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Ideas on the next iMac?


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Ideas on the next iMac?
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jbaugh
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Join Date: May 2005
 
2006-06-12, 10:51

My friend depends upon me for recommendations for his personal Mac purchases. His current desktop is a 5 or 6 year old iMac. Though he doesn't need a new Mac to meet his computing needs, he wants to get a new iMac for the nice LCD screen and to insure future compatibility with new software. He's beginning to salivate a little too much. I've told him that since he has waited this long he might as well wait a few more weeks and see if there might be a bump of some sort in the specs of the iMacs. Perhaps I am giving him bad advice. Is there likely to be a significant upgrade in the iMac specs in the next month or two to justify waiting? What do you anticipate will be gained by waiting til, say, August, to purchase a new iMac?

I know, I know the basic rule of thumb-- The right time to buy a new Mac is when you need it. But he really doesn't need one in any desperate way.
Thanks for any ideas.

I'm torn between telling him to go ahead and order one today or wait until the end of August and see what happens.

John
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Windowsrookie
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2006-06-12, 10:56

I don't think there will be an update for a while. Seeing how it was updated twice earlier this year. The only update would be 10.5 I think, possibly a speed boost.


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chucker
 
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2006-06-12, 11:19

I wouldn't be surprised about an update in August. Both Conroe and Merom will be updated by then, so no matter which it gets, they'll be available.
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zippy
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2006-06-12, 11:31

I agree with Chucker.

Here's how I would deal with your friend. Tell him that there are no guarantees, but that with the release dates that Intel currently has, it is possible, even likely, that the iMac will see some sort of bump by the end of August. And tell him that since the "if", "what", and "when" are speculative, that he needs to decide for himself whether it is worth the wait, and that regardless, he'll end up with a great computer.

Do you know where children get all of their energy? - They suck it right out of their parents!
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Stallion
 
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2006-06-12, 11:34

I bet mbp, imac and pm get updates before end of cram n jam.

MacBook prolly not.
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macleod
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2006-06-12, 11:56

If the iMac gets conroe the speed jump will be a considerable one right? Also do you think they will maybe implement the larger HD sizes (750 GB or whatever is available at update time) into the iMac and maybe a slight redesign like black or something small?
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BenRoethig
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2006-06-12, 12:49

I don't think the iMac is going to change too much. The processor will change to Merom and the Video memory may be updated to 256mb. Otherwise, same motherboard, same overall specs.
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Stallion
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
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2006-06-12, 13:14

Quote:
Originally Posted by BenRoethig
I don't think the iMac is going to change too much. The processor will change to Merom and the Video memory may be updated to 256mb. Otherwise, same motherboard, same overall specs.
unlikely. Conroe has a much faster bus than core duo. They will have a new mobo and such. I could see them getting smaller. Much smaller.
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macleod
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2006-06-12, 13:24

And that would occur in August probably?
Edit: Also, how would it get smaller or what do you mean by smaller? How can it get thinner (which is what I assume you are talking about because it can't really get much smaller in other ways because that is the screen size) when they would be putting a hotter desktop processor in it, Conroe? I would love that to occur but is that really possible and likely to occur in or around august?

Last edited by macleod : 2006-06-12 at 13:36.
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Stallion
 
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2006-06-12, 14:34

conroe probably won't be any hotter than core duo. I think the enclosure will get closer and closer to a white cinema display over time.
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macleod
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2006-06-12, 14:35

That is fine by me. I just hope they get it done before the iPod rebate ends because I would not mind getting a new iPod with the iMac.
Anyone think they will make the iMac available in both black and white like the MacBook?
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Fahrenheit
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2006-06-12, 14:37

psactes...bring out your iMac Mockup, you know the one with the lip that has the dvd in it at the bottom!
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Stallion
 
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2006-06-12, 14:52

I doubt they redesign it, just continue to make it thinner
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PB PM
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2006-06-12, 15:02

IMO, if he has gotten by with a 5-6 year old iMac, I think the current iMac will be more than enough for this fellow.

