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My Thoughts about the infamous 2012 iMac

D

Doggman

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 19, 2012
88
0
I could write a book about this but I'll keep it simple at first and see what people have to say about my thoughts.

If there is no imac on the 25th, The way I see things I would bet that a Retina iMac is coming late 2012 for the holidays (Christmas). Bring on the rants about me being optimistic and what not but my reasoning is quite simple.

First, there was the retina iPhone 4. Amazing product and I'm writing this post on it now.

Second, there was the retina "new" iPad.

Third, there was the retina MBP. (no 17 because they didn't sell, no 13 because they couldn't fit a powerful enough GPU to run the screen)

Fourth, there will be a retina iMac option for a VERY high price tag along with spec bumped iMacs. I'm assuming they will do the same thing with the iMacs as they did with the MBP.

If retina makes it to the iMac I would assume they would make a Retina Thuderbolt Display thus making the Mac Pro and Mac Mini's have a retina option.

After all of the above has takin place the "RESOLUTIONARY" that Apple talked about back when the New iPad was released will be over. I read a quote from either Tim Cook or some other apple person that said the New iPad was only the beginning of the resolutionary and only the beginning of what they had in store for 2012.

The awful wait that we've been experiencing for the last 6+ months is because a retina iMac is a big deal... The screen itself will be hard to produce at a reasonable price and the GPU needed will need to be at the very least the new GTX680m if not better which could potentially mean a desktop GPU in the retina (I know this is laughable optimism but one can dream :D ) either way I'm saying the long wait is because their making a retina. Why the hell else would they be dragging this out so long? Everyone knows they could have released IB + Kepler spec bumped iMacs months ago (minus the 680m) but if that's all they were waiting on they would be releasing on the 25th. I think the wait is not over but I also think we have something more than a damn spec bump coming our way...

Let the flaming begin :D
 
Doggman said:
If there is no imac on the 25th, The way I see things I would bet that a Retina iMac is coming late 2012
Click to expand...

I tend to agree. A better display is about the only justification for further delays. The screen technology used in the rMBP would avoid the dust/smoke issue in the current iMac displays and reduce glare (see related rumors) as well. And I don't expect double the current resolutions, but in the 4k pixel range vs. 2560, which would qualify for the retina label.
 
while i do believe if a retina imac woulb be on the works it will be released towards the end of 2012. its just that they shouldn't hold off the release of the new non retina imacs. Most probably wont get them either because of the pricing or because they don't really care for retina at the moment. Those that really want the retina can wait and they should understand why the wait is, but not everyone should be dragged along with the rest.
Having non retina imacs this month would be nice and retinas later in the year, but i highly doubt apple would do that, not unless they announce a fall retina release now....which is highly unlike apple.
 
Reminds me when the world was waiting for the "iPhone 5". 16 months without an iPhone refresh, and then the 4S came out... Hope it will be worth the wait.
 
themcfly said:
Reminds me when the world was waiting for the "iPhone 5". 16 months without an iPhone refresh, and then the 4S came out... Hope it will be worth the wait.
Click to expand...

yup, that's what I thought... and after 4s came out, there was a rumor apple were having production problem in making the iphone 5 thinner & bigger screen.

I'm going to make a very wild guess here... apple is already prototyping retina imac, and if by october there's a production problem or any delays, they will launch with plan B which is : same design, processor & gpu bump and usb 3...
 
I agree that if we don't see a new iMac in the next couple of weeks, the next iMac will have a different display. It's possible it will be a "retina" display, but I think it may be just anti glare.
 
The only thing is that the iMacs use mobile GPUs. What GPU would drive a retina 27" iMac? As it is, the rMBP has some low FPS issues.
 
Well, if the GTX 680m can't do it then Apple will have to redesign and get a desktop GPU in there somewhere. This is what I want haha but I think it's highly unlikely.
 
Doggman said:
Well, if the GTX 680m can't do it then Apple will have to redesign and get a desktop GPU in there somewhere. This is what I want haha but I think it's highly unlikely.
Click to expand...

if this were to happen, would it affect the prices?(non retina)
 
If some how this actually happens I think the desktop GPU would only be on the Retina iMac. The spec bumped non retina iMacs will be 650m,660m, or 680m depending which model you get, or that's my prediction anyway.

Again though, I think a desktop GPU in any iMac is highly unlikely
 
Doggman said:
If some how this actually happens I think the desktop GPU would only be on the Retina iMac. The spec bumped non retina iMacs will be 650m,660m, or 680m depending which model you get, or that's my prediction anyway.
Click to expand...

At that point you're talking about 2 completely different chassis, and then the Retina one might not even be called the iMac.
 
@42 I agree. Again, I think a desktop GPU in any iMac is extremely unlikely and just wishful thinking on my part
 
sukai said:
while i do believe if a retina imac woulb be on the works it will be released towards the end of 2012. its just that they shouldn't hold off the release of the new non retina imacs. Most probably wont get them either because of the pricing or because they don't really care for retina at the moment. Those that really want the retina can wait and they should understand why the wait is, but not everyone should be dragged along with the rest.
Having non retina imacs this month would be nice and retinas later in the year, but i highly doubt apple would do that, not unless they announce a fall retina release now....which is highly unlike apple.
Click to expand...

If they released a spec bump to the current iMac now, and then 3-4 months down the road released a Retina iMac, I'd be highly pissed. It's a rare opportunity that I get to purchase a new machine and I doubt I would get permission from the warden (wife) to sell a 3 month old iMac at a loss to buy a more expensive model.
 
awer25 said:
The only thing is that the iMacs use mobile GPUs. What GPU would drive a retina 27" iMac? As it is, the rMBP has some low FPS issues.
Click to expand...

