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

[Analog Kid]

Again, we have people yelling and screaming about Apple making something they don't want to buy. I get the whinging about Apple not making something they do want, but I don't understand complaining about a low end machine when they are able to buy the higher end machine they want.

It used to be that you'd come into these forums and people would be price comparing useless bottom end Dell's with the standard Macs and going on and on about how much cheaper the Dell was. When you'd point out that the Dell was more expensive once you configured it similarly to the Mac, you'd get an ear full of how they don't need all those features and Apple should just offer people the choice.

Now, Apple has figured out that people compare "starting at" prices regardless of what they buy and now offer low end units along side their more reasonably equipped devices and yet people still complain.

It is absurdly ego-centric to complain that a company has the audacity to sell something you don't want to buy.

 

[rootyb]

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.

Just as an alternate data point, I absolutely prefer laptop-style keyboards with chiclet keys. The short-throw keys of the Apple keyboards, especially, are far more comfortable for me, and let me use regular (non-ergonomic) keyboards without wrist issues. I *do* love the clicky feel of mechanical keyboards, and I know there are short-throw mechanicals, but I don't have any issue with the chiclet keys, so I haven't felt the need to seek out something else since switching.

 

[zorinlynx]

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.

I'm tempted to do this for my 2012. I'd love to have a 500GB SSD instead of the 128GB one that came with it that was originally a Fusion Drive.

I may just wimp out and get an external USB 3.0 connected SSD. These are nearly as fast and a better investment since I can use it with my next machine.

 

[mentaluproar]

My local Apple Store doesn't have the new keyboard, mice or trackpads. I was told they are only available online at this time. Are these in any of your local Apple Stores?

 

[RabidMacFan]

1. I'm kind of surprised they went with Lightning connectors for these accessories. Maybe USB-C is only going to be supported on the mac side? I think this means iPhones and iPads will continue to use Lightning for the foreseeable future
2. $129 for the magic trackpad 2. That's $60 more than the previous trackpad, almost double the price. Sure, the batteries probably add some cost, but really?

 

[mtneer]

In addition SSD drives are really not that expensive and buying them in bulk like Apple would even be cheaper to install. I don't understand it.

It is not the incremental cost of the SSD drive they are thinking of. As you said, that would just be pennies for someone with the supply chain prowess of Apple. They are thinking of the $800 upsell that many users will place to actually get the drive they want installed in the first place.

 

[kirky29]

I have no idea how people use the magic mouse. It is the least ergonomic thing I have held.

I think all the years of using a Magic Mouse has warped my hands.... It genuinely feels uncomfortable to hold any other Mouse!

 

[djbuddha]

I wonder if this new keyboard is going to make its way into the new rMBP when it gets a major refresh....? You know apple. This could be a test to get feedback so they can refine it to throw it in the new MBP. (Let's face it, pros will NOT go from the current MBP keyboard to the butterfly switches in the new MB keyboard)

Give me 2 USB 3 and 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports alongside it and they can take my money lol.

 

[iReality85]

It takes 2 minutes to charge it enough for 9 hours. 2 hours gives it a full charge, which is good enough for a month.

I wonder how long it would take to charge up enough for 2 hours. 20 seconds? Seems like it charges quick enough that if my mouse dies during an online game, I could pause, ask for 20 seconds to charge, then resume, and reasonably expect people to actually wait that long.

Close- the math works out to about 1 hour every 10 seconds / 6 hours every minute. But that's under brand new, out-of-the-box charging conditions. Hence why they claim 9 hours over 2 minutes, to factor in some degradation over time.

Time duration aside, it simply strikes me (as I'm sure it does others) as incredibly inelegant. Apple is (mostly) not known for inelegance, but an unusable mouse turned over on the desk with a cable dangling from its bottom is definitely so. Rechargeable, wireless mice aren't exactly a new thing. There's a reason we don't find many mice with charging ports on the bottom... just saying.

Also, incomplete 'quick charge' cycles are a good way to wear out a rechargeable battery. To get the most longevity, you want to deplete and then recharge to the fullest extent you possibly can.

 

[netwalker]

And this 1998 iMac was good enough for almost the same things we do today with a computer. Browse the web, write texts, create reports in excel, make power point presentations, edit graphics in Photoshop, make music in Cubase, etc.

 

[dubmick]

I'm tempted to do this for my 2012. I'd love to have a 500GB SSD instead of the 128GB one that came with it that was originally a Fusion Drive.

I may just wimp out and get an external USB 3.0 connected SSD. These are nearly as fast and a better investment since I can use it with my next machine.

unfortunately my iMac is not USB 3.0 compatible

 

[Rogifan]

This fast charging is exciting if that means they're brining it to iOS devices.

 

[flybius]

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.

