Next-Generation iMac: Quad-Core Processors? No Blu-Ray?

[gianly1985]

They don't. They are video professionals like me who want to be able to burn Blu-Ray discs for clients.

You are too few to make it worth.
Get a firewire plextor bluray burner.

(though it would be good if apple introduced it as a BTO option)

 

[SirOmega]

No, not most by far. That said, you just acknowledged a reason blu-ray supporters want blu-ray in their macs. And no, blu-ray discs >>> digital copies any day.

The digital copies of the movie come on a companion DVD, not on the same BR media. That fact alone tells me you don't know what you're talking about.

 

[aokiqiao]

why would anyone want to watch a bluray on 24 inch screen? geez🙄

People that want to watch a movie when someones playing the PS3 for one. The list is endless. You just want to watch the movie regardless of the size of the screen. Bluray is in almost every machine now so needs to step up their game. If their worried about the price then they should at least make it an option.

 

[Eric S.]

The Mac Pro uses much better specced processors as well as being clocked faster.

But that still doesn't mean that a quad-core iMac wouldn't cut into sales of low-end Mac Pros. So I think that either we won't see a quad-core iMac or we'll see one at a low-end Mac Pro price point.

 

[MattInOz]

Perfect in so much as Apple want thin thin thin. With the 2GHz being a $1000 processor it's not great for consumers. That clock speed probably isn't a favorite of Apple's marketing department either.

the price points of the non-extreme quad cores match the current iMac's in price point. The matching Extreme in the current range is only a BTO at the moment anyway but still is about $200 less than the new Extreme option.

Apples marketing follows the olympic motto "Faster, Longer, Higher..." they don't highlight spec only features. So as long as they can get some benchmarks that show 20% improvement overall (on a graph that suggests much higher). Plus a couple of 2x faster playing some game while ripping a DVD from iMovie. They be set.

 

[evilcat]

What has that got to do with the number of cores that you have? Unless the software is designed to use all the cores it will never use them all. Most of the time you are chugging away on a single core.

Well most people have several pieces of software open at once, and having one slow to a crawl because another is using both cores available on your dual core sucks. With four there would still be two spare so everything runs at 100% rather than just the app you're focussing on. That is, unless you enjoy your video transcode being killed by having three Flash sites open in Firefox?

 

[Porco]

The lack of Blu-ray should be causing red faces by now.

"Companies participating in the Board of Directors are active participants of the format creation and key BDA activities. They are selected from the Contributors by election. The board sets an overall strategy and approves key issues. A board member can participate in all activities and attend all meetings. The Blu-ray Disc Founder companies will make up the initial Board of Directors. Annual fee: $ 50,000"[1]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I think it's an embarrassment that Steve Jobs is on the Disney board, and Apple are on the board of the Blu-ray Association, and yet Disney release lots of (very good) Blu-ray discs and Windows can play them but OS X can't. Embarrassing. If Microsoft had anything about them they should run some parodies of Apple's Mac and PC ads purely on Blu-ray - it's a clear-cut 'this is something PC can do and Mac can't'.

I know all the arguments about Apple wanting Blu-ray to fail/not gain as much traction in order to promote iTunes, but that is just elitist and lame. Downloads will rule eventually - it seems churlish to snub the increasingly large number of Blu-ray users just to gain some theoretical slight promotion of downloads. The real obstacles to downloads replacing physical media are not about promoting it, they're about infrastructure and quality and it doesn't matter how much Apple doesn't like that (unless they want to actually invest in every country's internet connections!).

I would really love to buy a new mac soon, but the lack of Blu-ray puts me off. Just give us the option by supporting it in the OS please Apple, it's way past ridiculous now. I'm actually angry with them if they are paying $50,000 a year just to try and stifle the format, because they don't seem very 'active' when it comes to Blu-ray as a format other than issuing one very negative statement about it.

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc_Association

Personally I could care less about Blu-Ray.

That seems to be a curious Americanism. Logically, if you could care less, that means you must care to some degree, surely? If you couldn't care less, that would indicate you cared as little as possible.

 

[NathanCH]

I am looking to buy a macbook for school, but i want to wait to see what the new macbooks will be like. does anyone have any idea when the new mac keynote will happen?

No one knows, but it wouldn't be dangerous to assume it will happen within the next 4 weeks. I would wait if I were you because the plastic macbooks are really really outdated in terms of the way they're made.

 

[iSee]

This rumor sounds very reasonable, so it's probably false. 😉

Clarksfield: great.
Too bad about the blu-ray.

