The Next-Gen iMac With Brushed Aluminum In August?

Alfaresy writes "As previously reported by Degadget back on June 19th, the iMac update due this summer and is expected to be available in 20- and 24-inch versions, while the 17-inch version set to be discontinued. Apple's next iMac revision is currently tracking for release in August, and will have a brushed aluminum enclosure with measure just 2-inch thick, according to ThinkSecret's sources. Furthermore, ThinkSecret's sources say, "The elegant new enclosure will somewhat resemble the current white iMac but is said to feature a shorter space below the actual display, where most of the internals are housed." The upcoming iMacs are expected to be based on Intel's Santa Rosa platform with speeds to reach the highest point at 2.4GHz."

Cool

[eneville]

I can't wait to put XFCE on it :-)

Re:

[b1ufox]

I ll prefer fluxbox to XFCE :-)

Wait... or wmii ... crap too much choices :(

Re:

[Poltras]

Wait... or wmii ... crap too much choices :(

Did you mean "too much crap choices"? /funny.

Brushed alu is so 2002

[Anonymous Coward]

I want mine finished in faux-leopardskin.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:

[Timesprout]

This is hilarious. A tech site banging on about Apples latest and greatest and the biggest feature appears to be a different casing. Ground breaking stuff indeed. Can we also please have articles when dell start making PC's in new colours, it will really help me keep up with the latest trends in PC fashion.

Re:

[Moby Cock]

This article is silly, I concede. But the enclosures being built by Apple are particularly good. No other OEMs bother to make desktops into ergonomic or stylish designs. This work by Apple is 'ground-breaking' in a sense. Although rumour and conjecture about up-coming designs is really not worth debating.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:

[marklar1]

You are a TOOL.

Most things in life don't NEED to be many things that they are beyond their original function. Thank god they are. Or we'd all be wearing dungarees cut to the functional specification and issued from the central distribution post...

Re:No Viral Apple Marketing On Slashdot, PLEASE!!!

[marklar1]

forgive me replying too myself...but to add on, whether it's my coffee cup, my car, my clothing, the dress I want my girlfriend in and peel her out of, I want more.

That's not to say I don't buy functional tools. But if I have to stare at a computer as much as I do, I'd prefer it to be a cool tool.

Life's short, go ahead and enjoy it.

Re:

[the_humeister]

I don't know about you, but I don't stare at my computer all day. My computer is underneath my desk. The only thing I'm looking at is what the monitor's displaying.

Re:No Viral Apple Marketing On Slashdot, PLEASE!!!

[pohl]

Well, to be fair: one of the many functions that the device performs is that of simply being an object taking up space in one's home. In that role, aesthetics matters -- particularly among the demographic that pulls their head out of their computer every once in a while. (Because, after all, that's where the real girls are.) Lining one's nest with shiny baubles comes from deep evolutionary history, and the invention of the computer doesn't obviate it. In fact, it may have made it more essential.

Re:No Viral Apple Marketing On Slashdot, PLEASE!!!

[yabos]

And your house is just a place to sleep, who cares what it looks like right? Might as well be painted orange because it doesn't matter right? Who cares what your car looks like it might as well be a big box on wheels because it's just a tool to get you from A to B.

Re:

[gb506]

Hey, pandrijeczko, we're developing a new line of ultra-low priced computers that, due to the use of low cost case material, have the shape and color of a pile of Great Dane dog shit. It appears that you fit our primary buyer profile perfectly. Can we contact you to do some in-depth consumer research? In exchange for your time we will generously compensate you with a bag of cheetos, a two liter bottle of mountain dew, and a slightly used AARP tip calculator.

But seriously, if there was a "massively moroni

Re:

[Basehart]

FWIW I just took a look through my tool box and the tool I use the most is a screwdriver. When I bought it there was a choice of colours - blue, red and yellow (and maybe an orange one). I chose the red one. Most of my other tools are made out of metal, so not many aesthetic elements to choose from there, other than maybe choose a big hunking over-engineered Molegrip as opposed to a cheaper looking Molegrip, the one you would choose :-)

Re:No Viral Apple Marketing On Slashdot, PLEASE!!!

