New iMacs Still Expected to Ship in November-December

[Ddyracer]

Originally Posted by Macman45

This seems to be gathering momentum....I just hope it's right this time. I have two friends waiting for 21.5's....They are growing impatient...It's hard to explain the Apple infrastructure regarding new products to newbies!

Lol, with Apple there is no clear path when the next products are coming out unless you rely on rumors. Unfortunately, there are few for the iMacs.

[Canadian Bacon]

The new iMac is a case in point of the funny thing that happens to me whenever Apple brings out new hardware - almost instinctively I look for the negatives first e.g. price hikes here in Euroland or what features they've taken away (optical drive, expansion etc). Then after a short inner rant which lasts about a week where I swear I won't buy one, I start noncommittally visiting the Apple website again - just once or so to review the new tech specs. Then, like magic, I start visiting it more often - then even more often - all the while discovering the positive things (dual microphones, better speakers, 3-4 kg lighter, chance of a nice screen etc). And I start to imagine how nice it would look perched on my desk and... . To make a long story short: Now I want a new iMac like nobody's business. And I'm back to the point where I'm checking macrumors about 10 times a day waiting for news of delivery so I can saunter off to the store to take a closer look at them. Funny how Apple often does that to me.

[deconstruct60]

Originally Posted by wmikulic

My son has been using a first generation Mac mini and needed a new computer. As soon as the "new" iMac was announced with no optical, we went to the nearest Apple store and bought the current iMac.

so instead of a $69 ( or less) DVD drive he buys as whole computer ( $1,000+ ) ? [ versus a $670 price tag for a mini + super drive . ]

There's just too many school assignments where the product has to be turned in on CD or DVD

Evidently they don't teach non-rote problem solving there as much as DVD cloning factory tasks.

What a great business model, remove features so people have to buy add-ons.

People don't have to use CD/DVDs. That is the whole point. There is a huge difference between has to and choose to use. For example, the school could take submissions through Google Drive or use a USB Flash Drive for sneaker-net. Few courses are going to have assignments that use anywhere near the storage capacity of a DVD drive.

When the "choose not to use" population becomes the majority it doesn't make sense to make the majority buy something they don't intend to use just to serve the needs of smaller subset.

[theraymiles]

Originally Posted by cxny

take my money please! need to expense these puppies in '12

I need to do the same thing!

[flopticalcube]

I'm so looking forward to a teardown.. especially the 21.5".

[Jetson]

Originally Posted by TimUSCA

I agree that depending on your needs, you're not going to want to lose the optical drive. However, is it that bad to just use a USB drive? It's worth sacrificing the built-in drive in order to have the latest chipsets for the exact same amount of money.

Some of us still want to obtain and use commercial content on optical media - CDs, DVDs.

There is ZERO commerical content on USB sticks, whereas there is still a thriving CD and DVD business. Optical drives are NOT obsolete.

Just becaue YOU (in the general sense) don't use one doesn't mean that others don't need one.

[bigcat318]

Originally Posted by deconstruct60

so instead of a $69 ( or less) DVD drive he buys as whole computer ( $1,000+ ) ? [ versus a $670 price tag for a mini + super drive . ]

Glad I'm not the only one who found this odd. People seem to be making a huge deal over needing to plug in a USB drive for the few times they need it. Going so far as to buying an old computer with outdated technology is ridiculous.

[Jetson]

Originally Posted by deconstruct60

so instead of a $69 ( or less) DVD drive he buys as whole computer ( $1,000+ ) ? [ versus a $670 price tag for a mini + super drive . ]




Evidently they don't teach non-rote problem solving there as much as DVD cloning factory tasks.




People don't have to use CD/DVDs. That is the whole point. There is a huge difference between has to and choose to use. For example, the school could take submissions through Google Drive or use a USB Flash Drive for sneaker-net. Few courses are going to have assignments that use anywhere near the storage capacity of a DVD drive.

When the "choose not to use" population becomes the majority it doesn't make sense to make the majority buy something they don't intend to use just to serve the needs of smaller subset.

"Whatever Apple does it's okay by me and anyone that disagrees is an enemy of the Apple state!" - typical fanboy attitude

[ctdonath]

Originally Posted by wmikulic

What a great business model, remove features so people have to buy add-ons.

