Ed Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 iMacs Dear oh dear, the poor old iMac has been starved of an update since last September. Rumours are abound of an entirely new, aluminium-wrapped enclosure just around the corner, combined with an all-new keyboard to boot. AppleInsider speculates that the new keyboard will be a very slim affair, drawing upon the current 13" MacBook's low-profile keys - here's hoping Jonathan Ive & co. aren't about to ship us a laptop keyboard with our new iMacs in the name of cool aesthetics, but knowing Apple we're sure they'll achieve the perfect balance. As Apple moves away from the gloss white plastics, we can also expect to see this new aluminium iMac to benefit from an enclosure just 2" thick according to ThinkSecret - a hefty bit of bulk shed compared to the current 17" iMac's 6.8" depth and the 24" mother's 8.1" depth. Specs-wise, given the iMac's similar architecture with the MacBook Pro's, it is fair to expect speeds of 2.4GHz, possibly 2.6GHz if the recently shipping Intel Core 2 Extremes are implemented. Current launch date expectations are a July/August timeframe which would coincide with the annual iLife update, so expect iLife '07 to be bundled too. iPods It's fair to assume that future iPods will be touting many of the features of the new iPhone - in fact, the iPods may well share a very similar enclosure to the iPhone and, in conjunction with rumoured new aluminium iMacs, completely leave behind the old gloss plastic designs originally pioneered 10 years ago with the first bondi blue iMac. These new iPods are likely to be Mac OS X-based and of course share the same touch screen interface that the iPhone uses. The current range of iPods haven't been updated since 2006, but the expected launch date for the latest generation of iPods is some time in August according to DigiTimes. Ultra-portable MacBook (Pro?) Rumours have been abound for quite some time about Apple's return to the sub-notebook market. Their initial foray into the market with the PowerBook 2400 in the 90's was short-lived, but with advances in technology, Apple's move to Intel, and the combo of Jobs and Ive, this could be a real winner, especially in Japan. AppleInsider reports the ultra-portable is being built around a 13" display which is LED-backlit, like the current 15.4" MacBook Pro. Assuming that this new sub-notebook forms part of the MacBook Pro family, it is fair to assume that this too will don an aluminium enclosure. Specs-wise, expect the DVD drive to be an external affair in keeping with it's ultra-portable-goodness, as well as the option to have a solid-state flash drive for those who can afford it. Don't expect this bad boy any time soon though, at least not til this fall at the earliest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headrush69 Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 I don't quite understand the obsession with making the iMac anything thinner. For most people I can't see 5" deeper providing any more desk space for this style. Sounds more and more like they want a unified notebook/iMac system. I suppose for Apple this would make good business sense. Upgrade the iMac to a higher end video option and a larger HD and I'd buy one as it is. (Of course normal speed increases included) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbetts Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Hopefully Apple starts to ship the Imac with the G8 chips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnit Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Buh.. how is the imac 6.8" deep? Or do you include the stand? If so, then surely any newly designed imac will have a similarly deep stand, else how would the thing stay upright? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jglavin Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Buh.. how is the imac 6.8" deep? Or do you include the stand? If so, then surely any newly designed imac will have a similarly deep stand, else how would the thing stay upright? Agree - I don't really see how they could improve the current stand design to make it thinner without it tipping over. Perhaps they have something different in mind... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
articquad Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Is anyone else in love with the new news team? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swad Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Is anyone else in love with the new news team? I am. I'm curious as to whether they'll add anything else fancy to the iMac. Not that they need to. I'd almost buy one just for the new looks, but I can't really justify that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJMoose Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 I know Apple is committed to USB and Firewire but I'd sure like to see at least one eSATA connector on the new iMacs or an express card slot that would allow additional flexibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headrush69 Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 I know Apple is committed to USB and Firewire but I'd sure like to see at least one eSATA connector on the new iMacs or an express card slot that would allow additional flexibility. That would be awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U.C. Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 New iMac :droool: Hope it has a 8800GT. Now that would kick ass. But I guess I could manage with a 8600GT too. BTW are the 8600GT's used in MBP's as powerful as the desktop versions?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synaesthesia Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 BTW are the 8600GT's used in MBP's as powerful as the desktop versions?? I don't believe they are, they are the mobile versions, designated by the "m" at the end, like 8600m I would love an aluminium (dammit that IS how you spell it, stoopid spell-check!) iMac, much like the ipod mini, nano rev 2 and cinema displays. However, any improvement in the iMac would be welcome. Not to mention the mini, I mean, it's been stuck at the same price point and specs for how long? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danyel Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Hi Do1: I have 2nd-gen Blue aluminum iPod Mini and 2nd-gen Silver aluminum iPod Nano. I'm pretty happy with the iPod Nano I have (simple, elegant and easy-to-use). After seeing and playing with the iPhone, I'm drooling to see what new iPod's will look like. --danyel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbetts Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 BTW are the 8600GT's used in MBP's as powerful as the desktop versions?? No, if I remember right it's either clocked lower, or not as many steam processors in the mobile edition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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