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Apple to Launch iOS-Enabled iMac With Touch Interface?
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I could see Two reference designs for this idea.
One the iMac 3G
Screen on floating arm is a Standalone iOS device that is the interface to the OS X device in the dome.
But that is really a MacMini in a stand and Biggier iPad or a range of bigger iPads to work with in.This would work better with say Lightpeak for the connection.
Not sure it would be an iMac in that I can't see them jumping the iPad up to 20inch range screens or dropping the iMac back to 15inch range screens.
A new product maybe.
So reference design two would be a wedge so it could also stand up or lie sloped on the table with the thicker part of the wedge for the x86 processor and power supply.
They do need to offer a station wagon or a ute before some people are going to give up their trucks for cars.
Maybe its something to do with the new apple tv which supposedly runs IOS4, a replacement to front row on the imac? You could use your i device as a controller like you should be able to do with the new atv, making it possible to use all the same features/games as on your iphone/pad but displayed up on your larger screen. prefect for movies and a new games console of sorts.
This seems like a very logical and usable implementation on the imac, macbooks etc.
This seems like a very logical and usable implementation on the imac, macbooks etc.
Okay, but I cannot live without full featured Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. Also, I can't live without extensions like Perian, applications like Transmission, Cyberduck and VLC. I don't see how those would make it into iOS, through Apple's approval system. I need custom built applications and less "official" stuff as well. I'm fine with my iPod Touch not letting me run everything I run on my Mac, but I need my computer to be able to do EVERYTHING. I'm sure Apple loves iOS and wants to deploy it everywhere they can, but I'm also sure they don't want to stop with OS X. Now Steve has said recently that PCs are like trucks and that they'll still be around but only for people who really need them. If that's the case, PCs are no longer going to be consumer devices, so they won't have the good support they have now (new features regularly, updates, etc...) So we're going to be left behind if we want to keep using a computer for what a computer really is: everything.
I love the idea of iOS but that's because it makes sense that an iPhone or iPad cannot run a conventional OS. A real desktop computer with a touch screen would have many problems such as precision. Also I can't see iOS adopting custom built drivers and applications for custom hardware and stuff like that. Yes iOS rocks for most people who only use a computer for Facebook, MSN and browsing the web. But I feel like that's totally not me, and I don't want to get left out of all the innovation. We're seeing Apple focus more and more on iOS and leaving OS X behind a bit could be one of their next moves. I don't want OS X to end up like Final Cut Pro: rarely updated and with an interface that comes from the past millennium.
There's no indication that this would be the case, but I'm sure it would work for Apple and most people.
I love the idea of iOS but that's because it makes sense that an iPhone or iPad cannot run a conventional OS. A real desktop computer with a touch screen would have many problems such as precision. Also I can't see iOS adopting custom built drivers and applications for custom hardware and stuff like that. Yes iOS rocks for most people who only use a computer for Facebook, MSN and browsing the web. But I feel like that's totally not me, and I don't want to get left out of all the innovation. We're seeing Apple focus more and more on iOS and leaving OS X behind a bit could be one of their next moves. I don't want OS X to end up like Final Cut Pro: rarely updated and with an interface that comes from the past millennium.
There's no indication that this would be the case, but I'm sure it would work for Apple and most people.
How does having these features make it "touchless"?
Actually, a few months ago, Apple changed the developer programs to be only $99 a year.
One thing I'd like to see is a stylus that can be used with this & an iPad. Before I get flamed, hear me out. It wouldn't be just stylus only. It'll work just the way it is with your fingers, but also use a stylus for fine work like a painting/drawing program. Some people have bulky fingers that are too imprecise for drawing.
I gess you mean OS XI or OS 11.0
Yeah. I just don't see the whole Mac OS UI being totally revamped to the iOS in just a point upgrade (ie 10.7). This would require a full upgrade as in Mac OS XI, 11, or whatever it would be called.
Lay the iMac on it's back, and it all becomes clear. There's nothing more frustrating than not being able to touch your computer screen. A wedge shaped iMac is the best of both worldstouch screen for moving stuff around and an optional keyboard for bulk text entry and keyboard shortcut commands.
