What to expect from iMac 2012 - Discussion

[Digital Skunk]

Unless internet subscriptions become free (or really, really cheap) WITHOUT download limits, physical media will continue to exist.
Furthermore, I'm part of an 'older' generation (42 years old) and I still prefer to buy my music on CD, rather than on iTunes. Same with DVD's and BluRay.
A digital download has no value for me. There's no difference between a legally downloaded music album and a pirated one, there's nothing you can actually 'touch'...

I agree but I do see the external ODD serving that need for many. I too prefer to have physical media as backups and for software installs, but the majority, the consumer cash cow for the tech industry, sees it differently.

There will be a time when Apple's $100 external ODD will be an additional purchase for much of the lineup . . . . save for the Mac Pro and iMac.

The ODD is a dinosaur. I know no one that uses one anymore. I think they are likely to kill it and I hope they do.

Dont' worry, plenty of people use it on a daily basis. Multiple times a day. And make their living off of them. And the ODD will still be in certain Mac models for a good while.

 

[Icaras]

I agree, although the MBA never had an ODD to remove. You can pretty much bet that the ODD will be gone from the laptops very soon, hopefully replaced by another HDD/SSD slot or at least more ports on the 17" model.

I do however doubt that the last vestiges of the desktop computer will have it for a few more years to come, (i.e. the iMac and MacPro.) I can see the 21.5" lossing the ODD, but if Apple is going to continue to push the 27" iMac as a professional workstation then it's going to need that ODD.

The Mac Pro will never and should never lose it's ODDs, or at the very least, keep the slots and allow the end user to choose what to put in it.

Skunk, that's a great compromise to consider. I think I would agree with that idea. Removing it from the 21.5" but keeping it for the 27" to remain as an attractive solution to the Mac Pro makes a lot of sense. The only thing that I find potentially troublesome is a bit of fragmentation in the product line. Each Mac product line is consistent and either has the ODD or not. Perhaps enter the new "iMac Pro" (27" with ODD) and "iMac Air" (21.5" without ODD)?

 

[Digital Skunk]

Skunk, that's a great compromise to consider. I think I would agree with that idea. Removing it from the 21.5" but keeping it for the 27" to remain as an attractive solution to the Mac Pro makes a lot of sense. The only thing that I find potentially troublesome is a bit of fragmentation in the product line. Each Mac product line is consistent and either has the ODD or not. Perhaps enter the new "iMac Pro" (27" with ODD) and "iMac Air" (21.5" without ODD)?

I don't think fragmentation would be an issue. Apple's history shows that they've had the same kind of lineup for almost a decade.

They used to sell many laptops with only a CD burner on the low end, and offer the higher end of the same model with a DVD burner. Just recently the Mac Mini had an ODD and the Mini Server didn't.

But, looking at your concern would leave me to ponder Apple just keeping the ODD in the iMac and Mac Pro. Leaving it out of the portables and the Mini only.

 

[beosound3200]

Unless internet subscriptions become free (or really, really cheap) WITHOUT download limits, physical media will continue to exist.
Furthermore, I'm part of an 'older' generation (42 years old) and I still prefer to buy my music on CD, rather than on iTunes. Same with DVD's and BluRay.
A digital download has no value for me. There's no difference between a legally downloaded music album and a pirated one, there's nothing you can actually 'touch'...
When you go buy a CD in the shop, you get a nice case, a booklet, etc. The actual experience of 'opening' a new CD or DVD is also part of the buying experience.
It's all in my head, I know, but I guess you'll have to live with physical media a bit longer, at least until most people of my generation are dead and buried

well, i know all the 'pros' of physical media

and i dont think that will be the case, you will be left behind... at least by apple

i hope this wont be the problem in the future, people's habits (the 'older' generation) are often dragging us down, and apple successfully resists those weights, thats why they are the greatest innovators

and yes, physical media will exist for more than 10-15 years down the road, and used by the 'older' generation, but odd will come not integrated but as a separate device which connects via usb (apple already offers one) and for a price

today, if you dont have broadband internet connection, then you probably dont need 2012 computer, especially 2000+ $ one
if someone has 2500$ macbook pro and doesnt have broadband internet connection (with at least 30gb monthly) theres a 99% chance he is mentally challenged, and 30gb is enough for average music/video/surfing/streaming needs, apple knows this things, you can bet on that
in my country, 4mbit with flat is 25$, i mean, you can buy a 2000$ pc but you dont have 25$ per month subscription?

