Can somebody post the patent pictures for the previous iMac just so we can see how that fleshed out into the real thing for comparison? I can't seem to get the images at the patent office website to load...
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Dual Swingarm iMac G5?
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looks... off
For some reason that arm just doesnt look like something Apple would design... its just about as complex it can be; functionality > usability.
Also what about balance, unless that base is uberheavy, with that display arm extended to its full length, i dont see how the thing could keep from toppling over.
Just my thoughts.
For some reason that arm just doesnt look like something Apple would design... its just about as complex it can be; functionality > usability.
Also what about balance, unless that base is uberheavy, with that display arm extended to its full length, i dont see how the thing could keep from toppling over.
Just my thoughts.
I don't see a purpose to have the extra joint...makes little sense. If you want to rotate the display, the old one could have done that...but I don't see that being a huge feature. Could this be an alternate design to the current model that was just processed now for some reason? Look how small the lcd is in the drawing. Perhaps Apple just likes to mess with people's minds.
Over, doesn't look too impressive by these sketched.
Over, doesn't look too impressive by these sketched.
Yuck
I know it is only a rendering but that is ugly, IMHO. I sure hope there is a use for the extra arm. Otherwise it's just another place for it break. I have to admit it would be cool if you could turn the monitor from landscape to portrait or even something in between. It would like being in the Riddler's Hideout.
Anyone notice that additional piece on the left of the monitor in the first drawing? Looks like a handle or something (Oh man, it could be a windshield wiper
).
I know it is only a rendering but that is ugly, IMHO. I sure hope there is a use for the extra arm. Otherwise it's just another place for it break. I have to admit it would be cool if you could turn the monitor from landscape to portrait or even something in between. It would like being in the Riddler's Hideout.
Anyone notice that additional piece on the left of the monitor in the first drawing? Looks like a handle or something (Oh man, it could be a windshield wiper
).
Gee, this sounds familiar.sososowhat said:It looks more like a lamp than a computer. Perhaps I can put it on the nightstand & work in bed
People said the same thing about the G4 iMac when it came out.Not necessarily. Swing-arm lamps have been hinged this way for years, some with lamp fixtures just as heavy as an iMac display. All it takes is a set of suitably-strong springs attached properly to counterbalance the weight.sososowhat said:
I don't like it AT ALL. On a side note, allow me to brag about how speedy my connection was to slip into this thread even under the heavy server load.
recursivejon said:
I agree that this looks kind of awkward, but I think we should remember that this is a patent for a "display device with moveable assembly". I don't think that we should conclude from these pics that the new iMac will look like this, only that it most likely will use a dual-arm assembly. To me it kind of looks as if they just drew a little pyramid to fill the place of whatever shape base this might be.
I really like the idea of a have two links in the arm. It gives you a much greater range of mobility. If this is indeed a piece of the new iMac, I am very glad they stuck with a design similar to the current (well, past) offering because it was so well done. I can't think of any computer that is as functional and useable right out of the box. I would love an iMac, but crave the power of a dual G5.
Hey I just went on the Apple-Expo site to look at some info on the Apple-Expo in Paris tomorrow, and look at the pic that's on there site... Doesn't this swivel double hinge arm look like the ones in the drawings for the patent?
I blew it up some to get a better look at the hinges:
Here is the link of the page for Apple-Expo that I found the image on:
http://www.apple-expo.com/uk/solutions_trails/
It doesn't have the pyramid base, but it looks like it has the same hinges maybe?
I blew it up some to get a better look at the hinges:
Here is the link of the page for Apple-Expo that I found the image on:
http://www.apple-expo.com/uk/solutions_trails/
It doesn't have the pyramid base, but it looks like it has the same hinges maybe?
You obviously haven't used swing-arm lamps very much, have you?goof_ball said:
A second joint is very useful. It allows you to raise and lower the display/lamp while having it flush with the front of the base. With only one arm segment, the display must move forward when you lower it.
WRT the pyramid shape in the drawing, I don't think that means much of anything. The patent is for the dual-joint arm (which shouldn't be patentable - lamps have been using this kind of mounting for ages). The pyramid shape in the drawing is probably because it's easier to draw a pyramid than a sphere (and it's easier for a patent examiner to understand what he's looking at.) I would be surprised if Apple actually shipped something with this shape (but I do think it would be really nifty if they did.)