[sootman]

> Although rumour and conjecture about up-coming designs is really not worth debating.

But that's just the start! By posting this dopey Mac article--or ANY Mac article--we get to debate so many other things for the Nth time! There are already integegrated-graphics-suck posts, and if-Apple-doesn't-make-X-I'm-buying-a-PC posts, and Apple's-silence-about-future-products-is-annoying posts, and so many other things that MUST be rehashed every 3 days, lest anyone forget what they think! Articles like this are a public service for the Slashdot community as a whole--let this place go a week without Apple, RIAA, or MS Security stories and it'll turn into a ghost town.

Re:

[gb506]

Go to an Apple store and use an iMac. Adjust the screen angle. Insert a DVD. Listen to a tune. Use the video Camera. Notice that it takes up the same amount of desk space as your monitor, or less, yet there is nothing cooking your nuts below the desk. Come back here after you're done.

Those new Dell laptops...

[Aphrika]

...are here [dell.com] and ironically they are in new colours. Granted, I don't see Slashdot banging on about them, but the new XPS 13" [dell.com] one looks great - HDMI output, LCD backlit screen, SSD hard drive options in a package less than 1" deep. I'd say that those technological advances Dell are shipping now are way more way more interesting than Apples brushed aluminum case rumour...

And the other thing people've gotta realise is that Intel are driving most of Apple's platform development now - as I've mentioned before,

Re:

[sethstorm]

Nice for knockoff quality, but even the ruination that Lenovo is doing (phasing out IPS, the Reserve Edition even existing at all, keyboards of lower quality), Dell still has a very long way to go.

Re:

[mrcdeckard]

you know, i think this very thing every time i see an apple article on /. -- which constitute a good 20% of them. on the other hand, apple is responsible for most of what is exciting in computing/technology right now.

mr c

A new laptop?

[eebra82]

"The elegant new enclosure will somewhat resemble the current white iMac but is said to feature a shorter space below the actual display, where most of the internals are housed." The upcoming iMacs are expected to be based on Intel's Santa Rosa platform with speeds will reach the highest point at 2.4GHz."

So in other words, this is a tablet PC without the movable touch screen.

Now I am puzzled. Apple announced better gaming support at the latest WWDC, but the move to make the most common home Mac more of a laptop, indicates that high-end graphics cards are a no-no.

Re:A new laptop?

[Joe The Dragon]

I hear the mini may be cut as well.
Is apple working on a mini-tower with desktop parts?

A mini with a real video card will be better but likely it will be a lower end laptop / low to mid-end card.
The mini needs desktop parts and a lower price. $799.00 for a system with 512mb of ram and on board video? with no mouse or keyboard? it a big rip off.

Hear, hear. Build a regular damned computer

[riker1384]

I've used Apples all my life and I like Mac OS, but I'm fed up with the hardware. I'm not rich enough to spend hundreds of dollars on "style", on a Mac Mini with more expensive, less capable parts. I'm also not rich enough to just throw a monitor in the trash every time I get a new computer, buying Imacs. I just want a regular, maybe small tower with desktop parts, easily swapped RAM and maybe other parts. It should be at the same price as the Mini, but better, or equivalent to a Mini but cheaper.

Re:

[ben0207]

Fortunately, you're not alone in this, and that's why the G4 Cube sold so well. Oh, wait.

Re:

[Phroggy]

The G4 Cube was not a "regular computer", it was exactly the same concept as the Mac mini, except expensive.

Re:

[Professor_UNIX]

People are asking for the equivalent to the old G3 and G4 towers that were relatively no thrills, had single optical devices, standard ATA drives, standard PCI slots, standard SDRAM, standard video cards, etc. What we're saying is that Apple is missing a level in their product line. They've got the "mini" for the home theater enthusiast who wants a tiny, quiet computer for their living room, they've got the iMacs for people that don't have nice monitors and don't want to upgrade, and then they've got the

Re:Hear, hear. Build a regular damned computer

[gobbo]

I'm also not rich enough to just throw a monitor in the trash every time I get a new computer, buying Imacs. I just want a regular, maybe small tower with desktop parts, easily swapped RAM and maybe other parts. It should be at the same price as the Mini, but better, or equivalent to a Mini but cheaper.

