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Redesigned iMac?

New iMacs.

I don't know how many of you all have noticed, but the latest greatest George Foreman Grills have been copping the old iMac colors -- strawberry, blueberry, etc.

Some see this as a blatant attempt at cashing in on a (fading) fad, and sowing user confusion. I mean, we *all* know at least one person who came home with their oh-so-conveniently-sized box, plugged in what they thought was an iBook, sat down on their couch for a little wireless internet surfing, and got the surprise of their life when they found their iBook's keyboard had been replaced with a flesh-searing grill, right?

Well, anyways. That's what they *want* you to think.

You see, that was really just Step One in the Apple takeover of the George Foreman Grill company. Step Two is Total Integration.

The New iMac will sport not one, not two, but *8* G5 processors. No fans, just one gloriously heat-disspating teflon-lined surface. The juices just drip away, leaving lean, mean, and above all nutritious grilled foods in your new iMac.

But wait! There's More!

Not only will you be able to grill with your new iMac, but you'll also be able to burn CDs and DVDs just like the pros! Simply insert your raw CD into the top slot of your new iMac, wait ten seconds, flip the CD, wait ten seconds more, and you'll have one satisfyingly burnt disk, perfect for parties!

Call now! Supplies are limitted!



* Product not advised for computing applications. Contents may be hot; use caution while opening. The George Foreman Apple Computer Inc Company hereby resolves itself of any and all responsibility for lost, cauterized, charred, or otherwise damaged fingers, toes, arms, thighs, and other body parts, not excluding the eyes, nose, and throat. Please avoid computing in your underwear.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: ok

Originally posted by Moonlight
actually to get a comparable Dell it is about $1479, not $999 and it is butt ugly!
Click to expand...
Don't forget to add in the all the Dell equivalents to the iLife software:
iTunes - Dell Jukebox PLUS +$20
iPhoto - Dell Picture Studio, Image Expert Premium +$30
iMovie - Dell Movie Studio Plus +$90
iDVD - MyDVD Dlx +$30
That is an extra $170 in software that comes with the iMac.
Pretty good deal if you ask me.
 
Re: Re: Re: ok

Originally posted by BOOMBA
I think ALL Apple users should realize that we are paying almost 0.5 to 2 times what it costs for a PC across the board to buy a similar MAC. And aside from the G5 towers, we are still getting spanked in performance.
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... and still we can't wait to buy them!:D

I really hate all this talk about Macs vs "similar" PCs.
THERE ARE NO SIMILAR PCs! Maybe performance- and speed-wise, but Mac-buyers are buying much more than just MHz!

Apple knows this, and know how to make money on it.
 
Re: Headless Macs

Originally posted by FlamDrag
Everyone that wants a basic no-frills headless mac that costs less than $1000...

just get an iBook. Plug in your monitor and go.

G4's will not be gone by this time next year. Sorry.

G5 iBooks next year? SURE. :rolleyes: I'm not saying that it couldn't happen, but I seriously doubt it.

THey would have to have 2-3 GHz PM's (alleged to be the plan)
1ish Ghz PB's and iMacs

800mhz G5 iBooks... I find this highly improbable.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry buddy, but without Altivec, you're not even close to competing with what $1000 can buy you on the PC side. Forget about gaming altogether.
 
Random thoughts, out of order...

1) Nintendo can't sell the system for $99 and make money, since it costs them more to build it. Unless Apple wants to charge licensing fees just to create software for the platform, they can't realistically drop hardware prices. They just don't have the iron grip on their software market that Nintendo does, and if they did they would kill it.

2) Wireless displays running Remote Desktop are suitable for applications but can't do any real multimedia (video, games, etc) due to bandwidth restrictions. I use Remote Desktop for OS X at work to log into a Win2k server to run the Windows-only apps that we need, and performance is definitely better than Virtual PC, but the screen refresh is visible even over 100Mb ethernet. In fact, we use one 1.8Ghz Gateway desktop and a dozen old iMacs to do work that would have required us to buy a dozen new PCs. We dodged that bullet...

