20" and 24" iMacs Due Mid-to-Late Summer

[imac/cheese]

I'm not much of a gamer, but I'm definitely the kind of user you are describing. In fact, my Mac Pro is currently for sale, as it is overkill for my needs, while an all-in-one like the iMac isn't sufficient.

Personally, I don't see the point in buying an all-in-one desktop like the iMac when a MacBook Pro can do the job just as well, with the added bonus of portability. In my opinion, the purpose of desktop machines is a little feature called "upgradability." The iMac doesn't have it, and therefore is not (for me) a practical desktop machine.

At the same time, the amount of money required to buy a Mac Pro in a configuration that gamers would actually find useful is absurd. While it's difficult to build a workstation similar to the Mac Pro for a lower cost than Apple charges, you can build a gaming system (2.66 Ghz Conroe, 2 GB of RAM, nVidia 8800GTX) for much less than a Mac Pro with 2 GB of RAM and an X1900XT. The aforementioned "gaming system" is the type of configuration I would like to see from Apple.

My 2 cents.

I know for me, the purpose of buying an AIO system instead of a mbp is that I don't need portability. I don't go anywhere that I need to take a computer. I like the larger screen that a desktop povides and the uncluttered usefulness of an AIO. Plus the iMacs offer a bigger HDD and I am more comfortable using the full sized keyboard and mouse. I think the mbp is a great machine, but I just have no use for a laptop.

 

[fluidinclusion]

Me likey

I am hoping for:

Dual HDDs - user serviceable

More articulated neck

HDMI out or DVI out that copes better with HDTVs - What Apple TV does well.

4 user accessible RAM Slots / Comes with a single 1GB stick

Higher Definition screens (for 20" at least to have 1920)

? Quad core option ?

Dedicated H264 coder/decoder thingy like the one that has just been released

New multimedia Apple keyboard?

I like this list of specs, but don't care about the keyboard. Would rather keep that as simple as possible.

 

[hvfsl]

What would be really good is if Apple did a detachable touch screen display, so you can also use it as a wacom tablet like device.

 

[andiwm2003]

......................................................
There is really no reason for Apple to make a mid-range tower. They just need to add better graphics to the iMacs. And even though some of you want one, there simply isn't enough of you for Apple to consider it.

i honestly think there are more people who want a midrange tower thats "customizable" with different GPU's than people who want an all in one iMac. if there was a midrange tower for a reasonable prize (think iMac minus $500-$700 for the screen) the iMac sales would drop by more than 50%. and btw. the midrange tower would have to be much better than a mini.

 

[~Shard~]

I know for me, the purpose of buying an AIO system instead of a mbp is that I don't need portability. I don't go anywhere that I need to take a computer. I like the larger screen that a desktop povides and the uncluttered usefulness of an AIO. Plus the iMacs offer a bigger HDD and I am more comfortable using the full sized keyboard and mouse. I think the mbp is a great machine, but I just have no use for a laptop.

I'm the same way. Although I'll buy picking up a new SR MBP in the near future because portability is nice (and required!) in certain situations, I like having a full-fledged desktop as my main machine so I don't have to worry about battery life, smaller keyboards, smaller screens, smaller HDDs, etc. Portables have made great advancements recently, but for me nothing beats a nice desktop when I'm at home.

 

[kingslod]

Tiem Machine via Airport

I think you're supposed to connect the backup drive to an Airport Extreme. This way, multiple Macs can share one backup drive and without wires, maybe even through the internet (hopefully encrypted). I think that's the ultimate solution. I would love to be able to have a USB Hub on the Airport Extreme and hook up a few drives there for big libraries (think 200GB iTunes library that the whole family can use without filling up their Macs' drives) and backup through time machine. It would just appear in Leopard's new Finder as a network drive.

That would be hella slow! I back-up files to my USB drive that's connected to Airport now, and I have to selectively back-up specific files or it takes forever!

I'm dying waiting for these new iMacs! And waiting to buy the Adobe Creative Suite upgrade as well!

 

[mentalcats]

iMacs Mid-to-Late Summer?

Why not just update to Santa Rosa, change the video card & increase the HDs NOW...
And then have a redesign in November once Leopard is unleashed?

 

[H.isidorius]

Not. Going. To. Happen.

I fully agree with this. Also, looking at the Wacom Cinteq solution (which costs nearly € 2.700 in the Netherlands) also shows that pricing would be to high to make it an attractive offer.

I surely hope there will be a new Mac Mini too. It would be nice to have one, as stated earlier, for the bedroom or as a home-server.

 

[Rocksaurus]

Speed isn't everything to everyone you know. The speed difference between mobile chips and desktop chips isn't all that big.
Mobile chips generate less heat, which means that they can make the computer a lot more quiet, which is important to many people (in fact it's one of the main things that attracts me to the iMac).
They also consume less power, which is good for the environment. You might not think that it's such a big deal. But compare the power consumption of 1 million computers running mobile vs desktop hardware and you'll see how big impact it really has.

