLee macrumors 6502a Join Date: Nov 2007	RAM upgradable to 32Gb http://www.apple.com/imac/specs/
	7

Oct 23, 2012, 01:23 PM	#37
Callumbear845 macrumors member Join Date: Sep 2011	According to the web site, RAM IS REPLACEABLE, 4 SLOTS!!! __________________ Retina MacBook Pro, 2.3 GHz, 256GB SSD, 16GB RAM, GT 650M 1GB (OS X 10.8.2) iPhone 4S 16GB (iOS 6.0.1); iPad 2 16GB (iOS 5.1.1) Canon T3i
	24

Oct 23, 2012, 01:20 PM	#26
Dan-- macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2008	This sounds similar to Intel's SRT (SSD caching) but with OS X managing the locations, and it does not appear to be a cache, but just additional drive space. Having just put an SSD into my MBP after pulling the optical drive, I'd like to have this functionality there.
	3

Oct 23, 2012, 01:23 PM	#35
vandeetz macrumors member Join Date: Apr 2009	I was really thinking of getting this, but I think I'm going to have to pass. thin and light is great when using a laptop or a tablet, I don't see the advantage in a desktop unit. I'm not concerned with these in a non portable and would prefer to have an optical drive. I'm not willing to spend more money and have increased desk clutter to have an external dvd drive. I'm just not willing to pay these prices for less functionality and I can't imagine anyone that wants an optical drive would buy one of these machines. Unfortunately the Mac Pro's have become strictly pro machines ($$$) and those that would take a tower are left out in the cold here. beyond that I hate that with every new machine I have less and less user serviceable parts. I want to be able to do minor upgrades. I'm not going to buy a new computer every couple years and being able to upgrade parts is huge in extending the life of you computer. just my 2¢
	26

Oct 23, 2012, 01:24 PM	#38
MacSignal macrumors regular Join Date: May 2010	It seems especially pointless that the new design is thinner. It wouldn't surprise me if thinner = hotter and more problems with overall reliability and display consistency from the heat. I will let more eager Apple customers do the field testing to see what happens. I do applaud the addition of a lower glare screen. __________________ MacSignal
	24

Oct 23, 2012, 01:24 PM	#39
NAG macrumors 68030 Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: /usr/local/apps/nag	The 27 inch model has 4 user upgradable RAM slots. 21 inch doesn't have any. __________________ Thirty-one days ago it was earlier.
	6

Oct 23, 2012, 01:24 PM	#40
slughead macrumors 68000 Join Date: Apr 2004	Apple innovates once again by reinventing the ssd/platter drive and calling it something other than a "hybrid". BRILLIANT. ... Just like they invented Thunderbolt; oh wait. I mean Firewire; oh wait. I mean the tablet; oh wait. The circus-seal flipper-flapping applause after that announcement were really negatively impacting my faith in humanity. Great products today, I'm just trying to be in b4 the "Apple invents new things all the time!" fanboys have their collective orgasm. This hybrid drive is going to improve performance for a lot of people. It will likely have highly inconsistent performance with file access as things get copied to the SSD cache (just like with conventional hybrid drives). Still, it's likely a step-up. __________________ http://latewire.com Last edited by slughead; Oct 23, 2012 at 01:31 PM.
	13

Oct 23, 2012, 01:25 PM	#42
Mr-Stabby macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Sep 2004	I love the thinner design, but at the expense of so many things. 1.User Upgradeable RAM looks like it's out. (Confirmed is on 21.5 inch model) 2. SDXC Card Slot at the back? STUPID idea! 3. No SSD option for base model. 4. Most models have 5400rpm HDD Drive, so even slower than the old model,which is pathetic at this cost. 5. Graphics card looks to be a little weak. Plus it's £100 more in the UK. Not worth it. Am i still buying one? Yes because i'm a sap....
	11

Oct 23, 2012, 01:25 PM	#43
Awfisch macrumors member Join Date: Feb 2011	The new iMac stole the show. I don't care what you say about the iPad mini, in my view, the new iMac easily stole the show today. To those who say Apple doesn't innovate anymore, take a look at the Macbook Pro Retina, and now the new iMac. __________________ Early 2010 Macbook Pro 2.53 GHz Dual Core 8GB, iPad 3rd Gen, iPhone 5.
	13

Oct 23, 2012, 01:25 PM	#44
chillco macrumors newbie Join Date: Jul 2012	The new iMac tech specs page on apple.com says the RAM is user accessible. Hooray! Source: http://www.apple.com/imac/specs/ (edit: looks like only the 27 inch version is user accessible?)
	3

Oct 23, 2012, 01:26 PM	#49
RemarkabLee macrumors 6502a Join Date: Nov 2007	They look like a bugger to service... ...I'd be interested to see the iFixIt teardown
	7

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