----------

Also, regarding the blu-ray debate. It's a moot point whether or not people really have a use for blu-ray in their Macs or whether or not they should want a blu-ray option.

The fact is, a lot of people do want a blu-ray option. Apple ought to do it. I know there are downsides (increases product complexity which ultimately leads to slightly higher costs even for computers without a blu-ray, maybe battery life is an issue???, etc.) But as far as I can figure it, the downside to offering the option is small. So why not give your customers what they want?

 

[PeterQVenkman]

You are too few to make it worth.

Yeah, because Apple waited too long and now we have to use Windows machines for some tasks. We'd rather do work on a mac!

To add onto Porco's rant, it's embarrassing that Apple touts their HD workflow in Final Cut Studio, but they have no mac native solution to go from FCS to Blu-Ray.

 

[LagunaSol]

That seems to be a curious Americanism. Logically, if you could care less, that means you must care to some degree, surely? If you couldn't care less, that would indicate you cared as little as possible.

Not really an Americanism so much as an often-bungled version of the correct term "couldn't care less" (regardless of nationality). 😉

 

[AidenShaw]

Don't people understand that there is not visual benefit to watching Blu-ray movies on displays smaller than 42 inches. You're better off ripping DVDs or renting/buying online movies.

... But as it, the average person watching a Blu-ray disc on a display smaller than 42" that is not 1080P will not see any difference between a Blu-Ray disc than an upscaled DVD.

So, you're saying that I won't see the difference between watching a 2 Mpixel BD movie on my 24" LCD, and watching a 0.3 Mpixel DVD upscaled to 2 Mpixel? 😱

I have some 640x480 DSLR cameras to sell you - and they're just as good as the 2 Mpixel ones!

But that still doesn't mean that a quad-core iMac wouldn't cut into sales of low-end Mac Pros. So I think that either we won't see a quad-core iMac or we'll see one at a low-end Mac Pro price point.

Interesting - but if that happens it's only because people are being forced to overbuy up to the Maxi Pro for features found in mid-range mini-towers.

Yeah, because Apple waited too long and now we have to use Windows machines for some tasks. We'd rather do work on a mac!

To add onto Porco's rant, it's embarrassing that Apple touts their HD workflow in Final Cut Studio, but they have no mac native solution to go from FCS to Blu-Ray.

Speaking of workflow - I wonder how long before any NLE video tools start to exploit the pervasive multi-touch in Windows 7. That would seem to be a natural fit...

 

[Alfuh]

I was just posting in the forum about how the new iMac rumors all, but died down ...

I personally wouldn't use blu-ray, but as long as its an option and not forced into the computer and price point then it doesn't really affect me ...

As far as quad core, more computing power is always nice 🙂

 

[whatever]

Don't people understand that some people own BD players, buy movies for them and may occassionally want to watch those same movies on their laptop without having to purchase another copy? Not all BD's come with a digital copy either.

We understand that, however you need to face the facts that Blu-ray is dead on the vine. If it doesn't have a miracle turn around this holiday season, it will be joining the other "also rans" (Laser Disc, HD-DVD, Beta).

Consumers don't always care if a product is a superior product (again look at Laser Disc, HD-DVD and Beta). In these tight economic times, people aren't going up grade their movie collections or invest in a technology that doesn't have legs or can stand on it's own.

I've been saying this for two years now. There is no need for Blu-ray (even for data storage, because who's going to want to waste all of their time backing up data onto Blu-ray and then in two years have to move it some how onto a new media, when you could buy a device like the Drobo for close to nothing).

 

[jmpage2]

So, you're saying that I won't see the difference between watching a 2 Mpixel BD movie on my 24" LCD, and watching a 0.3 Mpixel DVD upscaled to 2 Mpixel? 😱

I have some 640x480 DSLR cameras to sell you - and they're just as good as the 2 Mpixel ones!




Interesting - but if that happens it's only because people are being forced to overbuy up to the Maxi Pro for features found in mid-range mini-towers.




Speaking of workflow - I wonder how long before any NLE video tools start to exploit the pervasive multi-touch in Windows 7. That would seem to be a natural fit...

Someone earlier in this thread posted screen scrapes from the Braveheart DVD and Blu-ray that should make it apparent to anyone who doesn't need strong prescription lenses that the BD format would look dramatically on a 24" (or even smaller) computer monitor.

As others have also tried to point out, it just doesn't cut it to have a BD in the home theater. We would like to be able to watch or rip our BD movies on our Macs without having to buy a 2nd copy on DVD, or resort to booting Windows 7 just to use Blu-ray.