I don't think so
I'll go out on a limb and say this is NOT the new iMac. That double arm adds complexity without much benefit. So... you can make the screen go even higher? Big deal. Farther forward? Ditto--and the thing would tip over. The current mechanism does all it needs to, is less failure-prone, and is better able to handle bigger screens.
So what IS this for? It's just a patent, not a shipping product. My explanations:
1. Dual arm. An obvious extension of Apple's current great mechanism, and one worth patenting "just in case." AND to stop others from doing it just to get around Apple's earlier patent.
2. Portrait/landscape pivot. That DOES have a benefit, but not a huge one, and the pro displays don't have it. So I'm skeptical. Again, Apple could just be patenting a more complex version "just in case."
3. Pyramid base. The base isn't part of the swingarm mechanism, so Apple need not draw any real product there. In fact, for secrecy's sake they would have submitted a NON-real product for the base. Thus the pyramid: it gets the "base" point across. That's all.
The new iMac could have a double-arm. I doubt it--why bother? But even if it does, this patent doesn't tell us what the machine LOOKS like.
I do think the current arm is great, and keeping it OR using a fancier variation could be a nice design.
PS, I hope the forum servers get an upgrade ASAP
I'll go out on a limb and say this is NOT the new iMac. That double arm adds complexity without much benefit. So... you can make the screen go even higher? Big deal. Farther forward? Ditto--and the thing would tip over. The current mechanism does all it needs to, is less failure-prone, and is better able to handle bigger screens.
So what IS this for? It's just a patent, not a shipping product. My explanations:
1. Dual arm. An obvious extension of Apple's current great mechanism, and one worth patenting "just in case." AND to stop others from doing it just to get around Apple's earlier patent.
2. Portrait/landscape pivot. That DOES have a benefit, but not a huge one, and the pro displays don't have it. So I'm skeptical. Again, Apple could just be patenting a more complex version "just in case."
3. Pyramid base. The base isn't part of the swingarm mechanism, so Apple need not draw any real product there. In fact, for secrecy's sake they would have submitted a NON-real product for the base. Thus the pyramid: it gets the "base" point across. That's all.
The new iMac could have a double-arm. I doubt it--why bother? But even if it does, this patent doesn't tell us what the machine LOOKS like.
I do think the current arm is great, and keeping it OR using a fancier variation could be a nice design.
PS, I hope the forum servers get an upgrade ASAP
Interesting...
One of the big thoughts I have about this has to do with the date of the application of the patent. I'm sure that Apple was already working on the next iMac revision at the time of the application, but the date still makes it suspect. Like someone else said, it could have easily been another design they were working on for the iMac and decided that it wouldn't really work.
One other thought about the iMac: I'm starting to wonder if the eMac is taking the place of the iMac pricepoint and feature-wise, and iMac is becoming more of a midrange desktop model as well as a showcase for Apple's design ingenuity. After all, one of the reasons the iMac has always been so popular is because of its looks.
One of the big thoughts I have about this has to do with the date of the application of the patent. I'm sure that Apple was already working on the next iMac revision at the time of the application, but the date still makes it suspect. Like someone else said, it could have easily been another design they were working on for the iMac and decided that it wouldn't really work.
One other thought about the iMac: I'm starting to wonder if the eMac is taking the place of the iMac pricepoint and feature-wise, and iMac is becoming more of a midrange desktop model as well as a showcase for Apple's design ingenuity. After all, one of the reasons the iMac has always been so popular is because of its looks.
Listen to Phil...
Okay, so the moment Phil starts talking about Egypt or anything having to do with pyramids or things shaped like it, we know these babies will be introduced. My biggest hope is not for any new hardware, though. It's for Phill to be just as good a keynote speaker as Steve. I was just wondering, how old is Phil and how old is Steve? In case Steve might retire anytime soon, would Phill be good as Apple's next CEO? Is Steve already back in the saddle, by the way? Or is he still taking things easy and is Ifuggoddisname still at the head (although, in that case, just temporarily I hope).
Anyways, listen to Phil...
Okay, so the moment Phil starts talking about Egypt or anything having to do with pyramids or things shaped like it, we know these babies will be introduced. My biggest hope is not for any new hardware, though. It's for Phill to be just as good a keynote speaker as Steve. I was just wondering, how old is Phil and how old is Steve? In case Steve might retire anytime soon, would Phill be good as Apple's next CEO? Is Steve already back in the saddle, by the way? Or is he still taking things easy and is Ifuggoddisname still at the head (although, in that case, just temporarily I hope).