I agree with your desire for a regular microtower format, but your "throw the monitor in the trash" quip is just garbage itself. Do you really throw out a 3 year old functional Mac, or do you sell it on craigslist for 3/5 of its original sticker price?

Complainers about limited upgradeability and sticker price never seem to take the inflated used Mac market into account.

Re:

[gig]

If you take a tower computer and stick a display on one side that is the iMac. Your complaints may have applied to iMac G3 and G4 which were more Mac mini -like, but since the G5 the iMac is the most sensible design possible. It's easier to get at the guts than on the Power Mac G3/G4 which had the drop down door with the mobo on it.

> easily swapped RAM and maybe other parts.

All you do to service an iMac is lay it on its face on a soft surface, then loosen three screws underneath the housing, and the whol

Re:

[flappinbooger]

How expensive are these video cables you made a point to mention twice? I have 2 DVI cables and a VGA cable or two in a box out in my shed. I don't even quite know where I got them from. Seems like a pretty thin argument to justify the purchase of an imac by the fact you don't need to buy a video cable. I think there's much more than the cost of a video cable in the typical premium for apple hardware...

Or would a mac require a special mac-only video cable? I recall years ago Macs had special video cab

Re:

[Joe The Dragon]

he must shop at best buy and he took a look at the high priced monster cable cables.

Re:

[Joe The Dragon]

That is the high end mini system the $599 should have 1gb of ram as well.

Re:A new laptop?

[UserChrisCanter4]

Possibly. The current 24" iMac uses an optional NVidia 7600GT MXM card (I'm not sure if the base-model 7300GT is also an MXM unit). MXM is NVidia's Portable PCI-Express video card system which is designed to be user-upgradeable. All MXM cards should fit in all MXM systems. Drivers could be an issue depending on how "universal" NVidia's OS X drivers are, and for now, the lack of EFI in the PC laptop world means that NVidia themselves or one of the old third-party Apple hardware companies would have to produce the unit. It is a step in the right direction, though. Apple did explicitly add MXM support for that iMac, and thus they have allowed for some video upgradeability in the future on 24" iMacs.

Given that even the 17" iMac will still likely offer as much if not more space than a 17" notebook, the use of an MXM module (or ATI's comparable product) in the future seems quite possible, especially when you consider that the 24" iMac didn't show up until well after the 17" and 20" models, which may have allowed Apple the extra time to go back and add some additional features..

NOT all MXM cards will fit into all MXM slots

[bluemonq]

Not true. There are three classes of MXM cards, each with a slightly different size and power demand.

Re:

[bluemonq]

Ugh. Got cut off. To continue... If the MXM slot in the iMac doesn't provide enough space to physically fit the class 3 MXM card, clearly it's not going to work.

Re:

[gig]

I don't know why you guys are hung up on laptops and laptop graphics. If they release a new iMac this year that is 2 inches thin that will be a yawn, not a big thing. They have not been much thicker than that for years now.

Re:

[Xugumad]

In addition to the fact that actually there are several MXM slot formats, the iMac card is apparently non-standard anyway.

Re:

[UnknowingFool]

Now I am puzzled. Apple announced better gaming support at the latest WWDC, but the move to make the most common home Mac more of a laptop, indicates that high-end graphics cards are a no-no.

Maybe the new iMacs may use the same CPU as the Santa Rosa but may not use all the same chips as the platform. Or like the current generation the base model follows the platform but others do not. In the current generation the base model uses an Intel GMA video chipset while higher end models use ATI or nVidia.

Re:

[Khyber]

Did you forget about the mini pci-e slot for laptops with swappable graphics cards? HP laptops with this feature sport up to GeForce 7900 cards. Apple can just as easily use that and save space by not needing a full-sized PCI-E slot.

Re:

[petsounds]

I think you've hit upon it.

