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

[danielwsmithee]

I know everyone is looking at the thermal output of new chips to base their ideas on, which makes total sense.

If in fact they did figure out something cooling wise, it upsets the balance on that is all I'm saying.

There are a number of cooling techniques that I've seen research on the could be used. Liquid Micro-channels, vibrating heat sinks etc. They could come up with something, but I'd guess the best it is going to let you do is put 10% more power in there to maybe 60W. There really isn't that many processors to choose from in the 45-60W range.

Which is why I think they may take a 45W part and make a custom production run at a higher clock speed to get better performance but stay within their power thresholds.

 

[fleshman03]

hopefully better then last time.. *glances at his mighty mouse*

I know! I bought my MM even after hearing all the horror stories. After about 1 year and 1 month, the scroll button stopped worked.

Well stopped working isn't exactly what happens. I can scroll up. When I scroll down, the mouse scrolls up.

I'd welcome a better mouse from Apple. I really don't like mice from other companies. They are too bulky or the colors don't match my equipment.

I just want a nice mouse that works from Apple.

 

[ericksgotmac]

All I really want for christmas is...

13" Unibody Macbook Pro (Maybe larger/ a bit thicker 15")
Quad-Core 1.73GHz able to jump to nearly double GHz
Firewire 3200 (Is this even still reality?)
2x USB 3.0
ExpressCard 2.0 ( Screw SD Slot!)
eSata/USB Combo port
Back lit keyboard
Blu-Ray drive
Mini Display Port
Dedicated Graphics Card

Ability to combine integrated graphics with graphics card to boost performance!

Option to have either a second HDD (SDD) instead of a optical drive internal and have the blu-ray drive in a Apple-isc enclosure with USB 3.0/eSata/ or FireWire 3200 connection O.O.... I'd pay $2000 for that baby ;]

 

[billystlyes]

Really? Front page new worthy? These tiresome rumors are thinner than cheap toilet paper.

 

[jayducharme]

New Mouse Please

Oh please, oh please, please, PLEASE let there be a new mouse. The first thing I do when I get a Mac is toss the miserable Mighty Mouse in the trash in favor of a cheap Logitech. The MM is extremely uncomfortable to use and the finger sensors are a pain. I've never understood why Apple has stuck with that design for so long. Give me a nice big multi-touch trackpad like on the new Macbooks and I'll be happy.

 

[HuckFoley]

There are a number of cooling techniques that I've seen research on the could be used. Liquid Micro-channels, vibrating heat sinks etc. They could come up with something, but I'd guess the best it is going to let you do is put 10% more power in there to maybe 60W. There really isn't that many processors to choose from in the 45-60W range.

Which is why I think they may take a 45W part and make a custom production run at a higher clock speed to get better performance but stay within their power thresholds.

I agree with you to an extent, cooling solution have be tried by everyone with varying degrees of success.

Any engineering guys want to crunch any numbers?

Here is the patent back in early 2008:
https://forums.macrumors.com/show
thread.php?t=610277

another possibly more useful link: http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/12/02/apple-patent-for-liquid-cooled-portable-computer-submitted/

 

[cult hero]

At first I thought a new mouse would be a good thing, but then I remembered what Apple did to my track pad.

What did they do? The 2008+ (buttonless) trackpads are the coolest trackpads on the planet.

 

[mags631]

Really? Front page new worthy? These tiresome rumors are thinner than cheap toilet paper.

To think, rumors on a site called "MacRumors"...

 

[lanceh5]

Four cores??

Four cores! I will buy. The money is ready.

 

[currentinterest]

If indeed they sell a 4 core iMac, I will buy two. One for me and one for my son. Four RAM slots would clinch it.

 

[DUSTmurph]

just throw 2 of them bad boys in there and make it an octo-core imac.

 

[powers74]

SD sluts

Is it just me who doesn't really use the SD card slots?

Yeah, I;m not sure who uses those things. I'd just as soon use a USB card reader, convenient, cheap & versitile. But what I generally wind up doing is leaving the mini USB cord plugged in as many pictures as I take.

 

[fruitpunch.ben]

No Need To Be Thinner!!!

I don't understand why (if in fact they are) Apple would care so much about making it thinner. I understand the obsession with iPod's, phones and even laptops, because these are things people carry around. An iMac is a DESKTOP Apple!!! It doesn't need to be an inch thick. Make it as thick as you like, just give me decent CPU's and GPU's for the money!

 

[tjcampbell]

What's the big deal over an SD card reader? Woop-dee-doo. It's not like everyone uses SD and if it's a desktop there's more than enough space for a mutliread thumb drive.

 

[bretm]

I know! I bought my MM even after hearing all the horror stories. After about 1 year and 1 month, the scroll button stopped worked.

Well stopped working isn't exactly what happens. I can scroll up. When I scroll down, the mouse scrolls up.

I'd welcome a better mouse from Apple. I really don't like mice from other companies. They are too bulky or the colors don't match my equipment.

I just want a nice mouse that works from Apple.

Flip it over on a blank piece of paper and roll it around. It works. Thats what apple recommends, and it seems to work just fine. I have 2. Cant use any other mouse. I think its one of their best inventions myself.

