Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Creating iMac-like Docking Station

MikeELL said:
Bold prediction:

The sub portable everyone is talking about *is* the next gen iMac. Comes in a range of sizes (12" - 24"), with multi-touch as the interface with the tablet when separate from the dock - which incidentally, *is* the external optical drive mentioned in some other rumors.

any takers? :)
Click to expand...

I could see Apple doing it, but there's no way they'll be able to replace the iMac (in terms of power) into something that is bearable to carry anywhere. Most of it's laptop parts, true, but there's a 3.5" HDD in there, and a larger powersupply, a more robust colling system, etc etc.

No, this is the new mini. They've been letting the mini stagnate for awhile now, I think they will bring this in as a cheap laptop (<$800) to replace the mini (Apple does love the laptops) and sell the "dock" as a monitor/keyboard/mouse kit as an "upgrade" to the mini.

It fits the mini's goals a bit, a cheap way for people to switch. In this case, they get a low cost, ultraportable machine to augment their main PC, and then they buy the upgrade that turns it into a replacement for that PC (and still lets them keep the ultraportable).

Also, I predict the "dock" will actually be a mini computer. It'll have a little ARM CPU in there and some flash ram for special build of "mobile OSX" and will run a Bonjour server to give you simple, no configuration access to all your files on it's built in harddrive (as well as stream them to your Apple TV, etc). It'll have some sort of Front Row style app that let's you handle configuration of the server as well as access the media directly (no HD, but if an iPod can play it, you can play it on the "brainless" dock).

If they gave you all of the 'mobile OSX' features on the dock side, it would actually be a pretty great solution for multi-user system sharing. Have basic web, email, and media access (basically everything you can do on an iPhone but with a bigger screen and a keyboard) on a dumb terminal, and a full featured sub-laptop that could be used independently or combined for greater functionality.
 
I think the important question is "What does Apple intend us to do with this tablet/subnotebook?" Apple always has a very compelling reason for making us 'need' a product they make. What would be the compelling reason here besides, "Hey look, I have two computers attached at the hip! Oooo."
 
CWallace said:
I wonder if the dock will have an integrated LCD and the whole laptop just tucks in behind it, or if it will be an open area that a Mac tablet (with multi-touch?) would slide into, as kontheur mocked up:
<snip image>
Click to expand...

This would be very cool...
 
Popeye206 said:
I'm not sure what the advantage would be for a dock? Why not just an easy way to connect to an iMac? Oh... thats right... we already have wireless networking! However, it would be interesting if iMacs all came with the ability to have an ultra portable slip right into them (much like a giant SD card)... it would be like having two computers in one when "docked".

I think this is a strategic release of information by Apple to see what users like us all think and to get "buzz" going before MacWorld. It's just to throw us all off the path and keep us guessing.
Click to expand...

What if the ultra portable could also be say, an iPhone with mucho larger flash storage. Then you'd be carrying your work environment with you and traveling easy, then plug it into a "dock" wherever you need to work... at an airport while waiting, in a hotel, at home. Think of it as a "pluggable core".
 
Maybe I'm alone on this, but I prefer standalone companion computers, rather than one full-fledged computer, and having the other be a large proprietary component that is useless without it. I'd rather deal with a little cable clutter and get a regular display that connects to the DVI or mini-DVI port if that was the case.
 
Shacklebolt said:
Although that mockup is indeed sexy, it also scares the crap out of me. A 20" multi-touch tablet? What one earth would one use that for?
Click to expand...

The mock up may be a little misleading in the way it is pictured. What I picture is an Imac desktop housing with a pocket in the back or no guts (if the slim sub-notbook is true, then slide your slim-sub notebookbook into where the imac internals would be), then you do not see the notebook itself and the front is actually is it owns LCD screen. (your notebook slides behind an LCD screen).
 
MikeELL said:
Is there something I've missed - what about that patent application suggests they're duplicating lcd screens (probably the most $$ part of what we're talking about)?
Click to expand...

Urm, what would be the point of having a dock if you're stuck using the 11" or 13" LCD of the ultraportable?

You WANT the dock to come with a minimum of a 20" LCD. And 500gb HD, optical drive, iSight, extra ports, integrated power supply, etc. That's practically a full computer.
 
Well, first of all, Macbooks don't work well in closed lid mode. The air is sucked in from the keyboard and blown out to the back. When it's closed it gets warmer way faster. Also, once it's warm, the display glue starts melting so you get some ugly white spots on your display. So I think that patent would not work for regular laptops. Or the desktop housing could have a cold exhaust that goes right into the laptop's "blowhole" and one to carry away excess heat, so you could get a nice air flow in there.

