Apple Expected to Launch New iMacs With Improved Processors and Display Quality This Quarter

[MacsRgr8]

Please explain the difference between OpenGL performance and 3D hardware performance.

3D hardware is "raw" horsepower (i.e. the "potential"), OpenGL performance is also influenced by the drivers and game optimisation.
In Windows, OpenGL is usually better optimised on nVidia GPUs, but on the Mac it seems the AMD cards have better drivers related to OpenGL performance.

 

[johannnn]

All I wish for is the entire iMac lineup has SSDs. I'm tired of non-tech savvy people expecting great performance and then get let down by an 4200rpm disc

 

[iBug2]

I imagine for Apple it's mainly about how much heat actual GPUs put off. The hardware design would have to accommodate this extra heat which compromises the design of their hardware. Currently, Apple's hardware design is running on crazy juice in regards to thickness. They think that even desktop computers need to be as thin as possible. Where other computers actually use their thickness to allow for air circulation and heat sinks. Currently, even when they stick a half-way decent GPU into the computer, they have to throttle the clock on them so that Apple's sub-par chassis thermodynamics can handle the heat. (I'm looking at your iMac 27" retina and new Mac Pro)

Which is amazing though, with the Mac Pro I finally bought a dead silent powerful computer. I hope they do the same with the next iMac and clock the GPU down a bit to allow for almost no fan noise.

 

[Tech198]

I remember a time when the cheapest Macbook still came with spinning hard drive, and the only one NOT to have a Retina display, but now look at the line up.

The same thing will happen with the iMac... No retina at first, but then it will be updated and the non-retina will be wiped out like tippex on paper.

 

[thekeyring]

For God's sakes Tim, climb down from your mountain of money and make ssd's standard on new Macs!
As a professional beancounter I'm sure you just love 5400 rpm spinners but the rest of us don't.
It 2015 for crying out loud.

Exactly! They embraced the future with no optical drives. Next embrace the future (or, for most of us: present) and make the macs SSD only! Make a little less money for a better product.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

What about dealing with the heat issue.

 

[theluggage]

You'll need to wait until Thunderbolt 3. And even then there's no mention of the correct DisplayPort format being included in the spec.

If you look back at the info on TB3 you'll see that it only specifies DisplayPort 1.2 but can run two full DisplayPort 1.2 connections over a single cable - i.e. logically the same as the two-cable solution used by the Dell 5k display, but with a single cable. I assume, though, that that would have to be a thunderbolt 3 cable, and the display would need a TB3 controller to extract the DisplayPort signals.

The USB-C spec supports DisplayPort 1.3 alt mode. This is a bit like Thunderbolt's 'legacy mode' in that it physically sends DisplayPort signals over the USB cable and can drive any DP device given a suitable cable, but a bit more flexible in that it allows for some wires to carry DP while others carry USB3.1. USB-C with DP1.3 can run 5k over a single cable - however, that uses up all 4 high-speed cable pairs leaving just USB 2 for 'docking'.

I'd guess that TB3 will drop its own "legacy mode" in favour of USB-C/DisplayPort alt mode. What's not clear is whether this will still allow for DP1.3 support in this mode. If it can't that's going to be a pain with future third-party displays.

Overall, it sounds like TB3 will have the edge because it can drive a 5k display and still have some TB bandwidth left for 'docking' fast peripherals, but I strongly suspect that USB-C will become the de-facto, if not official, standard connector for DP1.3, since it doesn't need an active cable and an expensive TB controller in the display.

Maybe Apple will stay out of the display arena until this all settles down. I'm not sure the idea of using a display as a single-cable dock for high-speed peripherals makes such sense in the age of bandwidth-guzzling ultra-high-def displays. Power, keyboard, sound & mouse maybe - which USB-C can handle nicely.

 

[Tech198]

Exactly! They embraced the future with no optical drives. Next embrace the future (or, for most of us: present) and make the macs SSD only! Make a little less money for a better product.

At least they give u an option for SSD. That's a start for anything "future proof"..

Give customers a choice is always a start. Then gradually reduce that choice

 

[freediverx]

Why does Apple continue to refuse adding powerful GPU's in their systems?

Because the vast majority of iMac buyers don't use their machines primarily for gaming. Apple has never, and likely will never, target the gaming sector of the market as it makes no sense to make substantial compromises in the design of their systems just to accommodate an edge case.

Incorporating a top end GPU would make the iMac even more expensive while providing no corresponding benefit for normal use. It would consume a lot more power and require more/faster fans for cooling, which work against energy efficiency and the quest for thinner and lighter chassis designs.

 

[Gaspode67]

Someone needs to take Cook and Ive to one side and slap some sense into them about their obsession with "thinness" on desktop machines. They've taken it so far that they're actively choosing to make devices less user-friendly. I know I've mentioned it before, but because they are so obsessed with making the edge as narrow as possible, they moved the SD card slot on the iMac from an easily accessible side location to the rear, where you either have to turn the Mac around/to the side, stand up, or reach around under the unit, folding your wrist back trying to find the slot by touch. It's an idiotic decision, as anyone could tell you after a couple of minutes of basic ergonomic testing. I've actually had to go and buy a separate card reader as I got fed up with the hassle of trying to put the card from my DSLR into the back of the Mac.

Style has its place in design, but Ive particularly has got to the point of having a fetish about it to the detriment of useability. It's Form over Function taken to the extreme. Add in their desire to remove the ability for people to upgrade the simplest of components and you get to the point where you start to seriously p-off people.

 

[malexandria]

How I keep dreaming about a Retina Thunderbolt Display... but alas.

