23-inch iMac on September 12th?

[Erasmus]

Personally if the two chips run close to the same performance I would rather have a mobile chip in the iMac. Ultimately it will run a lot cooler and be a lot more reliable over time.

It will also be more expensive, and far less upgradeable. The Yonah/Merom socket is almost dead. The Conroe socket will live for a while yet. If iMac comes with Merom, it will not be able to be upgraded past Merom. If Conroe is used, people will be able to swap in a Kentsfield, as long as it isn't too difficult to do. Merom stops at 2.33. Conroe goes all the way to 3.2, with Kentsfield going further. I don't know the exact prices, but if Conroe is used, an iMac should be able to be pushed to much higher clocked chips while still staying at a similar price.

 

[digitalbiker]

See?
What Erasmus wants, Erasmus gets.
I seem to have a little cult of followers who also want an iMac Ultra.
Maybe I can expect a letter alerting me to an imminent court appearance soon?

iMac getting Merom makes me sad. It's almost an insult to the legacy of iMac Ultra. So is the continuation of X1600s or even X1650s. iMacs, and MBP's if I'm going to mention it, deserve at least X1800s. They are cheap now anyway.

iMac 23" requires Conroe, a chin amputation, and an X1900XT or even XTX. It requires 4 RAM slots, and user upgradeable CPU, GPU, HD and RAM. I vote AU$3500 for this, allowing me to buy a Merom Macbook when they come out for doing uni work at uni, while still shelling out under 5 grand.

I think we may see the dissappearance of the 17", with its delegation to Educational status. No love lost. I doubt whether we will see a 30" iMac for at least a year. More likely sometime in 2008. But it would be nice to have iMacs having the same LCD's as the 20" and 23" Apple Cinema Displays.

I still hold out that Apple need a high powered iMac, and am really sick of people saying "That is what the Mac Pro is for". I configured the lowest Mac Pro with the highest iMac (So they were reasonably comparable) and the Mac Pro was a full 60% more expensive. Most people do not need four hard disk bays, two DVD drive bays and Quad CPUs which cannot be "downgraded" from the Mac Pro. Remember, the Mac Pro may be priced close to the iMac, but it doesn't include a screen. Buy an ACD, and that's AU$2000 that you could have spent on a Macbook, with change to spare.

There is a market out there for Conroe iMacs with big screens, fast CPUs and great GPUs, and it will not encroach on the Mac Pro customer base.

Personally I would rather see a mac mini pro. Something with a slightly larger form factor than the mini but that could be equiped with a highend graphics card, a 300 GB HD, merom or conroe, and all of the outputs of a Mac Pro.

I really think an imac is a waste of money. Why throw out a perfectly good monitor, superdrive, HD, memory, etc. every few years just because the graphics card is out of date or the CPU is old. That is one of the biggest drawbacks to a laptop. The imac is a wierd hybrid. It has not been upgradable like the Mac Pro / Power Mac being designed more like a laptop. But it lacks the true portability and compactness of a laptop.

 

[digitalbiker]

It will also be more expensive, and far less upgradeable. The Yonah/Merom socket is almost dead. The Conroe socket will live for a while yet. If iMac comes with Merom, it will not be able to be upgraded past Merom. If Conroe is used, people will be able to swap in a Kentsfield, as long as it isn't too difficult to do. Merom stops at 2.33. Conroe goes all the way to 3.2, with Kentsfield going further. I don't know the exact prices, but if Conroe is used, an iMac should be able to be pushed to much higher clocked chips while still staying at a similar price.

Well that is a definite advantage for using a conroe. But I thought in the past all imacs had soldered in cpu's. I didn't realize that they were user upgradable.

 

[ajkrause]

Wow... 328 comments. Good job everyone lol*

 

[AidenShaw]

You should be a reverse-switcher....

Oh ****...I have a 10,000 CHF limit on my credit card...I have a great iMac G5 already...so why do I want to buy a 23" Merom iMac..? Why??

You should switch to working with Windows - I have a 25K CHF limit on my UBS EuroCard....

 

[digitalbiker]

You should switch to working with Windows - I have a 25K CHF limit on my UBS EuroCard....

Well I work with Linux, play with macs and I have a 50K USD limit on my Southwest Airlines Visa Platinum Card.

 

[Multimedia]

Digital Biker Makes Most Sense To Me

I'm with digitalbiker's train of thought.