Why not buy an older iBook then? Their processors consume FAR less power than the mobile chips in the Intel iMacs, and they're dead silent... (For the record, I use an iBook, and am very happy with its dead silence and lower power consumption, so I'm not disagreeing with the points you made )

 

[dongmin]

I would be disappointed if they dropped the built in speakers. One of the main attraction to the iMac for me was the very small footprint and the absence of wire clutter. I would hate having to make some room on my desk for speakers and have more wires snaking here and there. When I need better quality sound, I stream iTunes to the amp in the leaving room.

Agreed. The built-in speakers are actually pretty decent. For casual low-volume listening.

They'd be absolutely retarded to drop the 17in iMac. Also, I'd love to see them develop a budget friendly 17in LCD display for the Mini and Mac Pros.

The rumors don't say for sure whether the 17" will be dropped or not. My feeling is that the current design with the white casing will stay for the 17" and the higher-end 20" and 24" iMacs will get the rumored make-over.

Or maybe, just maybe, Apple has some cool new touch-screen compact desktop in the works for the edu and low-end consumer market.

 

[DTphonehome]

That would be hella slow! I back-up files to my USB drive that's connected to Airport now, and I have to selectively back-up specific files or it takes forever!

Is your whole network 802.11n? And I wager Time Machine will incrementally backup as you go about your business, not all in one go.

Or maybe, just maybe, Apple has some cool new touch-screen compact desktop in the works for the edu and low-end consumer market.

Low-end/edu means no high-end tech, like touch screens.

 

[MacBass]

Yeah, I think Apple Engineers are pushing the limits as it is in terms of phsycial space usage and heat dissapation in the iMac, let alone of the thing is going to be even more compact now! A second HDD doesn't seem feasible to me, although your suggestion regarding Time Machine does make some sense. On the one hand, why promote such a feature in Leopard if you don't have machines which can natively take advanatge of it? But on the other hand, you'll never see 2 internal HDDs in a MacBook or a MacBook Pro for a long time, and the iMac in many repsects is a non-portable portable so why would it be any different? Of course, the iMac is supposed to be all about minimalism and simplicity, and it doesn't make things very minimal if you have to have a big external HDD cabled to your iMac all the time for Time Machine.

So, I see arguments on btoh sides, but my common sense and Engineering background tell me it probably won't happen.

I doubt that the next iMac will have two internal drives, especially if they are not user-replacable. I do hope that Apple includes an eSATA port, to hook it up to an external drive.

 

[gkarris]

Omitted from the makeover will be Apple's 17-inch iMac model, people familiar with the project have said. The entry-level offering will reportedly become the subject of considerable neglect, and may eventually meet the same fate as the firm's now defunct 12-inch PowerBook and soon-to-be sacrificed Mac mini.

As I've been saying, Apple's getting snobbish...

I don't see the Santa Rosa 20" iMac coming in at $999.

And what's this talk of a touchscreen? At work we use them at our client sites and touchscreen monitors are about $300 more than a standard monitor.

 

[rainydays]

Why not buy an older iBook then? Their processors consume FAR less power than the mobile chips in the Intel iMacs, and they're dead silent... (For the record, I use an iBook, and am very happy with its dead silence and lower power consumption, so I'm not disagreeing with the points you made )

Please. I didn't say that speed doesn't matter. Just that a few percent doesn't matter all that much compared to noise levels and power consumption.

I do have a MacBook C2D 2GHz and it's plenty fast. But while being a great notebook it doesn't work that well for desktop usage, much because of the noise level increase when pushing the CPU.
If I can have the same speed in a clutter free, sleek, quiet desktop system, I'm more than happy.

It's all about compromises. I don't think the small performance increase you get by using desktop parts is worth compromising the noise levels and power consumption.
Actually, I love the idea of using mobile chips in a desktop system. It is a bit more expensive, but totally worth it.

 

[penguy]

i honestly think there are more people who want a midrange tower thats "customizable" with different GPU's than people who want an all in one iMac. if there was a midrange tower for a reasonable prize (think iMac minus $500-$700 for the screen) the iMac sales would drop by more than 50%. and btw. the midrange tower would have to be much better than a mini.

I agree... although aside from moving to C2D and a better GPU, I think the mini would still be a good draw.Enough for those of us who play some games, and want good photo editing power.

 

[diamond.g]

Here is the problem with this kind of thinking. Computers are commodities. There is very little that can be "upgraded" anymore. Next gen graphics and memory often have to be upgraded with the motherboard because the technologies change so fast. So, you buy that mid-range tower, but by the time you're ready to upgrade to a new graphics card, the motherboard doesn't support it.

I stopped upgrading my computers about six years ago just for this reason. It's often cheaper and easier just to sell your existing system and buy new; especially if you have a Mac. Mac's keep their value over time much better than PCs. I bought my 24" iMac almost a year ago, and by the time these revisions come along, I will just sell it for only a few hundred less than I paid and buy brand new. Even if I could upgrade the unit I wouldn't bother too; in fact, it would probably cost me more to do so.

There is really no reason for Apple to make a mid-range tower. They just need to add better graphics to the iMacs. And even though some of you want one, there simply isn't enough of you for Apple to consider it.