 

[archer75]

An i7 with a good video card and i'll buy one!

 

[Clix Pix]

I agree about the SD card. I shoot with several cameras, a couple of which use CF cards, a couple of which use SD cards and one which uses an xD card. I have a FW 800 card reader for the CF cards and a pretty fast little UDMA USB port card reader for the SD cards, plus a separate card reader that handles the infrequent images I shoot with that weird little xD card. I don't need or want a card reader in my computer. Actually, my printer has those card slots in it but I've never even bothered to try it out. I'm perfectly happy using the current card readers I've got -- no biggie to plug whichever one I need into the computer at the time I'm ready to download from card into computer.....

As for mice, I love my wireless MM! Have no problems with it and love the design!

 

[ventro]

What's the big deal over an SD card reader? Woop-dee-doo. It's not like everyone uses SD and if it's a desktop there's more than enough space for a mutliread thumb drive.

Because the SD card slot in the MBPs can be booted off of. That's pretty useful. You could run a windows install off of it.

 

[jonnysods]

I totally want to get a job as an Analyst on Apple future product updates:

"sometime in the future Apple is going to release a new iMac, sometime in the next year, and it's going to have better things in it than the previous one."

Wow. Thanks Nostradamus.

 

[Sehnsucht]

I totally want to get a job as an Analyst on Apple future product updates:

"sometime in the future Apple is going to release a new iMac, sometime in the next year, and it's going to have better things in it than the previous one."

Wow. Thanks Nostradamus.

I lol'd.

 

[macintoshtoffy]

Is it just me who doesn't really use the SD card slots?

Not just you; some of us people who are sane have USB cables that don't require the removal of the card, inserting it, and doing the drag 'n drop dance.

I can't work out what is up with this SDCard fetish, it isn't as though a USB cable is an endangered species - or is this SDCard fetish a byproduct of this stupid idea that 'cables are old' and anything that replaces a cable (bluetooth, wifi etc) is automatically more modern and superior.

 

[Shanpdx]

All I really want for christmas is...

13" Unibody Macbook Pro (Maybe larger/ a bit thicker 15")
Quad-Core 1.73GHz able to jump to nearly double GHz
Firewire 3200 (Is this even still reality?)
2x USB 3.0
ExpressCard 2.0 ( Screw SD Slot!)
eSata/USB Combo port
Back lit keyboard
Blu-Ray drive
Mini Display Port
Dedicated Graphics Card

Ability to combine integrated graphics with graphics card to boost performance!

Option to have either a second HDD (SDD) instead of a optical drive internal and have the blu-ray drive in a Apple-isc enclosure with USB 3.0/eSata/ or FireWire 3200 connection O.O.... I'd pay $2000 for that baby ;]

Current Quad Core i7s battery life is about 90 mins, even if snow leopard efficiency and better battery, it will be only about 4 hours which is lower than the current 7 hour advertised by apple.

wait for Core i5 with 25/35 watts for the macbooks.

the only place Quad core i7s might go is 17" macbook pro ...

 

[Rocketman]

Why does Apple continue to shaft CF Cards. Don't they know a lot of Mac users use pro-sumer grade DSLR's??? Sigh.

They have a thin form factor so selected the ONE form factor that is the most popular. I don't use SD cards on my photography equipment anymore, so I see your point. I use a USB dongle called Targus TGR-CRD25. It reads and writes MS (memory stick, typically Sony), CF, XD, SD. I have never used the XD slot. I think I actually bought it at Rite-Aid which is a popular drug store like Sav-On or Walgreen's.

Apple providing the SD slot is a convenience item that I am sure the vast majority of users appreciate. They certainly market tested it before adding it. That market testing may put Firewire at risk.

I wish Apple simply read more video camera file formats out of the box and backward compatible a couple of generations of cameras and computers. I can wish for Unicorns too if I want.

Rocketman

 

[blackhand1001]

The only thing a Xeon in an iMac makes sense is if they go and build an iMac pro - essentially segregating the iMac into two lines like the laptops.

iMac: C2D 2.6-3GHz, 4GB, etc for $999-$1699
iMac Pro: Low power Xeon L3426 45W 4C/8T with turbo boost (1.86->3.2GHz in Turbo 1 core) for $1999 (the CPU is only $300 and its designed for 1U server applications which is about the same thermal performance of an iMac)

It could happen its not physically impossible to cram that chip in there...

The only way a xeon makes sense is in a dual socket config. Otherwise its a bunch of wasted money and the desktop version would perform just as well.

 

[Chundles]

Not just you; some of us people who are sane have USB cables that don't require the removal of the card, inserting it, and doing the drag 'n drop dance.

I can't work out what is up with this SDCard fetish, it isn't as though a USB cable is an endangered species - or is this SDCard fetish a byproduct of this stupid idea that 'cables are old' and anything that replaces a cable (bluetooth, wifi etc) is automatically more modern and superior.

Most cameras are USB 1.1 - the card readers are MUCH faster. Many newer DSLR cameras shoot to SD cards now and transferring data over the USb cable can be awfully slow.

The card slot isn't a replacement for a FW800 card reader with UDMA cards but it's a damned sight better than the slow cable connection from the camera.