I believe multi-touch touchscreen monitors are coming to OS X for the desktop. The iPhone is Apple's brand leader right now, similar to certain car marquees have one model that represents that brand's state of the art and future design cues. So, we'll see future iPods sporting the new iPhone interface with tossable CoverFlow, as well as wi-fi to enable buy-on-the-go from the iTunes Store. But we'll also see the multi-touch capabilities come to the Mac. And I think we'll see it in

Re:

[gig]

> indicates that high-end graphics cards are a no-no.

No, it doesn't. The iMac typically uses lower-power CPU's because it's an all-in-one, but it also typically has high-end ATI or Nvidia graphics. There is a stripped-down education iMac with Intel graphics that you can only get at the Apple Store for Education.

> So in other words, this is a tablet PC without the movable touch screen.

It may have a touch screen, the touch screen in the iPhone is done through a framework called CoreSurface that could ea

Re:

[Xugumad]

I don't see a major issue with this, gamers aren't that big a market, they don't need to cater to us in their most common model. What does puzzle me is that we're apparently expected to buy a Mac Pro as a gaming system. Sorry Apple, I'm not buying a Xeon-based quad/oct core system to run games that will almost universally only use one core. So instead I upgraded in February this year to a new PC, and saved myself somewhere around $1,500-$2,000 in the process.

I'm happy to pay a few hundred dollars extra for

Sounds Decent

[GizmoToy]

I'm no fan of the current iMacs, but this sounds pretty interesting. The move away from the white case and the shrinking of the enclosure should be good for sales. They're putting a decent chipset in it this time at least.

And the mini?

[SengirV]

I guess Apple doesn't want to hurt the sales of AppleTV, so they discontinue the ultimate switcher computer?

Re:And the mini?

[crow]

I hope the rumors of it being discontinued are false. All it needs is a switch to Core 2 and a video upgrade. I want to buy one now, but I'm not going to buy a 32-bit CPU.

Re:

[phayes]

Same with me. I want one but have waited for a mini with the horsepower (video & cpu) to make it worth replacing the PC I currently use for secondary tasks.

Can't they make a 12"/13" Macbook Pro instead?

[ElGanzoLoco]

If they could make a 12 or 13 inch Macbook Pro (or even a black Macbook with a decent graphic card) I would be the first in line. For the moment I'm sticking to my beloved 12" Powerbook. When it breaks, if Apple doesn't have a decent 12" or 13" machine, I'll have to go with a PC.

Their 15 inches MP Pros are too big for me (I travel a lot) and the Macbooks' integrated graphics are a deal-breaker for me.

I don't understand why they killed the 12" Powerbook. They sold very well.

Re:

[beyonddeath]

I concur whole heartedly. I have a 13" macbook, due to the form factor, however if a 12/13" macbook pro was released I would upgrade on my next payday. Price would be a non-issue, since there is no other decent system for this market, and I know its a big market, I know of personally at least 10 people that would jump at a powerful laptop in this form factor.

If they went so far as to allow my to drive two external monitors with it I would be even happier, but i guess thats dreaming :)

Re:

[toddestan]

Lenovo still makes the X series of the Thinkpad, which is a 12" laptop with a XGA screen. Otherwise, the ultraportable laptop market seems to be rather dead. Heck, my 14" laptop is noticably smaller than most of my coworker's laptops, and just a few years ago it would have been average.

Re:

[rho]

What's wrong with the integrated graphics of the Macbooks? I know a guy who plays WoW on his Core2 Macbook, and he gets better framerates than his (admittedly aging) PC desktop.

If you need the accelerated graphics for Aperture or something, I can see it. But I've been hammering on a 1st edition Macbook more or less since they launched, and I've been quite happy with it. I never spent a lot of time with a 12" Powerbook, but from my limited experience it is comparable WRT size and weight, except the widescr

Re:

[Joe The Dragon]

For $1500 you should get some better then a intle gma chip that uses system ram.

Re:

[Mike1024]

What's wrong with the integrated graphics of the Macbooks? I know a guy who plays WoW on his Core2 Macbook, and he gets better framerates than his (admittedly aging) PC desktop.

Well, it's an Intel GMA 950. Here are some reviews: 1 [extremetech.com], 2 [anandtech.com].

