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Dual Swingarm iMac G5?

More than just the arm?

Take a closer look at the front view drawing. It looks to me like the screen isn't really a screen at all, but just a frame meant to hold a screen (see how the lines indicate depth rather than a display bezel). This could be because the patent doesn't concern itself with the display, and it's only showing how the arm mounts to the back.

OR... could it be that the head is detachable? Previous rumors calling for a headless mac, and motherboard on back of the display, could allow for the unit to pop out of it's base and frame (similar to how a car stereo head-unit demounts), leaving you with a tablet-like device (sans dvd drive and connectivity which are in the base).
 
Wow, one of my submissions finally made it it page 1! That's right, I'm the one that spotted this patent, and I think it's ugly as hell. I hope this is some old patent related to the G4...I really do. However I dont think you can go on the filing date of October 2003 alone as the reason this couldn't be part of the iMac G5. Don't you think Apple would have filed the patents for their new design a while back...in this case a little less than a year ago? October 2003 actually sounds about right to me for them to apply for the patent.

I don't think the pyramid base is actually a part of what is being patented, but it's hard to tell from the language used. My only worry is: Why does the patent describe the base as a pyramid, if it could be any shape? I can understand wanting to have something in there just to show the concept of the arm...but why go so far as to describe the shape of the base, if that's not going to be the shape? Just playing devil's advocate here.

I think I'd have to play with the dual arm before I found it useful...it's just hard to tell how that would interact with you.

By the way, I should get a prize for finding the patent if it turns out to be relevant! LOL :D
 
After looking at that, i must say that the pizza box style iMac looks more and more attractive. I apologize to the artist, but I hope that a computer looking like that never comes on to the market. It will just be impractical and ugly to say the least. The iMac G4 pulled the half dome look of perfectly, and now we see this, with the metal and all.


Come on 10.5 hours.
 
Not sure if this has already been posted but...

1) the second hinge could, and would be great for, change the screen orientation.
2) would the G4 single arm be large enough to hold a 30" display?
3) could this mean the iMac comes with a choise of any size screen?
4) as it's a G5 have they solved the cooling issue with a 30 kilo aluminium heatsink/counterweight?
 
Come on guys, its a airport boom antenna! just messing. The artists rendering just throws the whole thing off, so forget about that. The double jointed hinge could be useful in some cases... Ill make some sketches to show you guys what I mean and post them up. Other than that the whole thing is just plain ugly. Maybe this is some kinda mount for the isight (with the base and "display" just there to throw us off?)
 
Unattractive, poorly designed, expensive to maintain and basically a worthless retread.

But enough about me.



That is a hella ugly 'puter. I seriously hope it never trudges from the page to the factories.
 
paxtonandrew said:
After looking at that, i must say that the pizza box style iMac looks more and more attractive. I apologize to the artist, but I hope that a computer looking like that never comes on to the market. It will just be impractical and ugly to say the least. The iMac G4 pulled the half dome look of perfectly, and now we see this, with the metal and all.


Come on 10.5 hours.
Click to expand...

ive got to agree with you about the state of that image..but im sure it wont look lik that...and im sure it will be white plastic.... also it looks nothing like an appple product.... so lets just wait those few hours and see
 
seeing as it's a fairly old patent application could it be that a Wintel manufacturer was thought to be trying to copy the iMac G4 design and Apple patent a bunch of similar designs to put a spanner in the works.

If it's real iMac G5 hardware then in reply to the earlier post about having to put 'all' the cables through the arm, surley the new display only hav a single cable anyways.
 
You've got it!!!!!!! It does have the double arm!!!

CholEoptera36 said:
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?

graphic2.jpg



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?
Click to expand...

Great Job dude, I think you've found an easter egg on Apple's site! This could be the new iMac. I'm glad they kept the same (mostly) form factor.!!!
 
fluidinclusion said:
Great Job dude, I think you've found an easter egg on Apple's site! This could be the new iMac. I'm glad they kept the same (mostly) form factor.!!!
Click to expand...

Yeah it looks like the same double swivel joint thingy in the patent. It might still be a G4 iMac, and tricky to the eyes from that angle. Could be it's just fooling me cause I'm so excited about tomorrow! But if it is really a new G5 iMac, then I should be allowed to have a 'tar before my 500 posts! jk

PS. looks like the servers are good again :D In case anyone missed my post, I blew up the image on Page 2. What do you think?
 
mpw said:
seeing as it's a fairly old patent application could it be that a Wintel manufacturer was thought to be trying to copy the iMac G4 design and Apple patent a bunch of similar designs to put a spanner in the works.

If it's real iMac G5 hardware then in reply to the earlier post about having to put 'all' the cables through the arm, surley the new display only hav a single cable anyways.
Click to expand...


IMHO, the patent application isn't old. If you think about the whole reason we've had to wait for the iMac, it's because of chip shortage. Which means we should have had the imac a couple of months ago (I think). If that had happened, the patent would have only been approx 8-9 mo. old...not very old for a brand new computer, especially considering how long it takes for a patent to be approved once it is applied for.


My guess would be that the hinge arm is a go, and this is not the new iMac, but that the patent is still relevant and applies to a new arm.

