iMacs in September?

[MacRumors]

LoopRumors.com kicks off the iMac rumors this time around with rumors of iMac updates in September.

The only info available to MacRumors at this time is that the new iMacs will sport USB 2.

 

[Flowbee]

Why am I just not interested in the iMacs anymore. Is it just me?

 

[notkevin]

Originally posted by Flowbee
Why am I just not interested in the iMacs anymore. Is it just me?

Because they are last years news, but believe me, when you can get a G5 iMac for around $1000 then you will be interested.

 

[Kamu-San]

If it is a G5 iMac I *will* be interested.

OOTH, I've got a TFT iMac now and while it's a wonderful machine, I'd really like to have the option to upgrade my machine and use 2 monitors. So I'd better start saving for that dual 2GHz G5 then

 

[tom.96]

I need a new Mac, and I've looked at the iMacs. All I need to do is run Doom 3 and Quake 4 when they come out, plus some audio/graphics work. The current iMac is very underpowered, some games need the high end iMac as minimum requirments.

The new iMac should have a G5 to distinguish it from the G4 eMac, even if this is only a 1.2 Ghz G5. As a consumer machine, consumers like to play games, and so having the option of a 128mb graphics card would be nice. It seems the current iMac range won't cut it for Doom 3 etc so I'd like to see something a lot more beefy than we have at present! New PCs come with 256mb graphics so I'm sure something like the Geforce 4 Ti 128mb which has been an option on the G4 PM for ages would not be impossible!

 

[vouder17]

Is there at all a chance of some form of iMac G5 in the near future(by the end of the year), but i am happy that it will upgrade to USB 2.0.

Well i quess the only way to know, is to wait

 

[rog]

I doubt it will be a G5, and if so, they'd probably have to redesign the case. The iMac is an overprice, slow, joke. In 18 months it's gone from 800 MHz, no L3 to 1000MHz, no L3. Sadly, they are unlikely to go above 1.4 GHz given how stuck the G4 is. They will likely still hobble it by leaving out the L3 cache. No wonder iMac sales are in the toilet. I'd like to see prices down to $1299 for the SuperDrive model, $1149 combo, and $999 15" combo. Even that would be pricey.

What PC out there is only 20% faster in the real world after 18 months? None. The iMac 2 was competetive for about a month when it was introduced. But it shipped in volume about 3 months later than it was supposed to, so from the moment it was out it was not a very good deal. Then they had the idiocy to raise the price while sales were already weak. Apple's latest brilliant move is to heavily advertise the G5 which nobody can get their hands on and likely won't for 2 months. People who need computers need them now! They don't think, well gee, I'll go back to a typewriter or a pad and pencil for 3 more months since my PC died because I'd like to wait for a G5. Apple should fire whoever is in charge of their marketing and pricing. They've been totally unable to grow Apple market share and the reasons why aren't hard to figure out.

 

[hvfsl]

Originally posted by rog
I doubt it will be a G5, and if so, they'd probably have to redesign the case. The iMac is an overprice, slow, joke. In 18 months it's gone from 800 MHz, no L3 to 1000MHz, no L3. Sadly, they are unlikely to go above 1.4 GHz given how stuck the G4 is. They will likely still hobble it by leaving out the L3 cache. No wonder iMac sales are in the toilet. I'd like to see prices down to $1299 for the SuperDrive model, $1149 combo, and $999 15" combo. Even that would be pricey.

What PC out there is only 20% faster in the real world after 18 months? None. The iMac 2 was competetive for about a month when it was introduced. But it shipped in volume about 3 months later than it was supposed to, so from the moment it was out it was not a very good deal. Then they had the idiocy to raise the price while sales were already weak. Apple's latest brilliant move is to heavily advertise the G5 which nobody can get their hands on and likely won't for 2 months. People who need computers need them now! They don't think, well gee, I'll go back to a typewriter or a pad and pencil for 3 more months since my PC died because I'd like to wait for a G5. Apple should fire whoever is in charge of their marketing and pricing. They've been totally unable to grow Apple market share and the reasons why aren't hard to figure out.

I totally agree, the iMacs are fine if you want a work of art that is just going to be used for office and the Internet, but anything more and you need a G5.

Anyone that wants to run games like Doom3 on their Mac will need at least a 1.4Ghz G4 and a Radeon 9600 or better. Now if the new iMac has these, I will be very supprised.

I expect the iMac to have, Nvidia Geforce 5200FX and a 1.2Ghz G4, although I expect they will add 1Mb L3 cache since the pro models now use G5s.

