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17" and 19" inch iMacs Coming in 3Q

Posted by CmdrTaco on Mon Jun 03, 2002 03:39 AM
from the now-thats-what-I'm-talking-about dept.
Businesses iMac Apple Hardware
ikioi writes "It looks like Apple will have 17" and 19" flat panel iMacs later this year." It's funny- the publicity photos of the 15 inch macs really make it look a lot nicer then it is. I finally saw one up close a few weeks ago- the arm and screen is super smooth, but the base looks like a cheap toy. That said, larger screens for the iMac definitely push it into a new territory... not sure if it would convince me to buy one, but it sure would add magic shell to the ice cream.
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  • "executive mac" (Score:3, Interesting)

    by green pizza (159161) on Monday June 03 2002, @03:42AM (#3629674) Homepage
    I'm a sucker for high-tech toys... but I'd pay a premium for an "executive" iMac... one with, say, some brushed aluminum and maybe leather wrist rests below the keyboard. TAM meets 2002 iMac!
    • There was an executive Mac... it was called the G4 cube, and nobody bought it.
    • this year should see the 25th birthday special edition thingy..... there have been some mild rumors over the last year about it. the TAM [everymac.com] was produced in very limited numbers, and by the time the public could get it, it was kinda outdated for the price (in terms of the inner schiznits). That being said, it was pretty neat, and did make it into some movies and TV shows (Batman & Robin, Seinfield etc). there are still online user groups [axon.net] dedicated to them, but then again there is for most everything Apple has ever made.

      seeing as the TAM came out in March 1997 (discontinued in March 1998), this would be 5 years later. maybe we will see something at MWNYC? it is kind of odd you don't see Apple saying anything about the 25th anniversary of the company. seeing how the company is doing a lot better today than 5 years ago, i would think they might do *something* to celebrate.
  • I was very surprised that they only had the 15 monitors when they first came out, these are VERY welcome improvements

    RonB

    • Re:Bigger Monitors a Must (Score:4, Insightful)

      by AHumbleOpinion (546848) on Monday June 03 2002, @02:42PM (#3633287) Homepage
      I was very surprised that they only had the 15 monitors when they first came out, these are VERY welcome improvements

      You should not have been. :) The iMacs are the entry level system, the more powerful users are supposed to find it a little lacking and buy the G4 towers.

      Personally I think the 15 innch on the iMac is fine. It is equivalent to a 17" tube at 1024x768, this is a fine configuration for most people out there.

  • A black case (Score:3, Interesting)

    by chris_sawtell (10326) on Monday June 03 2002, @03:42AM (#3629678) Journal
    That white around the screen dazzels me.
    I'd like a black one.

    Listening Apple?
  • That iMac base has got to be the ugliest piece of computer equipment ever to leave the Apple factory. It picks up dirt like a hoover so that cleaming white hemisphere that looks pathetic when you take it out of the box becomes a dull grey lump of crap after a few weeks. The material reminds me of those plastic chairs that we had in elementary school.

    Why couldn't they have used a material like the G4 case to form the base?
    • They should do something like they did on the outside of the iBook. That's actually painted magnesium under clear plastic, I believe.
    • Having a bad day?

      I have to disagree. Mine looks the same as the day I pulled it out of the box. As long as you dust it off periodically like you would anything on your desk it'll look fine for years.

      Hell, they give you a dusting cloth *with* it.

      I'm actually kind of glad they're getting away from the clear-plastic look...it's starting to get dated. I guess I'm over the "oooh shiny!" stage.
    • It picks up dirt like a hoover so that cleaming white hemisphere that looks pathetic when you take it out of the box becomes a dull grey lump of crap after a few weeks.

      Mine's been out of the box for three weeks now, and the gleaming (note the spelling) white base is still gleaming white. Perhaps if you used that Hoover yourself, the dirt wouldn't wind up in your computers.
    • The material reminds me of those plastic chairs that we had in elementary school.

      That would explain the rumors floating around Apple Tech Support that "got sat on by a confused first-grader" is the most common support incident with the new iMacs.

  • Doubt it. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Shrike89 (207750) on Monday June 03 2002, @03:49AM (#3629691)
    Seriously doubt the validity of this one. It's a single source w/ no history of getting Apple rumors right.

    My guess is Quantas is going to be making displays for Mac towers, and the author thinks all Apple computers are iMacs.

    I'd buy one in a heartbeat if it were so, but I'm not holding my breath.

