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Next-Generation iMac With SD Slot, Quad-Core, Possible Xeon? New Mouse and Remote in Pipeline?

I think the new iMac will be mostly silver, have a large screen capable of showing millions of colours, a keyboard and mouse, and a 3dfx voodoo graphics card installed (NVidia Riva 128?). Oh, and 16MB of EDO RAM. It's gonna be a monster!!
 
I wouldn't mind an SD slot. I have the express slots on my MBP and never used it. Closest I came was getting a 3G modem in that form factor but decided to go with the USB version instead. With an SD slot built in I wouldn't have to carry the card reader around.
 
Xeon vs Core i7

The main difference between the Xeon i7 and Core i7 is the amount of bandwidth to the bridge chip (where the extra PCIe and SATA ports are).

The new Core i7/i5 chips have one 16x PCIe slot for a video card running directly off the chip and then a slower DMI interface for the other peripherals. The Xeon chips have one SUPER fast QPI interface that everything runs on. Without several 16x PCIe slots, there is no reason to use a Xeon chip.

https://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/24/intel-introduces-core-i7-quad-core-mobile-processors/
 
MrCrowbar said:
I don't mind the scrollball as much as the terrible tracking of the mighty mouse. I'm actually using just the trackpad because it's so convenient: right below the spacebar, easy noiseless scrolling, etc.

I wish Apple made an external trackpad.

These iMac news are interesting. Gotta replace my bedroom desk though, it resonates at the same frequency a 7200rpm hard drive spins which is more than annoying. :)
Click to expand...

Yes the tracking is just as naff, I used to have mine on full under system preferences and it still didnt feel right. With my VX nano i have to run it riiiight down as its so much more sensitive :D
 
Here's my "three-day wild guess" on what the new iMacs will be like if they release them next month:

1) The system box will look almost exactly the same as the current iMac.
2) It will use the Intel Core i7-720QM (Clarksfield core) CPU (Apple may not use the Core i7-820QM for cost reasons).
3) nVidia GeForce 9400M graphics base, optional next-generation nVidia or AMD/ATI graphics chipsets, all now with full HDCP support.
4) Display sizes will not change from current iMacs (20" 1680x1050 resolution, 24" 1920x1200 resolution). Displays are now TFT LCD panels with LED backlighting. Matte displays may be possible.
5) Hard drives will be 640 GB, 1024 GB and 1536 GB with Serial ATA-II interface.
6) I/O connections similar to current iMac but USB connectors now support USB 3.0 specification if appropriate cable plugged in. We might even see e-SATA port for external hard drive storage. New Bitstream digital audio port for connection to external audio receiver/decoder to decode Dolby Digital EX/DTS-ES (standard DVDs) and Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD Master Audio (Blu-ray discs) data streams. Mini DisplayPort connector now supports HDCP.
7) Optical drive is current Superdrive, but Apple now offers optional BD-RE drive (iMacs with BD-RE drives includes MacOS X 10.6 extensions and an upgraded Quicktime/iMovie software to support Blu-ray disc playback (including full BD-Live support) and recording to BD-R/BD-RE discs).
8) Keyboard and mouse will probably be the same as current iMacs, though we may see an improved Mighty Mouse mouse pointer.
 
AAPLaday said:
Yes the tracking is just as naff, I used to have mine on full under system preferences and it still didnt feel right. With my VX nano i have to run it riiiight down as its so much more sensitive :D
Click to expand...

You need a 3rd party util like USB Overdrive to unlock the full potential of the MM. Which is half-decent tracking. :D
 
Whatever it'll be, everyone is likely to go 'Wow' and 'Whoah' on release day. A day later it's going to be like 'meh' and 'wtf'... :p

Thinner... *yawn*
Xeon... *eyelids close*
Aluminum... *Zzzz*

Nice beach... *Mmmm* :D
 
stylewriter said:
The new Core i7/i5 chips have one 16x PCIe slot for a video card running directly off the chip and then a slower DMI interface for the other peripherals. The Xeon chips have one SUPER fast QPI interface that everything runs on. Without several 16x PCIe slots, there is no reason to use a Xeon chip.
Click to expand...

There are third party PCI extension boxes that have a PCI wire going to it. Now that Apple has a mini display port, and will soon have USB3, why not a mini PCI port so gamers (and graphics geeks) can put a graphics dongle on their Mac and go to town.

Snow leopard will exploit it for compute resources too. :D

Plenty of people want other ports, so how about a "dock connector" to save device space but has a hub for USB, firewire, e-SATA, PCI, ethernet, power, bluetooth, wifi, 3G, etc. Enable some features by software and others by fee. Key point being the dock connector provides full bandwidth and versatility I/O.

Rocketman

Hmmm. Lookie.

https://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/2...ate-on-next-generation-light-peak-connectors/
 
the talk of Xeon may mean there is a iMac and xMac (i do not want the thread on this :cool:) or mac pro re-designed to make it smaller and in variety of options...

1) How small Xeon based machine can go?
2) for graphic options xeon better or core i5 better?
3) can it be double the size of mac mini and still powerful?
4) mini tower/micro ATX has ability to change Graphics card and memory?
 
crobi222 said:
We will have a special event. Remember last keynote at the end Steeve Jobs say's, "Thank you for coming, SEE YOU SOON" with a little smile in his face.
Click to expand...

he says that everytime... He also says "we have really great stuff were working on" and we never see it
 
The thing I find doubtful about the Xeon-based iMac is that a Xeon uses a different socket, thus a different main board. It doesn't make sense to have say, the top model of the iMac range utilise a different chipset than the rest of the models.