 

[job]

Originally posted by hvfsl
I expect the iMac to have, Nvidia Geforce 5200FX and a 1.2Ghz G4, although I expect they will add 1Mb L3 cache since the pro models now use G5s.

Interesting concept, but wouldn't that suggest AGP 8X on the iMacs? I know that the FXs can run on AGP 4X but it doesn't seem that Apple is willing to make them an option (as seen on the 1.25Ghz MDD towers; the Radeon and GeForce Ti are the only two BTO cards.) I would expect the Radeon 9000 sooner.

 

[c2kvette]

I'm very happy with my iMac - I love it!

 

[hvfsl]

Originally posted by job
Interesting concept, but wouldn't that suggest AGP 8X on the iMacs? I know that the FXs can run on AGP 4X but it doesn't seem that Apple is willing to make them an option (as seen on the 1.25Ghz MDD towers; the Radeon and GeForce Ti are the only two BTO cards.) I would expect the Radeon 9000 sooner.

The Graphics cards that support 8x AGP also work on computers with 4x and 2x AGP.

 

[hvfsl]

Originally posted by c2kvette
I'm very happy with my iMac - I love it!

As long as you don't want to run Doom3 on it, I would be happy with one as well. But I do want to play Doom3, so an iMac will not do.

 

[cavemanstudios]

Originally posted by c2kvette
I'm very happy with my iMac - I love it!

That's what I like to hear. I am looking at buying a iMac soon, hopefully an updated model. The main appeal for me is the price. I can get a nice machine that will do things a heck of a lot faster than my PB G3 Pismo or my PM 8600 with upgrade card and I can still afford things like the Formac Studio to go with it. Being a student I just dont have the cash to put down for a G5 that I would be happy with. Then when I am out of school I can spend the money on the G6 or 7 that will be out and use the iMac as my wife/kids (neither of which do I currently have) machine.

 

[Freg3000]

Well, if we assume the PowerBook rumors are true (which I admit is a stretch) then the 7457 will be ready and in production, so the iMac would be able to use them. Therefore we could get higher clock speeds, as well as more cache, both L2 and the addition of L3 in the iMac. I agree though that Apple has left the iMac to sell on its looks alone and that ain't gonna cut it no more.

 

[Brother Mugga]

Extended iMac

I've just 'switched' a couple of friends to iMacs (yesterday, in fact) because they only want to do the email/wordproc/tetris thing.

And they lurve the design.

Personally, I'd have got an iMac ages ago if it had (a) proper extended desktop (just think how many people (and, perhaps more importantly, switchers) already have a decent monitor) and (b) USB 2.0. Yes, firewire is better (blah blah); I agree with you. But an awful lot of consumer peripheral manufacturers don't, it would appear.

Fingers crossed for September, then.

Brother Mugga

PS: On this theme (or possibly one involving a 'headless' (cubelike?? Please say it's true...) box): I wonder what happened to all those 1.4 Gig G5s that were supposed to be churning out of Fishkill?

Like I said; here's hoping for September, eh?

Albeit in a completely unrealistic 'yeah-right-like-Apple-is-going-to-knacker-its-Pro G5-sales' kind of way...

 

[Ambrose Chapel]

Everyone I know who has a flat-panel iMac loves it. None of them are gamers, they use it for general work - Internet use, iLife stuff, word-processing. They are all switchers too.

As for an update, I hope they either get very beefed up in order to better differentiate them from the eMac, or else get a price cut to bring them in line with the eMac. Given that the G5s are more expensive that the Power Macs they replaced, I'm guessing that the iMac will get boosted to better fill the mid-price desktop space in the product matrix.

 

[Jerry Spoon]

Originally posted by Flowbee
Why am I just not interested in the iMacs anymore. Is it just me?

I figure high end users represent a higher than normal percentage on these discussion boards. iMacs aren't high end machines, especially now with the new g5.
I read this rumor and my first thought was "who cares"

 

[cavemanstudios]

Originally posted by Jerry Spoon
I figure high end users represent a higher than normal percentage on these discussion boards. iMacs aren't high end machines, especially now with the new g5.
I read this rumor and my first thought was "who cares"

I consider myself a high end user, on a budget. If I had the money for a G5 I would order it right now, but for the money iMacs are still good machines that can do high-end things maybe slower but one can still get the job done on an iMac when the funds are not currently available for a G5. Plus with the lower price of the iMac one might be able to afford the software and other hardware needed (i.e. Photoshop, Formac Studio, Final Cut Pro, etc. etc.)

I don't mean to beat this point to death.