As far as I can tell that first review says at 640x480 you get 6.4 frames per second in Half-Life 2. The second review lists the GMA 950 as not performing very impressively, though it doesn't list the units being measured. I'm no gaming geek, but half-life 2 is several years old (released Nov. 2004), and 640x480 is a resolution I haven't heard mentioned in years.

As I say, I'm not a 'hardcore gamer', but I like to play the odd game now and then. But e

Re:

[rho]

In summary people don't like Macbooks' integrated graphics because reviews of that particular hardware indicate it performs poorly.

Well, again, I watched this guy play WoW at perfectly respectable framerates. It wasn't annoying at all. So, I dunno--seems to me it can work in a gaming environment just fine, it just depends on the game. Since I don't play games at all, except the occasional NWN on my desktop, the GMA 950 is swell.

I was asking the OP what his requirements were. The 12" Powerbook only has

Re:

[Phroggy]

Yep, a 13" MBP is exactly what I want too.

Typing this on a 3.5-yr-old 12" iBook that I hope keeps running until Apple releases a 13" MBP.

If they made a Macbook without the glossy screen, I might settle for one; I want better graphics than that, but it'd be such an upgrade from my current machine that I could definitely live with it. Barring that, it's gotta be the 15" MBP... but that really is a lot larger than I want to haul around.

Re:

[Jazzer_Techie]

I'm also in love with my 12" PowerBook. I'm a student, and it's the perfect machine. In my dorm, I have a 2nd display, and I have one in the lab too. So both the places I spend most of my time, I'm not restricted by the laptop form. But as soon as I'm done, I can just unplug it, and slip it in my backpack, and then I have access to my work anywhere. (Yes, I suppose it could be a bit lighter, but it feels reassuringly solid.) It's plenty fast enough for what I need to do, and if I really need to do something

Re:Can't they make a 12"/13" Macbook Pro instead?

[xjerky]

I completely agree with the parent poster. I love my 12 inch Pbook as well. At home I attached a monitor and USB keyboard/mouse, so that wasn't a problem. And when I was on the road (which wasnt too often), the 12 inch screen was more than enough for me. The form factor was small enough that I was able to fit it in a book bag, so I was able to be inconspicuous on the subway. When it comes to carrying around a laptop, smaller is better.

Re:

[Phroggy]

The MBP has a DVI port, and you can pick up a 20" LCD at 1680x1050 for $200 to plug in while you're using the laptop on your desk.

While I'm on the road, I'll gladly settle for a smaller screen if it means I get a smaller laptop. The 12" iBook I'm typing this on has a built-in full-size keyboard that I can use all 10 fingers on, which the iPhone never will. Try running SSH on your phone, and try to get any serious work done while you're sitting in a restaurant waiting for your food to arrive. This works g

White was looking dated

[John Jamieson]

The brushed Aluminum should be a good look for Apple. The old white is looking so dated, I cringe whenever I see it. It was a nice look five or so years ago, but I think it has been worn out by overuse.

(And yes, I am almost embarrased to be seen in public with my white Ipod now, so I stuck on better aftermarket headphones and keep it covered)

Re:

[raddan]

Wow, your sense of style interferes with your enjoyment of your computer. Do you trade in your house every couple of years, or do you just cringe through it?

Re:

[value_added]

Wow, your sense of style interferes with your enjoyment of your computer. Do you trade in your house every couple of years, or do you just cringe through it?

Actually, I think the OP made a good point. And as far as Macs are concerned, it is dated. It also lacks wide appeal so the change should increase sales.

Looks are important. Imagine yourself working on a pink laptop, or staring a monitor with pony decals all over it and then ask yourself that same question. The best designs in everything are always

Selling point

[networkzombie]

So, this is sold as a desktop computer that takes up less space. Why? Is a mid-tower too large for iPeople? I avoid mobile technology for my office because I don't want low power consumption, a lightweight system, or better battery life. I want upgradeability and speed. So is the benefit of this system simply to save space, have fewer wires, and look sleek? Even the mini-Mac is a mobile chipset. Are the Micro LGA 775 boards just too damn big for designing a Mac around? If I want a Centrino system, i

Re:

[morari]

I want upgradeability and speed.

