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Updated iMac and eMac in April?

Hmmmm

I think the new iMacs need the following things

Bigger Screens:
17", 20" and a 23" (30" (i know its impossible) :eek: ?)

Graphic Card:
iMacs really need an upgrade to something more powerfull or something with at least 128mb onboard RAM

Speed:
Speed bumps of 200mhz wont be noticable, so there is no point in upgrading the speed unless its 500mhz or above (2.5ghz iMacs would be nice :eek: )

RAM:
Is OS X a RAM hog? does the wonderful display eat all the RAM? is 256mb sufice for multitasking? if not 512mb (or more) RAM is a MUST!

Accesories:
Wireless Keyboard and Mouse would be great (as standard)
Integrated iSight?
Speakers?

any thoughts?
 
Uma888 said:
Hmmmm

I think the new iMacs need the following things

Bigger Screens:
17", 20" and a 23" (30" (i know its impossible) :eek: ?)

Graphic Card:
iMacs really need an upgrade to something more powerfull or something with at least 128mb onboard RAM

Speed:
Speed bumps of 200mhz wont be noticable, so there is no point in upgrading the speed unless its 500mhz or above (2.5ghz iMacs would be nice :eek: )

RAM:
Is OS X a RAM hog? does the wonderful display eat all the RAM? is 256mb sufice for multitasking? if not 512mb (or more) RAM is a MUST!

Accesories:
Wireless Keyboard and Mouse would be great (as standard)
Integrated iSight?
Speakers?

any thoughts?
Click to expand...

My thoughts? 23" highly doubtful. 30" NO WAY! While I'd like as much screen as possible the 20" just "seems right." Balanced. I don't know I just don't see anything with the screen happening.

Graphics cards maybe. I see a low end 128MB as a possibility. I really don't play games on my Mac so I'm on the fence. However I do want it to be able to handle all Tiger can throw at it so I'd like a bump there.

Processor speed bumps and RAM seem like the most logical. Unless there's an update to the PM's I don't see it going to 2.5 but a 2Ghz seems logical. True it might not be that much but there's probably more people like me that are just waiting for them to push the 2Ghz barrier to buy.

RAM is almost a no brainer. 256MB this day and age is a joke.

Wireless keyboard will probably still be an option. I don't see that many people clammering for it plus it's a decent deal to go with the BT package now.

Integrated iSight is interesting. That would be cool.
 
crawdad62 said:
RAM is almost a no brainer. 256MB this day and age is a joke.
Click to expand...

Who ever thought that 256MB wouldn't be enough RAM to run their computer at top speed? I imagine it won't belong before 512MB is insufficient.

My first RAM upgrade experience was in 1991. I doubled my MacPlus memory from 1MB to 2MB! The 1MB upgrade cost me $300! And if you never had the experience of opening up a case on a MacPlus and wriggling your hands & fingers down past the sharp edges of the CRT to reach and retrieve the deeply embedded RAM card - boy did you miss out on a good time! :D
 
Apple might just surprise us with a 23" model. Which would come with a higher end graphic card.

Can't Apple not introducing 512 MB of RAM on all models.
 
wdlove said:
Apple might just surprise us with a 23" model. Which would come with a higher end graphic card.

Can't Apple not introducing 512 MB of RAM on all models.
Click to expand...

This could happen, but wouldn't it be much higher priced than the Power Mac line?
At the very least I could see it eating into the sales of the bottom end PMs
 
~loserman~ said:
This could happen, but wouldn't it be much higher priced than the Power Mac line?
At the very least I could see it eating into the sales of the bottom end PMs
Click to expand...

Yes, the price would be higher. The positive side is would have the built in LCD. It would be a big sell for those that want the real estate without the big foot print.
 
I don't see this happening. A Mac mini paired with a 23" LCD makes more sense, especially if you don't want to pay for Apple's premium on their monitors. At a certain point, a too big of an LCD is a detriment, since the LCD will likely outlast the computer housed inside.
 
wdlove said:
Yes, the price would be higher. The positive side is would have the built in LCD. It would be a big sell for those that want the real estate without the big foot print.
Click to expand...

Given the size increase of an iMac compared to the monitor it would probably be about as big as the 30 inch too.

I personally like the current iMac but don't like the wide White space at the bottom.
 
Lacero said:
A Mac mini paired with a 23" LCD makes more sense, especially if you don't want to pay for Apple's premium on their monitors. At a certain point, a too big of an LCD is a detriment, since the LCD will likely outlast the computer housed inside.
Click to expand...


My thoughts exactly! It'd be much better to buy the CPU and monitor separately when considering anything over 20-inches. :eek:
 
Although a 23" model would be AWESOME, I couldn't imagine something that large on that seemingly small footprint....of course, the 30" cinema display sits on roughly the same size pedestal, but the size/weight of a 23" imac would just make me nervous...