you'll make your life much more easier if you stop being 'older' generation

btw, digitalization of music is a must, people around me have 2000-3000 songs in their music libraries, thats about maybe 500 albums (cds) where would you put 500 cds?

and yeah, why should i buy a whole cd when i like only one-two songs? doesnt make sense

 

[Arel954]

Release date

I asked at the mac store in switzerland when the new imac would be coming out and they told me march 1st, and that it will come with a i7 processor that's all they knew about it. and that it will be the same price as the current ones.

 

[forty2j]

I asked at the mac store in switzerland when the new imac would be coming out and they told me march 1st, and that it will come with a i7 processor that's all they knew about it. and that it will be the same price as the current ones.

I do wonder about their source of this information.. the retail stores are often the last to know.

 

[Arel954]

I do wonder about their source of this information.. the retail stores are often the last to know.

hmm, didnt know that, i just assumed they would know as they were the official apple store, but oh well we'll just wait and see when it does come out

 

[0000757]

no, it will be removed from all mac computers by 2014, so two year time frame

its over, get over it, deal with it

i really dont understand all the fight in this matter? its like apples taking away screens bigger than 13' or a ability to use a mouse

i'm betting that 70% percent mac users use odd 5 times or less a year, and apple knows that, so deal with it

the future of the optical media is blu ray, apple will never adopt blu ray, isnt that telling you something?

macbook air removed it (have been extremely successful, apple knows that), now mac mini removed it, next is macbook pro and then imac, by 2014, so get your mind straight, its about time that you move away from spinning disks for good (ssd, flash, broadband)

Maybe for common household use (I.E. programs and stuff), but it's still a vital part of a computer. Maybe for YOUR use a CD drive isn't practical, but I, along with A LOT of other people that I know as well as probably a lot of people here still use CDs and DVDs on a regular basis. Like it or hate it, optical media is still important. IMO, and it's my opinion, getting rid of the optical disc is like getting rid of a wired internet connection.

You must be joking.

I find my disc-based PS3 games load at the same speed or sometimes faster than my installed games.

-----------------------------------------

I like CDs and DVDs and Blu-Rays and constantly use them. I'm not alone as there is a large amount of people who use them. You're just going to have to deal with it. Unless of course you only support it because Apple's doing it, which I know for a fact that some of you are. I'm not saying everyone is, but there are some people that if another large company did this, you'd be shaking your heads.

I still think removing the Optical Disc drive on the iMac/MacBook Pro and not supporting Blu-Ray when it's extremely obvious it's going to become the standard and is already an option on basically every other multimedia computer is an extremely dumb idea.

 

[kaseli]

To wait or not to wait...

I'm in dire need of a new iMac as my old one (7.1) is on its last leg. I just can't decide if I want to buy one now or wait.

SSD is a no brainer for me and I'm thinking they'll probably offer larger capacity for lower prices, maybe even the option of having two SSDs. More options, in general, would be nice with SSDs.

Retina display may also be nice.

So, I guess I think that the next iMac will be more than just a speed bump and thus I think I'll wait for the new one.

 

[Apple2000]

I'm in dire need of a new iMac as my old one (7.1) is on its last leg. I just can't decide if I want to buy one now or wait.

SSD is a no brainer for me and I'm thinking they'll probably offer larger capacity for lower prices, maybe even the option of having two SSDs. More options, in general, would be nice with SSDs.

Retina display may also be nice.

So, I guess I think that the next iMac will be more than just a speed bump and thus I think I'll wait for the new one.

Nope.

iMac 2012 will not have SSD as standard.

