Apple Creating iMac-like Docking Station

[!¡ V ¡!]

dont a lot of people use the docking stations with an extra display? So they are using their laptop display and the extra one.

Am i wrong in saying that this dosent offer that?

Various types of uses for a person to dock they notebook, extra ports, battery-pack, larger screen, cooling, etc...

All this is a clean (and appearance wise) solution to what is presently on the market. 🙂

 

[notjustjay]

In such a configuration, the "iMac" part is just the separate display and docking station many people would be connecting their "MacSubBook" into, anyway. So you wouldn't buy it for the performance, but the form factor of the notebook part and the dock/display.

Well, that was sort of my point.. if I wanted the form factor of the notebook part and the dock/display, then I'd buy... the notebook, and an iMac. And be able to run both independently.

I don't see this laptop+dock combo as being significantly cheaper than laptop+iMac, given the basic iMac is already pretty cheap. For those saying the dock would include some sort of secondary hard drive storage, more ports, etc. to augment the laptop, that would bring the cost even closer. And an iMac would still run circles around the performance of an ultraportable.

 

[deputy_doofy]

I have been thinking for a while about the whole 'putting one machine inside another' for ages. In some cases it makes sense, and I think that this particular idea (ultraslim macbook inside much larger display) is a good one.

But I have also been thinking of another idea: docking the iPhone into a much larger display coupled with keyboard. The power is there for standard tasks (word processor, emails, web etc).

I like that idea. Docking the iPhone to such a thing and it becoming a "desktop" solution. The desktop shell would provide the physical keyboard, a mouse, large monitor, hard drive space, and perhaps a boost to graphics and CPU as well. I'd highly consider something like that in the future.

 

[CWallace]

I don't see this laptop+dock combo as being significantly cheaper than laptop+iMac, given the basic iMac is already pretty cheap. For those saying the dock would include some sort of secondary hard drive storage, more ports, etc. to augment the laptop, that would bring the cost even closer.

For some, form factor is everything. We know a "MacSubBook" is going to be inferior in display size, capacity, and performance to a MacBook, to say nothing of a MacBook Pro, but that won't stop people from spending equal or even more then a MacBook Pro for it because they value the size and weight more then performance or capacity.

 

[MikeELL]

Maybe macrumors (or you if you're feeling generous) will pay me money when it comes true. Not that I will know 😛 I'm an Aussie who's going to be in the middle of Patagonia, South America on the 15th... I have no idea how long it will be before I get to watch the keynote... arrrrgh!

Ah well *cough* hiking through pristine glaciers will have to do...

haha cancel that last post - I actually just looked up the place where my tour has me staying that night and it has free WIFI and a great view 🙂
http://www.cauquenesdenimez.com.ar

Now Mr Jobs it's up to you to keep my eyes on my laptop screen 🙂
I'm sure you'll manage.

 

[dabirdwell]

My thoughts exactly...

You idea does seem plausible, if that was the case then all you need to do is factor in a 20 or 24" LCD screen in an iMac shell, options actually upgrading the HDD and RAM on a Laptop with Desktop components. And the processor either tunes up or down when docked or undocked.

Interesting...it will merge the desktop and mobility line (synergy). 😀

Intel already sees power-efficiency as the way forward for all core architectures, including those for portables as well as desktops. I bet Apple has found the sweet spot (whatever it is right now) in Intel's processor lineup for maximum performance/maximum tunabillity and ordered a boatload. What would be great is if Intel could implement more advanced power management on today's existing chips. Then maybe Apple could get low-priced commodity processors (not true ULV) and include the new software to allow self-tuning.

/ramble

 

[pjarvi]

Considering the ridiculous price Apple charges for their displays, this would have to be for a tablet Mac, or else it will simply be too expensive. Unless they plan on dropping the prices on their displays to normal market prices... 😕

 

[FunkyELF]

That is certainly a Different way of doing things. It must have a DVI Connector in there or something to allow the laptop to connect to the screen.

Why can't you just use your iMac as an external display for your ultra-portable?
...oh yeah, it doesn't have a DVI connection!
The lack of a DVI connection is what stopped me from buying an iMac.
That thing would make a perfectly good display in 4 years when the computer is obsolete. But no, apple wants you to throw it away. Not very green is it?

I could imagine some mac zealots replacing one iMac with a new one every two years....what a waste.

Why no DVI input on an iMac? Are they afraid that they would sell less of their flat panel monitors? Are they afraid that someone would use an iMac as a display for their Dell laptop?

I'm just picturing someone with a Mac Mini with a display, an iMac, and this new ultra portable with the docking station. 3 displays (not counting the laptop's built in display) when you should only need 1 with a KVM.