I don't think upgrading was ever a big priority for iPeople...

Re:

[Joe The Dragon]

Even if you are not in to upgrading people don't like build in screens.

Apple does not have a head less system with good video or desktop parts. They are a over priced mini with laptop parts and high prices + a high server / workstation with FB-DIMMS.

Because they're not in that market

[itsdapead]

So, this is sold as a desktop computer that takes up less space. Why?

Current market for "desktop tower" systems:

1. Cheap entry-level home PCs
2. Commodity business PCs
3. Gamers
4. Serious Workstations

In markets (1) and (2) they're up against negligible margin $300 boxes from Dell; (2) and (3) are Windows strangleholds not well served by OSX software; the Mac Pro and 17" MacBook have (4) covered.

Apple's forte is laptops and small-form-factor PCs which can demand a "premium" price & they're sticking to it. It

Re:

[guruevi]

That's you, I like any other yuppie out there that has a social life live in a fairly modest apartment, I have people over once in a while and don't have much place. I do have a PowerBook right now and some other stuff laying around, but a Dell box is too clunky and ugly to be standing around. Heck, I think the subwoofer of my home theater system (nice Yamaha) is too large to be placing (currently under the couch).

I do have a 'normal' Linux-based computer that is standing in my storage space which has umpte

Re:

[xjerky]

I'll agree with this, up until the Mac Pro part. Just because you want an upgradable computer, that doesnt mean that you want to pay top dollar for the fastest machine on the market (note that I realize that the Mac Pro isnt overpriced - just that much of it is wasted on the non-power-user).

Sleep Light?

[Anonymous Coward]

The current white iMacs have that elegant embedded sleep light that glows through the casing when on but otherwise is invisible.

Switching to aluminum can only mean one thing - Apple has invented transparent aluminum!

Re:Sleep Light?

[cowscows]

That'd be neat, but in truth, the current alum macbook pros have a built in camera in the frame above the screen, and when the camera is on, a green light comes out of the frame, basically out of nowhere. Literally, you cannot tell that there's something there unless the light is on. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but it's very cool.

Re:

[Darvin]

I believe it's done by using incredibly small holes dotted in a circular pattern embedded in the aluminium, so when the light is switched off, is practically invisible without looking incredibly close to the surface.

Although, the thought of apple inventing transpraluminium is nice.

While we're rumourmongering, what about the mini?

[hcdejong]

The Mac mini hasn't seen an update for a while, and the rumours have been mostly negative (discontinuation of the line). I want one, and Apple's strategy of not talking about future products (or lack thereof) is annoying.

Re:While we're rumourmongering, what about the min

[xjerky]

I think it would be a real shame if the mini was discontinued. I love mine, and it satisified my requirements nicely, I wanted a whisper quiet, low power consuming machine that also had a tiny form factor. My electric bill went down $20/month when I switched to it. I even hooked up an amp meter to it and found that under normal usage it only takes up 20-30 Watts - very impressive. I just wish it were a Core 2 Duo and the graphics chipset were a bit better.

I just bought a 55-inch HDTV, and my mini is going t

Re:

[MMC Monster]

Tell me about it. I just convinced my dad to upgrade his 70 inch standard def TV (from ~17 years ago) to a 1080p device. He wanted to get an AppleTV, but didn't realize that it wasn't a full computer, and that what he really wanted was a Mac Mini.

If the Mac Mini really gets phased out, I'll have to decide between a full-sized computer hidden behind the TV or one of those pre-made MythTV set-up boxes (which wouldn't be a big deal, except that I would likely have to troubleshoot the system occasionally).

Re:

[xjerky]

Well, as I'm sure you know, the AppleTV can only do 720p anyway, while the Mini can.

Another great thing about the Intel Mini is that if you aren't happy with OS X, you can always boot linux and run MythTV off of that - the mini uses well-supported-by-Linux parts.

You know what? You're right.

[attemptedgoalie]

I bought a mini when it first came out, and am using it now to type this reply.

My power bill is only $16 a month, and falling. It does everything I need for normal usage. Once in a while I play some games, and I have my old supercomputer for that. But it's 750W, this one's 30W. So it gets used 95% of the time.

