New iMac and Magic Accessories Tidbits: 'Then and Now', Automatic Pairing, Fast Charging and More

[unplugme71]

That's hilarious. I'm imagining having the new Magic Mouse 2 upside down with a lightning cable sticking out charging for two hours. What an odd sight for an Apple designed product.

I can't wait to see someone make a $100 aluminum stand for the mouse so it can stay upright (or down) for that matter lol

 

[Alenore]

You might be happy with it, I know I would, but the unwashed masses in general don't have an appreciation for how much an SSD impacts overall system performance. All they understand is the size of hard drives, and on the surface 1TB to 256GB standard would look like a major step down.

7200 RPM.

 

[citysnaps]

Apple's cheapness with storage is probably the most frustrating thing about all their products, and it's such an easy thing to fix.

It is indeed. If your requirements call for more or faster storage, you simply select one of the BTO options. Easy. There are many people with modest needs where the base machine works just fine and thus pay a lower price.

 

[DCJ001]

I definitely will upgrade the trackpad, but the keyboard I can wait on. I have a rMB, so I have really adjusted to force touch. I actually wish they just took the macbook keyboard and made it a standalone option. Once you get use to the butterfly keys and low travel everything else feels very clunky.

Apple did take the MacBook keyboard and make it a standalone option.

It is called the Apple Magic Keyboard.

 

[QCassidy352]

It's just degrees of the same problem. FD is obviously much cheaper than an SSD but more than they're willing to take a margin hit on at this time.

I mean, that's clearly factually correct, as they made the choice they did. But it was a foolish and short sighted one. The choice to use a 5400rpm drive introduces a serious bottleneck that will make the whole experience dramatically worse - early reviews already say so. It's like designing a luxury car with high end everything and giving it a dog of an engine. It'll ruin the entire experience to save a few bucks (and really, it's a TINY difference per unit to Apple) on a single component.

 

[DCJ001]

I'm curious if the Magic Trackpad 2 will support the apple pencil. If it does I might consider buying it.

It does not.

 

[sigma7]

It works plugged in, or you could get a BT 4.0 USB at the expense of a USB port.

Are you sure?
Someone else can talk about it?

 

[d656]

Whoever put the Lightning port at the bottom of the mouse should be shot out of a cannon

 

[unplugme71]

I have a feeling that Burberry chick had a big say in these prices. She wants to see these retail stores carry pricing in line with fashion clothing so the kids can't afford it and only those with gold ore black cards will be buying.

Apple was always pricy But there was quality and design to back it up. Lately it's just more design and more pricing. Quality isn't like what it used to be. The pricing has gotten way too extreme. With MSFT coming back into the game more affordable and reliable Apple is going to be in a rude awakening. /applefanboy

 

[xienze]

7200 RPM.

I'm guessing the 5400 vs 7200 RPM decision is more about heat than cost (in fact, the 5400 RPM drives might actually be more expensive due to lesser supply). And 7200 RPM drives are still garbage compared to an SSD.

But it was a foolish and short sighted one.

I don't disagree, just trying to show what some of the reasoning behind the decision is.

 

[leon44]

I think about people like my Dad who is pushing 50 and trusts that he can buy anything Apple make and it will be good.

Every few years my Dad will, without much thought, just buy the lowest priced option of the latest model iPhone or iMac. These are the kind of people who are going to be punished with a crappier experience for not actively checking the specs and making sure they don't buy the cheap model, which never used to be necessary.

Just charge a bit more if you have to Apple, but stop selling crap at the base price point (I'm referring to 16gb iPhones and 5400 rpm hard drives)

 

[DoctorKrabs]

It's a $1500 desktop in 2015. The early reviews confirm what common sense tells us - a 5400rpm hd on a broadwell desktop is going to be an unbelievable bottleneck. And the cost to Apple of a fusion drive standard (the one with 128 of flash, nevermind the travesty introduced today) is absolutely minimal. Seriously, just stop defending them on this one. They f'ed up.

Don't buy it. Apple doesn't owe you if you don't pay them. Buy a $1500 Windows PC with a 7200 RPM drive or a full SSD.

And don't tell me Windows would be a bottleneck because that would prove my point.

 

[thatisme]

View attachment 592291

I knew the shape of that keyboard reminded me of something. But wait, that one has a numeric keypad.

Hey, I had one of those Kaypro II "portable" computers back in the 80's! But yeah, the new keyboard reminds me of the one with the Kaypro

 

[AngryChim]

Greeds

 

[QCassidy352]

These are the kind of people who are going to be punished with a crappier experience for not actively checking the specs and making sure they don't buy the cheap model, which never used to be necessary.

Yes, and soon it's gonna cost Apple when people stop trusting that whatever Apple product they buy will be a premium experience. Once you lose that reputation, good luck getting it back. Just ask some of the American auto makers.

 

[Gudi]

Fusion Drive Changes -- To allow for lower prices, Apple's 1TB Fusion Drive is now a 1TB hard drive paired with a 24GB SSD. Previously, a 1TB Fusion Drive was a 1TB hard drive with a 128GB SSD. Mac users looking for 128GB of flash storage will need to upgrade to a 2TB or larger Fusion Drive.

​

And they couldn't possibly make those 24GB flash storage standard with every Mac? They absolutely have to ask for another + $100 on top of it. $4 per GB. Poor billionaires!