Sure it will be upgraded, but hey he could wait till August, but wait, it may be upgraded again in January... better wait!
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Engine Joe
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2006-06-12, 15:07

PB PM makes a darn fine point. Does this friend need the bleeding edge? Doesn't sound like it.

The leap he'd be getting from his old iMac to the current iMac or the next revision would be huge... while the leap between the current iMac or the next revision would be (relatively speaking) miniscule.
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Dazabrit
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Join Date: Oct 2005
 
2006-06-12, 15:09

and drop the 17" for a 20 and 23" line-up of course

People keep asking for 17" cinema displays at a low price point but i think the 20" display will become slightly cheaper as the iMacs become 20" as standard.
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macleod
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2006-06-12, 15:16

A move up to a 23" display on the iMac would be great because then I might not even get a 2nd monitor for it. Is that a probable update or just wishful thinking Dazabrit?
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Dazabrit
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2006-06-12, 15:23

Quote:
Originally Posted by MACleod
A move up to a 23" display on the iMac would be great because then I might not even get a 2nd monitor for it. Is that a probable update or just wishful thinking Dazabrit?
I don't want to give false hope MACleod. But it's a product that a lot of people want for one reason or another and there has been talk of a 23" in the Mac community for quite a while. But at the end of the day; that doesn't mean it's going to happen.

If you think about it on Apples behalf, budging up a size allows them to retain a price premium and it also gives the engineers a nice space to work with in terms of the internal components. With the empthasis on HD and digital content creation, 20" as standard and 23" for the design/media centric consumers/semi-pros would be a great line-up. Although there are a few people out there who feel the 20" is just too big to be the entry model iMac.
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macleod
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2006-06-12, 15:38

The logic makes sense to me! What do you think this wouls do to iMac prices? Would prices increase with this screen size increase
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psmith2.0
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2006-06-12, 15:52

Oh man...I'd LOVE to see a three-part iMac line up.

The 17", frankly, is a really nice size and lots of people would still want it, ESPECIALLY if they could whack it on down in price to the $1,099 area? Then let the 20" skootch to $1,399.

THEN offer an HD 23" version for $1,799 or so? A true "special edition".

People would buy it. Hell, they're buying the 20" at nearly that price!

That would be the one Mac I'd consider busting my "$1,500 and under" price restriction for!



Three sizes, $300 apart (give or take). A truly affordable 17" entry level, a very large/roomy mid-range 20" and then a Cadillac 23" HD model.

Better yet, get the 20" to $1,299 (same price as current entry-level 17"), sell the 23" for $1,699-1,899 knowing good and well people will buy it no matter what). THEN take the 17" and give it shared graphics and cut corners in whatever other ways they can and try to get a sub-$1,000 flat screen AIO iMac. Still with USB, FireWire, AirPort and Ethernet (not gigabit, necessarily). Maybe the specs and I/O of last autumn's iMac G5...still respectable, just none of the optical/digital this-or-that? Smaller hard drives, Combo Drives, etc.
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Robo
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2006-06-12, 15:56

I can see Apple making the base iMac 20" - it's clear (by their display line-up) that they think 20" is the ideal minimum for a desktop screen, and they've been gradually dropping the price on the 20" model for some time. Also, Apple has been moving to make their lines simpler, and a single 20" iMac would be a pretty simple line-up indeed.

Of course, that point would be moot if Apple also introduces a 23" iMac. I'm not sure they will - at least, not initially.

A 23" iMac also wouldn't have a chin, which would destroy the "iMac look" and the visual connection with the iPod. (As much as we might dislike the chin, the iMac would look like a normal everyday monitor without it. Despite Apple's "Where did the computer go?" marketing, that wouldn't be a good thing.)

So, in short, it's pretty obvious that the 20" display will eventually become standard, but I don't think we'll see a 23" iMac in the near future. Anyone wanting a larger display will have to buy a Mac Pro. But I could be wrong.