Personally I would rather see a mac mini pro. Something with a slightly larger form factor than the mini but that could be equiped with a highend graphics card, a 300 GB HD, merom or conroe, and all of the outputs of a Mac Pro.

I really think an imac is a waste of money. Why throw out a perfectly good monitor, superdrive, HD, memory, etc. every few years just because the graphics card is out of date or the CPU is old. That is one of the biggest drawbacks to a laptop. The imac is a wierd hybrid. It has not been upgradable like the Mac Pro / Power Mac being designed more like a laptop. But it lacks the true portability and compactness of a laptop.

 

[AidenShaw]

Well I work with Linux, play with macs and I have a 50K USD limit on my Southwest Airlines Visa Platinum Card.

I didn't mention my US cards...since they have no limit....

My Swiss bank accounts come in handy sometimes.

Once, on a trip to the US, the Avis clerk was a bit suspicious of my US Passport with a Swiss driving license - so they did a credit check on my EuroCard. The clerk's eye's got wide when she saw the report, and she said "Why are you renting - you could just BUY the car!".

 

[puckhead193]

i don't feel like reading through 14+ pages, but 23" screen with an el gato eye tv = college student heaven. I assume it would be widescreen...
It will go well with my new nikon S5 now for my altec FX speakers...
Apple will prob take orders on the 17th. the day after students get a free nano...way to screw us apple!!!!

 

[digitalbiker]

My Swiss bank accounts come in handy sometimes.

Shucks! I only have a Swiss Army knife.

 

[wkhahn]

Conroe Mac

If iMacs don't get Conroe inside that is going to be SO WEAK. The Power GAP between all Macs and the Mac Pro would be so wide you could drive a truck through it. Makes no sense to me for Conroe to not go into something. Right now that's only iMac. Market for Conroe headless Mac has got to be huge.

So what if Apple is trying to purposfully create this gapping hole, only to come along a few weeks later and plug it with a pizza box called simply "Mac". Maybe the "and one more thing"?

 

[FF_productions]

Why don't you give him the G4 and you get the iMac?

The G4 has expandability, the iMac doesn't.

I traded my iMac G5 for solely for that reason.

My dad would love to have a iMac.

 

[wkhahn]

The ultimate from Apple

Like the iPod video phone w/ Merom?

I would by that in a minute!

 

[MrSmith]

Frankly, who decided chips have to have names now? When computer specs referred to '1.6GHz' I could understand it. Now what's all this Meron/Conroe(?) stuff? I barely have time to visit MR. Now it seems to be a full-time job to keep up with developments. It could be that my next Mac is 4 years down the road, I suppose. I hope things are clearer then...

 

[digitalbiker]

I'm with digitalbiker's train of thought.

I am sure you and I are not alone. Apple really seems to be missing the boat here, it seems so obvious.

MacBook => MacBook Pro
iMac => MacPro
Mac Mini => Mac Mini Pro

Also for the gamers, Apple needs to introduce two new machines.

The MacGameBook and the MacProGame.

The gamer protable would be a slightly thicker, heavier portable, with lousey battery life. But it would be a real screamer. The MacProGame would be a minitower with a radical paint scheme, infared nintendo like motion paddle controllers,etc setup to appeal to the true gamers.

 

[kuu-me]

Yaaay, I hope SOME sort of iMac update is announced on the 12th.

I get a new computer for my birthday, which has already passed -- I'm just waiting for them to update the iMacs. I really don't care if it's Conroe or Merom or 23" or 2.33 GHz ... I just want a simple decently fast computer to replace my ridiculously sucky one (1.0 GHz 256 RAM woop woop.) The thing is, I know they're going to release SOMETHING new soon, and I want to get my money's worth.

So I say 23"? SWEET that'll most likely drop the prices on smaller models I want, hehe.

 

[joeboy_45101]

also i thought Conroe had some cooling issue. i think i read a report about disappointing cooling result or something.

if that's the case, iMac's cooling may not be enough to take conroe.


i will give appleinsider a benefit of doubt and believe iMac will come with Merom.

Well, that makes no sense!

If this design was good enough to keep a G5 cool then it shouldn't have any problems keeping a Conroe cool.

 

[gugy]

Apple, Please!
Just give me a Media Center where all my music, video and pictures are store.
A place where I can connect all my Entertainment room devices, a place where I can connect my HDTV display, a place where I can download songs and eventually movies, a place where everything is connected and works beautifully. A place where I have an UI that is elegant and simple as the Ipod UI or Front Row.
Something like a Mac Mini format or little larger would be great.
That's is what is missing in the digital lifestyle IMHO.
Apple bring it on!

