I was thinking over the weekend - what could Apple do for an
encore now that they've killed the Cube? Well, how about a square
iMac? Yes, what about a flat, square iMac?
Looks like I wasn't alone. Surfing the Web over the weekend, I
found a link to a
possible iMac rendering by Derrick Tittsworth.
It's thin. It uses a flat panel display, as almost everyone expects.
And it's square.
Could Apple do it. Sure. The technology already exists to build
this hybrid of desktop and laptop parts into a "Think Square" iMac.
Some guesses:
Unlike a laptop, no battery. Also would use a 3.5" hard
drive instead of the more expensive 2.5" drives found in the iBook
and PowerBook.
Latest version of G3 running at 500, 600, and 700 MHz. Give it
128 MB RAM standard (1 GB max) and a 20 GB hard drive.
Screen would be either a 14" 1024 x 768 like recent PowerBooks
or 1152 x 768 like the TiBook. Let's call it 14" wide by 14"
tall.
Yes, it does have stereo speakers in the front, a
slot-loading CD/DVD drive on the side, and vents at the top.
To provide room and internal ventilation, I'm guessing the
SquareMac would be at least 1.5" to provide room for a standard
hard drive. If it uses an external power supply, as the portables do
and the Cube did, it should cool by convection, just like the iMac
and Cube.
Other views show a foot in the back that keeps the flat iMac from
tipping over. It's a very well thought out design.
Of course, as with the Cube, having any cables running to the
computer detracts from the clean lines, so if Apple does go in this
direction, maybe they'll also have a wireless keyboard and mouse to
complement it.
Whatever, Derrick has come up with a clever, attractive design
that everyone would recognize instantly as a Mac and as an iMac. I
wonder how Apple's design will compare.
Could they sell it for $999? I doubt it at present, but I think it
could sell for less than the iBook. How does $1,199 sound?
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Tittsworth.
It's thin. It uses a flat panel display, as almost everyone expects.
And it's square.