They're saying this will take up less desk space?...it will use up more desk space!

The iMac desperately needs DVI / VGA input.
Chances are that this docking station won't even have DVI or VGA input and will only work with apple portables when they're inside the thing.

 

[tarhunni]

This my take

Well this is what i think that they will do:

I think we can all safely assume that the new ultra-portable will have intergrated graphics and a relatively small storage well then i think that the dock will inc. a

Large display at least 20"
a bigger harddrive
a good graphics card (configurable)
an optical drive
isight and keyboard and mouse
and the the range of ports

also havent we all heard about these rediculosly small processors intel's releasing, then the new ultra-portability can have a really gd processor, but compromise on graphics until u slot it in the mac-shell where it then uses the graphics card in there. Also i think we should all stop worry about overheating since this is apple were talking about and they have pro industrial designers who will work something out.

If the above is true, i would snap one up straight away!!!!!😀

 

[RoboCop001]

I like that idea. Docking the iPhone to such a thing and it becoming a "desktop" solution. The desktop shell would provide the physical keyboard, a mouse, large monitor, hard drive space, and perhaps a boost to graphics and CPU as well. I'd highly consider something like that in the future.

So when you get a phone call would the whole thing become a phone with the supposedly built-in speakers and microphone?

 

[Nenita]

Why can't you just use your iMac as an external display for your ultra-portable?
...oh yeah, it doesn't have a DVI connection!
The lack of a DVI connection is what stopped me from buying an iMac.
That thing would make a perfectly good display in 4 years when the computer is obsolete. But no, apple wants you to throw it away. Not very green is it?

I could imagine some mac zealots replacing one iMac with a new one every two years....what a waste.

Why no DVI input on an iMac? Are they afraid that they would sell less of their flat panel monitors? Are they afraid that someone would use an iMac as a display for their Dell laptop?

I'm just picturing someone with a Mac Mini with a display, an iMac, and this new ultra portable with the docking station. 3 displays (not counting the laptop's built in display) when you should only need 1 with a KVM.

They're saying this will take up less desk space?...it will use up more desk space!

The iMac desperately needs DVI / VGA input.
Chances are that this docking station won't even have DVI or VGA input and will only work with apple portables when they're inside the thing.

you just don't get it. at all. 1st of all the imac has a longer life spand than a regular wintel machine I know people that still are using a G3 blue bondy iMac for basic internet, online banking, casual gaming, IM and basic word processing. so you may be the one that isn't green; have you taught about donating your computer when it no longer serves your needs? and if for you apple displays are to expensive then buy some one else's its a free market.

make sure you read the patent and at least glance over previous post this thing isnt a tablet, it has a display and ports and many other things that will complement the UP ... if it comes to market. 😎

 

[FunkyELF]

I like that idea. Docking the iPhone to such a thing and it becoming a "desktop" solution. The desktop shell would provide the physical keyboard, a mouse, large monitor, hard drive space, and perhaps a boost to graphics and CPU as well. I'd highly consider something like that in the future.

What you just described sir is a computer!
How would that be different than using a cable to hook your iphone up to a computer?

 

[granex]

Perfect for students

This kind of design seems perfect for college students who can take their ultra portable to class for notes and then plug it back into the dock in the dorm room or apartment for increased ease of use.

I really want an ultra portable after spending the last year morning the loss of my 12" PowerBook G4 in favor of a the very heavy 15" MacBook Pro. I don't think that I would go for the dock combination for professional work because I suspect that it would be too underpowered for the day to day stuff that I need to do. There are a number of faculty who try to use their notebooks in this way already, so it will be good for them, assuming that that dock has a large hard drive.

 

[plumbingandtech]

There's a difference between a $100 port replicator/dock and a $1000 dock with integrated monitor.

There's no way in hell a business is going to go buy a bunch of these $1000 imac dock things because then you'd have to buy new ones when you bought new laptops in 3 years.

With a separate dock and monitor, you keep all the monitors and just have to buy new docks for $100.

This is just another one of the hundreds of patents that Apple has filed that are never going to materialize in to anything.

The Duo setup was more then $100. Go back and do some more research on what business people / users paid for their setup.

 

[137489]

Well this is what i think that they will do:

I think we can all safely assume that the new ultra-portable will have intergrated graphics and a relatively small storage well then i think that the dock will inc. a

Large display at least 20"
a bigger harddrive
a good graphics card (configurable)
an optical drive
isight and keyboard and mouse
and the the range of ports

also havent we all heard about these rediculosly small processors intel's releasing, then the new ultra-portability can have a really gd processor, but compromise on graphics until u slot it in the mac-shell where it then uses the graphics card in there. Also i think we should all stop worry about overheating since this is apple were talking about and they have pro industrial designers who will work something out.

