2012 iMac Said to Carry Thinner Design, Alleged Internals Photo Surfaces

[the8thark]

I too am a sucker for form, and open to minor tradeoffs, and I'm all for Apple's brutal stance on legacy support. But occasionally the form over function thing leads to Apple sticking with clunky and antiquated solutions.

Take wireless mice and keyboards. I started using those in the late 90's. The early, crude Logitech stuff required you to insert a bunch of AA batteries. Then they started with Li-ion batteries. At first it was still kinda clunky, you had to use a cradle plugged into the wall, and a huge ass USB receiver. Then they started with cradles that would charge the mouse over USB. Eventually they got rid of the cradle and let you recharge via a micro USB port on the front of the mouse, so you could always keep working even while recharging.

And then you move to Apple, and astonishingly, it's a deja vu of Logitech in the late 90's -- you insert pairs of AA batteries. To recharge you have to take the damn things out, put them in a charger and wait. If it's Apple's charger, we're talking hours. And it's not a precise and power efficient system like Logitech's where batteries on some of their laptop mice will last for a year. It's Bluetooth, with more imprecise, jittery cursor movement, and loads more power hungry.

Now, why is Apple 15 years behind Logitech in convenience? Apple always has those smart little solutions that make you go ahhhhhh, surely they would have the slickest wireless mouse/keyboard power solution of anyone? Because Jony Ive would cry like a baby girl if he had to put a port for recharging somewhere on the mouse.

That's not a marriage of form and function, that's form blasting function in the face with a shotgun and urinating on its grave.

What's the issue with the Apple battery charger? I have one and love it. I just use 4 batteries for the magic mouse. 2 in the mouse in use and two in the charger. So no worries. And the vampire draw from the charger is so tiny I can remove the batteries from the charger almost whenever and to real power overuse. You get 6 eneloops with the charger so there is no waiting at all. Unless you use multiple wireless devices (ie keyboard and mouse), then it's easy to stagger the recharge times so you're never waiting. If your wireless device is out of action cause batteries are recharging then you are doing it wrong.

Also slow charging supposedly lengthens the life of the batteries. Also the iMac and other Macs are all about saving power. Not having so much juice you can power a million things of USB etc etc.

I see your point and I agree with you. Those things exist. But you see them as a negative, but I see them as a positive. A good thing.

 

[mchoffa]

Why does that mean it needs to be thinner?

Give me one good reason why it needs to be thinner.

It sicks on a desk. Its not a mobile computer.

same reason TVs are getting thinner and thinner. I've got a 5 year old tv on my wall. It sticks out about 10 inches from the wall. It's fine as long as it works, but when it's time to get a new one I'll be glad they've made them thinner and thinner. A half inch thick TV would be nice. The TVs 10 years ago were even thicker. Why did they need to make them slimmer?

If apple can pull off even thinner while keeping the same power that iMacs have always have (not quite pro but pretty close, and better than the macbook pro) then I'm all for thinner. They should be able to get it as thin as the MBP, right?

 

[Anuba]

What's the issue with the Apple battery charger? I have one and love it. I just use 4 batteries for the magic mouse. 2 in the mouse in use and two in the charger. So no worries. And the vampire draw from the charger is so tiny I can remove the batteries from the charger almost whenever and to real power overuse. You get 6 eneloops with the charger so there is no waiting at all.

There's nothing much wrong with the charger or the batteries. The charger is on the slow side if you're accustomed to PowerBank chargers that do the job in 15 minutes, but it's no biggie.

That wasn't my point though. My point was that it's silly that we have to deal with that kind of 20th century solution at all. This is Apple we're talking about, the company that's allergic to unnecessary steps, extra clicks, clutter, anything that isn't super simple and convenient. The company that strives to eliminate rather than add. The company that thrives on bringing new technology to market before the others (USB, DVD writers, WiFi etc). The company that thinks battery doors on devices are a redundant and ugly concept from the stone age.

I would therefore argue that it's very un-Apple with a clunky system where you have to open a battery lid (and find a damn coin first if it's the keyboard or the Magic Trackpad), take out two batteries, get up and grab some charger thingy from a drawer, insert the batteries, plug the charger into a wall, grab a couple of spare batteries, and insert them into the mouse or keyboard.

