Dual Swingarm iMac G5?

[Porchland]

No Apple non-announcements tonight?

There were guesses on macrumors.com com yesterday that Apple might pre-announce the iMac so the American media could feature it in tomorrow's news cycle. Since its now 7 p.m. on the East Coast, it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

If you want to see Charles and Di's wedding -- updates on macrumors, whatever -- looks like you'll just have to set your alarm for 4 a.m.

Oh, and apparently no Software Update today either. I sort of expected that we'd get the rumored security upgrades today; does this mean that none of tomorrow's announcements will be available immediately?

 

[skunk]

Oh, perfect. So I will now spend $2000 dollars for the same looking Mac, but this time it's faster and hey, when a cd is ejected, it won't hit the screen. Thanks Apple.

Don't worry about the CD: it doesn't seem to have one. Or any ports either.

 

[JOD8FY]

3. Jobs hinted at a way to control Airtunes from another room back at the D all things digital thing a few months back.

I hope he was talking about the iPod... (I know - highly doubtful )

JOD8FY

 

[penguin]

Why 2 arms?

The only reason to add 2 arms instead of 1 is to make it do something that 1 arm can't do.
And I suggest that thing is wall mount. So that it can fold away.

 

[rog]

I hate the new iMac. It's overpriced and underpowered and just plain ugly.

oh, um, I guess I should wait until tomorrow to post that.

 

[Abstract]

Yeah that would be kinda hard to install a combo/super drive slanted to fit the incline of the pyramid design. I never thought of that before. But also remember, I'm sure people would have thought it to be hard for Apple to install a DVD drive on a sphyrical and rounded shape base too but Apple pulled that off quite nicely. I don't think this design will hit the shelves though, I must agree. (the pyramid shape that is atlest)

Well the pyramid is slanted all the way down to the bottom, so it would be awkward to put a disk drive anywhere along the face of the pyramid. The dome at least straightens out as you get closer to the bottom of the base.

Um......that's what I meant if I wasn't clear.

i thought the new iMac would be a dome, but elongated to look like a Subway sandwich. No, I'm not joking. I thought it would be a long and rounded base using 2 arms for better support. No, I don't mean 2 arms attached together, but 2 separate arms to hold the monitor in place, one on each half of the base.

 

[t300]

Oh and by the way...

Expect iPod Mini matching remotes tomorrow.

 

[rock6079]

The only reason to add 2 arms instead of 1 is to make it do something that 1 arm can't do.
And I suggest that thing is wall mount. So that it can fold away.

hmm whether or not that is the new imac, i never thought of that benefit to the 2 arms. that is most likelay what it would be. the ability to have it on the wall "horizontally" or on a desk "vertically" and be just the same..

cool

 

[Abstract]

PS: If we hang an iMac on the wall, where does the cord attach to a wall socket? So now we have to run an ugly cable along the wall? A wall mounted iMac doesn't make sense if its going to make everything look ugly.

 

[CholEoptera36]

The only reason to add 2 arms instead of 1 is to make it do something that 1 arm can't do.
And I suggest that thing is wall mount. So that it can fold away.

More than one hinge allowing it to fold away is something that has yet to have been brought up, so that's an interesting look at what two hinges could do. But I don't see why you would want to fold it up like that? It's not like you could just fold it up and take it away with you somewhere, it's a desktop not a notebook. The LCD is too fragile to try to stuff it all in a suitcase or something like that, so that's an interesting thing you could do with more than one hinge but I'm not sure why you would want to fold it up like that.

 

[macridah]

me no likey

We'll see in a couple of hours. The truth will be told. (Crossing fingers it's not the like the diagram)

 

[SilentPanda]

The only reason to add 2 arms instead of 1 is to make it do something that 1 arm can't do.
And I suggest that thing is wall mount. So that it can fold away.

Wow... that's actually... a good theory at least... I'm impressed.

 

[iMeowbot]

The drawings seem to show a mounting mechanism (or at least something other than a standard screen) on the left side of fig 1. Very interesting.

Ohh, that thing. The G4 iMac does have protrusions like that on one side, inside the housing. It's a nest for the display panel's inverter.

 

[fixyourthinking]

Cooling and shipping weight?

I agree, but that's the same argument as to why there shouldn't have been a 17 or 20 inch iMac. Apple always manages to make that thing stand up straight.

I've always thought that Apple could have a benefit of saving a BOATLOAD on shipping (because of less weight) and have some sort of cooling effect by including a gel that expanded with addition of water into the base. It would add weight AFTER shipment and provide a cooling effect.

I think we have to get to the point where computers that are higher end; require a little bit of setup for proper useage.

I realize this sounds complicated and confusing [even silly] to do, but actually there could be an easy way to implement this.

 

[CholEoptera36]

Well the pyramid is slanted all the way down to the bottom, so it would be awkward to put a disk drive anywhere along the face of the pyramid. The dome at least straightens out as you get closer to the bottom of the base.