Retina Display is not even possible on iMac.

 

[beosound3200]

Maybe for common household use (I.E. programs and stuff), but it's still a vital part of a computer. Maybe for YOUR use a CD drive isn't practical, but I, along with A LOT of other people that I know as well as probably a lot of people here still use CDs and DVDs on a regular basis. Like it or hate it, optical media is still important. IMO, and it's my opinion, getting rid of the optical disc is like getting rid of a wired internet connection.


I find my disc-based PS3 games load at the same speed or sometimes faster than my installed games.

-----------------------------------------

I like CDs and DVDs and Blu-Rays and constantly use them. I'm not alone as there is a large amount of people who use them. You're just going to have to deal with it. Unless of course you only support it because Apple's doing it, which I know for a fact that some of you are. I'm not saying everyone is, but there are some people that if another large company did this, you'd be shaking your heads.

I still think removing the Optical Disc drive on the iMac/MacBook Pro and not supporting Blu-Ray when it's extremely obvious it's going to become the standard and is already an option on basically every other multimedia computer is an extremely dumb idea.

i know its important, and it will be important for 10-15 years down the road like i said, but it definitely wont be integrated by apple, thats all i was saying

and yeah, wi-fi is better than ethernet (except for speed), or were you talking about 3g?

blu-ray wont become a standard, it came out too late, we're definitely in the era of high speed flash memory (thumb drives, ssd) and 'internetization' of digital media
personally, i sometimes find myself in a situation in which im too lazy to look for cd or an album and i just download it instead (just 4mbit connection). i dont even keep any of the videos/movies on my pc, i just download them when i need it, just thinking of internet as a huge iCloud, everything is there, you just need to download it, and that is the future my friend, in maybe 10 years you probably wont need your own hardware, just the screen and interaction devices (chrome os)

but yeah, blu-ray is late to the game, its over, it lost even before it came out
im not saying thats good or bad, its just the way it is, but remember, youll always have the option to use it, one way or the other

 

[0000757]

and yeah, wi-fi is better than ethernet (except for speed), or were you talking about 3g?

Wi-Fi is only better than ethernet in the aspect that it's more accessible. Wired connections offer more stability and more security, for example.


Either way, it has it's pros and cons, and I would rather Blu-Ray (What do you mean "it lost"? It hasn't lost anything....) compatibilty or at least the option to keep the optical drive in. External Drives (or at least Apple's SuperDrive) are no where near as reliable.

 

[itsLouieV]

my turn...

Realistic-
no redesign, just a spec boost,
maybe 2 to ports on the 21.5
Ivy bridge for sure
Keep the odd

My wishlist-
First off, one thing I haven't seen mentioned here is the is the rumored small ssd boot drives that were rumored about the current gen MBP's (https://www.macrumors.com/2011/02/2...-larger-trackpads-dedicated-ssd-for-mac-os-x/)

Touch screen would be great, I can see it useful for graphic artist, however I think it's a Bit to soon.

I would like to see some sort of NFC added to all new macs for sharing between idevices and macs (kinda like the touchpad and pre3 were you tuch the 2 together and the web page you were on syncs to the other device.

Better graphics. Let's face it the Mac pro is dying and whether that's going to happen this year or in 5 years apple needs to start transitioning the iMac as a pro device.

USB3. I don't care if the motherboard requires it or is just compatible, as a Producer/DJ I need my sound cards to be able to transfer stuff a lot faster and more efficiently and quite frankly I dont care if the companies that make the interfaces I use prefer tb or USB3 I just want this hurdle that were at because the limitations of usb2 have been met. However, don't expect me to daisy chain everything, if Tb (and tb alone) is going to be the standard then I want 5 tb ports on the iMac and 3 on MBP's

SSD's. With the price of traditional hdd's going through the roof an ssd solution would be nice, but if its not more then 500gb then keep traditional hard disc.

Higher res screen and bigger screen size. Maybe it's because I've been working on a 27 inch iMac for the last few weeks, but for some reason the 21.5 I come home to seems small. I like the idea of a 23-24" with a 30" as the bigger model.