Usage of optical drives is WAY down. At what point does a manufacturer decide that so few people are using a feature there's no point in including it?

My last computer, abandoned about a month ago, included a parallel printer port, PS/2 mouse & keyboard sockets, and a 3.5" floppy drive. These are, or were, major industry standards for which some people still have a use for. But why, oh why, was Dell still including them, wasting money and space for >99% of customers? Heck yeah remove deprecated features - and let those tiny numbers who still need 'em buy add-ons. Buried in my techno-junk boxes I've got PS/2-USB adapters and a floppy-USB drive; I sure don't want 'em built in any more ... and considering how little I use optical media, I don't want to waste some 15 cubic inches on it.

in fact keeps its edge by dropping features more aggressively than most companies. They keep a pretty tight reign on what is supported, thus making sure what is supported works well and does not contribute to lethargic obsolescence. Do you need a parallel printer port? PS/2 connectors? RS-232 (25- or 9-pin)? VGA? a dozen other flavors of video output? 3.5" floppies? 5.25"? Zip drives? multiple drive bays from "laptop" 2.5" to "full-height" 5.25"? 3" optical? Firewire? CD/DVD? At what point should a manufacturer, controlling costs & features, decide enough customers don't want something that it should be dropped - even though a small number will be annoyed in the process? And at what point should a manufacturer, wanting to guide the industry to a favorable future, take something away to encourage customers elsewhere?

[KO95]

Alright, a little offtopic.
Does someone got any new information what so ever regarding a update to the apple display line up?
The thunderbolt display is some 400 days old now, and the latest macrumor was in june, does anyone know anything?

More on topic'ish.
If no new display options comes, could i then use a iMac 27" as a pc monitor and, more or less, dual boot between those computers? That being switching between the iMac and pc computer by a click of a button?
I've heard about 'dvi to thunderbolt' or 'hdmi to thunderbolt' adapters?
Anyways, any ideas on these subjects?

Thanks and best regards,
-Kev

[Variant]

I can't for the life of me understand why they made it thinner (while using it you'll never notice), rather than getting rid of the chin (staring right at you while using the machine).

[Jetson]

Originally Posted by ctdonath

Usage of optical drives is WAY down. At what point does a manufacturer decide that so few people are using a feature there's no point in including it?

My last computer, abandoned about a month ago, included a parallel printer port, PS/2 mouse & keyboard sockets, and a 3.5" floppy drive. These are, or were, major industry standards for which some people still have a use for. But why, oh why, was Dell still including them, wasting money and space for >99% of customers? Heck yeah remove deprecated features - and let those tiny numbers who still need 'em buy add-ons. Buried in my techno-junk boxes I've got PS/2-USB adapters and a floppy-USB drive; I sure don't want 'em built in any more ... and considering how little I use optical media, I don't want to waste some 15 cubic inches on it.

in fact keeps its edge by dropping features more aggressively than most companies. They keep a pretty tight reign on what is supported, thus making sure what is supported works well and does not contribute to lethargic obsolescence. Do you need a parallel printer port? PS/2 connectors? RS-232 (25- or 9-pin)? VGA? a dozen other flavors of video output? 3.5" floppies? 5.25"? Zip drives? multiple drive bays from "laptop" 2.5" to "full-height" 5.25"? 3" optical? Firewire? CD/DVD? At what point should a manufacturer, controlling costs & features, decide enough customers don't want something that it should be dropped - even though a small number will be annoyed in the process? And at what point should a manufacturer, wanting to guide the industry to a favorable future, take something away to encourage customers elsewhere?

Apple didn't drop the SuperDrive because it was obsolete. They dropped it because it got in the way of their "everything must be wafer-thin" paradigm.

[JHankwitz]

Originally Posted by wmikulic

My son has been using a first generation Mac mini and needed a new computer. As soon as the "new" iMac was announced with no optical, we went to the nearest Apple store and bought the current iMac. There's just too many school assignments where the product has to be turned in on CD or DVD and I'm a believer the optical should be part of the computer.

I remember all the whining when the first Macs came out without a 5.5" floppy drive, and iMacs came out without a floppy drive, and cars came out without running boards, cassette or 8-track tape decks. Change is enevitable as stuff continues to get old and replaced. It eventually happens to everything and everyone.