Exactly. If mobile GPUs are expected to continue this generation, I think this reason alone debunks any 2012 retina iMac.

Doggman said:
Well, if the GTX 680m can't do it then Apple will have to redesign and get a desktop GPU in there somewhere. This is what I want haha but I think it's highly unlikely.
Click to expand...

Doggman said:
If some how this actually happens I think the desktop GPU would only be on the Retina iMac. The spec bumped non retina iMacs will be 650m,660m, or 680m depending which model you get, or that's my prediction anyway.

Again though, I think a desktop GPU in any iMac is highly unlikely
Click to expand...

I agree. Highly unlikely. I don't think Apple will be fattening up the iMac to fit in a desktop GPU. At least not yet. Not until they find a way to keep it in the same chassis. Not their style.

The retina Macbook Pro didn't get fatter. It got thinner. Same deal with the iPhone 4. It didn't get fatter. It got thinner. The new iPad only added millimeters to thickness, enough that it's transparent to the user. So we have to consider this design trend in conceptualizing a future retina iMac. I'm certainly no engineering expert, but it seems the most obvious and basic thing to do is to copy the design cues taken from the retina MBP: remove the ODD, solder on the RAM, use blade type SSDs and glassless displays. Not that it means much to Apple's business, but if you read around these forums, some of these design choices don't settle well with some users. But like I said, this small percentage of dissatisfied customers won't mean much in the end. It will sell, no matter how much fuss you see on these forums. ;)
 
Last edited:
I think you're right. A Retina iMac is a matter of time after the iPhone 4, iPad (3) and Retina MBP. There's no thinkable reason why they would release a rMBP and no Retina iMac - as it's target audience is in the creative corner (video & photography). Would you rather show your photo's & videos on a 15" Macbook or on a 27" iMac?

It should be 4k at least and that will trigger the shift from Full HD to 4k (which is already happening in the movie and tv world). It will go in the history books as the first 4k computer. As you say, it will be a niche product at first and there will be regular iMacs as well. As discussed before on this forum, 4k would be technically possible, but the question is how much it will effect performance. Maybe a dual mobile GPU? (which is a quite common product for pc hardware, so why not with mobile GPU's?).

I think that would be the only viable reason why it's taking so long. Let's cross our fingers that we'll see it soon (preferably next week).
 
dearlaserworks said:
I tend to agree. A better display is about the only justification for further delays. The screen technology used in the rMBP would avoid the dust/smoke issue in the current iMac displays and reduce glare (see related rumors) as well. And I don't expect double the current resolutions, but in the 4k pixel range vs. 2560, which would qualify for the retina label.
Click to expand...

Using their rMBP scaling model, would the resolution not have to be double? Presumably that is a bit of a hurdle. Given the huge cost cutting that went into affording the rMBP display (lost ports, lost parts, shorter lifespan) how will they price such a beast?
 
Razorhog said:
If they released a spec bump to the current iMac now, and then 3-4 months down the road released a Retina iMac, I'd be highly pissed. It's a rare opportunity that I get to purchase a new machine and I doubt I would get permission from the warden (wife) to sell a 3 month old iMac at a loss to buy a more expensive model.
Click to expand...

And a new display would be about the only justification for holding off on Ivy Bridge a few months more. They won't release a speed bump now, then a new display a few months later.

----------
jacg said:
Using their rMBP scaling model, would the resolution not have to be double?
Click to expand...

It's been the pattern to double resolution so far, but you hold an iPhone up close, an iPad at arm's length and laptops, well, in your lap. At more like 2-3 feet away, the iMac screen resolution, which is already high, doesn't need to double to be considered "retina".
 
Icaras said:
The retina Macbook Pro didn't get fatter. It got thinner. Same deal with the iPhone 4. It didn't get fatter. It got thinner. The new iPad only added millimeters to thickness, enough that it's transparent to the user. So we have to consider this design trend in conceptualizing a future retina iMac. I'm certainly no engineering expert, but it seems the most obvious and basic thing to do is to copy the design cues taken from the retina MBP: remove the ODD, solder on the RAM, use blade type SSDs and glassless displays. Not that it means much to Apple's business, but if you read around these forums, some of these design choices don't settle well with some users. But like I said, this small percentage of dissatisfied customers won't mean much in the end. It will sell, no matter how much fuss you see on these forums. ;)
Click to expand...

yes , but think about the price it would cost to buy a machine with such specs and features. the macbook pro retina 15 inch is expensive, just think how much it will cost for a 21.5 or 30 inch screen + all the specs you mentioned to deliver the retina resolution.
 
iMacs geared towards the Cinema industry

If I had to take a crack at it, I would say Apple's doing a dramatic redesign where they have iMacs that can handle 4K resolutions and editing since that's where cinema's headed.

Well, i hope at least...but who knows...?
 
MuSiCh4Film said:
If I had to take a crack at it, I would say Apple's doing a dramatic redesign where they have iMacs that can handle 4K resolutions and editing since that's where cinema's headed.

Well, i hope at least...but who knows...?
Click to expand...

No GPUs support that, at least not any that traditionally would fit in an iMac chassis. The max resolution of the 680M is 3840x2160.. which I guess sometimes gets classed as 4K. As a "Retina" display that would have an effective resolution 1920x1080, which is less "real estate" than on today's 27".
 
Apple souce said:
yes , but think about the price it would cost to buy a machine with such specs and features. the macbook pro retina 15 inch is expensive, just think how much it will cost for a 21.5 or 30 inch screen + all the specs you mentioned to deliver the retina resolution.
Click to expand...

Oh yea, I definitely agree with the price issue. That's why I don't think it's practical for a 2012 release yet.
 
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