Next-Generation iMac to Offer Two 'Compelling' New Features?

[primalman]

There are no legal reasons why they can't export it to New Zealand - if I went through a remailer as I did with my Archos player, I could get it without restrictions. The point I'm making is that there is nothing stopping them; export it over to the country and put a disclaimer that it is the customers responsibility to pay any taxes, duties or ensure that any local regulations are abided by and warranties for said products outside the US may not be valid. They could do that, but they don't.

I've sold things over seas for years - the so-called 'legal quagmire' that you're claiming does not exist in the case of electronics.

Sure it does exist. Be an actual company and try and sell a computer system meant for a country like the US, UK, AUS or NZ and make a direct sale to an entity with an address in Iran. Or North Korea. Or Cuba [from the US] At one time, the grey front with stripes PowerMac G4 was considered a weapon by the US government because of the computing power it had, it had additional export restrictions put on it.

You can sell personally overseas as long as you don't run afoul of broad restrictions, but if you are a company with contracts that do include clauses that control market areas, or you have customers in other countries whose laws are different from your own, you have restrictions on electronics and baby wipes.

 

[safasule]

I think a new design for the iMac is overdue - blu-ray would be nice too, but not super important ..

 

[satcomer]

LOL... who watches movies on a 24" screen??

My TV is 25! So what is your point?

 

[Buzz Bumble]

I think a new design for the iMac is overdue - blu-ray would be nice too, but not super important ..

I think Apple has painted themselves into a bit of a corner with the iMac design. There's not a lot they can do to make a better looking iMac, aside from minor improvements like being height adjustable. They could also make the screen rotatable between landscape and portrait, but the usefulness of such a design is extremely limited.

Some people do complain about the "chin", but unless you want the computer to be thicker Apple has to have somewhere that isn't screen to put some of the components ... besides, it's also the only place on the front where you can put a nice big Apple logo.

They could of course completely re-design it to a totally new shape, but it's still difficult to see how they could make it any better.

 

[charlituna]

At one time, the grey front with stripes PowerMac G4 was considered a weapon by the US government because of the computing power it had, it had additional export restrictions put on it.

forget 'at one time'. it is very likely that the US gov't still considers computers and software (particularly the OS software) to be potential weapons. both directly due to computing power and because reversing engineering could point to flaws that could be used to enter computers and steal info etc.

so it is probably still the case that you can't sell such items to North Korea, various parts of the Middle East etc. either by import into said area or by sale to persons from said areas (and yes apparently if someone is using a credit card and you ask for an id and they whip out a North Korean passport you can legally refuse to complete the sale under such restrictions)

 

[primalman]

oops

 

[AidenShaw]

forget 'at one time'. it is very likely that the US gov't still considers computers and software (particularly the OS software) to be potential weapons. both directly due to computing power and because reversing engineering could point to flaws that could be used to enter computers and steal info etc.

A launch pad for the current US export controls would be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjusted_Peak_Performance. They don't consider reverse engineering, just speed.

By the way, the rules have been reworked quite a bit - not in small measure to the absurdity that an off-the-shelf PowerMac exceeded the limit for a brief time.

 

[primalman]

A launch pad for the current US export controls would be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjusted_Peak_Performance. They don't consider reverse engineering, just speed.

By the way, the rules have been reworked quite a bit - not in small measure to the absurdity that an off-the-shelf PowerMac exceeded the limit for a brief time.

Thanks for the link! Yeah, they did rework the formula within a year I think of the PowerMac G4 [digital audio version I think it was] that had performance that classified it as useful for the development of large-scale weapons. The old assumptions failed when put up against the G4 vector math engine. I think they were still relying on assumptions on tech from the 70s or early 80s when it happened.

 

[miki66]

hopefully the newly redesigned imac will be released this upcoming fall, more exactly, in sep! blu rays isn't a big matter to me, but prices drop cant wait to take one home with snow leopard installed...

 

[AidenShaw]

Thanks for the link! Yeah, they did rework the formula within a year I think of the PowerMac G4 [digital audio version I think it was] that had performance that classified it as useful for the development of large-scale weapons. The old assumptions failed when put up against the G4 vector math engine. I think they were still relying on assumptions on tech from the 70s or early 80s when it happened.

Another interesting one, which hints that the G4 was under export controls for about two months:

Friday, Nov. 19, 1999
...
The next computer you use may be a weapon, or so Apple Computers would like to have you believe.

The company is billing its Power Mac G4 as a supercomputer in its print advertisements and as a weapon in television commercials.

Rosemary Warren, director of congressional and public affairs for the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Export Administration, said the G4 currently falls into a category requiring a license for export — hence the G4's claim to weapon status.

Export controls for computers are defined by their MTOPS, which stands for the millions of theoretical operations per second performed by computers and is the standard rating for measuring computer capacity. She said with the revision of these controls, which allows computers with higher MTOPS ratings to be exported without a license, the G4 will be removed from this category.

