New Idea for iMac.....

[D ROCK]

I see I have the same beefs with the current iMacs as everyone else does.
It has 3 main limitations that I can see.

no upgradeability in the screen size, the harddrive size and the number of ports available.

the usual solution is to buy third party stuff.
ie. second screen (that usually looks like crap) never match the colors etc...
second harddrive... USB or Firewire external drive. (also looks like crap...) bulky and tangles of wires to deal with.

I also buy a third party hub so I can hook up all my extras.




My solution is what I call a " Slave Screen "

not pollitically correct I know but.......

This "screen" is a shell from a 17 inch iMac with the screen, a slot for 1 or 2 extra drop in harddrives of my choice. and a bunch of spare USB 2 and Firewire 400 ports on the back.


No need for the logic motherboard, speakers, optical drive, isight, software, mouse, or keyboard etc.......


if Apple can make a regular iMac for 1000.00 or less than surely my stripped down version could be made for half that and still make them money.

they don't currently offer a low cost monitor for the mac mini or as an add on to the iMac.

the Slave Screen would connect to your original iMac or mac mini via one main cable with multiple plugs at each end for the various hookups.

thus ending the mess. bulk. and keeping the fine look Apple is known for.

It would look like two matching iMacs side by side but at a fraction of the cost.

what are your thoughts criticisms etc?????

how do I get this idea through to the designers at Apple?

anybody have an inside line????
thanks.

just had to post this.
longtime reader of the forum. first time poster.

thanks for reading look forward to any and all comments.
D Rock.

 

[dukebound85]

i dont think there is too much demand for this personally. sounds good but i cant see apple ever doing it

 

[Yoursh]

Interesting idea, but a little to 'user involved' for Apple's taste. Just look at the imac design. They go for the 'just plug it in and it works'.

Though, this would make one hell of a mod project. Get a 17 inch imac body that's gutted + small profile 17 inch lcd monitor + usb/firewire hard drives + a little creativity + ?=profit. It wouldn't be as clean, cable wise, as a prefab unit but would look nicer than having a bunch of extra equipment strewn on your desk.

 

[gauchogolfer]

how do I get this idea through to the designers at Apple?

anybody have an inside line????
thanks.

Interesting, but there's no use trying to pitch it to Apple. They won't accept any kind of outside solicitation of ideas. Too much liability.

 

[zephead]

I don't see how this would cut down on the clutter if there were to be a bunch of extra USB/Firewire ports for people to plug more stuff into, which would lead to more clutter.

 

[D ROCK]

good points...

may still be cluttered but no more than what we have now.

ok, so for being too user involved... what if they just put a nice fast drive in for us. or a 250 gig and a 500 gig model?????

if I can find a cheap 17 inch I am going to try to figure out how to mod it.

anybody know someone who has done something like this????

they won't accept any input but if you make the suggestion and submit I guess they own your idea with no payout should they use it ... or something like that. I saw it on their site and already submitted my idea once.

my current setup looks pretty sad cause I need the screen space and harddrive space for the video work I do.

but at the time I chose the iMac to save initial cost and my bro went with the top of the line 2 years ago dual power mac.

pros and cons both ways I guess......

 

[puckhead193]

my only thing i would change if it was possible is to move the ports closer to the hole in the stand so i can snake the wire in their and make it look much neater and have 1USB and 1 firewire on the other side where the remote would attached for thumb-drives etc.

 

[Allotriophagy]

Draw some pictures of it. Then people will be all over your idea with their constructiveness!

 

[The Stig]

Don't buy one then. Go buy a Mac Pro if it makes you feel better.

Other wise go get a PC and do whatever you want with it.

 

[rijiMacDij]

I can see an ad on eBay wanted items here,

Wanted, iMac with fried logic board......

 

[Yoursh]

You can find 17 inch screens fairly cheap. I picked up 2 last Dec. at a local Best Buy that had them on clearance for $100 a pop, so they're out there. If you went with a mod. it would look clean up front but would most likely be a rat's nest in the back with the lcd's power+video cables and hard drive power+usb/firewire cables. It would take quite a creative skill to streamline that down to a few cables and still get it all in a 17 inch case. To get the lcd to fit you would most likely have to strip the case/bezel off of it. I'm unfamilier with the inside of an imac case, so I'm not sure how the built in monitor is mounted.

Apple wouldn't bother with a product like this just for the simple fact that they wouldn't sell many. It would be a very niche item since a dual monitor configuration is more of a 'power' setup. Not to say a lot of imac aren't power users , just meaning a large percentage aren't. Not enough mac mini/imac owners would be intersested to justify the production. Also given Apple pricing, a unit like this(17 inch, 500 Gig hard drive) would easily be priced in the $500-$600 range. A person could get these things seperately for a lot cheaper and would be willing to accept the clunkier look.

I would say with the current product line, if you want something that looks cool, go with a Mac Pro w/ matching dual monitors. If econimical versatility, get an imac w/ the biggest external screen and hard drive you can afford and live with the cluttered look.

