What to expect from iMac 2012 - Discussion

[boy-better-know]

Out of interest, anyone want to hazard a guess on how it would be revealed that Apple have got the new chip sets?
Would it be possible that Apple came out in a week and showed us a new iMac with ivy bridge? I know it isn't likely but could it happen without us knowing that intel have given the chips to Apple already?

 

[beosound3200]

Blu-ray Drive - doubt it, but always a possibility. I think it is more likely that the optical drive will go away all together.
USB 3.0 - No way, Apple will push Thunderbolt to the death.
SSD Standard - This doesn't really make sense yet with current prices and capacities.
Intel Ivy Bridge - that's a given
Video Input Support for 21.5 inch - not sure
HDMI Input - probably not, but maybe HDMI output?

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Just a thought, but maybe they will get rid of the big aluminum housing under the monitor to make the iMac more similar in size and look to the 27" Cinema Display? Identical displays next to each other, but one is an iMac and one is just a display? That would look sexy.

jesus, this is really getting out of hand, THUNDERBOLT AND USB DO NOT COMPETE EACH OTHER, if they do, why do imacs have 4 usb ports?

and usb 3.0 is just an upgrade of the usb standard that already exists in mac computer

dont you think that if they did compete, there would already be an adapter by 3rd party? they are for totally different things, they do not compete each other, i repeat, they do not compete each other, this is probably the 5th time i've been saying this, use that thing in your head people, dont just believe what you read or somebody says to you, think a bit

and even intel, the INVENTOR of thunderbolt technology says they supplement each other, and is pushing the usb 3 with its ivy bridge platform, the exact thing apple has been waiting for, native support, so they dont need to ad third party chips, makes sense? so ivy bridge in macs = usb 3 in macs

for the record, i have no use whatsoever of usb 3, so this isnt just pure hoping

 

[george-brooks]

jesus, this is really getting out of hand, THUNDERBOLT AND USB DO NOT COMPETE EACH OTHER, if they do, why do imacs have 4 usb ports?

and usb 3.0 is just an upgrade of the usb standard that already exists in mac computer

dont you think that if they did compete, there would already be an adapter by 3rd party? they are for totally different things, they do not compete each other, i repeat, they do not compete each other, this is probably the 5th time i've been saying this, use that thing in your head people, dont just believe what you read or somebody says to you, think a bit

and even intel, the INVENTOR of thunderbolt technology says they supplement each other, and is pushing the usb 3 with its ivy bridge platform, the exact thing apple has been waiting for, native support, so they dont need to ad third party chips, makes sense? so ivy bridge in macs = usb 3 in macs

for the record, i have no use whatsoever of usb 3, so this isnt just pure hoping

ya, I guess you're right. I keep thinking of them as competing technologies, and I guess I also think of them both as new technologies rather than 3.0 being an upgrade to 2.0. I mean, I would certainly LOVE if apple would put 3.0 in there but it seems as if they are pushing thunderbolt to be a universal connection for the future. It feels to me like if Apple could have their way, every device in the world (no matter what type) would connect with thunderbolt.

 

[ctdonath]

THUNDERBOLT AND USB DO NOT COMPETE EACH OTHER, if they do, why do imacs have 4 usb ports?

For the same reason iMacs have DVD drives and not BluRay drives: the older technology is ubiquitous and users would have a fit if taken away at this point, but subsequent evolution thereof is not supported because it competes with the preferred direction (and is a "bag of hurt" anyway).

We'll still have USB ports because we have so dang many USB devices. ...but if you're going for something that needs an interface on par with USB3, go with Thunderbolt already.

 

[beosound3200]

For the same reason iMacs have DVD drives and not BluRay drives: the older technology is ubiquitous and users would have a fit if taken away at this point, but subsequent evolution thereof is not supported because it competes with the preferred direction (and is a "bag of hurt" anyway).

We'll still have USB ports because we have so dang many USB devices. ...but if you're going for something that needs an interface on par with USB3, go with Thunderbolt already.

not the same, optical disks are obsolete, we all know that, but there will be usb 4.0, get the difference?

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ya, I guess you're right. I keep thinking of them as competing technologies, and I guess I also think of them both as new technologies rather than 3.0 being an upgrade to 2.0. I mean, I would certainly LOVE if apple would put 3.0 in there but it seems as if they are pushing thunderbolt to be a universal connection for the future. It feels to me like if Apple could have their way, every device in the world (no matter what type) would connect with thunderbolt.

no i wouldnt, because thunderbolt is video and data, usb 3 is just data, why would you want to connect such an expensive port to an iphone which has no use in video transfer, high speed (flash in iphone isnt very fast), and daisy chaining, that is why it is connected to usb 2, and in future to usb 3, do you all now get the difference?

thunderbolt (professional) = video + data + 10gbps + daisy chaining + expensive

usb 3 (consumer) = data + 4gbps + inexpensive

do you see now how they 'compete'?

usb 3 =

 

[jlmcclellan]

I'm hoping that the price of an SSD upgrade drops significantly. Ideally I'd love it if Apple just made a 64gb SSD/500gb HDD standard (SSD for the boot drive) in the higher-end iMacs. Basically I just really want an SSD and don't want to pay $500 for the upgrade and/or tear open my shiny new iMac when I get it.

