“Apple has managed to launch yet another powerful device that comes complete with the conspicuous stylishness that most of the firm’s products exude. Indeed, the new iMac, with its hardware and other guts tucked behind a flat-panel monitor, looks unmistakably like an iPod, the firm’s dominant digital music player. It was Apple industrial designer Jonathan Ive and his team who designed the new iMac, which ships in September, and might be on the Christmas wish list of new iPod owners,” Matthew Clark reports for ElectricNews.
“Even if the new Apple computers don’t fly off the shelves, it wouldn’t have a crushing impact on Apple’s business, since iMacs now make up just over 10 percent of the firm’s revenues, thanks in part to the wild success of the iPod music player and the relative popularity of the iBook and PowerBook portable computers. In its heyday, around 1999, more than 700,000 iMacs were sold each quarter, a number that has leveled off to around 250,000 currently,” Clark reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Why do we get the inkling that the new iMac G5 is the last consumer desktop from Apple? Once the G5 goes into the consumer laptops, why not just design the hinges to allow you to rotate the screen facing outward when closed and then you can just stick your laptop on an iMac foot or hang it on the arm/mount where you used to hang your iMac G5? There will be a place for the Power Mac G5 on and under desks for years, but there’s certainly not much point of Apple offering another iMac, when all it really has become is an iBook G5 with the screen on backwards. This reversible-screen Mac unit would come in a choice of 12, 15 or 17-inch screens and, if you desire a larger workspace, each model possesses the ability to plug in and span to a larger Apple monitor. Or maybe we’re delirious from lack of sleep – what do you think?
1er post, viva chile
Well, the thing that has been bugging me about the iMac is, why is 2 inches thin when my PB G4 is only 1 inch thin? Is it the G5 processor, or is it the extra $1500 to squeeze everything in tighter and add a battery?
I’ve wondered the same thing about not having divisions between desktops and notebooks any longer.
The only problem with the last desktop hypothosis is the monitor size, I would love to see a company produce a 17″ notebook for $1299 or anyone that would buy a 20″ notebook computer????
????
What on earth?!
Who is this idiot who thinks that this is the last consumer Mac from Apple????
Here we have an original aNalLyst again.
It is good that Apple has wider product range in both software and hardware than like five years ago. iMac is not disapearing any where. iMac is now G5 and PowerMac G5 will be soon PowerMac G6 and so on.
Yesterday I ordered 8 pieces of 20″ iMacs for our company and I am perfectly happy with this new design especially I enjoy that it supports vesa. (for the MDN buy a vesa stand and rotate that any where you want)
There has been ridiculous amount of shit about the low amount of memory in the basic configuration. My advice is buy more. I ordered 1 gig to each. Dell machines starts from 128 megs so start talking about that instead. Dell also comes with crappier graphic card. Or bitch about the real Dell multimedia computer that ships withtout speakers and dvd.
Look at the specs, The 17 inch IMac is 18.5 pounds, 20″ is 25.2lbs, hardly realistic or practical as a laptop. Perhaps some of that is by design to weight it down so it stays it in place better. I can imagine tugging something accidently attached to the port on the back that would spin it around easily. Especially if it was only 5 pounds.
What I love are these idiots blasting Apple about the memory and video card because they say they can’t run high end pro applications on it. Hello morons? The iMac is a *consumer* system, not a pro system. And the last time I checked, the iMac does accept up to 2GB of RAM and even though the 5200 is not cutting edge, it is fully Core Image compatible. The new iMac is great and anyone that bitches about it’s specs are absolutely dilusional. Try finding a Dell (or any other major name brand) PC with features the basic iMac has (including a 17″ widescreen LCD) for $1,299 anywhere else. I’ve looked and I certainly don’t see anyone else offering the same quality for that low of a price. Anything from Dell in that range has sh*tty integrated graphics, no FireWire ports, etc. Apple has a winner on their hands here and they’ll sell a ton of these.
I love the look of the new iMac. The problem is your paying for the design. I’ll be interested to see what happens to the eMac. Consumers want a sub-$1000 computer. The iMac is a great mid-range product. It’s got plenty of power to run FCP and DVD Studio Pro so the wedding video people can do whatever they need to. Serious video people need the PowerMacs. But I don’t think grandparents and grade school kids at home need a computer that costs as much as the iMac. That being said I really want one but I’m waiting for the G5 Powerbooks.
You probably meant to say, the last major consumer AIO redesign. Which makes sense. But Apple still needs an single processor headless desktop that you can upgrade, either that or let us update the GPU on the AIO.
Just as ‘One guy from Findland’ did, I can see companies having such machines for their staff with the exception of the departments requiring more power such as the graphics folks. For say, a law firm, such computers are not only powerful enough for their work (word processing, client database, email) but also stylish enough for an upscale office.
The simple form factor places less demands on furnishings to accomodate a tower and tons of cords. I can also see the new iMac in upscale retail/gallery settings as a POS device. Perhaps the Apple stores will begin to change over to the new iMac soon next year? Certainly, the new stores will open with something other than the second generation iMac.
You might be onto something…then again, you migth just need more sleep.
I want to upgrade to a 20′ iMac from my old G3 tower. Can anyone tell me how these new machines will handle grpahic design work? I mean Photoshop ‘photo retouching etc?
I’m not interested in getting a G5 tower as I think this will be more power that I really need. I’m a bit worried to read these comments about the iMac graphics card.
Apple’s Greg Joswiak stated yesterday that the G5 in a PowerBook is still a long way off…. unless people are willing to lug around a 15 lb laptop that is 2 inches thick. I believe we won’t see anything until the middle of next year.. at the earliest. Trying to predict the future in the computer business is full of field mines. I don’t think Apple will be abandoning the desktop anytime soon. In fact, it’s possible that the next eMac may take it’s style from the previous LCD iMac with a floating LCD screen instead of the CRT. Apple did patent a new arm assembly recently. Guesses of course.