Then the whole Apple line becomes different sized "tablets". 3.5", 10", 13", 15", 17", 22", 27", 30" Didn't Apple take control of the Tablet Mac trademark recently? Optional keyboard. The bigger the machine, the more full featured the Mac OS you get.
I just hope the rumour is confused and we get a proper Touch Mac OS, not either or. I suppose you could stand it up and use a keyboard and mouse, but who'd bother if they have a nice 22" touch screen to work with?
Problem is, Apple can't even manage to get Finder or iTunes to be full-Cocoa, so what are the chances they've figured out how to do a proper Touch Mac OS UI given their fascination with the 'new markets' of iPad and iPhone?
(maybe this is why, don't waste effort on mouse OS X when a touch OS is so close if only )
I'd dearly love to see Apple 'test the water' with a Touch iMac, but it had better be a well thought-out MacOS, not a printerless, fontless, filesystemless iOS botched job.
Then the whole Apple line becomes different sized "tablets". 3.5", 10", 13", 15", 17", 22", 27", 30" Didn't Apple take control of the Tablet Mac trademark recently? Optional keyboard. The bigger the machine, the more full featured the Mac OS you get.
I just hope the rumour is confused and we get a proper Touch Mac OS, not either or. I suppose you could stand it up and use a keyboard and mouse, but who'd bother if they have a nice 22" touch screen to work with?
Problem is, Apple can't even manage to get Finder or iTunes to be full-Cocoa, so what are the chances they've figured out how to do a proper Touch Mac OS UI given their fascination with the 'new markets' of iPad and iPhone?
(maybe this is why, don't waste effort on mouse OS X when a touch OS is so close if only )
I'd dearly love to see Apple 'test the water' with a Touch iMac, but it had better be a well thought-out MacOS, not a printerless, fontless, filesystemless iOS botched job.
I agree, but I don't think the current screens in iPhones or iPads can register something as small as a real stylus point.
Maybe not, but all third-party styluses for iPhones and iPads so far have been the size of a pencil eraser (or a sausage literally), and I can't imagine that's what they started with.
Sooner or later, I expect Apple to put some amount of pressure-sensitivity into future iPads or iPhones, one way or another, though, and their utility as drawing devices will increase dramatically.
F*** that. I'll be switching to Windows or Linux if that's the route Apple wants to take.
Touch screen iMacs would be the stupidest idea. First, to keep reaching up over the keyboard and having to touch the screen would get tiring about a minute in. Second, I keep my screen spotless, and now I'm going to introduce greasy fingerprints?
Right now, there is NO WAY to get bits in a computer and interact with your computer faster than a mouse/keyboard. Sorry, but that's the fastest way. Touch works perfectly for the iPad and iPhone. Put that in an iMac, besides a gimmick, it sucks hard.
Why not just release a 15" iPad then? Touch needs an OS to be built from the ground up, like iOS. Touch in OS X sounds pretty silly.
EDIT: Also, the finger is not nearly precise as a mouse pointer or stylus, and we know Apple hates those. So I give the finger to this idea. I thought it was April 1st when reading this.
Right now, there is NO WAY to get bits in a computer and interact with your computer faster than a mouse/keyboard. Sorry, but that's the fastest way. Touch works perfectly for the iPad and iPhone. Put that in an iMac, besides a gimmick, it sucks hard.
Why not just release a 15" iPad then? Touch needs an OS to be built from the ground up, like iOS. Touch in OS X sounds pretty silly.
EDIT: Also, the finger is not nearly precise as a mouse pointer or stylus, and we know Apple hates those. So I give the finger to this idea. I thought it was April 1st when reading this.
Since the iMac already has a camera built-in, they might just be jumping on the motion control bandwagon. That way you wouldn't have to physically have to touch the screen, and they wouldn't have to add any new hardware, just a software solution. Unless, they're adding additional sensors similar to Microsoft's Kinect device coming to the Xbox 360.
It's amazing how many people fear that "All you'll be able to do is touch your screen to operate this thing"... "I need a mouse and keyboard"... "My arm will get tired"...
Do any of you whiners understand what a LAYER means? On top of good ol' normal OS X a developer can incorporate parts of an app that can (not necessarily must) be operated by touch. The iOS is NOT going to be the only way to operate it. You can still operate all of your favorite apps with a keyboard and mouse all day long.