When my Logitech MX Performance runs out of juice I do one thing -- plug a micro-USB cable into it and keep working. That's one step and zero extra gadgets. That's an Apple-like solution. The one Apple has now is what Logi had 15 years ago when they didn't know any better.
Apple has not been ahead of the curve with mice, with the exception of multitouch. They were late with optical. They were very late with laser. And the one they have is old hat -- Logitech's laser sensor works on glass and other transparent surfaces. They brought such mice to market before Apple had even released the Magic Mouse.

I don't think it's unfair to expect better from a company that takes credit for introducing and popularizing the mouse in the first place.

 

[monkeybagel]

It even says in red "HDD" and is circled.

I guess that's what I get for viewing the photo on a tiny iPhone screen!

I saw that device but thought AirPort card and didn't even think HDD.

 

[dadudeness]

When my Logitech MX Performance runs out of juice I do one thing -- plug a micro-USB cable into it and keep working. That's one step and zero extra gadgets. That's an Apple-like solution. The one Apple has now is what Logi had 15 years ago when they didn't know any better.

Maybe it depends on personal workflow but I appreciate Apple using standard AAs instead of proprietary ones in their wireless devices. Since I use those for many different devices like a flashlight, an external camera-flash and portable speakers there are always several Eneloops ready for replacement.

So I don't have to waste an USB-port for any super-micro-size receiver-thing which I need because the mouse doesn't work on bluetooth to save a little amount of power. Instead of that I can connect via bluetooth and use standard Eneloops.

All fine for me.

 

[jollino]

You can pick external DVD drives up for less than £25. Is that really a big problem when you're paying four-figure sums for a computer? And how often do you use a DVD drive to warrant an external version a 'problem' ?

The real issue is not the ODD, as you say external ones are very cheap these days so it's not a big deal.

The real questions for me are:

1) Will the 2.5" disk shown there be an SSD? If so, how much will it cost? If not, will it be 7200 rpm? And again, how much will it cost? 2.5" HDDs are quite more expensive than 3.5" disks with the same capacity.
2) Will the RAM be soldered on? That's quite the dealbreaker for me. I normally add RAM as I go, and generally speaking I prefer buying RAM elsewhere given Apple's crazy prices. If it's soldered on, it's like with MBAs and rMBPs: you have to decide what machine you want at the time of purchase, and that's what you'll have until you get rid of it.

Now I'm ok with a hard to reach hard drive, and I'm even willing to accept a 2.5" disk if it's fast and big enough (or if it's a cheap enough SSD). But I'd like to upgrade/change memory myself, thank you very much. An iMac is going to last me longer than a laptop, and I really don't want to buy a 16 GB machine today when 4 or 8 GB will do for the time being, especially not at Apple's price!

Just for reference, high-end current 21.5" iMac: 4 GB standard ram (2x2 GB). Going for 8 GB (2x4 GB) costs €99 on Apple's Italian Online Store and 16 GB (4x4 GB) cost €300. Amazon.it sells you 2x8 GB at €61, shipping included. With little over the price of Apple's 8 GB you get 32 GB, and you keep the stock 2x2 GB that you may reuse elsewhere.
With SSDs it's even more ridiculous: to replace the stock 1 TB HDD with a 256 GB SSD, Apple demands €504. A 256 GB SSD from Crucial costs €160 on Amazon.it, shipping included. Yes, you have to tear up the machine to replace it and it's not exactly the easiest procedure, but you can buy three of these and still have some cash to spare.

 

[uptownnyc]

Why does it need to be thinner?

Because the iMac is the precursor to an Apple-branded TV, which they'll want to be slim in order to compete aesthetically with the rest of the high-end TVs on the market. The iMac allows Apple to test this design, and gradually evolve their line towards the TV market. I wonder whether Apple might follow HP's design of the Spectre One - putting some of the components into the "foot" allowing the panel to be slimmer. Only downside of doing so would be that you'd need a second set of connectors for people that prefer to mount their monitors without the stand. Anybody know how HP handles that?

