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No rumors this time, neither true nor imaginary. The
powers that be at Low End Mac are
letting me write an editorial.
This coming May, it will be three years since Steve Jobs showed
the world the Bondi Blue Wonder - the original iMac. It was perhaps the most
revolutionary new computer since the
original 1984 Macintosh. In a world of beige boxes with
separate monitors, the first Mac and the iMac had the audacity
to be different, to include a crisp monitor as part of the
computer itself.
Now this wasn't really a radically new concept. The Commodore
PET of 1976 did it, but earlier all-in-one designs usually included
the keyboard as well. Apple certainly perfected the concept.
Ever since the iMac was unveiled, there have been rumors of a
17" iMac. Some have claimed there are 17" iMac prototypes at
1 Infinite Loop - something I have no doubt is true. And I'm
equally confident the size and weight make it less iMac-like
than Steve Jobs, Apple's marketing department, and the buying
public would find acceptable.
Seriously, if Apple thought there really was a market for a 17"
iMac, you can believe they would have introduced it sometime in the
past few years. Their failure to do so tells us we shouldn't ever
expect it.
If that's the case, and it certainly does make a lot of sense,
where can the iMac go from here?
Apple has made it a bit smaller, a bit lighter, and a bit less
expensive. This year we finally have iMacs with recordable
drives inside. And the new monitors are even better than the
old ones, supporting 1024 x 768 reasonably well.
The iMac has grown faster: by steps it has gone from 233 MHz to
266, then 333, then 400, then 500, and now 600 MHz. The new models
are so much faster than the originals, Apple may find a market
selling faster iMacs to those with the earlier revisions.
The trend to greater speed, despite the incompetence of
Motorola on the G4, is a given. The PowerPC 750Cx at the heart of
the fastest iMac is designed for speeds up to 700 MHz, so we
can expect another iMac speed improvement sometime after the G4
breaks 800 MHz.
But faster processors, bigger hard drives, and more memory are
more of the same. After almost three years, the same can be said of
the iMac, even if you can get it in flower power and dalmatian blue
these days. The iMac design has become pedestrian; it's time
to replace it.
Apple pointed the way in May 1997 when they celebrated the 21st
anniversary of their incorporation (on April 1, 1976) by introducing the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh (TAM). It was
an expensive ($7,500!) tour de force of technology and design. Even
today it doesn't look the least bit dated.
Picture Apple's 15" flat panel display instead of the TAM's
12.1" 800 x 600 screen. Put the speakers below the display, as the
iMac does. Put the Cube's slot-loading vertical drive behind
the screen. In fact, put all the computer's insides behind the
screen.
Add a keyboard, mouse, and optional subwoofer, and you've just
replaced the iMac with something under 4" deep. That's what
I envision eventually replacing the iMac.
For the short term, the iMac will have a real price advantage.
Flat panel displays aren't cheap, but they are coming down in
price. Best of all, every part of the next generation consumer Mac
comes from today's models; other than the case, there would be no
unique parts.
The flat Mac would cost less to ship, since it would be far
lighter than the iMac. It would be easier for stores to stock,
since the box would be much smaller than the iMac's.
But most of all, it would be different. Give it a year or two of
overlap with the iMac line, then drop the iMac completely.
When it comes right down to it, this could kill the markets for
the Cube and the 15" flat panel display. Apple could wind up
with two desktop models again, which would certainly simplify
things.
Will it happen? Undoubtedly. When? My guess, and it's nothing
more than that, is anywhere between April 1, 2001 (Apple's 25th
anniversary) and May 25, 2001 (the last day of the Worldwide
Developers Conference).
The flat Mac won't be positioned as an iMac replacement or a
Cube replacement, but that's what it will become over time. It will
also be the compact hub of our digital lifestyle, a computer
at home in the dorm room, family room, and even the office.
- Anne Onymus
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