If the above is true, i would snap one up straight away!!!!!😀

I LIKE YOUR SCENERIO!!!! 😀 And as for the overheat issue - make the back panel have entirely slotted and put in a few fans on front and side. The best tower case I had for a PC had the following:

1. 2 fans on the front that blew inward (had a removable washable dust filter).
2. One Fan on top that blew outward (since heat rises).
3. One Fan on the side that blew inward.
4. Two fans on the back that blew outward.

Talk about air circulation...... I am sure Apple can do it!!!! 🙂

 

[FunkyELF]

you just don't get it. at all. 1st of all the imac has a longer life spand than a regular wintel machine I know people that still are using a G3 blue bondy iMac for basic internet, online banking, casual gaming, IM and basic word processing. so you may be the one that isn't green;

1 year ago I put together a new computer, before that my newest computer was one I put together in 2001.
I got 6 years out of the thing and I still use it today. It runs Linux with Compiz-Fusion just fine. Only reason I got a newer one was because my AMD Thunderbird 1.3GHz wasn't fast enough (for me anyway) to encode video and I wanted to run MythTV, and it didn't have the right instruction set to run the latest proprietary adobe video editing software.

Here's the point....when I built my new computer, I didn't need to buy a new monitor. The one I was using before that was perfectly good.

Do you understand?

I understand that you can use a computer for more than 4 years if you use a real operating system like OSX or Linux....in fact I have done it. Like I said, 6 years and going strong.

Do you understand that displays should be able to last longer?

Do you understand that while computers "can" last that long, some people working with RAW digital photos or animation or other power hungry apps actually replace their computers every 2 years while their display works perfectly fine.

 

[CWallace]

But going into the iMac you understand you can't upgrade the CPU or GPU (period) nor the HDD/Optical drive (without serious effort).

So if you really feel the need to leverage your investment in monitors and other internal peripherals, you can save money (at the expense of performance) and get a Mac Mini or you can spend more money (and get more performance) with the Mac Pro.

If the iMac was the only Macintosh desktop on offer, I'd understand the angst.

But it isn't. It just happens to be the best value for many folks, even with the drawbacks. And one of those drawbacks is lack of internal upgrading (outside of RAM).

 

[jouster]

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.

Nope. It's a legally required release of information by the Patent Office.

 

[deputy_doofy]

What you just described sir is a computer!
How would that be different than using a cable to hook your iphone up to a computer?

Well, this is why I'm not out making patents. 😛

I see it as a hybrid device that could boost the iPhone's own power. I suppose they could both be fully working devices that, when combined, becomes more powerful by feeding off each other somehow. Maybe I'm in the realm of sci-fi.

And to the other poster that asked how the "phone" would work, it sure could use the speaker and microphone of the shell. Video conferencing right over the phone, in fact.

 

[Chris14]

Looks interesting, although seems a little impractical if you ask me.
I'm sure apple will make it work though, they also seem to! 😀

 

[sthpark7791]

Seems interesting but a bit old school. I was hoping for something like this:




side view

 

[jouster]

I'm not sure if you're quite catching onto the point, but the iMac, as indicated in the patent application and very well imagined above is NOT a whole new line of hardware, but in fact a revision of the current hardware.

Eg., ALL iMacs will have the ability to become portable since Apple is fully aware that people are gravitating more and more toward laptops and mobile devices. This is kinda like the whole "Every MacBook or MBP comes with a remote and a camera".

Ya get it? 😀

This would really set Apple apart from the pack. This could potentially put them into whole new markets that were previously unattainable. I am very eager to see this come to light as being a standard feature on all desktop iMacs.

Well, that would be more desireable. So in other words if you decide to buy an iMac you get this docking functionality built in, but you are not _required_ to buy the slate/tablet/subnote/whatever-it-is to have a useful device?

 

[iPhonePhan]

Well, that would be more desireable. So in other words if you decide to buy an iMac you get this docking functionality built in, but you are not _required_ to buy the slate/tablet/subnote/whatever-it-is to have a useful device?

Bingo 😀

 

[airfang]

One thing for sure is currently models of MacBook or MacBook Pro would have nothing to do with this dock...for they don't have any kind of connection ports

I speculate this docking system is for the new ultra-slim MacBook

 

[iPhonePhan]

One thing for sure is currently models of MacBook or MacBook Pro would have nothing to do with this dock...for they don't have any kind of connection ports

I speculate this docking system is for the new ultra-slim MacBook

"Macbook Mini comes included with iMac. Not sold separately."

If such is the case, there will quickly be a small eBay Black Market for just the Macbook Mini" lol 🙄