Um......that's what I meant if I wasn't clear.

i thought the new iMac would be a dome, but elongated to look like a Subway sandwich. No, I'm not joking. I thought it would be a long and rounded base using 2 arms for better support. No, I don't mean 2 arms attached together, but 2 separate arms to hold the monitor in place, one on each half of the base.

That's true the dome does get flatter as you get to the bottom I didn't think of that. I get where you are comming from about the pyramid desing. I would be astonished if someone could find a way to support a disk drive at an angle like that, also fitting in a HD and working with how that will fit in with the motherboard and all. It just doesn't seem very possible to have that pyramid shape, so I definitely agree

And two seporate arms would be kinda kool too. You mean the dome base kinda like the shape of this one?

Kinda like a football/subway sandwhich?

 

[continuum]

that depends on the surface area of the base whether it would tip over. i think it looks great.

 

[mpw]

The only reason to add 2 arms instead of 1 is to make it do something that 1 arm can't do.
And I suggest that thing is wall mount. So that it can fold away.

Now that IS an interesting take on the two armed design idea. I can see alot of advantages to that. I'm 'seeing' a slot load optical drive in the side and an interesting cable routing to keep everything tidy maybe a single cable that splits off for power/phone/network etc. like the single cable from a cinema display.

If I was in anyway creatively talented I'd sketch it for you. I'm not so I won't but trust me in my head it looks great...and works a treat. Everyone in the office is jealous of my wall mounted computer and now I'm getting mores dates....of course this is still in my head!

 

[Peel]

...a gel that expanded with addition of water into the base. It would add weight AFTER shipment and provide a cooling effect.

Yes, I can just see the packaging now:

iMac Concentrate, Just add water!

 

[mvc]

But why?

I understand why you might want a tv on the wall, or a monitor thats basically being used as a tv, especially a nice big 30" one.

BUT

Why do you want an iMac on the wall?

How are you going to use it - are you going to sit on a chair beneath it or across the room from it, using a wireless keyboard and mouse perhaps. Is that going to be comfortable, is it going to be usable for any activity except the most basic pointing and clicking. Fancy typing that way? How big a screen would it need for you to be able to read type on it from say 4 feet away, let alone 8 feet? How's the ergonomics of working from a lounge chair while viewing a screen on the wall that may or may not be at the right angle depending on how the furniture is arranged.

I can't see how this would benefit anyone, I can imagine a use for a detachable screen that becomes a form of tablet / media viewer / remote controller, assuming that was technically do-able, but I cannot see any practical use for a wall mounted iMac. Am I missing something here? Anyone actually use wall mounted computers (i.e something you have to interface with) as opposed to wall mounted displays?

 

[skunk]

I cannot see any practical use for a wall mounted iMac. Am I missing something here? Anyone actually use wall mounted computers (i.e something you have to interface with) as opposed to wall mounted displays?

You're right. The ergonomics would be nonsensical.

 

[applekid]

This is important enough for page one? It better mean something for tomorrow.

I like the two-arm so that it can do something a single arm couldn't do theory. A nice way to innovate and dazzle. Apple needs to surprise us like they did with the G4 iMac. That blew everyone away.

I think Apple hit a plateau with the iMac outer-design, anyway. The G4 iMac will always be the coolest looking. It's impossible to top from what I see. If they manage to, it will be the ultimate iMac (on the outside). I'm more worried about the internal hardware though.

It can be either another iPod/iPod Mini (initial feel: overpriced, in the end: sells like hot cakes) or go the way of the Cube (initial feel: everybody wanted one, in the end: nobody bought one).

Good luck to Apple. I hope we don't have any unhappy customers tomorrow...

 

[fixyourthinking]

CD drive hitting the display?

****Ever accidentaly ejected your CD drive while your iMac's screen was down. As you can see in the pictures, the two arms would extend the screen far enough from the cd tray for this to never be a problem. ****

The display does NOT hit the CD tray - the LCD arm was specifically designed to go out and down far enough for this NOT to happen.

 

[mvc]

Good luck to Apple. I hope we don't have any unhappy customers tomorrow...

This is MacRumors - there will always be unhappy customers

 

[jrv3034]

...I think Apple hit a plateau with the iMac outer-design, anyway. The G4 iMac will always be the coolest looking. It's impossible to top from what I see. If they manage to, it will be the ultimate iMac (on the outside). I'm more worried about the internal hardware though....

I still think it can be improved, as awesome as the G4 iMac is. I know this one has been posted before, but I love it!

 

[Peel]

Am I missing something here? Anyone actually use wall mounted computers (i.e something you have to interface with) as opposed to wall mounted displays?

As an architect in the health care field, There are actually a few vertical computers on the market that are being used in hospitals for patient chart data entry. They are at a stand-up height, with the moniter at about 5' above the floor. One model that I know of has a vertically mounted keyboard just below the monitor, and another stores the keyboard this way, but it folds out of the wall for use. Seems kind of crazy to me, and certainly nothing you'd want to use for any length of time, but I'm seeing requests for these more and more in new hospital additions.