Siri. I like the idea of being infront if my computer maybe on the web or something and just saying "Siri remind me to do --------- when I get to work" or "Siri send this page to my iPad" I know why not just pick up my iPhone and make a Siri reminder but isn't that what iCloud and the reminders all are for, and I know you migght be saying if I get my wish for NFC why would we need this, well when I'm home my iPad isn't always infront ofme, sometimes my gf is using it, etc.

Swappable drive bays. Would be nice. Nuff said.

Chin-less. I wold love for the iMac to loo like the ATD. There's a reason I buy 2 of the same exact screens for my pc. It's more visually appealing to have uniformity then 2 different looking products.

That's it. Because that's all I can think of at the moment.

 

[SR20DETDOG]

I have to agree with bigboibbp about Siri. I've never been a fan of voice recognition for phones/cars/etc but I have to say I actually think having Siri on my iMac would pretty cool. Mainly for multitasking.

While I'm here I may as well give my thoughts overall.

What I think will happen,
-HDD and SSD choices will stay pretty much the same
-CPU & GPU will get the obvious upgrades
-ODD will stay and won't be Blu-ray
-RAM will still be 4GB across all models
-Screens will stay the same
-Ports will stay the same except for USB 3

What I wish would happen,
-HDD 1TB as standard 2TB BTO or 3TB BTO for high end models.
-SDD 128GB or 256GB BTO for all models with 512GB for high end models.
-CPU I don't think much more can be done than what already is.
-GPU don't care too much tbh the 6970m is way more than what I need already.
-RAM 4GB-32GB is plenty, I suppose faster RAM would be nice but again I'm not really bothered.
-Screen 27" is absolutely fantastic already, but hey, if there's 30" then why not?
-Ports USB 3, and HDMI in would be kinda cool.
-Better quality speakers, they're never going to be as good as proper speakers but again, may as well.
-Full size wireless keyboard.

Nothing too crazy really, HDMI in and 30" screen are probably the most unlikely of the lot.

 

[rabe9987]

I asked at the mac store in switzerland when the new imac would be coming out and they told me march 1st, and that it will come with a i7 processor that's all they knew about it. and that it will be the same price as the current ones.

I don't know if this site is reliable, but they say ivy bridge are to be announced on march 6th. This seem to support what you have been told.

http://www.itproportal.com/2012/02/06/intel-ivy-bridge-be-officially-launched-march-6th/

 

[Arel954]

I don't know if this site is reliable, but they say ivy bridge are to be announced on march 6th. This seem to support what you have been told.

http://www.itproportal.com/2012/02/06/intel-ivy-bridge-be-officially-launched-march-6th/

haven't heard of them myself, but definitely does support it, so hopefully what i was told is correct and we won't have to wait much longer

 

[Icaras]

SSD is a no brainer for me and I'm thinking they'll probably offer larger capacity for lower prices, maybe even the option of having two SSDs. More options, in general, would be nice with SSDs.

I agree. I really would love to start seeing dual SSD BTO configurations for the new iMac.

I don't know if this site is reliable, but they say ivy bridge are to be announced on march 6th. This seem to support what you have been told.

http://www.itproportal.com/2012/02/06/intel-ivy-bridge-be-officially-launched-march-6th/

As much as I'd love to see an iMac as early as next month, even if Intel surprises us with an early Ivy Bridge, it probably won't happen if the iPad 3 is released in March.

Apple is very good and diligent at spacing out product launch windows, usually keeping busy each month with a new release. Since the iPad is now Apple's second largest revenue stream however, they'll give the iPad 3 the whole month of March, uninterrupted. My personal guess for the new iMac is still April.

 

[beosound3200]

Wi-Fi is only better than ethernet in the aspect that it's more accessible. Wired connections offer more stability and more security, for example.


Either way, it has it's pros and cons, and I would rather Blu-Ray (What do you mean "it lost"? It hasn't lost anything....) compatibilty or at least the option to keep the optical drive in. External Drives (or at least Apple's SuperDrive) are no where near as reliable.

it will never become mainstream...

