iMac [re]Design

[iMikeT]

With all the talk lately about seeing an iMac refresh in the coming months, I have read some people wanting to see a redesign as well. Some even go as far as saying that if the iMac is not completely redesigned, they won't even buy it. But why would anyone even go that far?

Then there are those that assume that Apple WILL redesign the iMac in 2012, based on what evidence exactly?

Personally, I think the current iMac is just fine from a design perspective. Apple sure has come a long way with the iMac's design from the iMac G3 to the current offering. At this point, what else can anyone demand from Apple?

 

[Hellhammer]

There was a redesign (albeit maybe quite minor) in late 2009. Some people just expect Apple to come up with a new design every now and then. They usually base it on Apple's history.

I think it depends on do other products get a redesign and what kind of. I doubt iMac would be the first one to adopt a new kind of design

 

[MacHamster68]

i am one of the ones who wish a total makeover before i would even consider a new iMac
with a bit more choice in color , anodizing is a simple process and as it can be done on ipods , i see no reason why it cant be done on a iMac , and i would like to see a smaller iMac in between the mini and the 21.5 , originally i thought about 17" but 18.5 "seems to be the most common size today

apple had this before in 2006 with iMac in 17" 20" and 24" and on the iMac G4 with 15" 17" and 20" so 3 different screen sizes are nothing new
on top of that with the innards of a MBA means more energy efficient , with a ssd only and convection cooled with no fans ,so a absolute silent computer and again one thats ahead of its time again, like the iMac G3 slotty , the iMac G4 , the iMac G5 had been in their days
today the iMac looks from the distance just like any TV of the supermarket shelf
and that needs to change again to make it worth to buy a new one for me , i just want the THINK DIFFERENT back a true design icon again

after all apple had been good in creating designs that really stood out , and everybody knew this is a apple computer without even seeing the logo on the front

 

[iMikeT]

i am one of the ones who wish a total makeover before i would even consider a new iMac
with a bit more choice in color , anodizing is a simple process and as it can be done on ipods , i see no reason why it cant be done on a iMac , and i would like to see a smaller iMac in between the mini and the 21.5 , originally i thought about 17" but 18.5 "seems to be the most common size today

To me, this just seems to be a whine about a bunch of nit-picky things.

apple had this before in 2006 with iMac in 17" 20" and 24" and on the iMac G4 with 15" 17" and 20" so 3 different screen sizes are nothing new
on top of that with the innards of a MBA means more energy efficient , with a ssd only and convection cooled with no fans ,so a absolute silent computer and again one thats ahead of its time again, like the iMac G3 slotty , the iMac G4 , the iMac G5 had been in their days
today the iMac looks from the distance just like any TV of the supermarket shelf
and that needs to change again to make it worth to buy a new one for me , i just want the THINK DIFFERENT back a true design icon again

This sounds like you wanting to hold onto the past instead of looking forward to what we can have in the future.

after all apple had been good in creating designs that really stood out , and everybody knew this is a apple computer without even seeing the logo on the front

Designs that stood out? Yeah, if Apple introduced an iMac that looked like the iMac G3 in today's market it would stand out all right, like a sore thumb.

I can definitely walk into any room and spot a Mac even if it had the Apple logo hidden.

 

[flipster]

The design is so awesome now, i really hope they dont change it at all. making it slimmer would sacrifice performance and create more heat, so that's not really an option. if anything a little wider for more performance would be nice

 

[techhead42]

I love the iMac design, however I would change the fact that the glass is held on by magnets. For some reason that puts a shiver up my spine.

 

[chris98vf]

I would assume there would be a redesign when Lightpeak starts coming on new iMacs, whenever that will be...

I kinda like this design but I'm sure anything they change will be a nice redesign. It's all better than the old desk lamp looking one

 

[iMaccore2]

i am one of the ones who wish a total makeover before i would even consider a new iMac
with a bit more choice in color , anodizing is a simple process and as it can be done on ipods , i see no reason why it cant be done on a iMac , and i would like to see a smaller iMac in between the mini and the 21.5 , originally i thought about 17" but 18.5 "seems to be the most common size today

apple had this before in 2006 with iMac in 17" 20" and 24" and on the iMac G4 with 15" 17" and 20" so 3 different screen sizes are nothing new
on top of that with the innards of a MBA means more energy efficient , with a ssd only and convection cooled with no fans ,so a absolute silent computer and again one thats ahead of its time again, like the iMac G3 slotty , the iMac G4 , the iMac G5 had been in their days
today the iMac looks from the distance just like any TV of the supermarket shelf
and that needs to change again to make it worth to buy a new one for me , i just want the THINK DIFFERENT back a true design icon again

after all apple had been good in creating designs that really stood out , and everybody knew this is a apple computer without even seeing the logo on the front

I definitely do not want the innards of an air in an iMac. Sure it would be quiet, but you would be buying a high end desktop with the power of a netbook. I would like to see a smaller screen size iMac as well, I think 17" would be nice.