Other than that... Ivy Bridge (naturally), USB 3.0 and Siri.

 

[henrikrox]

Agree with the smaller ssd sizes, but that probably wont happen. I just need a ssd for the OS, nothing more. Really don't need 256gb of ssd storage, thats just overkill, at least i think os.

As for Siri, do people really want this? I mean i like computers and all, but talking to my computer is just going to feel weird. At least with my girlfriend around. But i guess it would be a cool novelty feature.

As for other stuffs, i really just want them to come up with a new internal design so they fix the smudge/grey spot issues.

 

[hotrats]

IVY bridge won't really offer any speed improvements, just better power consumption and integrated Intel graphics. On the other hand the 7xxx series ATI cards could offer some really interesting gaming performance.

 

[theSeb]

ya, I guess you're right. I keep thinking of them as competing technologies, and I guess I also think of them both as new technologies rather than 3.0 being an upgrade to 2.0. I mean, I would certainly LOVE if apple would put 3.0 in there but it seems as if they are pushing thunderbolt to be a universal connection for the future. It feels to me like if Apple could have their way, every device in the world (no matter what type) would connect with thunderbolt.

Thunderbolt belongs to Intel, not Apple.

 

[jlmcclellan]

Agree with the smaller ssd sizes, but that probably wont happen. I just need a ssd for the OS, nothing more. Really don't need 256gb of ssd storage, thats just overkill, at least i think os.

As for Siri, do people really want this? I mean i like computers and all, but talking to my computer is just going to feel weird. At least with my girlfriend around. But i guess it would be a cool novelty feature.

As for other stuffs, i really just want them to come up with a new internal design so they fix the smudge/grey spot issues.

I doubt people are longing for Siri on their computers... I know I'm not. That said, it could be interesting what Apple could do with it. I think it'll eventually show up on Apple computers, but not until it's on all new iDevices (or at least the iPhone and iPad), so we'll see if the new iPad has Siri first.

 

[ctdonath]

not the same, optical disks are obsolete, we all know that, but there will be usb 4.0, get the difference?

Optical discs are obsolete? Their niche may be narrowing, but not gone. Bluray video is still superior to streamed. Multi-gigabyte backups & distribution on persistent media is still cheap and many uses not replicated by big drives & cloud storage.

Yes, I get the difference. Just look at those 10Mbit RS-232 ports we have ... oh, right, we don't because they were supplanted by USB.

 

[beosound3200]

Optical discs are obsolete? Their niche may be narrowing, but not gone. Bluray video is still superior to streamed. Multi-gigabyte backups & distribution on persistent media is still cheap and many uses not replicated by big drives & cloud storage.

Yes, I get the difference. Just look at those 10Mbit RS-232 ports we have ... oh, right, we don't because they were supplanted by USB.

you dont understand how apple sees word obsolete, it doesnt mean nobody uses optical disks anymore, it means it has no future, it will be with us maybe 5-10 years from now, but then its gone, and its fall has already started , in 2 years there wont be any notebooks with optical drives etc. i mean, its a technology decades old, a spinning disc, just like hdds, they are also obsolete, the only thing keeping them around is our ridiculous usage of space (except professionals) i.e. price per gb .how many people here have 100+ movies and whole series on their hard drive? why would you have all seasons of series when you already watched it? thats why people 'need' 2tb space on their hard drive, again, im not talking about professionals e.g. editing video, raw photos and so on, im talking about average consumer.

bottom line, odds are the past, start thinking how you'll replace them or get left behind

distribution is cheaper on optical discs? think again
for companies, less expensive
for end user with flat connection, less expensive software

so everybody wins


and to understand the above, watch steve jobs interview d8 on youtube, something about riding technology waves... every technology has it seasons, and odd is in its Fall... thats why apple is jumping ship

 

[kfscoll]

"On the desktop front, Intel told partners that its Ivy Bridge architecture will be delayed until the second quarter of 2012. Apple will likely refresh its desktop Mac lineup with 2012 Ivy Bridge chipset."

iMac 2012 might be coming later than we think.

Source: http://9to5mac.com/2012/01/10/ces-20...k-air-killers/

For those who are wondering what "Second Quarter" means...

* 1st Quarter: October 1, 2011 - December 31, 2011
* 2nd Quarter: January 1, 2012 - March 31, 2012
* 3rd Quarter: April 1, 2012 - June 30, 2012
* 4th Quarter: July 1, 2012 - September 30, 2012

So I'm going to wager April at the earliest before we see a 2012 iMac with the Ivy Bridge chipset, but who knows...

Depends if you're talking fiscal year or calendar year. What you posted is fiscal year, but it's almost a sure thing that the Intel product release timeframes are based around calendar year. Thus, 1Q would be 1 Jan 12 to 31 Mar 12, 2Q would be 1 Apr 12 to 30 Jun 12, and so on.