 

[TonyC28]

I'm still very much on the fence when it comes to jumping up and down with excitement over this Force Touch/3D Touch stuff. So far it feels like something they created but didn't know what to do with it. However, I still would have bought the new Magic Trackpad 2 if it weren't for the Bluetooth 4.0 requirement. Kinda disappointing but I guess it saves me $130.

 

[DoctorKrabs]

Total crap. People would be very happy with a 256 ssd option, especially because you can sub in a 1 TB fd (the old one with a 128 ssd) for the same price.

Not the people on this forum.

For people here, 1TB HDD only is garbage in 2015, a 1TB Fusion Drive is garbage in 2015, and a 256GB SSD is garbage in 2015.

And here I am in 2015 with a 500GB HDD on a 7 year old Windows PC with only a SATA II connection, not complaining.

 

[robbyx]

I agree about Steve, but he must have realized without himself in the picture, Apple would need an alternative plan to continue to exist. Steve used to refer to Tim's ability to keep Apple afloat... certainly he wasn't referring to Tim's technical acumen.

I think Steve also understood that major technological shifts/breakthroughs don't happen very often. There are decades in between. Apple needs someone with Tim's skills to lead them at this point. Yes, Tim is all about the money and that's a good thing. It means the 90s can never happen again. The question is, when the next major shift happens, will Apple lead? I rather doubt it, just as no one expected Apple to lead the mobile revolution. But obviously the hope is that, yes, Apple will one day come up with the next "next big thing".

The iPhone will continue to be a cash cow for the foreseeable future (70% of revenue) and everything else is basically an iPhone accessory to the company anyway at this point. The entire Mac business could vanish and it would rarely register. We're not going to see daring, innovative upgrades to any Mac ever again. I don't think the new Mac Pros flew off the shelves. Apple wants everyone on a device upgrade cycle. Remember, they make their money selling hardware, not software, so they need people to buy new hardware on a regular basis.

Personally I've been rather bored with Apple and Apple products lately. The watch was utterly predictable and in no way exciting. The new iPhone 6s features are cool, but there's no "wow". Apple TV upgrade was modest and gaming appears rather weak. New Mac hardware...nice, not exciting. Apple Music? Is anyone using it? Apple Pay? Even where supported, hardly used by consumers. iCloud, sigh...

What worries me as a long-time Apple customer and investor is how many negative things I'm hearing about Apple in my peer group. I'm the Apple guy that everyone asks for help. And in the past year or so, I've noticed a real increase in the number of complaints and negative comments my friends and family have about Apple products, user experience, etc. I'm genuinely beginning to worry that Apple is becoming the Microsoft of the 90s.

 

[redheeler]

I think about people like my Dad who is pushing 50 and trusts that he can buy anything Apple make and it will be good.

Every few years my Dad will, without much thought, just buy the lowest priced option of the latest model iPhone or iMac. These are the kind of people who are going to be punished with a crappier experience for not actively checking the specs and making sure they don't buy the cheap model, which never used to be necessary.

Just charge a bit more if you have to Apple, but stop selling crap at the base price point (I'm referring to 16gb iPhones and 5400 rpm hard drives)

Agreed. It's sad when light users looking for a good deal on a base model iPhone or iMac suffer with inadequate storage or a slow HDD because they put their trust in Apple. These people don't care much about specs, but they should at least have a decent experience with anything they buy.

 

[dubmick]

looks like I will be keeping my 27" 2011 iMac for a while.

This is very disappointing from Apple.

Now if I only I was brave enough to attempt an SSD upgrade.

 

[zorinlynx]

I'll never understand Apple's obsession with providing laptop-quality keyboards with their desktops.

One of the reasons I prefer using a desktop is so I can type on a full-sized, full stroke keyboard. Laptop keyboards are a *compromise*; they aren't as comfortable to use because they have to fit into a compact device.

With a desktop, there shouldn't be a compromise. At the price they're charging this should be a full-sized keyboard with mechanical MX or buckling spring key switches. I realize that it's not a big deal effectively since you can buy any keyboard you want to use with an iMac, but the idea of a compromised laptop keyboard design for a desktop where there's plenty of room has always come off as ridiculous to me.

 

[djbuddha]

I never ever thought I would say this (in fact I used to troll Hackintosh users mercilessly): but looks like my 2011 i7 27" iMac will be replaced by a Hackintosh. These options are insulting.

Outside of my MBPs .. I love my hackintosh. It's a pain at times with drivers (which is getting better rapidly).. But better customization than any Mac out there is hard to ignore.

 

[Piggie]

That's hilarious. I'm imagining having the new Magic Mouse 2 upside down with a lightning cable sticking out charging for two hours. What an odd sight for an Apple designed product.

Can you imagine the slagging off Samsung would be getting on these forums if they designed their product like this

 

[Sinjun]

Still no wireless full-size keyboard with a backlight. It's seemed like such a no brainer for so long, but I guess it's never going to happen. They didn't even put a backlight into this new one. It looks great, at least, but I guess I'm in the minority of people who needs a full-size keyboard at my desktop. Apple keyboard build quality is still second to none, can't see myself replacing the Apple full-size I've been using for a few years now anytime soon.

Also, they really need to redesign the magic mouse. There must be a way to retain the minimalism while making it more ergonomic. Logitech's recent MX Master is a good starting point.