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The iMac Slim Design - Unnecessary?

PurpleCliff

PurpleCliff

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 23, 2009
160
0
Australia
I'm just wondering, why are the iMacs so small and thin - fitting everything inside the little monitor for a beautiful look? Isn't this the reason they are more expensive, use laptop parts and aren't as powerful as they could be? Wouldn't most people simply prefer they have a little box or something - so that they can have a more powerful Mac? :D
I know there are Mac Minis and Mac Pros - but Mac Mini is too underpowered and Mac Pro is too expensive. :D
Just wondering about this ... what do you think? :confused:
 
I think it would be pretty nice to have something that looks like the best and the thinnest computer on the market. The iMac probably isn't the thinnest but thats what Apple is probably aiming for (like the MacBook Air)
 
The iMac will always be an all in one design, in the distant distant future we may (i dont think we will) see an 'xmac' but until then the iMac will stay true to its all in one design. I think its just as skinny as it should be at this point, I hope they don't redesign it skinnier, thats just a waste
 
if you think about it, so many people buy computers based on looks because the reality is that most people do not use computers to their full potential

i know two people with mac pros that could be using a dang mac mini for what they do with them its sad
 
wawanarchist said:
The iMac will always be an all in one design, in the distant distant future we may (i dont think we will) see an 'xmac' but until then the iMac will stay true to its all in one design. I think its just as skinny as it should be at this point, I hope they don't redesign it skinnier, thats just a waste
Click to expand...

I guess I just hope we get some more power in there! I don't want Windows users to laugh at me when I say I'm a Mac Gamer. :D
 
NVIDIA mac mini will fix a lot of this - the graphics will no longer suck. As will CUDA / Stream / SL / OpenCL (offloading processing onto outrageously powerful iMac video cards). The ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT (the low range iMac video card) has 40 processors, and an advertised 40-48 Gigaflops . Hell, the 9400M has 16 cores, and is advertised as cranking out up to 54 Gigaflops.

For reference, a Intel QX9775 (extreme gamer CPU) only gets 37.

The processor isn't such an issue.

Oh, good video cards (like the HD4800) can beat a Teraflop.

PCs will also benefit from these technologies, but getting a widely adopted programming API will be an issue (except for big products like Photoshop, which will ironically be better on PC than iMac).
 
Sebby said:
For me, the all-in-one design (including the looks of the thing) are the main attraction to the iMac.
Click to expand...
Agree.

I like the older white ones as well as the newer aluminum/black back ones.

If the choice is between thinner or more performance, at this time, I would choose more performance.

I know some folks who detest the current design concept. Personally it is one of my favorites of the various iMac designs.
 
I think of the old mantra about computers

"smaller, cheaper, faster"

When the average shopper sees the iMac, they associate it with being the latest and greatest in computers due to the thinness and "futuristic" design.

sadly us tech types know the reality of it not being "cheaper or faster" but looks do count for something.
 
I wouldn't mind the shell or the stand being a little bigger if it meant i7 CPU's or Dual GPU's
 
I'm in the market for a new iMac because of the small form factor and footprint. I only have a limited amount of space in my home office; these are important criteria for me.

For the limited amount of high-intensity computing that I do at home, the aging iMac hardware and architecture are more than adequate.

For these reasons, I'll spend 3x the amount of a Dell to purchase a Mac. I'm sure there are many others like me out there in this regard.
 
yes I like my iMac because its a proper decent size, dont have a tower clogging up space on the floor cables are hidden well
 
The form factor of the recent iMacs are an attractive and often said "clean" design. Contrast it with the "tower" style or other brands "all in one" desktops and you can appreciate how straight forward it is.

That said, I do wish that all LCD iMacs would have a VESA compliant mounting system for more installation flexibility.
 
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