 

[DestroVega]

But there not, they are actually one of the WORST for failures and production faults, what apple does is generate "Perceived" quality by making sure the exterior is shiny and the store looks clean and modern, the Apple failure rates per generation are actually really high, and they keep cocking up, its just they do a really good job at covering up the issues,

So far we have had, HDD failures (various models for many years), GPU failures (Macbook Pros), PSU failures (1st Gen Time Capsules), Screen Issues (Various iDevices, Macbooks and iMacs, still ongoing with iMacs and Macbook Pros), Antenna Gate, now chipping because the anodising process is crap unless you keep your phone in a case, which defeats the object of having a phone that thin, at least my android phone can survive in my pocket with change and my keys without being scratched to buggery.

If they are laminating the new iMacs screens, then we have that yellowing issue all over again.

Overall i like my iMac and Macbook pro, but i like them because i like Mac OS (especially having had a play with windows "unusable on a desktop" 8), however when i next upgrade my hardware, ill be building a Hackintosh, and using my iMac as a screen for it, because i want hardware thats going to last, or at least hardware that i can swap a failed drive out on..

Apples sole selling point to the masses is the "OOOooooo its shiny" factor, to people who don't fall for that, its the OS, but don't fool yourself into thinking your paying for build quality, your not, your paying for the brand and the case.

 

[uptownnyc]

One reason for Apple to make it thinner (and most importantly thinner) could be shipping costs. It all adds up

I think you meant to say "most importantly lighter".

 

[Johnf1285]

Everyone complaining about how this new iMac will be thinner might be missing the point, or at least not realizing how.

If you have ever been inside of the 2009-2011 model iMac, you would see that the 3.5" HDD plopped right in the center of the machine is the reason why its the depth it is. Going from 3.5 HDD to a 2.5" frees up plenty of space (well probably an inch or so at the deepest point). Also, the heatsinks in the 2009-2011 model are curved to fit aluminum shell, and get thicker as they get closer to the center of the unit. I really think that the 1" savings in the center/thickest part, isn't going to impact thermal design much. Then again I am no engineer and I am basing this all upon a blurry photo of an alleged new iMac.

Long story short, I think everyone is freaking out about an all in one. If you want power and air flow, get a tower computer.

 

[7enderbender]

Apple has never been about making it easy for the user to upgrade or service things. They have taken the final step now, introducing products that's just buy and throw away.

Which would be -kind of- OK if they came up with something out of the box that is 100% usable. Which it probably is for 95% of users who only write emails and surf the web at Starbucks.

Things are a little more complicated for people who are primarily interested in Macs in the first place for the supposed benefits for audio processing and photo editing. Small capacity SSDs just don't cut it. Glossy screens don't either.

 

[69650]

A "Mac Midi" would do the trick, but Apple's interest in a headless consumer desktop is negative one trillion.

I would totally agree with you. A Mac Mini/Pro hybrid "Mac Midi" would be perfect for so many users like me. The current Mac Mini is too under-powered and the Mac Pro is too expensive for me. Some form of modular system would be great where you could customise it according to your requirements without it costing a fortune. It's crazy that I can use my Mac for just about everything except high end gaming and have to use a PC instead just for that.

 

[the8thark]

I don't think it's unfair to expect better from a company that takes credit for introducing and popularizing the mouse in the first place.

I think Apple is waiting for wireless charging. One micro-USB cable or a coin and batteries both feel outdated. And Apple is/was never about being first to market with a technology. it's about being best to market. Well they try to be best. Sometimes they are and sometimes they are not. But that's their aim.

 

[dadudeness]

I don't think going one inch thinner will have any effect on thermal issues. Look at MacBook Air or MacBook Pros. They are equipped with i5 or i7 CPUs and serious GPUs as well while being way thinner overall.

Most people seem to be concerned about a substitution of decreasing thickness for an increasing price

 

[69650]

Long story short, I think everyone is freaking out about an all in one. If you want power and air flow, get a tower computer.

We would if that was an option. The Mac Pro is just too expensive for most people and wasn't designed for gamers anyway, quite apart from the fact that they haven't updated it for god knows how long.

 

[APlotdevice]

I don't think going one inch thinner will have any effect on thermal issues. Look at MacBook Air or MacBook Pros. They are equipped with i5 or i7 CPUs and serious GPUs as well while being way thinner overall.