Like you, I am a long time customer/fan of Apple and also like you, I have not been excited with any recent Apple releases. In my social circles, I am the guy that convinced many people to move away from Windows by preaching the Apple gospel. I also agree that the lightning strikes that were the iPod, iPhone, iPad have their unique place in history (iWatch not so much). What is troubling is that Apple is not acting like the special company that they are. Instead, they have left innovation behind for behaving like a typical large cap, profit mongering company... which is what will jeopardize their position to solidify their leadership in their market space. Once a company that is built it's success on the fanatical reception of it's products looses this excitement and energy, and begins to agitate the early adopters and customers, all of the money in the world will not save them from doom. Instead, they have to return to being the artful, soulful, creators of irresistible products... I'm not sure they have this capability. Call it a self fulfilling prophecy, circle of life, whatever... But I do believe the time is right for the next big thing, just not from Apple. I hope I am wrong...

 

[thevofl]

With the keyboard plugged in via lightning, is it still required to use bluetooth? I hate the lag in waking on my current Apple keyboard, and the random disconnects are annoying.

 

[mattopotamus]

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

It is called the Apple Magic Keyboard.

I mean the new retina macbook keyboards (not the pro or air). I want something identical

 

[Luis Mazza]

2 minutes for a 9 hours charge. You people will complain about anything.

Except I use external chargers once every two months... So... I'm the one in disadvantage if I upgrade. Also, having to depend on Apple's part to get new batteries for life?

Once again, bad deal in my opinion.

 

[mattopotamus]

Except I use external chargers once every two months... So... I'm the one in disadvantage if I upgrade. Also, having to depend on Apple's part to get new batteries for life?

Once again, bad deal in my opinion.

Personally, I take my laptop home every day and leave the keyboard and mouse at work. I also dock the mac in a location where plugging them in would not work. I hate the switch to charging.

 

[cicalinarrot]

Seeing the original iMac on the Apple site touched me. Really.

 

[Sppiiff]

Like the keyboard.

 

[redscull]

So then offer a 1 TB fusion drive with the 128 gb ssd as the base. Yes, it would cost Apple a few bucks (literally, a few bucks) more per machine, but what they're doing now is selling machines that are going to hurt consumers' view of the "Apple experience." You spend $1500 on a desktop in late 2015 and you're probably not going to be happy with dog-slow performance out of the box.

Exactly. The damage they cause to their reputation trying to squeeze an extra few dollars out of each iMac is going to cost them millions in marketing to repair.

iPhones may have a crappy amount of base storage, but unto you fill it up, it's a truly fantastic device. It makes even an unwitting new owner very happy, at least until the space runs out.

But the base model iMac offers a horrible user experience right from the start. It is not a premium product. It does not make you promote Apple or want to buy more of their products. The moment you turn it on, you will feel swindled.

Apple mocked netbooks, rightly so, because they were terrible devices. Even if the cost was appropriate for what you got, it just wasn't nice to sell that junk to anyone. Now they're selling the netbook equivalent of a desktop to everyone who isn't savvy enough to know to pick the disk upgrade option.

 

[snowmoon]

Why, oh why, can't you just use the lightning to USB cable for operation of the keyboard without bluetooth?

 

[Cougarcat]

Are you sure?
Someone else can talk about it?

See the update in this review at the bottom: http://sixcolors.com/post/2015/10/apple-magic-trackpad-2-review/

As it states, Apple might have a check that prohibits it working on older Macs, but I doubt it.

Why, oh why, can't you just use the lightning to USB cable for operation of the keyboard without bluetooth?

You can.

 

[flybius]

Again, we have people yelling and screaming about Apple making something they don't want to buy. I get the whinging about Apple not making something they do want, but I don't understand complaining about a low end machine when they are able to buy the higher end machine they want.

It used to be that you'd come into these forums and people would be price comparing useless bottom end Dell's with the standard Macs and going on and on about how much cheaper the Dell was. When you'd point out that the Dell was more expensive once you configured it similarly to the Mac, you'd get an ear full of how they don't need all those features and Apple should just offer people the choice.

Now, Apple has figured out that people compare "starting at" prices regardless of what they buy and now offer low end units along side their more reasonably equipped devices and yet people still complain.

It is absurdly ego-centric to complain that a company has the audacity to sell something you don't want to buy.

The absence of being able to equip the low end machine the way a customer wants is Apple not making something that the customer wants.

 

[Cougarcat]

I wonder if this new keyboard is going to make its way into the new rMBP when it gets a major refresh....? You know apple. This could be a test to get feedback so they can refine it to throw it in the new MBP. (Let's face it, pros will NOT go from the current MBP keyboard to the butterfly switches in the new MB keyboard)

The new keyboard uses scissor, not butterfly, like the MacBook. But it does have less travel.

 

[peterdevries]

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.

I think the above (bold) is a matter of opinion. I absolutely prefer short travel keys such as the chicklet keyboard of the MBP. I use the Apple Keyboard at work (for my windows machine) too, because I can develop a much higher typing speed when I don't need to press each key 5 mm into a spongy bottom. Since I work with hot desks I also prefer to take my own keyboard as each of the shared keyboards between the keys contain multiple lunches and probably enough skin flakes to make a jacket for a serial killer.