Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Upcoming iMac Features/Pricing

i think a hint for the 970 will be an end of line thing with the G4 or at least a significant reduction in price

when the 970 or G5 or whatever comes next comes out, it won't mean the G4 is bad or severely outdated, but it will become the consumer chip for apple

the lcd imac and the emac are already in G4 territory
 
Originally posted by jefhatfield
i think a hint for the 970 will be an end of line thing with the G4 or at least a significant reduction in price

when the 970 or G5 or whatever comes next comes out, it won't mean the G4 is bad or severely outdated, but it will become the consumer chip for apple

the lcd imac and the emac are already in G4 territory
Click to expand...
That's why I think a 970 Cube isn't such a crazy idea. Apple will want a 970 that's more consumer level than the Powermac. That's the Cube!
 
Originally posted by pyrotoaster

That's why I think a 970 Cube isn't such a crazy idea. Apple will want a 970 that's more consumer level than the Powermac. That's the Cube!
Click to expand...

i am dying for a cube. those things were the coolest computers apple ever made, i think. even cooler than the LCD iMac. something like that turns heads. i personally dislike the style of the powermac. it seems so... god, i dunno. they have used that annoying box for so long, changing it only slightly every time. it's not nearly as cool as, well, every other mac design. not that i think they should use a more traditional tower shape. i was thinking something less conventional, yet more of an industrial design, something simple like the cube's, powerbook's and iBook' cubic shape, or the iMacs dome. bah, i dunno. it's an OK design, but it's been how long? shoot, they have used that same box shape since the G3s.
 
Re: DDR vs. SDRAM

Originally posted by edenwaith


First off, welcome to the family.

Essentially, DDR RAM is supposed to be a faster form of RAM (when compared to SDRAM). And with the improvement in technology comes an extra price. DDR RAM tends to be more expensive than SDRAM.

But if you get yourself a newer iMac (whenever those come out), I recommend that you don't buy extra RAM from Apple since their prices are pretty expensive when it comes to RAM. Go to ramseeker.com to find much better prices on RAM. I recently bought a 512 MB SDRAM chip for $44.
Click to expand...
I agree about the prices charged by Apple on the RAM, but on the iMac there is another issue: one of the 2 memory banks is very difficult to access, so it might make sense to upgrade memory (on order) on your iMac up to 512 MB (always specify 1 DIMM) and then put a 3rd party 512MB in the easily accessible bank. Of course that is only if you want to max the RAM out (which is not a bad idea with OSX). But then again some shops are tooled up to open up the iMac to access the inside bank (I wouldn't advise to do it yourself but...) so you can get 3rd party RAM for that bank too.

My 2 cents.

NicoMan
 
Re: Re: Re: Quite unlikely...

Originally posted by Bregalad
FW800 might not make an appearance yet and I don't think Steve or Jonathan Ive would ever put a port on the front of the iMac.

On that note I wonder how often the rest of you unplug your scanner, printer and keyboard. Isn't it much more practical to have all those cords plugged in to the back where they can easily run off the back of the desk, down to the keyboard drawer and, unseen, over to the peripherals? If you have more devices than that you probably already have a hub. Just get an extra cable and leave it plugged into the hub all the time. When you want to plug in your digital camera or PDA or whatever, just grab the end of the cable.
Click to expand...

I agree with you 100%. I also want to add that at there is one free USB port on your keyboard (2 if you plug your mouse at the back) that are very easy to access. Now I know that those are not powered but that will be good enough for most USB gizmos (as we speak my Bluetooth adapter is plugged in the keyboard, 'cause I need to carry it from home to the office often so I prefer to plug it in easily accessible ports on my PowerMac). So I wonder what the fuss is about. And like you said, you can leave the Firewire cable of your iPod plugged permanently at the back...