I think in some way I am trying to make myself feel better about lowering my hopes to an iMac due to money in spite of really wanting that G5!

 

[Flowbee]

Originally posted by cavemanstudios
I consider myself a high end user, on a budget. If I had the money for a G5 I would order it right now, but for the money iMacs are still good machines that can do high-end things maybe slower but one can still get the job done on an iMac when the funds are not currently available for a G5. Plus with the lower price of the iMac one might be able to afford the software and other hardware needed (i.e. Photoshop, Formac Studio, Final Cut Pro, etc. etc.)

For the budget-concious, the eMac seems like a much better deal to me.

 

[hvfsl]

Originally posted by Flowbee
For the budget-concious, the eMac seems like a much better deal to me.

I think the PM G4 is an even better deal, since you can get the 1.25ghz version for around $1200 and a 19in CRT display will only cost you $150 extra. Plus the PM is upgradable unlike the i/eMacs.

 

[Fender2112]

Originally posted by hvfsl
I think the PM G4 is an even better deal, since you can get the 1.25ghz version for around $1200 and a 19in CRT display will only cost you $150 extra. Plus the PM is upgradable unlike the i/eMacs.

Interesting. I had not thought about this option. I've been waiting for the iMac updates. I'll wait a bit to see what the updates bring.

An expandable PowerMac for about $1500 - $1700 sounds quite tempting even it is a bit out dated.

 

[CubeHacker]

Doom3 on an iMac? At the current rate that the iMacs are speeding up, that might happen in 2 years.

Seriously, the absolute minimum requirements to run Doom3 are a 1ghz processor and a Geforce card. But lets be realistic. To get any kind of playable framerate out of Doom3, you'd want at LEAST a 2ghz processor and a Geforce4 or higher (not this Geforce4MX crap). Thats already bordering on the Dual G5 specs.

In other words, the iMac isn't going to be running Doom3 anytime soon unless Apple ditches the long outdated G4 and starts sticking G5's in most if not all of their computer lineup.

IMO, the Powermacs should be all Dual G5's (except for maybe the lowend model), and the iMacs should all have single G5's of similar speeds. That would keep the Powermacs at about 2x the performance of the iMacs, yet still keep the iMacs powerful enough to run any modern application or game. Meanwhile, the eMacs should use G4's or G3+'s and be sold as lowend sub $1000 computers for schools and students who need an all-in-one yet affordable mac.

 

[bennetsaysargh]

i have to say argh on this one.
apple needs no revamp evrything (except the powermacs) in august so the don't lose the back to school market. that is a critical market.

also, my dad says next year we'll get a new iMac. i hope by then apple will have gotten to thier senses and done this to thier whole line of products. the iMacs need to speed up. i did a little research, and i found out that
Flat panel iMac (since january 2002) has only in creased speed by 200 to 300Mhz.
the powermacs have increased speeds by
300-687Mhz since last january.
argh

here's my idea for the product line for mid next year.
G5 PowerMac
G5 iMac
G5 PowerBook
G4 iBook
G4 eMac
G4 Low End Box

they need to kill the G3 by mid-next year, meaning that they need to update the powerbooks to a G5. the eMac will stay a G4 or be killed off, and the iMacs will get a G5. and of course, a low end box G4.

 

[crenz]

Something I really don't understand is why they don't sell a 17" iMac with a ComboDrive, or at least let you reconfigure it to a ComboDrive in the Apple Store. I find 15" too small for a screen, but the 17" is just too expensive.

Also, here's a small comparision:

• Middle 17" iMac US store: US$ 1799,-
• Middle 17" iMac German store: € 2203,-
• Low-end 1.25 GHz Power Mac US store: US$ 1299,-
• Low-end 1.25 GHz Power Mac German store: € 1391,-

As you can see, we pay a much higher premium for the iMac than for the PowerMac. I don't see how they want to sell a consumer machine for € 2200,- when anybody can buy a cheap-o PC with 17" display for € 600,- to 700,- . I know because my sister just bought an € 400,- Athlon PC (2 GHz) to replace her old computer (and that one is faster than she needs it to be). Something like the iMac would have been perfect for her, but hey, there's no way she could have afforded it and buying an office suite.

Seems the iMac became a toy for the rich.

 

[kangaroo]

iMac=G4

Basically, for an additional ~$500 you can buy the good looking version of the eMac--it's called an iMac.

It's unlikely that we'll see a G5 in an iMac anytime soon. Apple will limit the G5 to the PowerMac as an inducement to buy into their most expensive hardware.