3) The handheld PDA market is dead. Cellphone convergence is here, which will meet the needs of 95% of all consumers. There will be a niche demand for a handheld multimedia system with some computer functions, but it will not be a mass-market item. There's a point where you just buy a 12" laptop, because it can do so much more. I don't expect Apple to create another device between the iPod and 12" laptop unless they decide to really move into the whole multimedia thing, which brings me to...

4) Maybe they are going to integrate video recording and playback, like with Microsoft's Media Center thingy? Then you can download movies via iTunes or a similar service and keep track of all of your shows, burning them to DVD for storage... That would be a box I would buy, because I know it would just work, unlike the Windows ones which will run into the horrors of open hardware platforms...
 
Re: Re: Re: It's got to have a G5 and be under $1500

Originally posted by FlamDrag
Hey, finally, someone who understands Apple.

Before people start spewing "THE iPOD IS FOR THE MASSES" no, it's much more elitist and expensive than the other options.
Click to expand...

If you don't think that Apple is advertising the iPod for the masses, you haven't seen a billboard recently or turned on your TV. Sure, it's expensive, but make no bones about it, apple is trying to monopolize the mp3 player market, for the masses.
 
It would be a major revision if they got them up to speed. The 17" model costs a fortune and although the screen is very nice, it doesn't present a balanced system with its slow processor.

I certainly think that they should spend R&D money on improving performance rather than improving what is already by far the best industrial design of any consumer computer.
 
Originally posted by plinkoman
it has got to have a G5 in it, why the hell would they go through all the work of redesigning it, just to have to redesign it again 6 months to a year later to accomodate the G5. it'd certainly be alot earlier for the imac then i expected, but if it is true that they are redesigning it, then it is a G5
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If the iMac is going G5 then the G5 Powerbooks must be around the corner. I do not believe for a second that Apple would move the iMac to a G5 and leave the Powerbooks with G4's for any appreciable amount of time.
 
i would say next year will be the year of the G5 --after all this is the future of apple, we will see a shift of all product lines. Moto is on the way out, this isnt a secret and its only logical that powerbooks and imacs move to the g5 in 2004. the g4 isnt bad at 1.25 but since apple charges top price it needs a top cpu and the g4 isnt getting the job done at these slow slow motorola speeds. they really should have had that chip at 2 gigs by now and if they did there would be no complaints but Moto has been napping and dreaming of telephones,cars & appliances while its competitors have been building faster & faster cpu's for computers. Bring on the G5!
 
Actually, it would be possible for iMac to go G5 and leave PB’s at G4 for the next 9 months (which were just upgraded). The iMac is no longer Apple’s lower end desktop, eMac is. I would place iMac as a mid-grade product. Next generation chips usually trickle down from high-end desktops to mid-grade and then onto laptops. It’s a compromise between heat and consumer demand. What else will carry iMac for another two years, G4? When this new iMac is released it will need 2-3 years of product life. Plus a 20" LCD built-in, G5 all for under $1,999 would be killer!
 
a 20 inch lcd on top of the g5 would be killer, then move a flat panel 17inch not wide screen into the emac with faster g4 and everyone will be happy--- but will you be able to upgrade the imac question again!
 
I think the prices should be redesigned. Low is good.
For the love of god bring back some colour.

And offer an alternative to potential pc switchers like me that allready have a monitor.
The eMac imo is just ugly compared to the CRT iMac.

Make some kinda quick g3 cube thing that looks cool and has a decent video card. I don't need a g4 much less a g5. I surf the web and use email. A g3 has enough power for me to do that.
 
I like the white designs very much.
Just had a conversation about the AirPort Extreme Base Station, the design is awesome !

Put two of them side by side, and they look like a pair of boobs !
We were talking about Air-Nippel Extreme, and Wireless erection ( iRection ) !

;)
 
My prediction on new iMac

The iMac is all about style and form factor. It doesn't need the fastest processor or system bus, nor the best video card. But it needs to be able to turn heads and make people want to pay a slight premium to have an iMac sitting on their desk instead of an iBook or PowerBook they can tote around.