I think apple may be introducing a VESA compliant arm to go with their new line of displays. why not? Not a lit of engineering has to go into one...not 3rd party products, so the profit margin must be pretty good. I think it's be a great little add-on...that way you don't have to go far for a VESA arm if you are buying a new display.
 
difference between filing and granted for a patent...

DavidCar said:
The link to the patent shows, lower on the page, that the filing date was October 2003.
Click to expand...
I do not know when exactly it was filed, but there is a big difference between filing and being granted for a patent...and in addition there is usually between 10 and 18 month between both steps!! :)
you first file the invention requesting a protection by a patent which will be granted or not to you according to your invention.
the filing date is when you send invention application to Patent offices, which will record the date and the subject + description of your invention + claims. then depending on already filed invention, or other publicly disclosed information/techniques, your invention will be protected and a patent granted to you.
so actually, this system could have been filed by Apple in October 2003, and granted by Patent Office in August 2004, it corresponds quite nicelmy to the standard time required to investigate possible interference with other already existing filing or patents.
so I think the verb used in the news should maybe rather "granted" and not "filed"..??? :confused:
 
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.
 
CholEoptera36 said:
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?

graphic2.jpg

I blew it up some to get a better look at the hinges:
iMac.jpg


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?
Click to expand...

Is this photo not from last years, or another, expo? there are lots of other photos on the site which obviously are not from this year and when i download the photo and 'Get Info' it was last modified 20th Aug.'04, I guess when it went up on the site(?)
 
eric67 said:
I do not know when exactly it was filed, but there is a big difference between filing and being granted for a patent...and in addition there is usually between 10 and 18 month between both steps!! :)
you first file the invention requesting a protection by a patent which will be granted or not to you according to your invention.
the filing date is when you send invention application to Patent offices, which will record the date and the subject + description of your invention + claims. then depending on already filed invention, or other publicly disclosed information/techniques, your invention will be protected and a patent granted to you.
so actually, this system could have been filed by Apple in October 2003, and granted by Patent Office in August 2004, it corresponds quite nicelmy to the standard time required to investigate possible interference with other already existing filing or patents.
so I think the verb used in the news should maybe rather "granted" and not "filed"..??? :confused:
Click to expand...



That's exactly what I was saying...I totally agree that the date of Oct 2003 corresponds rather nicely to our timeline here.
 
CholEoptera36 said:
PS. looks like the servers are good again :D In case anyone missed my post, I blew up the image on Page 2. What do you think?
Click to expand...

I'd say definitely no. That bit of depth that you think you see in the photo doesn't represent that second arm as shown in the patent, but just the little part that juts out from the last iMac.

http://images.apple.com/imac/images/graphicsneck01072002.gif

Basically, that is the old iMac, bar none.
 
CholEoptera36 said:
Yeah it looks like the same double swivel joint thingy in the patent. It might still be a G4 iMac, and tricky to the eyes from that angle. Could be it's just fooling me cause I'm so excited about tomorrow! But if it is really a new G5 iMac, then I should be allowed to have a 'tar before my 500 posts! jk

PS. looks like the servers are good again :D In case anyone missed my post, I blew up the image on Page 2. What do you think?
Click to expand...


I think if you get a 'tar then I get one for finding the patent! LOL
 
Peyote said:
I think apple may be introducing a VESA compliant arm to go with their new line of displays. why not? Not a lit of engineering has to go into one...not 3rd party products, so the profit margin must be pretty good. I think it's be a great little add-on...that way you don't have to go far for a VESA arm if you are buying a new display.
Click to expand...

That's true. Maybe our scale is off on this whole thing, and the pyramid part goes against the wall. Then the "display" section is really only about 3"x5" and is the VESA attachment meant for the new cinema displays.
 
No way

fluidinclusion said:
Great Job dude, I think you've found an easter egg on Apple's site! This could be the new iMac. I'm glad they kept the same (mostly) form factor.!!!
Click to expand...

I really doubt it - that image looks to me like the standard arm, it's just the camera angle and the position of the screen that's making it look double jointed. I think you are seeing the top hinge and thinking it's a whole other arm because of the angle.

If that's the only change to the much hyped pre announced new release of the iMac G5, then this is no longer Apple as we know them.

They are not going to launch a new processor in their consumer machines (which have been lagging in the sales department for a couple of years) without making the whole machine seem new, fresh and sexy!
 
Has anyone thought what on god's earth the point of a dual swingarm would be? It just doesn't seem necessary. Who needs to have their monitor point straight up to the sky? Or flip around backwards? It looks clunky and unnecessary to me.

If you ask me, this is an old patent from when they were playing around with arm concepts back when. Remember the slinky one? Same dif.
 
mpw said:
Is this photo not from last years, or another, expo? there are lots of other photos on the site which obviously are not from this year and when i download the photo and 'Get Info' it was last modified 20th Aug.'04, I guess when it went up on the site(?)
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about when the photo was put on the site, I just now less than an hour ago ran across it by accident. The 20th Aug. 04' date can be a re-uploaded image of the past, or this may very well be a brand new image. I dunno?

Also look at the edges of the computer in that photo. iMac G4's have a clear edging around them about an inch or so wide, like a boarder. I don't see a clear border around the LCD. But it might just be the quality of the picture?
 
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