    Remember, slashdot got hoodwinked by the "iWalk" Apple PDA hoax twice.
  • A bigger LCD is great, but it will most probably add a lot of $$$ to the price, and the current iMacs aren't cheap as it is for what you get hardware-wise. And the iMac has been about being Apple's entry-level, low-cost computer. Now it's more likely to become like the G4 cube - too expensive for the low-end buyer and too low powered and non-expandable for the high-end power user.

    • Re:Remember the G4 Cube? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Lally Singh (3427) on Monday June 03 2002, @04:00AM (#3629712) Journal
      And the iMac has been about being Apple's entry-level, low-cost computer.
      In case you hadn't noticed, the G4 iMac isn't the entry-level computer, it's the consumer-level computer. There's a distinct difference. For entry level, try the G3 iMac, or the eMac if you're a student.

      Also, the G4 iMac is selling like friggin hotcakes. Another Cube my ass.

    • And the iMac has been about being Apple's entry-level, low-cost computer. Now it's more likely to become like the G4 cube...

      Chill! They're still going to make the 15-inch models, unless I misread the article. So while there will certainly be some higher-priced iMacs, there still will be the (relatively) affordable 15" entry-level iMac.

  • or will they? (Score:5, Funny)

    by sydsavage (453743) on Monday June 03 2002, @03:53AM (#3629702)
    Industry sources said Quanta Computer will start producing the latest 17 and 19-inch iMacs in the third quarter

    Or maybe not, after Apple finds out they spilled the beans.

  • Now if only Apple could figure out how to make an LCD that has an acceptably wide viewing angle in both the horizontal and vertical direction. Then it would be practical to add a pivot joint to the end of the steel arm, allowing the screen to be pivoted from landscape to portrait layout.

  • Big Mac (Score:5, Funny)

    by delphi125 (544730) on Monday June 03 2002, @03:58AM (#3629709)
    An iMac with two screens. I guess it would look kinda like Mickey Mouse!
  • the way i have the height of the imac'a screen adjusted you can't see the base. hell, when i'm using it i don't generally look at the base anyway. all i see is a nice and smooth LCD screen.

    the bigger problem to me is the keyboard not having a power button to turn on/off the system. i have to search for it on the base and *then* i have to look at the base. of course, the way i solved this problem is by not powering off the machine. did i mention that i'm using OS X? =)

  • Available in January? (Score:3, Informative)

    by The Rolling Blackout (556170) on Monday June 03 2002, @04:17AM (#3629728)
    According to this, [theregus.com] [the register US] the idea is to start manufacturing in Q3 so that there's inventory available for a launch around New Year's. Which implies no speed bumps in store for the internals (800 Mhz, the current top speed, is going to sound pretty pokey by then) and very little chance of a significant price drop beforehand.

    This may be extrapolating a bit much from one little tidbit, but whatever. I think Apple is setting themselves up to completely miss the price point for the market, after they came so, so close with the OG iMac.

  • An opposite reaction and a rumor alert (Score:5, Insightful)

    by inkswamp (233692) on Monday June 03 2002, @05:30AM (#3629802)
    It's funny- the publicity photos of the 15 inch macs really make it look a lot nicer then it is. I finally saw one up close a few weeks ago- the arm and screen is super smooth, but the base looks like a cheap toy.

    My wife's reaction was exactly the opposite. She thought pictures of the new iMac were awful. She thought it looked goofy. We just saw one in person a few days ago and she loved it. Afterward, she kept asking me questions about it. Seeing it really changed her opinion of it.

    Personally, I was impressed with the display. I have a 15" CRT display at home and the viewable area is noticeably larger on the iMac's 15" LCD display. On top of that, the colors and images are sharp and clear. One of the things that drives me crazy about LCD displays is that they tend to darken or solarize when viewed from an angle. The iMac's display didn't do that.

    Also, FWIW, this "news" about the bigger iMac displays is being treated as an unlikely rumor amongst some of the more in-the-know Mac sites. Just FYI.

    --Rick

  • I dare ya... (Score:5, Funny)

    by UncleAlias (157955) on Monday June 03 2002, @06:00AM (#3629838) Homepage
    Only 19"? C'mon, Apple...

    Strap a 23" Studio Display on one of these babies and watch it, er... topple over?..

  • microphone (Score:2, Informative)

    by tps12 (105590)
    Will it have a microphone? My girlfriend has a G4 Cube, and it doesn't have a microphone. I thought all Macs since like the Classic came with mics. She even got the Apple monitor that "goes with it" (the 17" CRT) and no mic. :( I consider a microphone essential.

