Flat screen iMac

Just my 2 cents worth but since Apple has said that LCD is the future I doubt that they would produce a machine that backs away from that technology. I expect MacWorld NYC to reveal a new iMac that is a genetic mutant of the old iMac and the Cube. The price of LCD screens is coming down and Apple will probably pull it off at current price points, if not lower. If Apple and Jobs can produce a new iMac that has half the cool factor of the TiBook and new iBook then Mr. Dell will have reason to worry even more. Pull this one off and 2001 (the first year of the real millenium) will be the year that the PC market tanked with the exception of Apple who against all odds and blew the competition away. What a way to start a new millenium!:D
 
Let me apologize to all the members in this thread for skewing off topic a bit but I'm uncomfortable with PassY's explanation of RF in the iMac line.

PassY I mean no disrespect, but I find it difficult to swallow for an assuming Apple Certified Technician to say that RF is killing the video cards. I would think if RF was such a problem that it would effect numerous components right at the getgo and not slowly degrade components to a useless state (And I've never seen this happen with strong RF on any device, speaking as a fellow Technical Engineer). You would see this immediately with crashes, freezes and general naughty behavior. The machine would probably not even boot with such amounts of RF like you state. Couldn't it be more of a heat related issue with the +500MHz iMacs? Isn't this when they went fanless and went with a passive airflow design to dissipate heat within the unit?
I just have to balk at you're conclusions because I feel the Apple Technical Engineers have usually made exceptional quality hardware devices. Really some brilliant designs. iMac's included.

Just a note: zaustin's comment on shielding was correct. The crt is effectively shielded from the motherboard. At the bottom of the crt is a metal panel that extends the length and width of the entire motherboard. The motherboard itself is housed in a metal bowl like structure. When these 2 structures are assembled it effectively makes a nice Faraday cage to squash EMI from the crt. There is also a half cage built around the CPU daughtercard. Most Mac models have exceptional shielding.
 
I have no idea how much RF junk is going on inside the iMac, and I really don't care. But if it really does have problems, wouldn't that be all the more reason to go to LCD?

I think they will go LCD, but not on the low ends. They have to not only keep the price down, but motivate people to get high-end systems. If there was only a few hundred dollars difference between the prices, what do you think the most people would get: a low-end iMac with a CRT, or a super-cool, high-tech, LCD iMac? For the people who want a cheap computer, they don't care if it has a LCD, and if that increased the cost, they would be more likely to go PC. But for the people who want a sweet Mac that they can show their friends but still afford, a LCD is a must. Apple would take a large sales hit if they didn't. The old iMac is just that: old.
 
...but we are sure to talking about the new flat iMac? Or we are talking about a new cube without the cube? It's possibible that this new Apple computer is the substitute of the cube, and not of the iMac.
I think that ATI Radeon, G3 600+ and the iBook combo drive will be a better upgrade for the iMac.
 
Originally posted by lelereb
...but we are sure to talking about the new flat iMac? Or we are talking about a new cube without the cube?
Click to expand...

That's a good point: they might completely ditch the iMac and do a Cube sorta thing, but with faster (like from 500 to 650MHz) G3 instead of a slower G4. That would make it a definite consumer product, and allow for a lower price than the Cube ever had. In the end, I think the Cube was down to $1299, and that would fit with what http://www.thinksecret.com reported about the new prices...
 
well, now since the new stuff came out...I think to see these flat screen's in September...(maybe X.I too?!) at the seybold San Fransisco.
 
I don't expect to see any new iMacs at the Seybold Conference. Seybold is a conference aimed at professional users. Seybold will probably have things like Final Cut for X, TiBook upgrades, and Mounted rack G4 servers. Steve will save consumer products like the iMac for Paris or San Francisco.
 
Originally posted by davidbrit2
Of course, in a laptop, where portability is the focus, this is obviously not the case. If only someone could make a lightweight, flat CRT.
Click to expand...

take a look at http://www.candescent.com/. Thin crt technologies still have quite a way to come but they're on their way.

However I think a flat screen iMac would be the way to go. The iMac was successful because it was so different. To a certain extent it was desirable. The whole apple range has become more 'professional' looking and a flat screen iMac would reflect that. Also iMac users are less likely to need great resolution flexibility so crt would not be so necessary.

It makes little sense to release it anytime soon. Wait until the economy settles down then we'll start seeing more innovation from apple.

Kieron
 
This may be the new iMac, from an secret source!

Hope i dont get sueed by anyone!:)
 

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I hate to sink your boat....thats not possible...you know there is a computor behind the imac right?
 
actually, in a other version of this rendering, the third lag of the tripod is mad from a cube shapped assembly. So it would be possible, but only if the computer was in the third leg, or was detached. But, its just a rendering. I'm sure mr. ive will think of something to knock everyone's socks off.
 
It´s a nice idea, and ples dont tell me you can´t put a G4 behind and integrated in the LCD screen, look at the TiG4 PowerBook, it´s a hell of a lot smaller than this render 1:1!
 
Have you guys been blind? Apple has been consistantly jacking up the price on iMacs from 799 to 999, but manufacturing costs haven't gone up. Apple is obviously making the price higher so when they introduce some form of LCD iMacs the price won't be such a kick in the butt...the only thing that kept them from introducing the new LCD iMacs at MWNY was the price was still overrun a bit...but that wont be the case soon. Besides that, Apple's CRT supplier will no longer be suppling CRT's by the end of the year, but focusing its attention on LCD's. Apple will make an LCD iMac, but will keep a lower cost CRT iMac for the education market. I think it will be out sometime after, if not at, the next Macworld.
 
I think a lot of us got excited about the LCD iMac just because it would be a big departure from the current product and we are always rooting for Apple to do something fantastic.

An LCD imac would not be bad. Here in Japan most desks are much narrower in the US. Flat screen equipped computers and all-in-ones are popular because they save so much space. It is fairly common to see people use laptops as desktops because of the space it saves.

However, we shouldn't limit our thinking to LCDs. Perhaps, if CRTs are cheaper Apple could do something creative with a CRT? How about a wide aspect ratio CRT with an ultraflat surface in some sort of cool cabinet? (maybe 1280 x 768?) This could attract attention with the unusual shape and greater functionality while keeping costs down. While more expensive than a standard CRT this would have to be much cheaper than an LCD of comparable size. Does anyone know of existing CRTs with this form factor? In Japan there are lots of wide screen TVs but I don't recall seeing computer monitors like this.
 
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