I know! It'd be pretty awesome. I finally bought a new 27 inch HP IPLS Monitor for $250 on Amazon. It's like my Macbook Pro seems "brand new" now - that and the new 1 TB SSD I put into it But yeah, I really wanted a Mac Monitor but couldn't justify the $1,000.

 

[Cole Slaw]

Let's hope the next iMac only comes with one USB C port.
The concept of a desktop that requires a bag full of dongles, adapters, and cables is definitely the future.
Cooling issues can be solved by using the using the CPU from the new MacBook.
It's all worth it when you realize it'll cut 2.5 mm off the side profile of the current iMac.
Behold the future people; dare to "Think Different".

 

[happycadaver]

Sounds great, but as long as my late 2012 model is running smoothly as hell, i will skip further updates. The 5k resolution is still a problem for many software programs and apps; the resolution is the only feature so far, of which i'm a little jealous.

 

[freediverx]

maybe they will finally smarten up and put ssd as the default configuration. Oh who am I kidding, apple really needs money, they have to continue with the 5400rpm HDD or else they can't fund their spaceship campus.

On the non-5K 27" iMac, upgrading from a 1TB 7200 rpm hard drive to a 1TB SSD adds $1000 to the $1800 base price. Are you suggesting Apple should make $2800 the base price for the 27" iMac, or that they should reduce their margins by $1000 on a product line that remains more successful than anything on the PC side of the market?

Incidentally, Apple only offers 5400rpm drives as a baseline option on the cheapest 21" model. All the others come standard with 7200 rpm drives

 

[ryannel2003]

I really hope this is true. My mom is finally going to switch to Mac within the next few months and she already told me she wanted the iMac.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Please kuo. Please tell me rMBP with new form factor!

Oh Gawd no! New FF would mean ditching ports or using smaller speakers or more cramped KB -- all the reasons I don't want an MB or MBA. I'll gladly take a lighter MBP but please spare me the one-port-does-all, carry around a spaghetti box of cables BS of Apple's other laptops.

But what I really want is a 21 or 23" 4K iMac... well what I really want is a user upgradable (RAM and storage) Mac Mini with discrete video, but that's not happening in my lifetime again.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

When does 3Q 2015 end? He can't be talking about Apple's Fiscal Calendar, because it already ended last month. Seasonally... Would it end September 21st?

 

[AppleHater]

I want Macs to support the Touch ID, which makes a lot of sense...I'm sick of memorizing passwords.

 

[freediverx]

Let's hope the next iMac only comes with one USB C port.
The concept of a desktop that requires a bag full of dongles, adapters, and cables is definitely the future.
Cooling issues can be solved by using the using the CPU from the new MacBook.
It's all worth it when you realize it'll cut 2.5 mm off the side profile of the current iMac.
Behold the future people; dare to "Think Different".

You do realize that not every model in Apple's product line must be configured specifically for your personal needs and wants, right?

The Macbook is not designed for someone who will have to constantly deal with all those cables and adapters. It is designed for someone who wants a super thin and light computer and who relies primarily on wireless and cloud-based solutions without the need to constantly interact with legacy hardware. It is not meant for someone working in a stuffy corporate environment where they need to constantly connect to VGA projectors and ethernet jacks.

When Apple announces that their entire product line will adopt the "single USB C port" design, then you can complain.

 

[manu chao]

For God's sakes Tim, climb down from your mountain of money and make ssd's standard on new Macs!
As a professional beancounter I'm sure you just love 5400 rpm spinners but the rest of us don't.
It 2015 for crying out loud.

So, if Apple just removed the non-SSD models from its offering and only kept selling the models that currently have an SSD (and let's include the Fusion Drive in that), would that make you happy?

 

[malexandria]

Exactly! They embraced the future with no optical drives. Next embrace the future (or, for most of us: present) and make the macs SSD only! Make a little less money for a better product.

Do you really want to pay a base price of $1,999 for a 256 GB SSD in a DESKTOP? Because that's what apple would do. You should ask them to improve and make the Fusion Drive standard.

 

[eoren1]

The display quality improvement sounds huge! Too bad someone was too lazy to look it up before posting the article.

GE has a nice white paper on using a variant formulation of phosphor to help significantly with the red channel:

"This discovery is the result of multiple years of research and development at GE Lighting and the GE Global Research Center. GE’s work has shown the potential for TriGain phosphor to enhance LED systems of all types, offering greater color gamut for LCD backlights. For the LED backlight display market—be it LCD televisions, smartphones or tablets—it means sharper, brighter color without compromise."
http://www.gelighting.com/LightingW...-for-LED-Screens-Whitepaper_tcm201-100804.pdf

To my knowledge, Apple has never used a GE screen before. It's unclear if they would license the technology to other display manufacturers. The new backlight is being manufactured in Cleveland and Apple has been moving to increase its use of Made in USA materials with other lines so who knows...

 

[0098386]

For God's sakes Tim, climb down from your mountain of money and make ssd's standard on new Macs!
As a professional beancounter I'm sure you just love 5400 rpm spinners but the rest of us don't.
It 2015 for crying out loud.

I dunno. I've got an SSD and HDD in my iMac, with the OS+apps installed on the SSD. I've never found it slow keeping my documents on my HDD (200gb Photo library, 100gb iTunes, +work stuff). No problem here.

 

[Cole Slaw]

So, if Apple just removed the non-SSD models from its offering and only kept selling the models that currently have an SSD (and let's include the Fusion Drive in that), would that make you happy?

Let's not include the fusion drive in that.

 

[DCIFRTHS]

This is an iMac thread. Can we please move the talk of laptops to another thread? Thanks!