 

[fpnc]

I highly doubt Apple is going to put the Core i7 chip in the iMac. The Core i5's make WAY more sense. The platform (chipsets) are cheaper, the CPU is cheaper and uses less power and can be faster at times due to the built-in Turbo mode.

Core i7 is left to the enthusiast crowd. Core i5 will be in the iMac.

Okay, this type of misinformation has got to stop. There is no Core i5 MOBILE available right now. The current Core i5 is a desktop part that has a Thermal Design Point (TDP) of 95W and that's almost three time that of the current Core 2 Duo used in the iMacs. You also have to make a clear distinction between the Core i7 and the Core i7 Mobile -- only the latter is a likely candidate in a new iMac.

Note that the Core i7 Mobile 720QM and 820QM have a TDP of only 45W which is still somewhat higher than the chips Apple uses in the iMac but when you add in the power requirements of the system chips it should be possible for a new Core i7 Mobile design to have nearly the same system TDP as the current iMacs (the difference would only be a few watts -- either up or down). The system TDP is a very important factor in the design of the iMac as it pretty much dictates the size of the enclosure.

For a detailed look at comparative prices and TDPs between the current iMacs and a possible Core i7 Mobile system you should look at the following post:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/8624346/

 

[dukebound85]

Hahaha, Blu Ray to first appear in a consumer product? Yea right. You can expect Blu Ray to appear in the MacPro first, for us Professionals.

blu ray is largly for media and thats the argest driver for bluray....media purposes and guess what, thats more consumer

 

[Bubba Satori]

But that still doesn't mean that a quad-core iMac wouldn't cut into sales of low-end Mac Pros. So I think that either we won't see a quad-core iMac or we'll see one at a low-end Mac Pro price point.

By that logic Apple should only make one computer to avoid having another model cut into it's sales. It's an argumentum absurdum. Apple needs to have a full line of computers, not just 3 or 4. It's a freaking $140 billion company for gods sake.

 

[Eidorian]

By that logic Apple should only make one computer to avoid having another model cut into it's sales. It's an argumentum absurdum. Apple needs to have a full line of computers, not just 3 or 4. It's a freaking $140 billion company for gods sake.

I don't think it's Apple logic to avoid cannibalism. I think it's tech pundit or us on the boards that propagate it.

The iPods have had horrific amounts of cannibalization but they're still differentiated enough to sell and upsell. The lack of a quad core in the iMac is only an issue of profit and upselling to a Mac Pro.

Maybe we can throw in the clock speed obsession since they weren't able to deliver a 3.0 GHz PowerPC 970. Nehalem/Westmere kill that though with Turbo Boost. Your quad is now a fast dual or single core too. The only reason not to go quad core is price or thermals. We're buying rather expensive machines here not $500 midrange ones.

 

[SmugMac]

I couldn't care less about Blu-Ray. However if the new iMac's get Quad Core and LED backlit panels - then Apple has a sale with me.

 

[ppnkg]

who cares about Bluray anyway? 😛

oh, and, c'mon apple, give us the new mouse!

 

[BobbyCat]

I just really really want a 30" iMac

Agree, but why wait for Apple to produce one? Why not just buy a third party external 30" that'll be just as good as an Apple screen, and much cheaper?
I haven't tried it, but I expect any of the currently shipping iMac graphic cards to support such an option. That makes 24" + 30" side by side, which should look good anyway.
Am I wrong?

 

[Full of Win]

All this consternation boils down the three simple words on BluRay...APPLE ITS TIME

 

[VenusianSky]

We understand that, however you need to face the facts that Blu-ray is dead on the vine.

Were are you getting these facts from? There are quite a number of people on this thread alone that mention they have BD movies themselves. Also keep in mind that all BD players play DVD's as well. This is not the case with Laserdisc, VHS, Beta, etc. I personally think that DVD players will eventually disappear from the store shelves as BD players drop in price. I also think that BD will be the last physical media format for movies and downloads will be the only other option, but this won't be for some time. Again, this is only my opinion. I am not trying to predict the future. Does this mean BD will die? Only time will tell.

 

[Vega$$$]

The longer Apple wants to wait to adopt blu-ray burners across their product line, the longer they want to wait to get my money.

Alas, I'm sure that they won't go broke waiting for my purchase, however I would like to upgrade my desktop from my current iMac G5. Oh well, I do most of my work on my MacBook Pro anyway... 😱