 

[forty2j]

Oddball prediction: Apple nixes the optical drive on the small model, but keeps it on the large model.

Rationale: Apple wanted to nix the drive to help reduce thickness on Air and add more powerful components on the Mini. Could do the same thing on the iMac. But the large-screen model doesn't need any more components than the small-screen model, and there should still be room to slot the drive in.

 

[Blumoon74]

4K display in iMac 2012?

What are your thoughts about Apple including a 4K display on the 2012 iMac?

For me this makes perfect sense, as Ivy bridge as well as the ATI 7series will support 4K. The 4K display of an iMac 2012 will be a unique selling point for Apple and they will likely sell like crazy. Besides, resolution of say 3840* 2160 pixel has additional advantages: i) Full-HD movies can easily be scaled just by pixel-doubling and ii) 3D with shutter glasses retains full HD resolution.
Regarding other hardware changes, I am pretty sure that the next iMac will also get a full HD isight camera connected over USB 3.0.

 

[Ddyracer]

What are your thoughts about Apple including a 4K display on the 2012 iMac?

For me this makes perfect sense, as Ivy bridge as well as the ATI 7series will support 4K. The 4K display of an iMac 2012 will be a unique selling point for Apple and they will likely sell like crazy. Besides, resolution of say 3840* 2160 pixel has additional advantages: i) Full-HD movies can easily be scaled just by pixel-doubling and ii) 3D with shutter glasses retains full HD resolution.
Regarding other hardware changes, I am pretty sure that the next iMac will also get a full HD isight camera connected over USB 3.0.

Is there any 4k displays even on the market?

 

[SR20DETDOG]

What are your thoughts about Apple including a 4K display on the 2012 iMac?

I doubt it. It would cost me about $800 to buy a 1440p 27" screen like the iMac's. I hate to think how much a 4K one would cost, and Apple will have to gain a profit off of it, which would mean a big price rise on an already expensive machine.

 

[jlmcclellan]

Is there any 4k displays even on the market?

Saw an article about a tv with 4k resolution. Have never seen a monitor with it. It may exist, but at this point I'd say there's about a snowballs chance in hell of the 2012 iMac coming with a 4k display. It'd be awesome, but it just ain't happening (like Blu Ray).

 

[mrmarts]

I got the 2010 iMac and would like to know if the 2012 model is rumoured to have a new design, and whether they are going to drop the optical drive is there any weight or validity to these rumours.

 

[AppleDApp]

Here are my predictions

A full redesign of the iMac similar to the thunderbolt display link

The iMac should have a very similar form factor to the ATD height wise so it look seamless when they are side by side.

Intel Ivy Bridge support

USB 3.0 because Ivy bridge supports it natively, it is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt does not replace USB.

1tb hard drives across the board with upgrade options up to 3tb.

Optical disc drive will stay... for now but it will be the only mac left with a ODD.

bluetooth 4.0 because it is low energy. The iPhone 4s already has it.

bluetooth 4.0 keyboard, mouse, trackpad.

price drop across the board.

 

[bobright]

Is there any new info/leaks/rumors on the iMacs???

 

[henrikrox]

What are your thoughts about Apple including a 4K display on the 2012 iMac?

For me this makes perfect sense, as Ivy bridge as well as the ATI 7series will support 4K. The 4K display of an iMac 2012 will be a unique selling point for Apple and they will likely sell like crazy. Besides, resolution of say 3840* 2160 pixel has additional advantages: i) Full-HD movies can easily be scaled just by pixel-doubling and ii) 3D with shutter glasses retains full HD resolution.
Regarding other hardware changes, I am pretty sure that the next iMac will also get a full HD isight camera connected over USB 3.0.

Don't mean to be a dick. But thats never going to happen.

4K is for TV's. Reason is the TV is far away, and 4K makes no sense on smaller monitors. 55" and up is coming with 4K. Say a 55" TV with a a 4k resolution will have about the same dpi as a 27" monitor with 2560x1440.

Also 4K TV's is said to be costing up to 10 thousand dollars. So 4k monitors is not happening anytime soon.

 

[theSeb]

Don't mean to be a dick. But thats never going to happen.

4K is for TV's. Reason is the TV is far away, and 4K makes no sense on smaller monitors. 55" and up is coming with 4K. Say a 55" TV with a a 4k resolution will have about the same dpi as a 27" monitor with 2560x1440.

Also 4K TV's is said to be costing up to 10 thousand dollars. So 4k monitors is not happening anytime soon.

Your logic does not belong in a thread full of unrealistic expectations.

 

[AppleDApp]

Your logic does not belong in a thread full of unrealistic expectations.

there are some very logical guesses on this thread. Ivy bridge.

 

[theSeb]

there are some very logical guesses on this thread. Ivy bridge.

Of course there are, but the majority of the other stuff is simply unrealistic. And then there will be lots of angry people because of all this hype. It happens every year.