I think screen real estate is valuable, I try to get as many pixels as I can get by attaching a large monitor to my Macbook so I have 2 screens. I would hate to "waste" a perfectly fine display by sliding it into something and using the other display. I'd rather have both side by side.

Also, would you like to get you Macbook all scratched up when sliding it in? :)
 
Roy Hobbs said:
The shell wouldn't be empty it would essentially look like today's iMac. You would still have the display and the notebook would slide behind it.
Click to expand...

I think you're misreading my post. My reply is in response to a guy who proposed an "empty shell" design with a clear window space for a touchscreen tablet to slide into (see the OTHER mockup in an earlier post).

What Apple is proposing, right you are, is an ultraportable that slides into an iMac casing that does have a screen... which is slick. But that's not the proposition of the poster to whom I responded.
 
looks great, but jeez, how much will that cost??? you buy a $2000+ computer and then you have to buy this thing, which looks like at least as much as an iMac... why not just get 2 computers, an imac and a macbook?
 
Makes perfect sense to me.
A lot of people use a laptop on the road and connect the laptop at home to a large display. This could be even more useful with an ultra-portable that lacks the storage and screen real estate of its larger brothers.

Internal disks, external disks, printers, scanners, wired lan, large screen, full keyboard and mouse now integrade with the ultra-portable by just sliding the unit in. Sounds good.

Negative:
  1. Dock and screen only ussable by the ultra, other computers can not interface
  2. Dell screens are likely less expensive
  3. Not as clean as an iMac but close.
[*]May have heat issues as laptop components are already enclosed and are being re-enclosed.
 
This is.... A Brilliant Idea.

....If it contains a larger, faster HD and a larger screen than the laptop, addressing the two main problems with portable computing. Processor speed is not so important - dont forget the current iMacs use laptop processors anyway.

Currently I have a Mac Mini and a Cinema Display. I was thinking of upgrading and I'm deciding between laptop and mac pro. I very much appreciate the power of desktops but the convenience of a laptop might win out in the end.

So this will be great; what would you rather - Slipping your laptop in and out of a specially designed dock; or having to plug in / unplug all your peripherals, monitor, power cable, mouse, keyboard every time you want to use it on the go?
 
njfuzzy said:
Now this all makes sense to me.

Apple will release the MacBook duo at MacWorld, with the iMac style duo Dock shipping soon after.

The new product will straddle the desktop and laptop product slots, leveraging the popularity of laptops and the popularity of the iMac form factor at the same time.

The dock is an elegant way to address adding a larger monitor, optical drive, and peripheral connections, all at once. It may also include a larger (traditional) hard drive, but won't need to add AirPort and BlueTooth.

This also lets them do something pretty clever... This can be both their midrange laptop (laptop between the Mac Book and Mac Book Pro in price) and their midrange desktop (laptop plus dock between the iMac and Mac Pro in total price). I wonder what size the monitor will be.

This dock won't be for the MacBook or MacBook pro, because a smaller and thinner laptop leaves more room for other components, and bigger ones have less need for added drives, peripherals, monitor, etc.

I wish I had the budget, as this is really perfect for me. I've been torn between a midrange iMac or MacBook, to replace my aging Power Mac dual-G5. This covers both bases, but will definitely be priced outside of my range. The fact that I'm drooling over it lends a certain weight to the rumor, as it may suggest this is an untapped market segment.
Click to expand...

The fact that I'm drooling over it lends a certain weight to the rumor, as it may suggest this is an untapped market segment.
Click to expand...

Maybe, I say that because a lot of us just seem to drool over anything Apple comes out with, LOL.
 
Wether or not we see this concept implemented at MWSF, I am 100% behind such things.

As someone in the market for a new Mac, I have long debated between portable and desktop. I love portables for their flexibility, but hate working on them for an extended period of time due to the cramped ergonomic scenario they present. On the flip side, I love desktops for their more comfortable working ergonomics, but hate their lack of mobility.
I'd like both: comfy & mobility.

This patent could lead to the answer to my particular conundrum.
 
I only worry about the under-powered laptop graphics card having to push all those pixels.

If the dock comes with a bigger hard drive, an optical slot and a kick-ass video card, I've got my ultimate portbable/media/gaming setup.

Steve could actually trump his Jesus Phone revelation with this...
 
I can see both the pros and cons to this arrangement. On the one hand, it's certainly very Apple: elegant and different than anything anyone has tried before. It's a clever way to make a pseudo-desktop out of a tiny laptop.