  • It's funny- the publicity photos of the 15 inch macs really make it look a lot nicer then it is. I finally saw one up close a few weeks ago- the arm and screen is super smooth, but the base looks like a cheap toy.

    It's funny -- whenever I see a PC case at a computer shop it looks cheap. An then when I see cases on sale (having cut a few knuckles servicing said cases) I know why.

  • Well duh... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Erik K. Veland (574016) on Monday June 03 2002, @06:53AM (#3629920) Homepage
    "not sure if it would convince me to buy one, but it sure would add magic shell to the ice cream.
    Of course not, you won't buy it unless they ditch the one-button mouse now will you?
  • The base of the iMac doesn't not look like a cheap toy. I've seen them in person too.

    Besides, the base of the iMac is probably one of the most over engineered cases for a computer right now what with its Faraday cage underneath the plastic shell.
  • Given how much secrecy Apple shrouds their product announcements in, the veracity of this story is either suspect or else Quanta Computer's tenure as the supplier of the flat panels is short-lived.

    A few years ago someone from ATI leaked some details about an upcoming Apple product (like the day of or the day before the announcement) and ATI was immediately and severly slapped down by Apple.
  • It's funny- the publicity photos of the 15 inch macs really make it look a lot nicer then it is.

    The photos make it look nicer, then Taco finds that it truly IS nicer. I am amazed.

  • "Cheap" plastic (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Shuh (13578) on Monday June 03 2002, @11:30AM (#3631689) Journal
    I've read quite a few posts here riding the iMac because of "cheap plastic"... as if there were no other kind of plastic. Check the plastic on 90% of the P.C.'s out there and compare to the iMac... then you will be able to know and see just what cheap plastic is all about...

  • iMac innovation undiscovered... except by owners. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by BitGeek (19506) on Monday June 03 2002, @02:37PM (#3633246) Homepage


    Its amazing how the marketplace reacts to apples products- the iMac looks dorky in pictures, but when you see on in person, you see how finely crafted it is. I ordered one sight unseen (the specs fit my needs more than anything else) and was extremely surprised at how well built it is.

    The other amazing thing is just how innovative putting the display on that arm really is. I know people are going "what's the big deal??": and others have commented that larger displays would tip it over.

    Well, the base is really good sized and heavy- the arm, as is, could handle a display significantly larger and heavier (I've tested this by pulling on the arm to try and tip the mac- it takes al ot of weight to do so.)

    But what's really amazing about this machine is that you move the display. Regularly. When its on the arm like this, you can adjust it to precisely how you're sitting at that point in time.

    If you're in front of a computer a lot, you move around in your chair-- unconciously, I'm sure-- to remain comfortable, keep your legs from falling asleep, etc. With the iMAc, you can trivially move the display to fit where you're sitting at that moment in time, or move it over to show your girlfriend something going on on the screen ( find myself doing this alot)...

    Just a half inch adjustment makes an improvement on the ergonomics. And people always move around.

    Now, after using an iMac for a couple months, I can't stand to be in front of a display that doesn't move (like my other computers)-- and canstantly have to stop myself from adjusting them. I was at WWDC and used one of the huge HD Cinema displays there, and kept moving it! All 30 pounds of it, or whatever- it really huge and moving it was liek dragging a metal table across a linoleum floor- its not meant to be moved... but I'm spoilt.

    As to larger displays- the weird thing is that this 15 inch display seems too big for me. I keep finding myself surprised at its size. I can't imagine a bigger display on this machin-- not because the arm couldn't handle it but because it would be too much display.

    It wasn't this way with CRTs where I demanded employers provide me a 21 inch trinitron, as an ergonomic requirement. but this 15 inch LCD is better in terms of image quality and usability than a 21 in trinitron running Mac OS (which is equal to a 30 inch trinitron runnign Windwos or Linux-- windowing systems that waste/misuse a lot of real estate.)

    Constantly slashdot articles that talk aobut Apple products, such as this one, dismiss them out of ignorance. you cannot see the utility and innovation of the iMac from looking at it in a picture. You have to use it ot realize that you really do want to move the display regularly.

    People get used to using Windows / Linux (different operating systems, essentially the same look and feel) and then dismiss the MAc because they don't fit what they're used to. This is exactly like a white person being insensitive around blacks or a straight person being homophobic- its fear and hatred of whats different. Except instead of people we're talking about technology so its less dangerous, but just as illogical. But then- these prejudices do get translated, into real world effects as people are denied jobs or mistreated by the ignorant.

