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The Possibility of a 30" iMac
- Thread starter Bryan Bowler
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This is a good discussion. In my opinion, 30" of screen space would be very nice. I'm a photographer, so I really enjoy screen space while working on photos in Aperture. And it's not uncommon to have several screens open at once. I could easily see myself using a 30" screen to surf MacRumors, watch a video, use iChat, and have my email open all on the same screen. The additional workspace would certainly be nice!
As for demand, I know the average home user that just uses internet & email doesn't really need a screen that large, but I think it would sell quite well. We're entering an age where people are doing more and more on their computers and that usage is only going to grow with time. Increased screen real-estate starts to become pretty attractive.
As for the price, I don't think it is out of reach. The new 24" display is $899 while the older 30" chimes in at $1,799 -- a $900 difference in price. However, the 30" is due for an overhaul and a serious reduction in price. Apple could easily bring it down to $1,499 to keep it competitive with Dell's 30" monitor which sells for $1,349. Based on this, it's entirely plausible that Apple could offer a 30" iMac for $600 (+/-) above the 24" models.
We could see two 30" iMac configurations for $2,399 and $2,799 respectively. (if not $100 lower)
Bryan
As for demand, I know the average home user that just uses internet & email doesn't really need a screen that large, but I think it would sell quite well. We're entering an age where people are doing more and more on their computers and that usage is only going to grow with time. Increased screen real-estate starts to become pretty attractive.
As for the price, I don't think it is out of reach. The new 24" display is $899 while the older 30" chimes in at $1,799 -- a $900 difference in price. However, the 30" is due for an overhaul and a serious reduction in price. Apple could easily bring it down to $1,499 to keep it competitive with Dell's 30" monitor which sells for $1,349. Based on this, it's entirely plausible that Apple could offer a 30" iMac for $600 (+/-) above the 24" models.
We could see two 30" iMac configurations for $2,399 and $2,799 respectively. (if not $100 lower)
Bryan
New imac with removable guts. Can remove everything but the screen and upgrade by buying a new "guts" (which has all components on it).
Would be nice, won't happenProbably not even possible
Pop off the cover, a little nifty handle pops out, you just "pull" and out the computer comes, then you replace it with your $499 new iMac, slide it in, alignment goes easy into place. Press down, "click!" and there you are, you have upgraded your iMac. New logic board, processor, GPU chipset, the whole shibang. Only things really remain are your HD/SSD, your Optical Drive, and your Display.
Pathetic!
Fixed.
The end-user is not supposed to upgrade the hardware. This is what Steve has always believed.
Fixed.
The end-user is not supposed to upgrade the hardware. This is what Steve has always believed.
oh, REALLY?
p.s. - $499 is over $200 short of 2.0GHz Mac Mini cost, realized, in a couple of a years, we will have processor/nVidia boards easily affordable and quite fast, these will be much cheaper and easily swappable in machines.
YA, RLY.
ever heard of the Homebrew Club?
You know, they actually BUILT their own. It's how the spirit of all this got started.
New imac with removable guts. Can remove everything but the screen and upgrade by buying a new "guts" (which has all components on it).
Would be nice, won't happen
Wouldn't that pretty much just be a (new) mini with a 30" Cinema Display?
That idea sounds cool. Have a "Core" area in the machine, where you slip this "Mini-like" device in and all the ports interlock in the machine, very cool.
Fixed.
The end-user is not supposed to upgrade the hardware. This is what Steve has always believed.
That's not true... Sure that's their business model, but not what Steve believed. Have you ever seen a G4 cube? Or any pre iMac Apple computer?
Well, the 9400M can do it. So can the 9600M.
And we're expecting a 9400M+9800M combo, so...
Also the high-end iMacs aren't exactly for the "average home user."
Precisely.
MBPs have been able to drive 2560x1600 since they began shipping in February 2006 (I have one of the first). That encompasses four separate graphics controllers: ATI X1600, NVidia 8600M GT, and both the NVidia 9400M and 9600M GT in the unibody machines.
Unibody MacBooks and 2G MacBook Airs, which use the 9400M, can also drive 2560x1600. It's not that difficult.
I'm just going to say that if we get a 30 inch model it'd be pretty funny if Apple ever caved and made the zoom button a maximize button ( )
PS: these black avatars on everyone really confuse me.
)PS: these black avatars on everyone really confuse me.
