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The Godfather · Apr 25, 2011, 03:49 PM

Let's say that the guts of an MBA are stuffed in an iPhone4-esque case, along with one of those ubiquitous 22" LCD panels, nix the optical drive, as thin as an iPad. Storage options are 128MB, 256MB, 512Mb (upgradeable SDD), priced at 50% of the equivalent MBAs.
Also an ungrounded stereo-like 120V cord goes directly to the iMac, and touch screen.
10.7 too.

P · Apr 25, 2011, 05:00 PM

No. What would you use one of them for? Touch screens on a device that you hang on the wall is just uncomfortable for any length of time. Making the computer thinner is OK in my opinion, and certainly doable if you lose the optical and the HD, but it makes little sense unless you hang the computer on the wall like a painting. Unless your desk is tiny, that's not a comfortable working distance for a 22" screen.

(Sidenote: it wouldn't be quite as thin as the iPad, as the display panel alone is thicker than that. I don't think you could lose too much of the thickness without the brightness dropping.)

Waragainstsleep · Apr 25, 2011, 05:05 PM

$500 for a 22" Mac? Sure I would. Apple would never go for that price point sadly.

BLAZE_MkIV · Apr 25, 2011, 05:24 PM

I agree, its not usable for anything. Its to heavy to hold (iPad), to small to see from across the room (iTV), not enough CPU GPU for games at that kind of resolution (iMac/MacPro).

Overgrown drawing tablet maybe? Would the Photoshop people want a to draw directly onto a screen like that? But then I'd want the screen to be the size of a drafting table a-la Microsoft Surface. And you hit the performance issue again.

imitchellg5 · Apr 25, 2011, 05:49 PM

No, I don't want a desktop with 2009 internals for any price. That's what my 2008 MacBook Pro is for.

SierraDragon · Apr 25, 2011, 06:04 PM

It would be a great product for Point-Of-Sale even at a higher more realistic price. I don't see utility in other usages.

-Allen

BLAZE_MkIV · Apr 25, 2011, 06:15 PM

I agree that a reasonably priced touch screen of 15" or greater would be great for POS, the reason the existing screens are so expensive is the market for them is so small. You'd only sell 100k of them. Most of that market is dominated by cash registers, including touch screen ones. Theres very few POS needs were you don't want a cash drawer. Sure that is probably gonna change, but not in the next 10 years.

imitchellg5 · Apr 25, 2011, 07:26 PM

An iMac for a POS machine is absurd.

SierraDragon · 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

An iMac for a POS machine is absurd.

Why?

Note that there is a small but solid market in Mac POS, usually using iMacs, even without Mac touch screens.

-Allen

MasterC · Apr 26, 2011, 12:24 AM

Originally Posted by The Godfather

Storage options are 128MB, 256MB, 512Mb (upgradeable SDD)

DO they even make SSDs that small?

ajprice · Apr 26, 2011, 03:42 AM

Originally Posted by MasterC

DO they even make SSDs that small?

They sure do!!!

. It's expandable if you plug another one in, I'm not sure if the iMac air will have USB ports though.

The Godfather · Apr 26, 2011, 12:56 PM

Surely not supplying the battery will allow them to afford a 22" lcd and power supply. Surely intel is giving out chipsets for almost nothing and subsidize a little bit from App sales.

The Godfather · Apr 26, 2011, 12:58 PM

Otoh, an eeetop is $450.
Apple would value equivalent specs at $900.

Waragainstsleep · Apr 26, 2011, 05:26 PM

Intel subsidise much less when you don't put an 'Intel Inside" sticker on the case. Or the stupid audio clip on the end of your TV ad.

imitchellg5 · Apr 26, 2011, 10:34 PM

Originally Posted by SierraDragon

Why?

Note that there is a small but solid market in Mac POS, usually using iMacs, even without Mac touch screens.

-Allen

What can an iMac POS machine do that any standard IBM machine can't do? Unless you're thinking of a specific niche, but that would be pointless for Apple to cater to a niche.

Waragainstsleep · Apr 27, 2011, 03:45 AM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

What can an iMac POS machine do that any standard IBM machine can't do? Unless you're thinking of a specific niche, but that would be pointless for Apple to cater to a niche.

In any store that cares about their interior decor (thats most of them) they don't look like s**t.

SierraDragon · 10:18 PM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

What can an iMac POS machine do that any standard IBM machine can't do?

• Run an Apple OS, a good thing to millions of iPod/iPhone/iPad users.

• Look good.

• Not run Windows, a HUGE benefit.

• Be used as a multi-purpose small business computer with internet access without the hundreds of thousands of Win viruses (No, I am not saying Macs have no security risks).

Note that for a growing market share many folks just prefer Macs. E.g. I could run Photoshop on PCs but would rather eat dirt.

-Allen

voodoo · May 3, 2011, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by The Godfather

Let's say that the guts of an MBA are stuffed in an iPhone4-esque case, along with one of those ubiquitous 22" LCD panels, nix the optical drive, as thin as an iPad. Storage options are 128MB, 256MB, 512Mb (upgradeable SDD), priced at 50% of the equivalent MBAs.
Also an ungrounded stereo-like 120V cord goes directly to the iMac, and touch screen.
10.7 too.

No. Seems like a pointless device. I'm sure Apple will make one soon.

Waragainstsleep · May 4, 2011, 04:14 AM

Its not pointless for the consumer, its pointless for Apple. Its the same reason they won't make headless iMacs, or expandable Mac Minis. They COULD make all manner of really cool Macs that geeks like us would love to buy cheap and play with, but they don't design macs for the likes of us, they make them for ordinary consumers and enjoy very large margins.
Plus as a fashionable company, if Apple do a version that can do most of what an iMac gets used for but very badly, then the vast majority of customers will foolishly go for the cheap crappy version because they can still show people that they have a Mac.