Anyways, listen to Phil...
innovation?
This isn't innovation! Apple is reknown for pushing the envelope, this is just a rehash of the iMac G4. I understand that if it ain't broke don't fix it but come on it looks pants! Wheres the solution to the problem we all knew was there but didn't know how to fix? The thing that will make our lives easier? (and look super swank!) no no no! this is not right. The pyramid would look better if it had those swarve G5 rounded corners but this is still all wrong. I still think that this is probably something that Apple only released now to spark a fury in the rumor mill. My money is on some all in one enclosure backed on a screen. Like a screen with a clever arm.
What we see here is probably a prototype idea from a few years back during the development of the iMac G4. Only now someone rendered it in G5 alu. I'll be the first to admit I'm wrong if I am but.........
This isn't innovation! Apple is reknown for pushing the envelope, this is just a rehash of the iMac G4. I understand that if it ain't broke don't fix it but come on it looks pants! Wheres the solution to the problem we all knew was there but didn't know how to fix? The thing that will make our lives easier? (and look super swank!) no no no! this is not right. The pyramid would look better if it had those swarve G5 rounded corners but this is still all wrong. I still think that this is probably something that Apple only released now to spark a fury in the rumor mill. My money is on some all in one enclosure backed on a screen. Like a screen with a clever arm.
What we see here is probably a prototype idea from a few years back during the development of the iMac G4. Only now someone rendered it in G5 alu. I'll be the first to admit I'm wrong if I am but.........
As you can see on the first image page, this is a continuation/split of an application dating back to November 2001. If you look through the Apple design patents, you'll find a nearly identical double arm attached to a dome-style iMac (separate from the bizarro snake arm). I'll look up the number when the USPTO server cools down a bit.
Anyway, this could very well be old iMac stuff finally emerging from the review and revision process, and may not represent the new model. So if you think it's as fugly as I do, there's still hope.
[EDIT:
Okay kids, check out patent D489,370 -- same jointed arm on a domed base. Also notice that the drawings are fleshed out more, showing the arm from multiple angles.
I suspect that the pyramid is simply an alternative design considered for the G4 machine.
]
Anyway, this could very well be old iMac stuff finally emerging from the review and revision process, and may not represent the new model. So if you think it's as fugly as I do, there's still hope.
[EDIT:
Okay kids, check out patent D489,370 -- same jointed arm on a domed base. Also notice that the drawings are fleshed out more, showing the arm from multiple angles.
I suspect that the pyramid is simply an alternative design considered for the G4 machine.
]
You guys are missing the whole point of the patent application. It is not the base, it is the connection between the display, it is the arm and it is the connection to the base. They can use any base they want, that was just a filler.
Now look at the back of the new cinema 20-30" displays and notice the round circle just like the patent. So this patent does not show us the base, only one of the ways that you can connect a display to the base. Evidently the new iMac will be headless and you can attach different displays to either a reticulating arm on the base or run a wire to another mount from the base. The only thing is that Apple is protecting their market by patenting the device and the connection technology so that Apple displays fit best.
Now look at the back of the new cinema 20-30" displays and notice the round circle just like the patent. So this patent does not show us the base, only one of the ways that you can connect a display to the base. Evidently the new iMac will be headless and you can attach different displays to either a reticulating arm on the base or run a wire to another mount from the base. The only thing is that Apple is protecting their market by patenting the device and the connection technology so that Apple displays fit best.
Heck, if server access is this tight now, just wait another 8 hours...
Is it confirmed that there is to be no live webcast of the keynote? If true, are we left to rely on the kindness of show attendees to post info as it is released, or wait for Apple to unveil it's new web pages? Ugh, could be a long sleepless night hunched over the PB searching for morsels of information.
Is it confirmed that there is to be no live webcast of the keynote? If true, are we left to rely on the kindness of show attendees to post info as it is released, or wait for Apple to unveil it's new web pages? Ugh, could be a long sleepless night hunched over the PB searching for morsels of information.
its an interesting idea, and as others have pointed out it does not really seem to offer any benefits over the iMac G4 design, more likely than not it is stop imitators and the like