    As a class of people who have been mistreated by Windows non-thinkers, its time to stop doing the exact same thing to Apple products-- which, are treated even worse, because they have the jealousy effect by being both not-microsoft and truely innovative.

    • Re:tipping over...? (Score:4, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 03 2002, @03:57AM (#3629708)
      No, the engineers at Apple aren't intelligent enough to prevent such a scenario. But then again, it's really far fetched, who'd come up with an idea like that? "tipping over", hehehe, you silly person. Perhaps you should inform them of the imminent danger of resizing the monitors?
    • There is no way the 15" would tip over, and I doubt that the extra LCD and plastic needed to go to 17" or 19" would make much of a difference.

      I'm working on one now, and there is no instability at all. That little base is actually fairly wide and low, and it has a power supply, hard drive, super drive, etc... inside to weigh it down. It weighs about 22lbs, and I move the screen about without any worries of it tipping.
    • Yes, all the white plastic in the base will be replaced with depleted uranium, with an attractive brushed-metal finish to match their PowerBooks.
      • > It's already old news that there's a love-hate relation with the new iMac

        I don't hate the iMac, I think it's just a piece of hardware. But sometimes I just cannot resist throwing baits at the mac lovers, who don't seem to think it is just that - hardware. :))

        > use the money you saved to buy a few dozen of those hello-kitty dildos/vibrators instead

        So, you thereby state the hello-kitty vibrator is a good substitute for this product? Personally, I don't use those. But hey, maybe I should give it a try! :)
    • Computers don't have to look like anything... my first peecee didn't even have a case.

      On the other hand, I have both my beige box and my iMac on my desk in my office.

      Difference is, unless I want people to think I'm *completely* redneck, I keep the peecee under the desk, and the iMac ON the desk.

      I think that's the difference.
    • I wouldn't say not serious, but let's just say the base design of the flat-panel iMacs remind me too much of the type of furniture you get at an IKEA store (someone once called the new iMac iKEA), and I tend to agree).

      I was hoping that the base of the new iMac would be more squarish in design so it better blends in on a standard office desk.
      • Hi RayChuang, My name is Steve Jobs. I post under the name Che Guevarra as I am a revolutionary just like him. Your ideas for the base of the iMac are also revolutionary which is why I'd like to offer you an executive position in our form and function department here in Cupertino. We'll make you the VP of all things squarish. If you see any of those latte sipping weasels on the design staff holding a compass while sitting at the drawing board, your job will be to knock it out of their hands and offer them a t-square instead.

    • Re:Flamebait (Score:5, Funny)

      by TWR (16835) on Monday June 03 2002, @08:57AM (#3630500)
      No offense 'n all that, but I think you might have...how should I put this "confidence issues"? or "a small penis"?...

      -jon

        • You've got to be kidding right? You can't compare the Xserve to a Sun Netra X1... The X1 has a SINGLE 500 Mhz Ultra IIe processor and it is slow as dirt (we have 5 of them) but they serve their purpose for us.

          The Xserve is meant to handle much more cpu intensive tasks than the X1's are. Not to mention the X1's don't support Hardware Raid (forcing you to use crappy Disksuite or pay a premium for a Veritas Volume Manager license). Heck, the X1's only hold two fricken disk drives, the Xserv holds 4!

          No matter how you look at it, the Xserve trounces the Sun Netra X1/T1.

          While the Cobalt is a little closer processor wise (1.26 Ghz PIII, hardware Raid on higher end models) it still only supports 2 Disk drives and a single processor.

          All that I see missing from the Xserve is a redundant power supply, but I guess that was hard to fit into a 1U package...

          It's amazing to think, each one of these 1U servers has more CPU than a Sun 280R with dual 900 MHz processors. Why do you think Sun doesn't make a 1U box with this much power? It would take away from selling their 4U boxes. Oh that and the size of a U3 processor is about half the size of the Xserve already.. :) j/k

    • Sound great. the only problem with my iMac is the tiny screen.

      Mine sits where a Sony 17sf monitor used to. It doesn't feel any smaller. I do wish I could run it at 1280x1024, though, like I did the Sony; that's the real restriction.


      who said the iMac is not expandable - i'd say 3 USB + 2 firewire ports is expandable. what else you need?

      I've got all but one USB port, and both Firewire ports, in use. (I've got the video grabber on a different port from the hard disk, in an attempt to avoid dropping frames during video capture.) A couple more of each would be nice.


      But a couple PCMCIA slots would be sweet.

      True, but where would they put them? (Actually, Cardbus slots would be nicer...)

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