So my prediction for the new iMac design is that it'll have a screen that can swivel into horizontal or vertical mode (like the ancient Radius displays). Or as some people have already suggested, a detachable screen like Microsoft's Active Displays, although I think that is less likely. It would be nice if the new iMac had a TV tuner built-in and PVR software that makes Windows Media PCs seem antiquated by comparison.

But a redesign of the iMac should be quite exciting, as right now, the iMac is sorta being squeezed by the PowerBooks and the G5s.
 
Re: Re: Headless Macs

Originally posted by greenstork
I'm sorry buddy, but without Altivec, you're not even close to competing with what $1000 can buy you on the PC side. Forget about gaming altogether.
Click to expand...

Right! Maybe people don't game on the iBook (huh?) but the iMac is supposed to be a contender for the home users -- at MWNY last year there was a row of iMacs running games -- so it's got to be performance-competitive. Not only does the iMac need to get a G5 - and the price maybe go down a little - but the iBook is going to need to get Altivec somehow. The performance differential across the Apple line these days is far too great.
 
Put a CRT on it and it will sell well at WalMart!

the iMac is not the consumer mac that Apple had planned. It's too damn well designed for starters. It is the computer that those with a little more money and sophistication can afford and appreciate. I don't think apple is capable of selling a low brow computer that will appeal to the masses the emac is another example of this. Bad taste sells, cheapen the look of the next imac and watch them sell along with a six pack, 2 litter soda and a shotgun.
 
Macs are more competetively priced than you think. I worked at Dell's call center earlier this year. I could probably count on one hand the number of systems I sold that went out the door for under $1000.




Originally posted by greenstork
Perhaps it's simply a matter of marketing but I would argue that the perception is that Macs are really expensive.

I know that when you price out systems side-by-side Macs are comparably priced, if not cheaper but that doesn't change the fact that the front of the Dell catalog has EVERY SINGLE COMPUTER PRICED BELOW $1000. Now I know it says starting at $399 and that is far from your average price computer heading out the door but they have created a perception.

I mean, it doesn't take a rocket scientists to compare the two. iMac, starting at $1299 vs Dell starting at $399. For what you get, I know it's cheap but I still think they're not going to gain market share with this marketing strategy. Maybe that's not the goal. I could care less if my PC friends buy a Mac. I am simply saying that if the goal is to increase market share, they have to be more aggressive slashing prices and on entry level systems like the iMac.
Click to expand...
 
The look is great, but...

I've always loved the look of the new iMac, but there are a few problems with it in terms of functionality that make me not buy it (my Mom has one, and these are my problems with it):

1) Expansion: I know that Apple is making this cheap, but I would like it to be easier to upgrade RAM or hard drive; to do either, I must flip over the whole computer, screen and all (a dangerous proposition), then perform many surgical operations to change anything.

2) Port-ability: I hate having all the ports on the back; I use a mini-USB flash drive (128MB), and it requires a powered port, so I cannot plug it into the keyboard - I must maneuver around the iMac to get at one of it's ports.

3) Dimensions: The SuperDrive is hard to access if you have limited desk space and must have the keyboard in front of the computer; the little flap comes down and hits the keyboard, jamming up the tray-loading mechanism. I have to hold the keyboard aside whenever I want to put in a disc.

Don't get me wrong; it's a great computer, but it is only truly functional in places like the Apple Store, where they have nice display-tables set up.
 
Since we're wildly speculating :)

I'm voting for a Mac that has 2 parts. 1 part sits under the TV - it looks like a DVD player on the front (and ofcourse plays DVDs to the TV), but with an iPod screen for playing music through the stereo system. It contains a regular mac setup and also has 4 network/firewire ports on the back. Bluetooth remote and a deal with Tivo.