Apple should give us another cube

[Tomasset]

Yes. A cube. Please give us a modern cube, or xMac or whatever you want to call it, but something fitting the gap between the (dying) Mac Mini and the massive Mac Pro. We have been crying for that mythical xMac for ages now, so it is time that Apple Inc (gone is the Computer). devotes some resources to that!

I mean, I would be even happy with the iMac hardware without the screen so they can reuse the same iMac and Mac Book Pro designs in three form factors, it is simply that I want to use an external monitor!!

Re:

[mevets]

All the iMacs have video out, even the originals. You can sit it on your desk screen down :)

Re:

[TeamSPAM]

For me, this mythical xMac needs to support not one but two external monitors. The Mac I want from Apple should cost between $1000 and $1500 and support dual external monitors.

Time for something new.

[MaWeiTao]

will have a brushed aluminum enclosure with measure just 2-inch thick

The current iMac already has an enclosure 2 inches thick. And most of the internals aren't housed near the bottom of the current iMac, they're spread out all over the unit behind the display. So it's not like the new iMac is going to be this huge leap of packaging over the current model.

Regarding the brushed-metal look, although I'm sure it will look nice I think it's starting to get a bit old. I can't say I like Apple going back and forth between two design styles they've been using for quite some time now. For me personally both styles are getting a bit tired. I realize they want to maintain a brand identity but I'd prefer they choose one of the styles and evolve that look as opposed to going back and forth between the two. I'll reserve judgement until I see the design but I will be disappointed if the new iMac ends up looking exactly like an Apple display or the Mac Pro.

Re:Time for something new.

[Phroggy]

make it look clean and futuristic

Have you noticed that when the future actually arrives, what used to be futuristic looks always suddenly just look retarded?

Re:

[Ohreally_factor]

I want a rusty metal Mac. I'm serious. Last December I was thinking about getting a custom powder coat on my motorcycle when I met this chick that had a rust finish custom cycle. It's the coolest finish I've ever seen. I think her painter uses some sort of acid wash and works it around with a pad of steel wool until he gets the desired patina/rust effect. Then he does something to halt the oxidation. (I'm not up on my chemistry to know what he uses exactly. Then he clear coats it. I'm not sure how many coat

How About a Nice Dark, Useful Color?

[beadfulthings]

I honestly love my iMac. I didn't think I was going to, and it's the first Mac I've owned that wasn't near the top-of-the-line. But it's done everything I want and need it to do, and it's done it well.

The problem? It's always grimy-looking. I don't think I'm dirtier than the average person; things around here get dusted and vacuumed with reasonable regularity. I also wash my hands a reasonable number of times during the day. But this white case is always a nightmare of filthitude, and the keyboard always lo

Re:

[Phroggy]

It's not like the old beige cases that you could swipe at occasionally with 409. And I'm never sure of what to use on the screen.

This is the stuff [klearscreen.com]. You can use it on both the screen and the case (do the screen first, then the rest). Rub it like a polish, rather than like a cleaner; read the instructions.

17 inch discontinued?

[theurge14]

Why? The 17 was the only way I could afford one at the time I bought mine last November. If they discontinue the 17 and stick to the 20 and 24, what is going to happen to the "gateway" Mac for switchers like me? Considering the way the Mac Minis have grown in price since their introduction and now rumors of them being discontinued, I have to wonder if the iPod/iPhone "halo" is even going to matter. C'mon, say it ain't so Apple, don't screw up the momentum you have.

Re:

[Lars T.]

Why? The 17 was the only way I could afford one at the time I bought mine last November. If they discontinue the 17 and stick to the 20 and 24, what is going to happen to the "gateway" Mac for switchers like me?

LCDs have come down in price so much, a 20" costs little more than a 17" now.

Re:

[amyhughes]

Offering fewer models saves money; perhaps enough to price the 20" the same as the old 17".

Re:

[Peter Cooper]

There used to be a 15 inch iMac too, and I think there were similar complaints when that was removed too ;-)

Re:

[gig]

The price points stay the same, the screens get bigger, the CPU's faster, etc. etc. etc.