Also if you do try the mod. and you burn down your house or blow something up in the process, I take no responsibility.

 

[holamiamigos]

hmmm interesting idea.. good thinkiing!

 

[D ROCK]

I am grateful for the comments...
keep em coming.

I think Apple would indeed sell a lot of these cause many if not most of mini and iMac users would buy this if price was right.

also no wireless or ethernet needed.... more cost savings..

also the whole point of us going with the mini or iMac is cost savings at time of purchase...
if we could afford more we would. but we cant

when we get more money we always end up upgrading our third party stufff...


Apple is losing scads of potenial customers on that b/c they don't even offer a low end low cost screen.

how many mini owners would have bought a screen if it was low cost and available?

 

[Zwhaler]

I like the idea. I would buy one, but I can't see it happening.

 

[MacBoobsPro]

So you want an upgradeable iMac and your idea is to buy this 'slave screen' to run alongside your current iMac and/or mini

Arent you then paying for 1 and a half computers?

Cant you just buy a MacPro instead? It would be cheaper and more upgradeable.

Im confused, maybe i missed something.

 

[D ROCK]

what I'm saying is...
people have already bought scads of iMacs and mini's because they were cheaper at the time. They assesed what they could afford at the time and bought the biggest fastest computer they could at the time.
rather than buying third party stuff to "fix" the limitations, once they get the finances needed, they could have an Apple alternative.
face it, the iMac and mini exist because there are people out there who will never buy a mac Pro. They already chose the cheaper alternative. they are now faced with upgrade issues or at the very least if you buy a new mini and you use your old pc monitor once that one dies or you want to upgrade it you have to shell out large dollars for a mac screen or stick with generic pc screen.
People ARE paying to fix this "problem", Apple just isn't seeing any of the profits because they are not offering an alternative.
to say this would steal from other products already offered is not really true b/c there are no other comparable products.
why buy a mini and then drop a bundle on a Apple monitor?
get the mac Pro then. I agree.
Apple obviously sees the purpose in offering various configs b/c they do with almost all other offerings. they are not even tapping this market though.

maybe some third party will see this post and create what I am looking for as some companies have done with external stackable drives that resemble the mini. I for one don't have the ability of the finances to push this ahead but would love to see it happen and would be the first one to buy it.
this is the reason for the slave screen

 

[flyinmac]

Interesting, but there's no use trying to pitch it to Apple. They won't accept any kind of outside solicitation of ideas. Too much liability.

That brings-up an interesting thought.

So, the only way to get Apple to produce a product you want, is to not ask for it.

If I ask for it, and describe what I want, then they'll never produce it because I might sue for design royalties.

But, if I don't ask for it, they'll never know I want it. So, they may never build it.

Who wins here? Nobody

 

[Killyp]

The hard drive thing is irrelevant, the hard drives in the iMacs are upgradable. I upgraded mine a few months ago...

I'm not sure I agree about the screen thing either. The iMac was, and always be an all-in-one computer, no need for any external peripherals. I LOVE the iMac for it's 'all in one-eness'.

I think the number of ports available is, in my opinion severly lacking on the MacBooks. MacBook Pros are better now they have 3, but the iMac has plenty with 4. Most peripherals don't need any kind of decent data speed at all. A 4-port USB hub (or how ever many you need) can be used for low speed peripherals, and the remaining ports for high-speed things, such as external HDDs, soundcards and scanners etc...

 

[D ROCK]

wouldn't upgrading your harddrive be voiding your warranty?

in any case most of the iMac owners I know have added an external drive rather than swapping out their internal one.
why have an 80 gig drive sitting on your top shelf somewhere when you can just add an external and have two drives?

what did you do with your old internal drive....

I am going to keep looking for ways to make one just cause I like the idea and think it would should work. I like the other mods I have seen on this forum as well.

thanks all.

 

[flyinmac]

The hard drive thing is irrelevant, the hard drives in the iMacs are upgradable. I upgraded mine a few months ago...

I'm not sure I agree about the screen thing either. The iMac was, and always be an all-in-one computer, no need for any external peripherals. I LOVE the iMac for it's 'all in one-eness'.

I think the number of ports available is, in my opinion severly lacking on the MacBooks. MacBook Pros are better now they have 3, but the iMac has plenty with 4. Most peripherals don't need any kind of decent data speed at all. A 4-port USB hub (or how ever many you need) can be used for low speed peripherals, and the remaining ports for high-speed things, such as external HDDs, soundcards and scanners etc...

Which iMac do you have?

In any of the iMacs, Apple can (and has) voided the warranty for replacing the hard drive yourself.

In the original iMac G5, some users reported drives that ran hotter affecting the system's temperature to the point of causing bubbling of the materials surrounding the hard drive.

Naturally, Apple had every right to refuse to fix that since it was caused by hardware that the end-user installed.

In the first two versions of the iMac G5, you could easily replace the drive yourself. But, in the last version of the iMac G5 and the newer Intel-based iMacs, it is a bit more involved.