The only transition (recent) that I know of has been AGP to PCI Express. There isn't supposed to be another one for a while (PCI-E 2.0 doesn't count). If anything people have had to get new power supplies due to the crazy amount of power being drawn (the HD2900XT can pull up to 225 watts of power by itself). With the small size AIO FF Apple is kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. Can't put too fast hardware in there due to power/heat requirements. But can't go too slow cause that would undermine EA's/ id's efforts.

Don't worry, you are not alone! The question is, will Apple address users such as yourself? In the past I would have bluntly said, "No - Apple doesn't target gamers. If you are a serious gamer buy a PC". But now Apple has basically put such a focus on gaming at WWDC. Let's hope they can follow through on their own challenge or if their intentions end up being empty and unfulfilled.

Wasn't there the same level of interest when Carmack showed D3 for the first time at a WWDC (or MacWorld)? What did Apple do to capitalize on it then?

 

[mrrory]

I would be disappointed if they dropped the built in speakers.

I shouldn't think that apple would release a computer without speakers, and certainly not an iMac. One of the big things about even the earliest Apples was that they had a built in speaker, even if it was mono.

I remember when I first played with a Win3.1 era PC, and was just astonished that it didn't have a bult in speaker. I'd been accustomed to such simple pleasures ever since my Dad's Classic II... Great little machine!

The new design will be slick, smart, and of course have an element of how-did-they-do-that to it.

I'm in the market...

 

[deannnnn]

I've had my 20" iMac G5 for a while now... I'm pretty sure it's Rev A... I love it... but I think my next computer is going to be the MacBook Pro.... (whenever I can afford it, lol).

I wonder when we'll start seeing high deff DVD burners built in.
Which side of the Blu Ray/HD DVD battle is Apple on?

They announced today that Blockbuster will only be renting moving in the Blu Ray format... which I'm happy about. Not that I ever rent movies anymore anyway, but whatever..... Comcast ON DEMAND all the way!

 

[theBB]

AppleInsider actually predicted correctly (if only 5 days prior to the conference) that there would be no iMac updates at WWDC, and have been pretty quiet otherwise. It's ThinkSecret that repeatedly trumpeted a June refresh of the iMac.

ThinkSecret is very consistent. Consistently wrong... Other than the obvious stuff such as "Leopard preview expected in WWDC", if ThinkSecret claims something, you know almost for sure it will not happen. That is some track record. I mean you'd expect it to be right every now and then just by dumb luck, but it seems like that never happens.

 

[iMichael72]

I'll definitely be staying with my 17" intel iMac for a while now.

I know a 20" would be sweet, but it would be too big for where I would have it.

I know most love the "bigger the better" but I am quite happy with my 17".

 

[zeppo93008]

I am ready and waiting!

I have been waiting for this new iMac to happen. I am ready to buy the top of the line 24 inch or bigger with everything. My eMac 1.25GHz is over three years old, and I need to upgrade to an iMac. Maybe Apple will offer 30 inch iMac to allow side-by-side with their 30 inch cinema. Who knows. Touchscreen? That would be cool, but I doubt it that we will see that. The moment it happens, I will buy it in a heartbeat. I am ready and waiting!

 

[Tourist]

I hope if they do discontinue the 17 that they will have something in mind to replace that price point. if the cheapest all-in-one they offer is a > $1,200 20" iMac, they may be pricing themselves right out of the school systems.
I remember being able to fill a whole computer lab for $15,000 when they had the 8 for $5,000 eMac deals, now the same lab costs nearly $25,000 with 17" iMacs, and would be well over $30,000 if they only offer a 20" iMac.
Don't even get me started on the mini being a viable option.

The Current 17 inch imac is really a mac mini and screen combination in one, ( intergrated graphics, etc), rather than simply a small screen version of the 20/24 inch,

I get the feeling that apple will do something with the mac mini in terms of rolling it into a new "emac" style offering, probably after they release any update for the 20/24

(from memory the original mini was offered to compete with sub $500 boxes from large manufacturers, and I am not sure how well that segment of the market is doing, not that the mini is not a sexy wee beast thou,)

But yes I agree, Apple are ignoring the whole education market at the moment

 

[DTphonehome]

Rotating screen?

I've been thinking about other possible screen innovations they could put in the iMac, and although this is far from a recent technology, how about a swivel so you can put the screen into portrait mode? I can see that being somewhat useful and not cost anything to implement.

I doubt it'll happen, I'm just saying.

 

[diamond.g]

I wonder when we'll start seeing high deff DVD burners built in.
Which side of the Blu Ray/HD DVD battle is Apple on?

They announced today that Blockbuster will only be renting moving in the Blu Ray format... which I'm happy about. Not that I ever rent movies anymore anyway, but whatever..... Comcast ON DEMAND all the way!

Apple is on both sides. Final Cut Studio can make HD-DVD's. And Apple is a member of the BR group.

 

[pimentoLoaf]

I can finally retire my antique 6100/66 powerMac & 17" powerbook with one of these things -- probably the 20", as 24" is rather monsterous for the small room it will be in.