Curious.
I’d suggest you wait until the computer is released later in the month and read the reviews. Then go to an Apple-reseller and test drive one with Photoshop. (Also go to the new iMac website and read everything there). Good luck!
Curious: If photoshop runs fine on my 1ghz G4 TiBook, it will surely fly on a 1.8ghz G5 – especially as you can max out the ram at 2GIG, which is one of the main requirements for photoshop work.
Just think – foks used G3 for photoshop just a few years ago. Entire magazines were produced on them. You will be fine.
H.
In a generation or two, when the iMac weighs much less, I’d like to see it become a tablet with a docking stand that has integrated, USB, Firewire, video, etc. Of course, USB, firewire and ethernet would have to be on the tablet also.
That way you could use it on the couch with a stylus then snap it into the dock and it becomes a desktop with all the amenities.
To say Apple is ready to stop making consumer desktops, also says they are ready to abandon the educational markets as well. I don’t think so. An iMac is going to be more than a flipped around laptop for one simple reason, screen size. I doubt seriously that we will ever see a laptop with a 20″ or 23″ display. Who would want to carry such an animal. Buy a bigger screen for your laptop? Someone who wants a desktop isn’t going to be very happy about the added expense of two LCD panels. Laptops and desktops each have their own set of expectations and requirements. Desktop replacement laptops have their own set of compromises. I, for one, am not into compromise.
Curious:
To say that Photoshop performance is based on your video card is pretty laughable. Adobe is not likely to design Core Image features into their “fully cross platform” application. At best you may see a Mac-only set of hacked on plug-ins.
Photoshop eats RAM for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and desert. If you buy an iMac and stuff it full of RAM I’d say you’d be fine. If you can afford to stick 2GB of ram, you’d be sitting pretty. But shoot for at least 1GB if you can.
I run Photoshop on a blue and white G3 every day. Surely if this can handle Photoshop, the new iMac can.
I still do photoshopo work on my 450 cube with a 100 mhz FSB and a 16 meg grfx card. If you have worked on computers for more than 1 year, youll know this is a very nice machine with great specs for the price. I would buy this for home in a second as a grafx pro who needs a nice machine at home but cannot afford a tower + monitor. This is actually cheaper than the 1.6 towers (which I cant find) that I was looking to purchase from home. Its all about a simple, solid machine that will last several years. unless you have money out the wazoo, it costs more to fill the tower with 4-8 gigs of RAM than to buy a G5, 768megs to 1 gig is a really good amount for a starting artist at home.
Whatever we like to believe, the iPod isn’t a long term winner. In years to come your cell phone will probably do everything an iPod can and a whole lot more (could be an Apple cell phone however). Same with iTunes; in a few years time it may be gone altogether or just serving the mac community whilst M$ rake in the billions using their great innovation
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In other words, Apple’s future lies in fantastic software and hardware, and that includes the iMac. I don’t like the new iMac personally (fugly and looks toyish) but I pray it’s a massive hit (assuming IBM can make enough chips).
Re: 18.5 lbs vs Laptop
The iMac has the power supply BUILT INTO IT. The cord does not go to a brick. This would be a large chunk of the weight.
The 2″ thick is important to the air flow within it.
People will not fully understand the power of having a 64-bit CPU in their home computer until more aps are written specifically for it. I believe Apple made a huge leap in design but have underplayed its real strength. But, I am VERY sure the computer industry has fallen back into their chairs wondering how Apple could make a full 64-computer computer with 17″ monitor for just $1299. I do not think most people have a clue as to how extraordinary this step is in electronics.
Go price a 64-bit Dell, then add a 17″ monitor. Don’t forget to (try to) find a decent, consumer usable, OS for it [hint: there is no consumer usable version of the 64-bit XP]. Only then you might have an idea what sort of unimaginable feat Apple just performed.
mdn, that sounds expensive 2 me.
This topic, “Apple’s Last Desktop Computer”, is just a title to get people a bit curious or fully enraged. It’s not a well thought out article.
Just like this one:
http://www.mac360.com/index.php/mac360/more/new_imac_bargain_power_or_crippled_and_weak_computer_toy/
Apple makes and sells computers. Smartly, they’re becoming more and more diversified. Computer users are changing, too. About half of Apple’s customers buy laptops. What was it 10 years ago with the original (1991?) PowerBooks?
Things change.
Looks to me like Steve and company are making rather steady changes to both keep pace and to change the course to match customer needs.
1998 CONSUMER CRT iMAC–1300
2002 FLAT SCREEN iMAC –1700
2004 FLAT SCREEN iMAC –1300
Now.. prices are coming down, but for the most part, Apple is in a fantastic position here.. remember the original iMac sold around 6 million units in four years… that’s 1.5M per year (350 thou per quarter avg). I see NO REASON why the g5 won’t do that, unless, you know.. g5 shortages..
Wake up.. Apple has covered price points from 800-3000!!!
eMac 800-1000
iMac 1300-1500-1900
PMac 2000-2500-3000
That was just off the top of my head..
FOr what it’s worth, Apple makes some nice 300 computers called iPods…for 300-500 bucks, and ipod minis for 250 (or 350 on eBay
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THis price is perfect.. for what you get it rocks
pro: I like the design, and a 20″ 1.8 gz model is nice
con: only 256 meg ram? no airport? no bluetooth? C’mon Apple, you need a little more market share. Up it to 512 meg and provide the wireless “extras” for the same price. The idea of an out of the box “digital hub” suffers a bit when the base config is so skimpy.