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iMac redesign with the next update?

N

Nick012

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 28, 2007
142
0
So we all know the iMac is in need of refreshing and that the refresh will almost certainly be this quarter...
Even though the laptops and the new cinema display have been updated to look a lot more like the iMac with their aluminum and glass stylings does anyone here think we'll see an update to the design?
 
Not much can really be improved with the current iMac design at the moment I think. I suppose that Apple could make it look like the new 24" Cinema Displays, and I also think that the keyboard will have black keys like on the MacBooks.
 
Nick012 said:
So we all know the iMac is in need of refreshing and that the refresh will almost certainly be this quarter...
Even though the laptops and the new cinema display have been updated to look a lot more like the iMac with their aluminum and glass stylings does anyone here think we'll see an update to the design?
Click to expand...

...Why? What sense is there in making the laptops look like the desktops just to change the desktops five months later?

Why? Why does it need changed? What would it be changed to? The hardware, not the design, is what matters.
 
TheEpicFilmCo said:
Not much can really be improved with the current iMac design at the moment I think. I suppose that Apple could make it look like the new 24" Cinema Displays, and I also think that the keyboard will have black keys like on the MacBooks.
Click to expand...
gaa i hate the black keys on the mac/piano. :eek:
but seriously, i dont like this whole black and aluminum color scheme.
 
Tallest Skil said:
...Why? What sense is there in making the laptops look like the desktops just to change the desktops five months later?

Why? Why does it need changed? What would it be changed to? The hardware, not the design, is what matters.
Click to expand...

'cause that chin thing is plain fugly. Then again, I guess that isn't a redesign, per se, more of a design improvement. :)

I think updating the mighty mouse is probably a better avenue of investigation for Apple's R&D department to be honest. The thing is starting to look dated against the current line of designs Macs are sporting.
 
Tallest Skil said:
...Why? What sense is there in making the laptops look like the desktops just to change the desktops five months later?

Why? Why does it need changed? What would it be changed to? The hardware, not the design, is what matters.
Click to expand...

Practically speaking it wouldn't make sense, but part of Apple's philosophy is to push the boundaries of style and creativity, so you cannot rule out something out of left field from Jonny the Ive. For Apple, the design is key to their marketing. "The thinest, the lightest, the smallest" etc. That is a result of design.

Having said that, in this climate, Apple seems to have almost perfected the all in one design, so I expect to see something evolutionary rather than revolutionary. I would like to see a reduced 'chin' on the next iMac, but not at the expense of speaker quality.

Perhaps the first real opportunity to do something reasonably radical may come when the iMac ships with an OLED display. Potentially the thinness of the panel (no backlight required) will allow more components to go behind the display rather than below it - but that probably won't be at least for 2-3 years when LG.Display can 'print' them off at todays pricepoint.
 
RemarkabLee said:
Perhaps the first real opportunity to do something reasonably radical may come when the iMac ships with an OLED display. Potentially the thinness of the panel (no backlight required) will allow more components to go behind the display rather than below it - but that probably won't be at least for 2-3 years when LG.Display can 'print' them off at todays pricepoint.
Click to expand...

That would be awesome, but personally, I wouldn't be too bothered about the iMac being half an inch thicker at the back to create the space required to remove the 'chin' altogether and make it look more like the new 24" ACDs. But that might cause issues with weight distribution and prompt a redesign of the stand...
 
Theophany said:
I think updating the mighty mouse is probably a better avenue of investigation for Apple's R&D department to be honest. The thing is starting to look dated against the current line of designs Macs are sporting.
Click to expand...
I'm thinking the next step will be a multi-touch Mighty Mouse.
 
iMacmatician said:
I'm thinking the next step will be a multi-touch Mighty Mouse.
Click to expand...

In fairness, the current Mighty Mouse is crap and it only has 3 buttons. Multi-touch doesn't fill me with confidence. Separated left/right click and a bluetooth connection that doesn't track like a single-legged dog would be just dandy imo. ;)
 
I like the chin size they have now and is good place for the speakers. I dont want my Imac to look like an LCD and that would create a lot of confusion i.e. customers buying an apple cinema display expecting a computer to be inside of it.
They should up the hardware specs, change the mouse and maybe offer a black and alum keyboard to match the current iMac style
 
Tallest Skil said:
...Why? What sense is there in making the laptops look like the desktops just to change the desktops five months later?

Why? Why does it need changed? What would it be changed to? The hardware, not the design, is what matters.
Click to expand...
I meant it needs refreshing in terms of specs... I don't think it needs redesigning, nor do I think it will be, I just wondered what other people's thoughts were on the topic.
 
Apple redesigns their iMacs once every 2 years roughly, it's due for one in 6 months. So yes, it is very possible and most likely we will be seeing a new iMac before the end of the year.
 
I don't see any issues with the iMac design aside from the lack of a matte option. But since the 17" MBP has an option that replaces the screen, I think Apple may rectify that on the whole line this year.

I'm not in the market for an iMac myself, but I really think my dad would benefit from one. He loves his iMac G5, but I know he'd go gaga over the extra speed of the faster CPU, memory, Intel instead of PPC, etc. I would personally love one myself, but I like to port my computer too much to go back from a MacBook Pro.

Some people at AppleInsider were suggesting Apple should use the i7 (whatever the F that is) processor in the next iMac revision. It's apparently a desktop quad-core CPU, and I don't really think Apple has a problem with iMac speed. Any modest gains some Windows box has will be negated by the contast use of firewalls and anti-virus software. Task Manager shows how much junk is wasted by that. Plus, Apple loves thin, and portable components are more adept to doing that.
 
Why does Apple need to redesign some of you are asking ? To keep with the latest trends ! I totally agree, the current iMac's look beautiful the way they are, but the previous generation Macbook / Macbook Pro's looked beautiful too, and Apple re-designed these to look even better in my own opinion....

What I would like to see done to the iMac's is the "unibody" structure just like the new LED Cinema Display where the back is all aluminium as well with the black Apple logo, that would look very very nice ........
 
Just got a major redesign, if you look at the track record for the Macs since Steve got back ... it'll be here awhile.

Unless the bezel changes and has a range of fruity colors, though I'd rather see the spots come back.

Hopefully a matte option, and some minor changes with the new chipset.
 
The iMac is near perfection for an all in one style machine. It's very nearly a floating monitor/computer. Remove the chin? Ok yeah I can go for that...make the stand removable so you can mount it on a VESA arm? I could go for that too. But aside from that, what can you really do? At this point it's basically changing it for changing it's sake.
 
I don't think there will be any cosmetic updates, but I do think that the keyboard with black keys might be nice..
 
if i could change the design, the only thing i would change is the option to rotate the display 90 degrees so you can set the monitor to vertical view..

other than that, its perfect :)
 
Am I the only one who likes the chin? It makes the iMac recognizable, otherwise it would just look like a monitor, and who wants that? Thinner, perhaps, but again not needed. I think the iMac, design wise, is the most sorted Apple product. Matte screen wouldn't go amiss though.
 
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