"I don't want fingerprints on my screen!".... Well then don't run any apps that are touch enabled. Run any and all of your keyboard/mouse apps you want to all day long.
And... Have you ever been to a bar and seen those coin operated touch screen card game thingies? I worked at a bar for many years and I've seen people play them for hours at a time. It's not as bad as everyone fears.
I would like very much to see a mix of traditional OS X and iOS touch capabilities. I see kids software selling like mad. I've been working on a custom page layout app for a classifieds type of paper. Some touch for Drag-N-Drop operations in parts of it would be a welcome addition.
Do any of you whiners understand what a LAYER means? On top of good ol' normal OS X a developer can incorporate parts of an app that can (not necessarily must) be operated by touch. The iOS is NOT going to be the only way to operate it. You can still operate all of your favorite apps with a keyboard and mouse all day long.
"I don't want fingerprints on my screen!".... Well then don't run any apps that are touch enabled. Run any and all of your keyboard/mouse apps you want to all day long.
And... Have you ever been to a bar and seen those coin operated touch screen card game thingies? I worked at a bar for many years and I've seen people play them for hours at a time. It's not as bad as everyone fears.
I would like very much to see a mix of traditional OS X and iOS touch capabilities. I see kids software selling like mad. I've been working on a custom page layout app for a classifieds type of paper. Some touch for Drag-N-Drop operations in parts of it would be a welcome addition.
i hope that apple will not implement touch screen **** due to other companies pressure. i would make 2 series. imac touch which has ok specs and a touch screen and imac pro which is HIGH SPECS, BEAUTIFUL DISPLAY, and cheaper. personally, i would like touch to be INTEGRATED not with ibitchos layer. (sorry kinda pissed apple is all IPHONE!!) if a touchscreen must be used, do not implement ios since its such a smartphone based os.
I would have expected future Macs to have conversational speech from you to the OS and from the OS back to you in addition to mouse and keyboard input. If it was like Dashboard for touch access then I wouldn't mind that either.
I would hate to see the traditional Mac go away.
I would hate to see the traditional Mac go away.
If the put touch into iMac then my arm will become tired from reaching up to the screen for hours on end surfing.
I think this might be exactly where desktops are going. They will actually be desktops.
Why would I lay an iMac on its back? There's nothing more frustrating than not being able to touch your computer screen, are you sure? I can think of many things that are a lot more frustrating. Perhaps you're obsessive-compulsive?
Agreed - Apple just don't implement features 'because they can'. There has to be a benefit to the user for adding touch screens on a desktop. Apple generally don't do gimmicks.
Perhaps there's a new iMac in the pipeline, redesigned to take advantage of touch screen interface?
If it were only that easy. The real fear is that developers will mess up good apps by making touch necessary because they think that's what people want.
Play and work are not the same.
That's great. Apple would become the dumbed-down childrens computer company.
iOS on a real Mac seems about as pointless as Microsoft Bob on Windows.
Granted, there are some highly innovative aspects to iOS, and integrating some of these into a desktop computer OS would be beneficial.
But gods help us all of iOS and OS X merge at some point - as was pointed out on Slashdot just today, it would create a fully media DRM-locked, Apple-controlled application distribution center. Which would be very beneficial to Apple, but not so much to the consumer.
Although speculation that this will happen is rampant, as exemplified by the ARS Technica article today: http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/06/developers-expect-ios-and-mac-os-to-merge-over-time.ars
In the meantime, it has been well over a year since either the XServe or Mac Pro have seen an update (despite charging through the roof for last year's technology), and Apple hasn't said anything about 10.7. That should be enough of an indicator right there.
Granted, there are some highly innovative aspects to iOS, and integrating some of these into a desktop computer OS would be beneficial.
But gods help us all of iOS and OS X merge at some point - as was pointed out on Slashdot just today, it would create a fully media DRM-locked, Apple-controlled application distribution center. Which would be very beneficial to Apple, but not so much to the consumer.
Although speculation that this will happen is rampant, as exemplified by the ARS Technica article today: http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/06/developers-expect-ios-and-mac-os-to-merge-over-time.ars
In the meantime, it has been well over a year since either the XServe or Mac Pro have seen an update (despite charging through the roof for last year's technology), and Apple hasn't said anything about 10.7. That should be enough of an indicator right there.