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
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Robo
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2006-06-12, 16:09

I had an epiphany after writing that post.

I'm looking at it too much from a "computer" angle.

What if Apple is positioning the iMac as their "media center"?

Hear me out. It's obvious that when the average buyer hears about an "iMac," they don't think "internet Macintosh." They think "iPod-style Macintosh." It's obvious Apple knows that people are seeing the iMac from a new angle - that's why the iMac G5 adopted an iPod-inspired design. (That's why they gave it a "chin," rather than "ears" - they wanted it to have a vertical, iPod-style design.)

While everybody has been talking about how Apple should make the Mac mini into a media center, Apple has been making similar strides, only for the iMac. Front Row showed up first on the iMac, and spread to other Macs.

What if Apple added a TV tuner to the iMac?

Then, you'd basically have a media center - just one including the "TV."

If Apple added a TV tuner to the iMac, I could totally see a 23" "iMac HD."

But if Apple continues to view the iMac as their flagship computer, rather than a media center, my position above stands. I just can't see a 23" iMac being sold alongside a 20" iMac with a "chin."

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong

Last edited by Robo : 2006-06-12 at 16:15.
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psmith2.0
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2006-06-12, 16:22

Oh, I can imagine it easily (a "no chin" iMac). That's not a "design motif" as much as it is "a necessary expanse of space because the guts have to have somewhere to go".



If a 23" came out and Apple could actually fit everything behind the display...then screw the chin!



It might still need a small one, and even that would be fine. A nice progression through all three, with the largest (ratio-wise) on the 17", a little smaller on the 20" and a sliver on the 23".

And no one is going to get confused on ANYTHING: a) it's white and the displays are silver and b) in case anyone is really dense, it says, in huge honkin' letters on the back, "iMac".



But yeah, that TV tuner idea is neat. Talk about a godsend for those in dorms and other tight living arrangements: a 23" computer AND a LCD TV, all in one gorgeous package. They'd fly off the shelves!



Where was this computer a year or two ago, when I could've really used it?!?

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doublem9876
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2006-06-12, 16:28

It ain't so bad without the chin. You still leave some room for the Apple logo - and you've got the slightly chinless iMac!

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psmith2.0
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2006-06-12, 16:32

I totally agree. No one is actually going to miss "the chin", when it comes right down to it. Just leave some room for the Apple, and call it a day.

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Robo
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2006-06-12, 16:32

I know, pscates - it's not like Apple wanted the iMac to have a chin. But I just think a "chin" iMac and a "chinless" iMac, being sold together side by side, would look...weird.

But doublem's mock-up looks the best of all the 23" iMac mock-ups I've seen.

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
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Brad
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2006-06-12, 16:37

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman
But doublem's mock-up looks the best of all the 23" iMac mock-ups I've seen.
Honestly, I don't think it looks much different from any of the other no-chin or slim-chin mockups. I do think, though, the Apple on that mockup looks terrible. It isn't proportioned well with the surrounding whitespace.

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
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doublem9876
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2006-06-12, 16:40

Hey - I'm not a photoshopper. I was just looking to cut down on some of the unnecessary white space. I did the cutting visually, so no measurements were made. By the way - thank you for complimenting my work Roboman!
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BenRoethig
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2006-06-12, 16:41

Quote:
Originally Posted by tensdanny38
unlikely. Conroe has a much faster bus than core duo. They will have a new mobo and such. I could see them getting smaller. Much smaller.
Whoever said they'd be using conroe? Merom is a drop-in replacement for Yonah. Apple is perfectly fine with mobile parts if they overall machine is quieter.
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psmith2.0
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2006-06-12, 16:49

Here's something to consider as well: maybe they could reduce the bezel space a bit as well? Would be nice if the iMac didn't have such an expanse of white plastic around the display. Make it look more like the Cinema Displays, if possible?

Yeah, on the mockup above something was feeling "off". I think that Apple logo could be reduced a smidge.

But I'm still all for this model, chin or not.
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