On a daily basis, my dog bumps into the computer desk on his way to biting my socks- I couldn't imagine the thoughts I would have if the thing toppled.... ;)
 
The Black Rock said:
No one knows. Apple hasn't really referred to Core Video much. They showed it off at WWDC last year. You can still find the video online at Apple's site. If you're looking on the QT clip go to the part with Phil Schiller and the "Electric Zebras".

I figure the next thing they put up on their developer pages will be Core Video stuff, just in time for NAB. After that it's Core Data... probably.

In case you need a visual cue to remember it, think of the open glass sphere from Core Audio except green rather than orange.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

But will core video be a big thing and will it require a lot of power... "the current iMac/PM are they good enough for this and the furtue :confused:
 
RAM

Heh heh..... all this talk of 512MB RAM a MUST!!! My mac (233MHz Beige G3) had 32MB until a month or 2 ago - and I ran OSX on it.... but now i have 288MB (due to a bit of mac cannibalism).

Soon to be the owner of an almost free iMac for dyslexia award - but will wait for updates, i think!

doc
 
the dr said:
Heh heh..... all this talk of 512MB RAM a MUST!!! My mac (233MHz Beige G3) had 32MB until a month or 2 ago - and I ran OSX on it.... but now i have 288MB (due to a bit of mac cannibalism).

Soon to be the owner of an almost free iMac for dyslexia award - but will wait for updates, i think!

doc
Click to expand...

That is awesome. Do you have dyslexia or have you done work on dyslexia to win this award?
 
What can be expected of course are upgraded video chips to be compatible with the features in Tiger. If Apple doesn't do this, then they are truly eff'd up.
 
dyslexia

I (supposedly) am dyslexic, however, may or may not know a little bit about the test that they use for the diagnosis (Wechsler adult intelligence scale)... ;)

They decided I was eligable for a free computer in December but have been dragging it out as I thought it couldn't be long until the upgrades and graphics cards in current models are crap la la la.... etc. - you all know that anyways.

so yeah - the UK government pays for my stuff (computer / printer / scanner / 'Digital voice recorder' (read iPod) for being a disabled student..... :D :D :D

doc
 
~loserman~ said:
Nah it won't require a lot of Power just about 200 to 250 watts :)
Click to expand...

I meant power in "Speed/ power of the hardware" it's capabilities like a chip's power and ++ ;)
 
BenRoethig said:
In theory, yes. Apple hasn't made it easy for upgraders though. You have to reprogram the fans somehow.
Click to expand...

Apple could make the whole upgrade process easier by designing boards that can simply be slid out of the system, similar to the way the 6500 did it...
 
Yes, but then you wouldnt have to buy a whole new system from Apple. I'm sure Apple really isnt too concerned about this as they would rather you just buy a brand new computer
 
thorshammer88 said:
Yes, but then you wouldnt have to buy a whole new system from Apple. I'm sure Apple really isnt too concerned about this as they would rather you just buy a brand new computer
Click to expand...


True, very true.

From Apples standpoint third-party processor upgrades only take away from the bottom line. It is in the companies interest to make it more dificult to artificially extend the useful life of a Mac. Making it easy for outside companies to develop upgrades simply looses them money. Apple has to walk the fine line between discouraging the upgrade-trend and keeping consumers satified that they got a long-term value.
 
Sunrunner said:
True, very true.

From Apples standpoint third-party processor upgrades only take away from the bottom line. It is in the companies interest to make it more difficult to artificially extend the useful life of a Mac. Making it easy for outside companies to develop upgrades simply looses them money. Apple has to walk the fine line between discouraging the upgrade-trend and keeping consumers satisfied that they got a long-term value.
Click to expand...

Apple and the upgrade suppliers are both in the business of making money. The average Mac user doesn't have the technical ability to install an upgrade.

It seems that this thread has gone off topic of talking about and updated iMac & eMac in April.
 
While CPU upgrades may seem to be a better deal, in fact, the cost/value ratio is lowering than buying new. If you only upgrade once every 4 years, it makes better financial sense to buy new than just upgrade.
 
Lacero said:
While CPU upgrades may seem to be a better deal, in fact, the cost/value ratio is lowering than buying new. If you only upgrade once every 4 years, it makes better financial sense to buy new than just upgrade.
Click to expand...

Thank you, I happy to know that my view is correct. I always thought that just upgrading still leaves an owner with older technology. Most times My up grades are four years apart, so I'm in the market now.
 
If they upgrade the video card, all is well. IF they don't, it doesn't matter what they do with the lil speed bump. :cool:
 
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