Sorry, if I am off topic!

 

[macintel4me]

Apple, Please!
Just give me a Media Center where all my music, video and pictures are store.
A place where I can connect all my Entertainment room devices, a place where I can connect my HDTV display, a place where I can download songs and eventually movies, a place where everything is connected and works beautifully. A place where I have an UI that is elegant and simple as the Ipod UI or Front Row.
Something like a Mac Mini format or little larger would be great.
That's is what is missing in the digital lifestyle IMHO.
Apple bring it on!

Now, that's what I'm talking about!!

 

[aussie_geek]

I dont remember where I downloaded these images from (if any of you know please post link) but they are amazing. It makes LCDs look like CRT.

I almost fooled my cousing into thinking it was the next imac

Maybe this is the future of the imac in years to come.

Now that would be great!!

I am sure Apple would have something like that on the drawing board - just waiting for technology to catch up!!

aussie_geek

 

[amateurmacfreak]

OH, I can see it now.

Huge iMac and 2 17" MBPs for my house this year.

Then we wouldn't buy computers for 10 years because of the cost.

Honestly, I would WANT it. So badly. But... idk. It's hard. Do I need so much screen space? Couldn't I just live w/ a 17" MBP as a desktop replacement? Siiigh, I don't know. And I don't want to beg my parents to go bankrupt on computers for me. Heck, my iMac G5 is under a year old. Seems like it's been so much longer....


EDIT: 17" MBP for my dad, 17" MBP for me, iMac for my mom and me when I needed a larger screen. But we really don't need all that.

 

[DVK916]

Do we know for sure that the 800 MHZ FSB Merom won't be drop in compatible, what about Penryn. Sure about that too?

 

[Multimedia]

Dell Airs Core 2 Duo BTO Ad On Fox

Aired on Vanished Pilot re-run tonight.

 

[Erasmus]

I am all for a screenless Mini Mac Pro style computer, Multimedia, as well, as I see that something like this would be excellent for your, and many others, needs.

I personally, do not have a decent screen. My 6 year old 15" LCD screen is really starting to show its age. 1024x768 will soon be too small, it's starting to happen already. Some websites don't support this size, making text hard to read. The really cool promo pic of the 30" Mac Pro earlier on this thread doesn't fit on my screen. It's only a small inconvenience at the moment, but it's only going to get worse.

This is one reason why I want a 23" iMac. Someone with a 24" Dell screen or a 30" ACD can go and buy a Mac Pro for a few grand. I would have to go and buy a screen with it, and as I've said before, suddenly an already expensive AU$4G really cool computer costs well over six grand. This is one reason why I hope this rumour comes true (except for the Merom part). With Apple's recent trend with Macbook and Mac Pro having expandability options (however somewhat limited with the Macbook) maybe we will see an iMac with customisability more on line with the Mac Pro, than the completely locked MBP. There would of course be plenty of room for non-soldered and upgradeable parts in an 23" iMac.

IMO, the only way Apple can justify using Merom in their computers is to get rid of the iMac chin (So would look something like Engadget's pic, but even better look more like the 30" Mac Pro which really does look SCORCHINGLY HOT (in a good way)) and put in an awesome GPU, or at least have it as an option. If not, Apple's design will be about 2mm thick, and I'm sure yo all agree that that's a tad excessive (Except that it would suddenly be able to be transported, and would be Apple's answer to 19" gaming laptops!)

SO: It would be cool if Apple could create this better iMac for people like me, and design a "Cube" or "Pizza box" with similar specs minus the screen for people like Multimedia, both which were very user upgradeable. People like me don't really need Firewire 800, or four HD bays. Multimedia might. Multimedia doesn't want a cutting edge graphics card, I do. Two lines of computers, for different people, and which won't impact on Mac Mini or Mac Pro sales.

Lo and behold, another of Erasmus' notoriously long posts!

 

[Erasmus]

Do we know for sure that the 800 MHZ FSB Merom won't be drop in compatible, what about Penryn. Sure about that too?

Yes. We do know this. Santa Rosa is an entirely new chipset, and DOES use a completely different socket. Merom is the end of the line. No future chips will be compatible with Yonah/Merom socket.

Kentsfield on the other hand, is almost certainly socket identical to Conroe, which is why Conroe is better for iMac.