As someone else pointed out, the XEON's shine in bus saturation and throughput, but this would only really be obvious with 2 physical XEON processors. The whole main point of differentiation between the i7 and the Xeon is that the Xeon can be run in dual-CPU set ups, while the i7's cannot.

So, why stick a single Xeon cpu in an iMac to get the same throughput as a single i7 quad core (desktop variant, not mobile)? And sticking 2 Xeons in an iMac would a: not fit due to the head dissipation and need for a larger case, b: be way too expensive for a consumer mac, and c: marginalise the low end mac pro sales.

Look, Apple have blown me away before with unexpected products, but I just don't see this one happening. Quad core, possibly the use of an i7 desktop CPU, perhaps the 3.3Ghz extreme variant, definitely a possibility, but going off past releases and Apple's 'smaller and thinner' mentality, I see them sticking with mobile variants of the CPUs. That means we may end up with a few models running newer Core2 Duo's, and one or two higher end models offering an i7 mobile CPU, albeit running at much lower clock speeds than the Core2 Duo models, which would be a rather confusing thing for the end user who doesn't know squat about clock-for-clock performance comparisons between Core2's and i7 CPUs. Unless Apple has yet another advanced access to Intel chips and chipsets, specifically the new 32nm variants of the mobile i7's, then they'll stick with fast Core2Duos or even a Core2Quad.
 
kernkraft said:
No, it's Bluebeard. :)
Click to expand...

3100976478_78f2b5dd07.jpg
 
With NEC USB 3 host controller being produced since June and with the introduction of the USB3 client controller on September 24

http://www.necel.com/news/en/archive/0909/2401.html

With the announce of the same day of the first USB 3 external HDD by Freecom

http://www.freecom.com/news.asp?id=9205&catName=press

the possible introduction of USB3 ports in the new iMacs (The cool feature for a/v editing pros???) could be an awesome move by Apple. With their marketshare, Apple and NEC would establish "de facto" final USB 3.0 standard.
 
How about a slot on the MacBook Pro to house the remote? Make the remote rechargeable and the slot the charger?

Xeon in an iMac? Cooling comes to mind as a problem. Especially if they are to take their style cues off the newer monitors... Would Apple want to bleed off the potential for more Mac Pro sales? What would be the tradeoffs? Processing power? External water cooling units? (Three mile island cooling tower on your desk?)

Quad core wouldn't be a bad thing. I've been running a quad with (vista) for over a year and it rocks... Well, except for the (vista) part that is... (Auto update is dead among other things)
 
scottrichardson said:
The thing I find doubtful about the Xeon-based iMac is that a Xeon uses a different socket, thus a different main board. It doesn't make sense to have say, the top model of the iMac range utilise a different chipset than the rest of the models.

As someone else pointed out, the XEON's shine in bus saturation and throughput, but this would only really be obvious with 2 physical XEON processors. The whole main point of differentiation between the i7 and the Xeon is that the Xeon can be run in dual-CPU set ups, while the i7's cannot.

So, why stick a single Xeon cpu in an iMac to get the same throughput as a single i7 quad core (desktop variant, not mobile)? And sticking 2 Xeons in an iMac would a: not fit due to the head dissipation and need for a larger case, b: be way too expensive for a consumer mac, and c: marginalise the low end mac pro sales.

Look, Apple have blown me away before with unexpected products, but I just don't see this one happening. Quad core, possibly the use of an i7 desktop CPU, perhaps the 3.3Ghz extreme variant, definitely a possibility, but going off past releases and Apple's 'smaller and thinner' mentality, I see them sticking with mobile variants of the CPUs. That means we may end up with a few models running newer Core2 Duo's, and one or two higher end models offering an i7 mobile CPU, albeit running at much lower clock speeds than the Core2 Duo models, which would be a rather confusing thing for the end user who doesn't know squat about clock-for-clock performance comparisons between Core2's and i7 CPUs. Unless Apple has yet another advanced access to Intel chips and chipsets, specifically the new 32nm variants of the mobile i7's, then they'll stick with fast Core2Duos or even a Core2Quad.
Click to expand...

Intel did announce the mobile i7's. (yep http://download.intel.com/products/processor/corei7/322595.pdf) Aren't the processors on current iMacs the mobile variant? Essentially the iMac looks like a tablet notebook without the touch capabilities and a vertical stand... 'Mobile on the desktop'. (MOTD) I've got a shirt from a company that came out with that as their sales motto a while back. Can't remember who right now.
 
shanmugam said:
the talk of Xeon may mean there is a iMac and xMac (i do not want the thread on this :cool:) or mac pro re-designed to make it smaller and in variety of options...

1) How small Xeon based machine can go?
2) for graphic options xeon better or core i5 better?
3) can it be double the size of mac mini and still powerful?
4) mini tower/micro ATX has ability to change Graphics card and memory?
Click to expand...

Hey, there's an idea that would sell. A 'Mac Pro Mini'. I'd buy one if it's got slot(s) for expansion...
 
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