On the other hand, it's still a tiny laptop. Even without needing to drive its own display, it's certain that any ultra-portable is going to have a:

  • Slow processor (to keep heat and power-consumption down)
  • Limited RAM (same concerns)
  • Slow graphics (see above concerns again, if you're still confused)

You'd have an iMac-sized desktop with ultra-portable-sized power. Might not be a compromise people are willing to live with.

Not to mention that any ultra-portable is going to be expensive. Beyond a certain point, miniaturization costs MORE than "bigger." To whoever said that the ultra-portable might replace the Mac mini, it won't. Any ultra-portable is going to be around $2,000, especially if they have to include an external optical drive in the package. You pay for the engineering required to fit a whole computer into a tiny space. Adding this dock (with its own LCD and whatever other logic is required to make it work, perhaps a hard drive as well) will cost as much as a Mac Pro, probably more. That's a lot of money for a desktop that only performs as well as an ultra-portable notebook.

Ultimately I think it's a neat idea but I can't imagine it having that much appeal beyond the sexiness of the idea itself. Which, admittedly, is a damn sexy idea. :cool:
 
mrgreen4242 said:
I could see Apple doing it, but there's no way they'll be able to replace the iMac (in terms of power) into something that is bearable to carry anywhere. Most of it's laptop parts, true, but there's a 3.5" HDD in there, and a larger powersupply, a more robust colling system, etc etc.

No, this is the new mini. They've been letting the mini stagnate for awhile now, I think they will bring this in as a cheap laptop (<$800) to replace the mini (Apple does love the laptops) and sell the "dock" as a monitor/keyboard/mouse kit as an "upgrade" to the mini.

It fits the mini's goals a bit, a cheap way for people to switch. In this case, they get a low cost, ultraportable machine to augment their main PC, and then they buy the upgrade that turns it into a replacement for that PC (and still lets them keep the ultraportable).

Also, I predict the "dock" will actually be a mini computer. It'll have a little ARM CPU in there and some flash ram for special build of "mobile OSX" and will run a Bonjour server to give you simple, no configuration access to all your files on it's built in harddrive (as well as stream them to your Apple TV, etc). It'll have some sort of Front Row style app that let's you handle configuration of the server as well as access the media directly (no HD, but if an iPod can play it, you can play it on the "brainless" dock).

If they gave you all of the 'mobile OSX' features on the dock side, it would actually be a pretty great solution for multi-user system sharing. Have basic web, email, and media access (basically everything you can do on an iPhone but with a bigger screen and a keyboard) on a dumb terminal, and a full featured sub-laptop that could be used independently or combined for greater functionality.
Click to expand...

Nice idea, but to replace "the PC" the "mini" would have to interface with a video card in the enclosure. A lot of PC users play games.
 
been there, done that

I think it's a great idea, a modern version of the old Duo dock that swallowed that much larger laptop. With a 10 or 11" ultraportable the thickness of an iPod, or at most the thickness of an iPhone, and the sort of dock described in the patent, apple would have again released a paradigm-shifting piece of consumer electronics: Tiny on the road, but usable (especially with a screen with the res of the iPhone), and at home you've got a "laptop" with a 20 or 23 inch screen, no clutter on the desk, added hard drive storage, maybe more ram, any of the things that can't be built into the ultraportable. Where's the flaw in that ointment?

NOTE: "killmom" notes this solution would create a desktop with critical shortcomings:
Slow processor (to keep heat and power-consumption down)
(BUT "surferfromuk" has noted "A 'next-gen' sub-notebook is going to be capable of running a 2.0 ghz plus core duo which is a plenty fast enough chip.")
Limited RAM (same concerns)
Slow graphics (see above concerns again, if you're still confused)

So one down, two to go! (others have expressed concern about heat: it'd be easy for the dock to have cooling solutions). And as others have suggested, I'd want several of these docks--one for my kentucky home, one for my place in Florida; i can imagine lots of folks wanting one for home and one for office, or even two, for different places in a single home. It beats my previous solution that involved a laptop, a Mac Pro in florida, and a mini in Kentucky, with all the sync-ing problems that entailed.

But i'd like to add a fourth "challenge" to the list above: Syncing easily between the dock's HDs and the ultraportable's memory. But think about this: we've all been worried about getting 64GB or 128GB of sram into the ultraportable. With a docking solution like this, woudln't 32GB do? And wouldn't that greatly reduce the problems of pricing a two-piece product?

Regardless, i want to urge readers to imagine an UPMC smaller than we've conventionally anticipated, even something approaching tablet size, if this kind of solution is brought to market.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back