Congress is expected to pass the revised controls in January. ...
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/1999/11/11-19-99tdc/11-19-99dnews-7.asp

The MTOPS rating was a bit silly - it was a mathematical formula which did not even require the system to be turned on. I can't find the exact formula, but it multiplied the MHz by the number of floating point units and some other factors to come up with a rather inflated performance figure. The AltiVec unit added floating point units, and pushed the G4 over the edge.

The G4 wasn't the first desktop system to be "banned" - the first Alpha systems in 1992 were right at the limit (and faster models over it). Through the '90s the government kept raising the number so that mainline workstations could be exported, because each new RISC chip went over the previous threshold.

Eventually MTOPS was scrapped.

 

[DELLsFan]

How about they just suck it up and put in a quad core processor.

Seconded. Plus:

LED display
Unibody
Better graphics
SSD options
Improved User-serviceability / upgrading

Blu Ray? Meh. Option it on the Mac Pros.

 

[belltree]

The next iMac will definitely have "touch screen" capability as this is being introduced with SL. I am also going to agree that I think BluRay support will be added as well.

 

[charlituna]

The next iMac will definitely have "touch screen" capability as this is being introduced with SL.

or perhaps they are introducing it because of the alleged MacTablet

I am also going to agree that I think BluRay support will be added as well.

but would that be support as in I can plug in a bluray drive and they will play on my imac. or support as in I can insert a bluray disk and it will play on my imac

 

[zedsdead]

The next iMac will definitely have "touch screen" capability as this is being introduced with SL. I am also going to agree that I think BluRay support will be added as well.

There is no evidence of touch screen support in Snow Leopard.

 

[iMacmatician]

There is no evidence of touch screen support in Snow Leopard.

Only increased multi-touch trackpad support.

And the tablet will probably be running some type of iPhone OS.

 

[tivoboy]

hope

The next iMac will definitely have "touch screen" capability as this is being introduced with SL. I am also going to agree that I think BluRay support will be added as well.

I don't think there will be touch support, touch really isn't that usable on a flat screen, and it is a bit annoying and tiresome in that format. If there was some sort of small tablet that worked in conjunction WITH the imac, that would be compelling.

+1 on the bluray.

 

[jmpage2]

I don't think there will be touch support, touch really isn't that usable on a flat screen, and it is a bit annoying and tiresome in that format. If there was some sort of small tablet that worked in conjunction WITH the imac, that would be compelling.

+1 on the bluray.

Like a 10" iPad which runs OS X and can also be used in conjunction with an iMac or Mac Pro as an input device for video editing, etc?

 

[midwestshooter]

new iMac

My money is ready. When will the new iMac be out?

 

[Cole Slaw]

^^^^^ That's a nice setup. Looks great. ^^^^^

 

[primalman]

I don't think there will be touch support, touch really isn't that usable on a flat screen, and it is a bit annoying and tiresome in that format. If there was some sort of small tablet that worked in conjunction WITH the imac, that would be compelling.

+1 on the bluray.

Yes to this.

 

[wackymacky]

1. kids. They are too young to understand it. They never even experienced VHS, grew up in the early DVD era. They think VHS tapes are from their grandparents days.
2. High school/college drop outs
3. People who can't even afford it. they want it, but are upset because they can't afford it, so they have a little attitude problem.
4. people who have no clue whats so ever what goes on in the world. they wake up and say "theres a new formatt. I've still beein using cassette tapes. Whats the deal with this "iPod" and why does it have a large screen with no buttons.... (or god forbid wake up and hear news on a terror plot and 9/11 is menton and they ask "whats 9/11" )

Or people who like me who apart from news, watch about 2 hours of TV a week, and maybe one move a month.

I could afford a 55" LED tele and top-notch home theatre system, but I can’t be bothered given the little time I’d use it.

 

[xbjllb]

Or people who like me who apart from news, watch about 2 hours of TV a week, and maybe one move a month.

I could afford a 55" LED tele and top-notch home theatre system, but I can’t be bothered given the little time I’d use it.

I thought so too before I got my 65" plasma and cable.

Believe me, if it's sitting there, you'll use it far more than you thought you ever would. Blu-ray and it's better than a theater... no cell phone calls, clearer resolution, and better much cheaper snacks.

 

[xIGmanIx]

Seconded. Plus:

LED display
Unibody
Better graphics
SSD options
Improved User-serviceability / upgrading

Blu Ray? Meh. Option it on the Mac Pros.

i agree with all except the BD comment, i would like to see that supported natively across all lineups thank you very much

 

[joaoferro37]

I would like to see a express34 slot.
SSD drive bay and dual camera for 3D chatting.
Wireless 3D sound and Multi-touch screen.
Am I asking too much?

 

[Mal]

I would like to see a express34 slot.
SSD drive bay and dual camera for 3D chatting.
Wireless 3D sound and Multi-touch screen.
Am I asking too much?

Umm, yes. I hope you're being sarcastic, because only the SSD is a possibility. An ExpressCard slot might be nice, but it ain't happening, and the others don't make sense for them to even try. 3D chatting? Seriously?

jW