NicoMan
 
Originally posted by Abstract
Thirdly, if Apple wanted to keep the cost of iMacs below $1999 like many people have stated, and the top end iMac was upgraded to 1Ghz and DDR RAM, this would completely cannabalize the sale of the 1Ghz PowerMac because the 1Ghz iMac would ultimately be a 1Ghz PowerMac with an lcd display included, correct? A 1Ghz Powermac WITH a 17" display would cost $2200, while the equally well equipped iMac would cost $1999. Also, a 17" display bought for a 1Ghz Powermac wouldn't be widescreen, making this configuration more expensive and worse than the iMac.
Click to expand...
I understand what you are saying, and I have to say that DDR SDRAM doesn't seem obvious to me for the next upgrade. However, besides the fact that FW800 is almost sure not to make it in the next revision, there are other considerations for the purchase of a PowerMac:
1. the screen, you might not want to buy a screen with your computer, let alone an Apple LCD. You might have a screen already from your previous computer, or you might need a CRT like the LaCie for colour accuracy or something, or you might want a LCD from a different brand...
2. expandability (for example in my company we run 2, 3 or 4 screen configs and to achieve that i need PCI slots for Radeon 7000 cards)
3. more RAM (even though it is a bit dubious in this instance, because there is a good chance that if you need 2GB of RAM you also need 2 CPUS or something...)

Anyway you get my point.

NicoMan
 
Originally posted by Shadowfax


i am dying for a cube. those things were the coolest computers apple ever made, i think. even cooler than the LCD iMac. something like that turns heads. i personally dislike the style of the powermac. it seems so... god, i dunno. they have used that annoying box for so long, changing it only slightly every time. it's not nearly as cool as, well, every other mac design. not that i think they should use a more traditional tower shape. i was thinking something less conventional, yet more of an industrial design, something simple like the cube's, powerbook's and iBook' cubic shape, or the iMacs dome. bah, i dunno. it's an OK design, but it's been how long? shoot, they have used that same box shape since the G3s.
Click to expand...

The cube is another Apple development that was before its time and is now making money in the PC world.

Check out Shuttle's systems:

http://www.shuttle.com/

This is a small Taiwanese PC maker - who have cornered the market in small PC systems. They expect to ship 500000 of these things this year (shipped 200000 last year). These are respectable volumes!!!

The G4s are unnecessarily large for most folks, and the iMacs are an upgrade dead end. It should be possible to make something shuttle-sized but much cooler, with a graphics and PCI card slot, and space for a spare disk. I'd buy it!!
 
while I think its a bad idea to move the ports to the front of the iMac, I think one thing should be....The power button. it seems strange having to reach round to switch it on. I think a better idea would be to have a power switch on the screen like the lcd displays that glows blue when you touch it or possibly built into the apple logo with the same nice blue hue coming out the edges of the logo when you switch it on. It would be nice to have the powerbook style keyboard too so that you can still see the keys when it suddenly gets dark and for it to be bluetooth to remove the wire clutter. I'd like the mouse glow to be blue too but i dunno if it is possible or wether it has to be red?
 
How about a motorized screen?

Originally posted by MacKid


Well, Apple's tradition is to change the form-function of a product every 2-3 years, and I think, although it may be very unlikely. . . .

THE RUMORED DETATCHABLE SCREEN!!!!!

J/K:D
Click to expand...


I personally think a pivot screen is far more likely than a detachable one, for a couple of reasons:

a) The automatic screen flip software already exists on non-Apple LCD's, so all that's really needed is some reengineering of the arm's stop to allow it to rotate 90 degrees of pivoting, verify that the hidden wiring harness can tolerate the twist, an orientation sensor (tiny), and a software extension. IMO, this is all a "piece of cake" to pull off.

b) Detatchable means yet another unique/proprietary I/O plug for Apple to support, and the higher production costs that come along with it. But what's really going to hold it back is that the cost of the LCD screen is no longer as nicely hidden within the base unit's cost: it will be difficult for them to NOT have a base + 17" that exceeds the current cost for the same non-detachable system.


FWIW, if you wanted a "neato-gizmo" that can distract customers from MHz issues and that's not really a major form factor change, add a couple of small servo motors to the arm assembly, and control them with a software update.