Next time you go to buy an iMac you will almost certainly be able to pay the exact same price as last time but you'll get a bigger system.

Reduced space below screen?

[RealGrouchy]

"The elegant new enclosure will somewhat resemble the current white iMac but is said to feature a shorter space below the actual display, where most of the internals are housed."

But... where will I post my stickies?

- RG>

Re:

[Maserati]

Easy, in /Applications/Stickies.app. There's the most useful program Apple has ever published, and I'm counting Keynote, FileMaker (compared to Access) and Final Cut.

Why link to Degadget?

[1u3hr]

Why is this story linked to Degadget, a "site" stuffed full of Google ads, which just repeats the story from ThinkSecret [thinksecret.com], which doesn't even get a link?

By doing so Slashdot rewards these parasites with millions of hits, earning them a tidy sum for their plaigiarism. ThinkSecret has ads too, but they dig up their stories, not just copy and paste them from other sites.

USB port on front

[pauljlucas]

I hope they add (or move) at least one USB port to the front of the computer. It's annoying to have to fumble your way trying to insert a USB flash drive into one of the USB ports on the back that you can't see.

Re:no need for USB port on front

[Psykechan]

This shouldn't be an issue if you're doing things the "correct" way according to Apple. The keyboard should have a USB hub built-in and include two ports. One USB port is to be used by the mouse and the other is free for temporary USB usage such as flash drives.

I believe this has been the case since back when USB was made standard on the original gumdrop iMacs.

Re:

[pauljlucas]

The USB ports inthe keyboard are (still!) USB 1.1 only, not USB 2.0.

Re:

[Phroggy]

I hope they add (or move) at least one USB port to the front of the computer. It's annoying to have to fumble your way trying to insert a USB flash drive into one of the USB ports on the back that you can't see.

Or at least on the side, someplace visible. They should keep the ports on the back as well, because those are great for plugging a printer into, but for a USB flash drive, it's just a disaster.

Re:

[gig]

Just hook on a $20 7-port USB hub to the back of your iMac and put it just to the side of the system and your USB is taken care of.

The Kensington one that is like a little dome has a port on top for quick and easy use, and then six more on the back. If you do any plugging and unplugging at all then it is well worth it.

Re:

[Joe The Dragon]

It does not have the power to run a flash drive and mouse at the same time

ThinkSecret's had a lousy track record

[LyingForTheGreaterGo]

Unfortunately, ThinkSecret's reputation has taken quite a beating. Most recently they came out with a prediction a month or so agou about an alleged next-day release of hardware. When the prediction failed to come to pass, TS silently deleted the prediction -- rather bad form for the rumor site. This latest 'update' from TS is merely more of the same. Aluminum or black iMac ... coming soon. They keep changing the release date when the last one doesn't come to pass. And it doesn't take someone with inside information to realize that Apple hasn't come out with an iMac refresh in more than 300 days and that one is therefore going to be out by the new school term.

I really hope...

[stubear]

...they fired the dumbass who thought placing the speakers on the bottom, facing down?!?!?, of the enclosure was a good idea.

Giant iPhones

[gig]

I hope this is a real Mac and not just some guy at Apple saw one of those giant iPhones they put in the Apple Store windows. They're like an HDTV size screen with a scale model iPhone around it. When I first saw them I thought that is the source of the iPhone iMac rumor.

It's the TV form factor, I think

[Judge_Fire]

LCD screen with built-in speakers, minimal rims around the screen and with a table stand or wall mount? Sounds pretty much like any flat screen TV out there now. The iMac screen sizes have some catching up to do and it needs a tuner, but still.

Incidentally, I have an iMac as a TV, with daisychained tuners for DVB-T and DVB-S controlled through EyeTV. This setup rocks. Add in the fun of iPhoto, iTunes and video chat using iChat - it's pretty sweet.

Apple seems to be aiming at the living room, first with Apple TV and now, this new iMac.

Re:

[John Jamieson]

Because we all know you can tell how fast a processor is by the clock speed alone? (forget that this is a dual core, and not that old crap P4 design)

2002 called and wants Intel's OLD marketing campaign back.