[TouchMint.com]

Originally Posted by Rogifan

And Apple's stock is up $16 so far today. Good Monday wake up to.

Up almost 24 but then again everything is up today! Yay

[Jetson]

Originally Posted by JHankwitz

I remember all the whining when the first Macs came out without a 5.5" floppy drive, and iMacs came out without a floppy drive, and cars came out without running boards, cassette or 8-track tape decks. Change is enevitable as stuff continues to get old and replaced. It eventually happens to everything and everyone.

Whining???

People still need to use optical media to transfer commercial content. NOT ONE COMPANY puts commercial content on USB sticks, but on CDs and DVDs. They are NOT obsolete.

Your solution is that we shell out additional money for an unsightly stand alone optical drive so that our super expensive "all in one" computer now can access commercial content.

It makes no sense, except that you are trying to justify Apple's decision here.

[Phx08]

Originally Posted by madrag

I believe it when I see it.

They may "announce" it (or accept pre-orders) on the last day of november, but maybe just for a small number of countries and small number of iMacs available.

Quite the contrary, the small number of countries OUTSIDE of the United States will most likely see the bottleneck in supply. The USA market will have plenty....

Originally Posted by TouchMint.com

Up almost 24 but then again everything is up today! Yay

Still wish I sold at $700 after buying in at around $609

[JHankwitz]

Originally Posted by Jetson

Apple didn't drop the SuperDrive because it was obsolete. They dropped it because it got in the way of their "everything must be wafer-thin" paradigm.

Sorry, the SuperDrive is obsolete. At least obsolete enough to warrent not sticking it into every new user's computer. If you really need it, you can do an add-on for relatively low cost. Stack it up with your Ethernet Hub, USB Hub, Aux Speakers, Time Capsule, and UPS.

[atthecross]

YES!!! I want to spend $2k+ on my new iMac, just get it to the store so I can hand the money over!!!

[steve119]

Originally Posted by Jetson

Whining???

People still need to use optical media to transfer commercial content. NOT ONE COMPANY puts commercial content on USB sticks, but on CDs and DVDs. They are NOT obsolete.

Your solution is that we shell out additional money for an unsightly stand alone optical drive so that our super expensive "all in one" computer now can access commercial content.

It makes no sense, except that you are trying to justify Apple's decision here.

Why does any news on the iMac always have to result in a massive debate on if we still need optical drives? They've removed it, so either go and buy another brand or move on....gees.

On a positive note, I'm hoping this is true, because I was giving the older models that's still in tescos a thoughtful look......and if the new model came out afterwards I would have buyers remorse.

[CosmoCopus]

Thinner design, less materials, lighter, cheaper shipping cost, no optical drive ..shouldn't all this add up to a lower price or at least the same rather that more expensive?

[AQUADock]

Originally Posted by flopticalcube

I'm so looking forward to a teardown.. especially the 21.5".

I don't think it will be possible, isn't the whole computer fused and glued together?

[JHankwitz]

Originally Posted by Jetson

People still need to use optical media to transfer commercial content. NOT ONE COMPANY puts commercial content on USB sticks, but on CDs and DVDs. They are NOT obsolete... It makes no sense, except that you are trying to justify Apple's decision here.

Wrong! Our company is in the business of creating and selling commercial content on USB sticks. The main reason this part of our business is not growing is that the materials can be downloaded from the Internet for free using a simple hyperlink. And yes, I am justifying Apple's decision here. I don't want to be forced to pay extra for a drive I will never use.

[Phx08]

Originally Posted by AQUADock

I don't think it will be possible, isn't the whole computer fused and glued together?

I'm sure someone will cut that baby open and show us the pictures.

[flopticalcube]

Originally Posted by AQUADock

I don't think it will be possible, isn't the whole computer fused and glued together?

Unknown at this point. There's always a Dremel.

[JHankwitz]

Originally Posted by CosmoCopus

Thinner design, less materials, lighter, cheaper shipping cost, no optical drive ..shouldn't all this add up to a lower price or at least the same rather that more expensive?

Right, and for the same reason a Lamborghini Aventador should cost less than a Ford 150.