 

[MacHamster68]

the MBA innards just came to mind as they would fit inside and wont get to hot but can get things done , when emailing /surfing and office ,and aparently you can do some more things with a MBA i heard it's even fast enough to watch a movie , but more important s the fanless design
i just love the smaller 17" , but now uncommon that why i did suggest the more common 18.5"
because it fits just everywhere and for me its the right size for a computer monitor and as all parts can be had ready of the shelf this smaller iMac could be on the market for $699 tomorrow and jonathan ive could use his imagination again to create something really outstanding, as so far the only thing that really has changed in recent years ..the overall looks have not changed , just from white acryl to brushed alu ... so if polite just a evolution,
but not a radical redesign as for example the iMac G4 was , but to be fair a AIO where everything is build into the display does not give many options apart from redesigning the stand and make it less user upgrade friendly

 

[Sambo110]

i am one of the ones who wish a total makeover before i would even consider a new iMac
with a bit more choice in color , anodizing is a simple process and as it can be done on ipods , i see no reason why it cant be done on a iMac , and i would like to see a smaller iMac in between the mini and the 21.5 , originally i thought about 17" but 18.5 "seems to be the most common size today

apple had this before in 2006 with iMac in 17" 20" and 24" and on the iMac G4 with 15" 17" and 20" so 3 different screen sizes are nothing new
on top of that with the innards of a MBA means more energy efficient , with a ssd only and convection cooled with no fans ,so a absolute silent computer and again one thats ahead of its time again, like the iMac G3 slotty , the iMac G4 , the iMac G5 had been in their days
today the iMac looks from the distance just like any TV of the supermarket shelf
and that needs to change again to make it worth to buy a new one for me , i just want the THINK DIFFERENT back a true design icon again

after all apple had been good in creating designs that really stood out , and everybody knew this is a apple computer without even seeing the logo on the front

In other words looks are more important than how it performs? I really don't care what it looks like, as long as it doesn't look horrible, as long as it has great performance!

 

[MacHamster68]

no for me it was this whole concept of having something totally unique on the desk that made it worth to spend money on , if i want raw performance i'd buy a MacPro simple as that , the iMac was never meant to be a high performance computer
but i found a mockup from 2007 i could like if it had a 17" or around the size as i know a AIO does not offer many options to redesign , its just display and a stand

and of course convection cooled ok not necessary a green strip on the bottom , but the option to change the color of it is a great idea to whatever someone prefers some girls might like it pink , i'd prefer it with a white strip, and the MBa innards would make it possible to make it really thin and still being convection cooled, but i would be open to other platforms then intel too and even would prefer them...think different again , and i did not mean to scrap the i3-i7 lineup, i just thought about a additional smaller basic iMac priced below the current lines of iMac's and above the Mini

 

[MacHamster68]

yes looks are important otherwise i would just use a hackintosh
and what is wrong with a bit retro design , i mean the automotive industry makes a fortune with it , see the BMW MINI and the Fiat 500, they sure dont look like a sore thump , and i did not say to make a iMac g3 /G4 again , despite if apple would build a G3/G4 iMac again with modern innards as a retro OPTION it would be great
and the thread like "the iMac G4 with mini innards " show that the demand is there for a retro iMac

and to the iMac G3 it was convection cooled , so a going back to fans seems to me like a step backwards no matter how quiet the fans run

everybody is talking about energy efficiency today , fans need energy so getting rid of this ancient cooling method seems to be a step towards future

 

[rsdotscot]

That's horrible... you would honestly want something which looks like that over the current offering?

As a designer myself I understand why some of us are designers and the rest of us aren't. Most people don't have a clue when it comes to aesthetics, just look at some of the abortions people had for MySpace pages.

 

[TMRaven]

Give me an iMac G3 with an ultra-slim oled display instead of the dated lcd panel.

 

[wordoflife]

Right now Apple has all of its products where they want it. The black/silver ... including the iPhone.

 

[dukebound85]

Right now Apple has all of its products where they want it. The black/silver ... including the iPhone.

except the mb lol

 

[R739]

 

[topmounter]

I'm pretty happy with the design and size of my 24" iMac (I bought it and a 24" Cinema Display when they announced the 27"). I'm just hoping that the next major iMac update isn't simply turning it into a glorified dock for iOS devices.

 

[hayesk]

I love the iMac design, however I would change the fact that the glass is held on by magnets. For some reason that puts a shiver up my spine.

So you want Apple to change something because you have a weird irrational concern over magnets?

 

[chris98vf]

So you want Apple to change something because you have a weird irrational concern over magnets?

You know, when the earth's poles shift suddenly in 2012 all the glass panels will come crashing to the floor

 

[iMikeT]

yes looks are important otherwise i would just use a hackintosh
and what is wrong with a bit retro design , i mean the automotive industry makes a fortune with it , see the BMW MINI and the Fiat 500, they sure dont look like a sore thump , and i did not say to make a iMac g3 /G4 again , despite if apple would build a G3/G4 iMac again with modern innards as a retro OPTION it would be great
and the thread like "the iMac G4 with mini innards " show that the demand is there for a retro iMac

and to the iMac G3 it was convection cooled , so a going back to fans seems to me like a step backwards no matter how quiet the fans run

everybody is talking about energy efficiency today , fans need energy so getting rid of this ancient cooling method seems to be a step towards future

Since you're such an expert about what's good and what isn't when it comes to design and manufacturing, Apple should replace Jony Ive with you, Mr. MacHamster68.

Better yet, Apple should release a product line entitled "The MacHamster68 Special Edition".

 

[AAPLaday]

Only things i can think of is easier to access hard drive, matte option and i wish that the stand wasn't as deep so it could go further back on my desk.

 

[Heb1228]

The iMac G4 was the coolest computer design ever... I wouldn't mind seeing them bring that back with a redesign of some kind.

 

[coolspot18]

I want a matte screen option.

 

[rsdotscot]

The iMac G4 was the coolest computer design ever... I wouldn't mind seeing them bring that back with a redesign of some kind.

I can't see it happening as since Steve originally came back in 1997 he closed the Mac Museum and told people to stop looking backwards.

HOWEVER, I completely agree with you, I'd love to see them release a 10th anniversary edition as a tribute.