The idea is to make the screen able to automatically adjust to the user's preferred location/orientation, just like how new luxury cars adjust your seat position, steering wheel, and rearview mirrors for different drivers based on settings kept in memory that are identified with the chip in the car key.

So your iMac's screen "pulls back" when you log out/shutdown, and as different users log in, the screen moves to the height & orientation that each user has identified as their personal preference.



-hh
 
Originally posted by Abstract
For all the people who have said that a 20" iMac won't happen because the screen is too big in comparison to the base of the iMac are correct. When you look at the iMac, you think its beautiful partly due to the ratio of the dimemsions of the system, and the ratio of the size of the base with the rest of the system. Ever heard of the golden ratio? An iMac with a 20" monitor will not be perceived as beautiful, and so it will not be made. Have you ever seen a girl with a perfect body, beautiful face, but a head the size of a small planet? No, and if you did, you wouldn't think she's pretty even though her individual features are "perfect". Same applies here.
Click to expand...

I disagree. The shoulder to waist ratio, commonly referred to as the "V" taper, is the most sought after physical feature in health clubs across the country. It is one of the things women find most physically attractive in a man.

That taper in the femal form also accentuates her hips, however large or small. Shoulderpads in womens blouses and jackets aren't for playing football you know... :D

Seriously though, I feel the current iMac is bottom heavy but not terribly so. As a matter of fact, I was shocked when I first got a chance to play with a 17" iMac. It was clear to me that photos of iMacs have disguised the disproportionately large base (my opinion of course, see photos) I would gobble up a 20", 19", or 18" iMac under $2500 with AE, BT, and FW800 in a second.

Typical photo at Apple.com
 

Attachments

  • imacs.jpg
    imacs.jpg
    4 KB · Views: 837
Originally posted by MorganX
More accurate bottom-heavy pic from igo4mac
Click to expand...
That's not really fair, the picture is taken from the side. Of course it is going to look bottom-heavy from that angle... (you know I'm talking about the iMac, don't you?).
Seriously, I agree the base is quite big, but if you look at it as if you were in a typing position, then the proportions are quite good.

NicoMan
 
i have a bad back so i can only compute lying on my back...i didn't quite have the money for a 14 inch ibook, so i got an lcd imac

the only problem is when i rest the imac on my stomach, it gets a little heavy at times so i can't eat before i compute. plus i have a pet pig that also likes to lay on me next to the imac because she likes the vibe of the computer

all in all, i have about 100 pounds total resting on me when i boot up
 
I just got a call from Lisa from Apple. She said that in a few days there will be more 17" iMacs in stock and she can help me get one then. She also said that when those shipments come in, she can help me get a "price-break." Is this a sign?
 
Where did you get the photo of that iMac and the interesting desk that seems built for it? Does it include the girl ;)
 
Price Break and Buying on Tuesday

Hey Funky, how can Lisa from Apple give you a price break?

QUESTION FOR ALL: If I want to buy the new iMac on Tuesday, assuming that they are introduced that day - will the Apple stores have them in stock, and if so, should I go there early .. or will they have sufficient stocks in place?

Finally, is it possible to get a price break at the store? Or are there discounts, etc. available?

I want to SWITCH!!!!

In addition, I want a really good color photo printer. Should I buy one from Apple or online? If so, which should I buy - I'd like it to do larger format color prints as well - and would like it to be fantastic quality!

And a scanner.. want to get one of those as well. Don't need the best, but want a good one.
 
Originally posted by sammy
Where did you get the photo of that iMac and the interesting desk that seems built for it? Does it include the girl ;)
Click to expand...

Igo4mac.com, it is built for the iMac.
 
Folks, I just called up the manager of the Oakbrook Center Apple Store in Oakbrook, IL, to ask about the iMacs..

I phrased the question as "if Apple announces a new iMac on Tuesday, would you have them in stock, or in another way, if Apple announces a new product on a particular day, do you have it in stock that day?"

His response was that he always hears that something is coming in, and he hasn't heard that this week, meaning that he would have heard by today about it...

Is he bluffing? Is Apple not going to announce on the 4th? Thoughts?
 