Then comes the monitor in a different room.
Originally posted by lmalave
This is basically exactly how the Viewsonic smart display works. It's basically just a small computer that is running Windows Remote Desktop. The Windows remote desktop has amazing compression, though - I've gotten it to work pretty well even over a 56K modem. Maybe Apple will release a new version of its own Remote Desktop that improves the compression to be more in line with what Windows can achieve now.
Click to expand...
Yep. There could be 2 (or more!) types of terminals
1) wired screens & peripherals (almost identical to current iMac in look but much smaller base!)
2) wireless tablets or laptop-esque designs (require an airport base station?)

Oh did I mention having multiple displays simultaneously?

:)
 
Hmmm, interesting now that Apple LCD’s will be going to 30”. My wife’s initial thought about a 30” computer display was our TV is already 35”, I’ll mount it to a wall! Convergence is the next BIG thing between computing and entertainment. Gateway is selling 42” plasma TV’s, Microsoft is making a HTPC OS…Apple has a responsibility to the industry to get in there and show them how it’s done! The next iMac could fill this market with the wireless ideas in the last post but should be rebranded to perhaps tMac (total Mac).
 
Re: LED display

Originally posted by choogheem
LED/OLED display? G5 processor? I'm just bummed, waiting for a new computer and then finally settling on the new iMac and now a NEW, completely revamped one in 2004. Oh well - I'm happy with what I've got.
Click to expand...

This rumor is killing me. I planned on ordering a new 17" iMac when Panther was pre-installed but now....

I really want a G5 but I have no room for that beast. A G5 iMac would make me very happy and I could die in peace.

Now contemplating waiting to see what MWSF brings.
 
Re: This is the most reasonable response yet

Originally posted by jocknerd
The G4 is dead. It just can't compete with the Intel/AMD crowd. The consumer market is different than the professional market. Most of the G5 owners are saying that the G4 is perfect for the iMac. Thats BS! Just because its smokes the G4 doesn't mean it should be exclusive to the Power Macs.

Consumers are comparing the iMac to Intel/AMD systems. There is no way 90% of them will buy an iMac with a slow G4 over a 2 Ghz PC that cost half as much.

If Apple IS redesigning the iMac, there is a reason for it. Its going to get the G5. Let me reiterate, the G4 will be history. My guess is that by this time next year, the G4 will be extinct on all new Apple systems.
Click to expand...


I agree, good post. No way is Apple going to redesign the iMac and put a, what??,. a 1.42GHz G4 in it? It's got a 1.25 in it now, a G5 is natural if they want to sell into the consumer market.


Damn this rumor, I would have been happy just ordering my 17" 1.25 next week knowing Panther would be pre-installed.

I guess I'll have to keep myself happy with my new 15GB iPod. 1,259 songs ripped to my iMac and still going.

What can I expect to sell used CDs for? I expect to dump all 350 or so after they're all ripped and backed up.
 
There's been a lot of talk to do with the iMac detaching the monitor. Personally I've always been a fan of the all in one design of the iMac. I have very little desk space, and my 600mhz G3 iMac has done the trick.

I don't have room for a computer and a monitor, that's the price of living on campus...So I love the fact that my computer and my monitor occupy the same space. And I really love the new design, just wish I could afford it. All I want is a dropped price, unless Apple can fit the whole bundle into an even smaller space:)
 
Originally posted by sedarby
If the iMac is going G5 then the G5 Powerbooks must be around the corner. I do not believe for a second that Apple would move the iMac to a G5 and leave the Powerbooks with G4's for any appreciable amount of time.
Click to expand...

I disagree.

Apple, finally, seems to be poised to make some inroads in growing market share. The iPod is a huge success and they aren't making the same mistakes they did with the Newton. (yes, I know Apple didn't invent the portable MP3 market).

The iPod is selling like hot cakes. iT for Windows is tomorrow. If they get this right, and I think they will, it's only natural for Windows iPod users to seriously consider a Mac. An iMac with the latest processor that effectively competes with PCs (speed and price) would be just what these switchers are looking for. Not a $3K G5 tower with monitor. And G5 PowerBooks are a ways off. I think it would be stupid for Apple, poised to make some market share inroads, to bastardize the iMac becasue the G5 PB is probably a year off.

Besides, I would be first on line to buy a G5 iMac.
 
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