Most people seem to be concerned about a substitution of decreasing thickness for an increasing price

Those i5 and i7 CPUs run at a lower clock speed than their desktop counterparts.

 

[cyclotron451]

Quote: and MacBook Pros. They are equipped with i5 or i7 CPUs and serious GPUs

I just had a MacBook Pro (Early 2011) Quad Core i7 with serious GPU which melted this week..allegedly.. I still haven't taken it to the Genius Bar for official diagnosis but possibly failed after 14 months due to too little/too much heat transfer paste issues. I now think I would rather have had a non-serious GPU (like integrated 4000HD)

My 27" iMac 2011 - ordered last week - but still without shipping date, I hope it manages more than a year before melting

 

[xgman]

I would totally agree with you. A Mac Mini/Pro hybrid "Mac Midi" would be perfect for so many users like me.

Except that Apple isn't looking to sell to "so many users like me". They are looking to sell to the masses.

----------

One reason for Apple to make it thinner (and most importantly thinner) could be shipping costs. It all adds up

Regarding thinner, (not directed at yoak) who cares? Everyone has been clamoring for a new imac and now complain about thinness? Sheesh. As long as it performs well, I don't care if it is as thin as the rentina macbook or as thick as it is currently. Just release it already.

 

[RBR2]

Nope, didn't miss the point at all. I guess we will have to wait and see what Ive comes up with. I for one am not prepared to pan the design before it is even announced.

Are you serious???

If so, you are simply clueless. Form does not have to impair function. I am afraid that is a concept which is simply beyond your ability to conceive, let alone comprehend.

 

[xgman]

Apple is now about selling to the masses. Whatever concept they engineer to that end will be what we get.

 

[Nightarchaon]

what i want from an iMac refresh,

Drop the optical drive, but give me two 2.5" sata bays, externally accessible so i can swap laptop sized SSDs and hard-disks in and out via a door like the Ram.

 

[kkent25]

Are you serious???

If so, you are simply clueless. Form does not have to impair function. I am afraid that is a concept which is simply beyond your ability to conceive, let alone comprehend.

You should go work for Apple. I'm sure a genius such as yourself could show Ive a thing or two.

 

[flopticalcube]

Regarding thinner, (not directed at yoak) who cares? Everyone has been clamoring for a new imac and now complain about thinness? Sheesh. As long as it performs well, I don't care if it is as thin as the rentina macbook or as thick as it is currently. Just release it already.

Well this is the issue, isn't it? The thickness or lack thereof will dictate what can be squeezed in and "performs well" has different meanings for different people. No doubt it will be sufficient for most but with Apple's one-size-fits-all strategy and no new Mac Pros on the horizon its alienating a greater market segment every refresh. There would be less to be worried about if there was greater choice.

 

[Johnf1285]

I am reading through that original forum post with the leaked image using Google Translation. These translations are ridiculous LOL!


http://translate.google.com/transla...d-htm-tid-5322103.html&hl=en&langpair=auto|en


Everyone is bickering as many believe the photo isn't real.

 

[krravi]

Trust me, a full-height external 24x/48x USB DVD drive is noticeably faster than the internal slot-loading drives found in iMacs. (Look for those that look like a "PC" DVD drive inside an external case, not the fancy slim drives for laptops)

My friend rips and burns a lot of DVD/CD and buying a 70$ external DVD burner was the best investment he's ever made in terms of upgrading his iMac, it's like more than 5x faster in ripping and burning.

The problem with the iMac DVD drive is not the data interface, but the fact that they use slot-loading laptop models which are slower (and less reliable for heavy usage).

Casiotone? Wow.. I still have a PT-50 and it works and 30 yeas later !
Love their 80's products and collect them. Still go to e-bay looking for some in great conditions. Those were the days of quality !!!

Anyways, yes I did buy the slim drive from Samsung and its slow. But that was for a netbook that isn't getting used anymore. Wonder why there wasn't a class action lawsuit agains netbook manufacturers yet. You can't do anythin g on it. Youtube video stutters due to a very powerless atom processor and pretty much everything you do is soooo slow.... Well I should have known better.