Re: Price Break and Buying on Tuesday

Originally posted by SwitchHitter
Hey Funky, how can Lisa from Apple give you a price break?

QUESTION FOR ALL: If I want to buy the new iMac on Tuesday, assuming that they are introduced that day - will the Apple stores have them in stock, and if so, should I go there early .. or will they have sufficient stocks in place?
Click to expand...

NO.

I went to an Apple store in NY (Palisades) the day that the iBook 800 was released... every employee there said "there is a new iBook? cool. no we don't have any." and they didn't for a few days. :(
 
Originally posted by SwitchHitter

Is he bluffing? Is Apple not going to announce on the 4th? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Announce has nothing to due with when they ship.

Think of the PB 17" announcement if you need a reference.
 
Re: Price Break and Buying on Tuesday

Originally posted by SwitchHitter
Hey Funky, how can Lisa from Apple give you a price break?
Click to expand...
She was trying to get to buy one. But all she claims I needed to do was call the Apple Store Hotline, and enter her extension.

Marketing.....:rolleyes:
 
The 17 inch PB

I went to the Soho store to buy a LaCie 80 gig firewire drive, 7200 rpm... their price was pretty good too... $219.... ANWAY.

They had a bunch of 20 inch displays and a couple 12" AlPB but still no 17" AlPB. And they had the new prices on the pwermacs too but I'm not sure if they actually had them in the store.

So going to the store on Tuesday doesn't guarantee that they'll have them in stock... should at least wait for the announcement and call the store before you go.

Also... an apple store person there siad that only the powermacs and powerbooks can connect to the 20inch LCD... seemed wrong... does anyone connect their iBooks to the Apple displays?
 
What will the graphics chipset be?

Reading this thread has been very informative. But one thing no one has mentioned/discussed is what new graphics chipset will be in the iMac update (assuming they come on the 4th). Any ideas as to what one, how much VRAM, etc.?

Peace.
 
A few things to think about

Some of these things have already been mentioned, some of them haven't. . .

First, there seems to be, in this forum, a belief amongst a lot of people that we just need bigger and bigger monitors. Now, I can understand where this comes from, but the design of the iMac doesn't seem, to me at least, to lend itself to having a huge monitor. Anyway, everyone has to come to terms with the fact that monitors are going to reach a relative maximum on size, and that for a long time, dimensions will stay relatively stagnant. Then monitor manufacturers will work on getting other features, like refresh rates, resolution, etc., as high as possible. That's when we'll see more focus on quality as opposed to quantity.

The same is true with processors. Even Moore's law is liable to go wrong one of these days. You simply can't vibrate a piece of silicon at infinite speeds. There is a point when the energy necessary and the sheer physics of the silicon are going to make it impossible. . .I could be wrong, but that's how it seems to me.

Nonetheless, I'd say we'll probably get updates on the iMac for sheer marketing reasons. When people look at the G4 vs. the iMac, a lot of the times they don't think about the fact that you have to throw in a monitor with the G4, making the iMac a better deal. They see the fact that the pro line, with a lot of better features than the iMac, is going for a similar (if not cheaper) rate. We talk a lot about lower line modifications suggesting pro line boosts, but we must remember that pro line price cuts and performance boosts demand the same of the lower lines. If there is too much overlap, people will go for something slightly better and neglect the iMac line. Apple would never do this, because the new iMacs have gotten Apple a lot of publicity and a lot of revenue: <b>As always, Apple is going to ride their success out.</b> We saw it with the original iMacs. They totally exhausted the possibilities of odd-colored computers in that shape before they decided to move on: It doesn't take a lot of R&D to come up with a Flower Power color scheme (blech!). . .

the Sunflower iMac still has a LOT of potential. Don't expect to see Apple losing considerable revenue on it through an imbalance in the product offerings. The last thing Apple wants to say at the end of the quarter is that Sunflower iMac sales are down--It wants to emphasize that that design is the most innovative design of anything ever. . .

But this could all be wrong, and it probably is!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back