Replacing the hard drive in an Intel-based iMac requires removing the front panel (and being careful not to break any clips), then removing the screen, shielding, some misc. wires and such, and then the hard drive.

Here's a site that shows how the iMac looks as you open it up, and all the stuff you have to move to get it done:
http://www.kodawarisan.com/imac_intel/imac_intel01.html

Naturally, all that leaves a lot of potential for damage. It's not quite the same as just popping the cover and sliding the drive out like you can in the Mac Pro and just about any PC.

So, yes, it is technically possible to replace the hard drive in the newer Intel iMacs. But, it is not something that your average user should consider a replaceable part. Aside from being beyond the scope of common capabilities, it poses a lot of risk for damage if the person is not experienced. Granted, the inexperienced can still do it, and may get it done successfully. But, if they happen to damage anything while they are in there, then they can kiss $1200 goodbye.

And, the real kicker, is that even if they get it done without causing damage, they are not necessarily free and clear. The additional risk is that any failure that happens later, could be attributed or blamed on the fact that the end-user had performed unauthorized service to the machine. It could be said that they failed to reconnect something just right, or that their installed component caused the damage.

Both are explicitly stated in Apple's warranty terms as voiding the warranty.

So, while technically possible (and even easy for the adventurous types), it is not something that really should be considered an upgradable component to the average buyer.

 

[ecksmen]

I can't see there being the demand, also the internals would have to be different, I bet currently they're designed soley for the use of a mobo / dvd / hdd. They'd need to intro a whole new internal design that would allow extra for users to put in new harddrives etc... and an easy way of doing it. I just can't see apple thinking it would be a worth while venture.

For just another display, for the price of what you have proposed (if apple was to market such a device) I'd just put up with the clutter of a firewire hdd and a second TFT and be safe in the knowledge that while it may not look as nice, the kit itself would be far more powerful of an all in one device (10,000rpm drives, 30" display etc...). Your comments on TFT screen colours etc... IMO are unfair. There's only a few TFT panel makers in the world. Wouldn't be hard to find one which shares the same panel as macs.

 

[D ROCK]

thats a good point on the screen colors...
I wasn't aware that you might find one that matches.
Both of my friends and myself have unmatched screens.
also I guess it was just a wish that came to me that I figured... "Hey, why doesn't Apple offer upgrade options for those of us who already love all-things-Apple, and are now in a financial position to upgrade.

I also think that mini users would upgrade the screen at a later date and though it will cost more in the long run it breaks the cost into chunks we can handle.

I buy a mini now cause I have the monitor mouse and keys... then b/c I fall in love with my mini I pick up the mighty mouse and new keyboard for myself as a Christmas gift. then if the Slave screen existed my wife might just let me get one for my birthday in July cause we need more harddrive space anyway and the screen would complete the look that my mini craves and so rightly deserves!

haha
I get really defensive when I get an idea in my head...
I just had to let it cool a few days. I'm better now!
haha

I also think mac pro users would buy one if they came in at a lower price point than the $699.00 USD price tag of Apples cheapest monitor.
Which I think they could do even including a 500 gig HDD

like I said... its just a crazy dream I had.
D ROCK

 

[bob909bob]

what I'm saying is...
people have already bought scads of iMacs and mini's because they were cheaper at the time. They assesed what they could afford at the time and bought the biggest fastest computer they could at the time.
rather than buying third party stuff to "fix" the limitations, once they get the finances needed, they could have an Apple alternative.
face it, the iMac and mini exist because there are people out there who will never buy a mac Pro. They already chose the cheaper alternative. they are now faced with upgrade issues or at the very least if you buy a new mini and you use your old pc monitor once that one dies or you want to upgrade it you have to shell out large dollars for a mac screen or stick with generic pc screen.
People ARE paying to fix this "problem", Apple just isn't seeing any of the profits because they are not offering an alternative.
to say this would steal from other products already offered is not really true b/c there are no other comparable products.
why buy a mini and then drop a bundle on a Apple monitor?
get the mac Pro then. I agree.
Apple obviously sees the purpose in offering various configs b/c they do with almost all other offerings. they are not even tapping this market though.

maybe some third party will see this post and create what I am looking for as some companies have done with external stackable drives that resemble the mini. I for one don't have the ability of the finances to push this ahead but would love to see it happen and would be the first one to buy it.
this is the reason for the slave screen

Well if you want a bigger Imac screen why not buy one with a bigger screen? Problem solved. Also if you require something bigger than a 24 inch screen your probaly a pro user or should this does not apply to you anyways.

Also the reason why people buy an Imac and not a Mac Pro is probaly because the rather have the Imac for one reason or another.

 

[Jasonbot]

I like the idea, only problem I see could be the connections, and contrary the prior I think there would be loads of space for a screen, hub and HD's inside an old iMac housing...

 

[ppnkg]

I think that people buy minis or imacs knowing that they're probably not going to upgrade at all (well, except adding some more memory on the imac). Why would you need to upgrade the imac or the mini anyway? And as somebody correctly pointed out, why would you buy one and a half computer? If you need bigger screen, buy the 24' imac.