 

[0000757]

it will never become mainstream...

Except that it already has, more or less.

 

[beosound3200]

Except that it already has, more or less.

it didnt, its far too expensive, dvds are still mainstream, and after dvd there will be flash

 

[Winni]

This is an open discussion where we can share and discuss our opinions and knowledge, concerned the new iMac.

I ask only that people clealy state what's opinion and what's knowledge, that we don't forget to respect each other and don't get out of track. This is not a thread about why people buy iMac's, and not custom build pc's!

What do you expect from the new iMac? Slightly better, or maybe an entirely different, GPU, new HHD/SSD standards, increase in ram, redesign, USB 3.0 or maybe even a new selection of screen sizes.

none of us is as smart as all of us. - Ken Blanchard

Let the fun begin!

It will run iOS and the name will be changed to iTV...

And I'm afraid that I'm not even joking.

 

[forty2j]

It will run iOS and the name will be changed to iTV...

And I'm afraid that I'm not even joking.

Not even remotely the same requirements.

 

[Digital Skunk]

SSD is a no brainer for me and I'm thinking they'll probably offer larger capacity for lower prices, maybe even the option of having two SSDs. More options, in general, would be nice with SSDs.

So, I guess I think that the next iMac will be more than just a speed bump and thus I think I'll wait for the new one.

I agree. More so because Apple is really trying to push pros into the high end 27" as a workstation. If it does become Apple's budget workstation then we need to have far more CTO options available, like having dual SSDs or even the option to remove the ODD to put in some RAID options.

But we all know this won't happen. Even if Apple is marketing it as a workstation replacement it is still a closed system built for the average user.

it didnt, its far too expensive, dvds are still mainstream, and after dvd there will be flash

DVDs are still mainstream, but neither DVD nor Blu-ray has been out for as long as VHS, so we still need to give it some time.

And until we can get 1080p content streamed over the web without costing a fortune then Blu-ray is still the only option for delivering HD and soon to be 2K and 4K content to the end user.

Then we have the prospects of physical archiving media. Archiving to Blu-ray is still cheaper and more reliable than archiving to HDDs.

It will run iOS and the name will be changed to iTV...

And I'm afraid that I'm not even joking.

Ouch!!! I can see that too, especially with many asking for Retina display in an already pretty sharp 27" LED monitor. Let's hope not.

 

[boy-better-know]

I hope Apple don't keep pushing these iOS type interfaces on larger screens as we are begin lead to believe with TV and soon to be mac. Its great on my iPad and iPhone but it would get tiresome on a Mac. I guess we will just have to wait and see.
As for ODD's, I don't think we are ready to completely lose them yet, well I am, I have been using an Air as my main computer for a few months now and have been getting on great. But I can't imagine many people would be happy to lose their ODD's. Most of my friends still use them quite a lot.

 

[beosound3200]

DVDs are still mainstream, but neither DVD nor Blu-ray has been out for as long as VHS, so we still need to give it some time.

And until we can get 1080p content streamed over the web without costing a fortune then Blu-ray is still the only option for delivering HD and soon to be 2K and 4K content to the end user.

Then we have the prospects of physical archiving media. Archiving to Blu-ray is still cheaper and more reliable than archiving to HDDs.

product cycles are not interchangeable, vhs =/= dvd, 1990=/= 2012

costing a fortune? like i said, my 4mbit flat is 25 bucks, and its expensive considering average household income in my country, and it can stream 1080p youtube, we're talking about average people, so no 4k resolution, 7.1 systems

and who archives media? average consumer certainly not, he watches a movie and then erases it, no?

again, the future is cloud (streaming) and flash memory, and by future i mean next 2-3 years
apple will show you that in the next few iterations of their computers

just answer a simple question, why didnt apple implement bluray? cause they are stupid? the answer to that question will resolve all your doubts, optical media will cease to exist in mainstream world, i.e. average costumer/consumer, they are the ones buying macbook air