[iPoder]

For me, this new iMac G5 is a great product, but not a "WOW, I gotta have one" product. With all the GPU bashing out there, let's hope the next revision will address many of our concerns. Here is my wishlist of next revision of iMac,

1) G5 processor 1.8 and 2.0 GHz
2) 512 MB RAM standard (1 stick)
3) Bluetooth module standard
4) Much better GPU, or make it BTO (even better if Apple can make it upgradable, but I doubt that will happen)
5) Translucent white casing (similar to the first generation of iMac or iPod to give it a slimmer look) --- I am sort of tired of this eMac-chopped-off look on iMac G5.
6) 8X Superdrive (or even better if Apple decides to support DVD+R DL)
7) Port replicator-like cable to put the wires on the table instead of hanging from the panel (I am seriously worried about clean looks with all the dangling wires, not to mention that the wires might impact the balance of the panel)

Wishful thinking, maybe. But remember that Apple engineer probably already started working on next revision. Our voices may weigh something if we make them loud enough.

[Lateralus]

4) should be 1).

[Krusty]

With the new base and form factor I'd like to see .... the 23" iMac. Given the sweet price of the 20, they might be able to pull it off for what they used to charge for the 20" G4 iMac.

[iPoder]

I don't mean that this is a prioritized list. But I definitely agree that GPU option is most important.

[Sealobo]

30" iMac... with external DVI-in

[Spliffdaddy]

Heavy gauge aluminum construction that mimics the PowerMac line's rounded corners - with, perhaps, a lone 'handle' at the bottom...in place of the iMac's existing chin. Perforated grillework, again borrowed from the PowerMac, could be used to fill the lower 'handle' to offer ventilation for internal components while providing room for the power supply (which should be a remote power brick, imho, but whatever) and, more importantly, room for front-facing speakers. yay.

A fanless design could be possible if the rear panel of the iMac was a convection-cooled heatsink. Maybe an extruded aluminum or cast aluminum 'plate' - onto which all internal heat producing components are thermally bonded. Internal airflow (via convenction) would then be sufficient to extract any 'stray' heat from within. Perforations near the top rear of the iMac would pair with the perforated grillework at the lower front to provide a adequate convection path for airflow. Having a substantial aluminum plate (heatsink) at the rear of the iMac would offer a strong foundation for any sort of mounting apparatus - wall, stand, or whatever else.

The current iMac weighs as much as 3 bowling balls. I doubt an aluminum iMac would be much worse.

OK, so you polish that aluminum plate on the rear of the iMac - to a mirror shine. Laser-etch a big Apple logo into the center, maybe. Then you color anodize the aluminum frame and front grillework to match the current iPod lineup.

[gperks]

I wouldn't change much except ratchet all the GHz & GB numbers up a bit. One thing I'd like to see added: Firewire 800 is the biggest omission for me. A GPU better than my year-old PowerBook would also be attractive to make me feel more like I'm upgrading.

Possibly a USB2 & FW400 slot (somehow hidden perhaps behind a panel) on the front would be useful for temporary connections such as a camcorder or camera.

The current two FW400 ports are not, ideally, quite enough. Camcorder, iPod, iSight. That's three connectors needed in my perfect world!

[turtle777]

And, of course, well under $ 1000 !

Rrriiiiiightttt.

-t

[DaBeav]

The downward-facing speakers were used because the speaker grilles also provide air intake for the cooling system. I'm interested to see how effective they are at "boucing" sound to the user. Normally though, integrated speakers suck. I do like the digital audio out option. Some nice 5.1 surround sound speakers and the 20" iMac is a great movie machine for a bedroom or dorm room.

I like the simple, clean look, but white is getting a little tired. Hopefully MacSkinz will be able to make some custom faceplates for the new iMacs.

Honestly the only thing that's somewhat sticky is the GPU. I think for cable management, you can use the hole in the stand to corral them all and keep the design relatively uncluttered.

[xenu]

A whinge key - press it and a list of components more advanced than those currently in the computer pops up.

[deboerjo]

1) GeForceFX 5700 (non-Ultra) or ATI Radeon 9600XT GPU. Good balance of processing power and low heat/wattage. I doubt different GPUs for different configurations would be possible, since changing the GPU means changing the whole motherboard.
2) G5 processor up to 2.0GHz
3) Dual channel memory standard (256MB standard on low-end configurations, 512MB on the rest, BTO options up to 2GB), with a half-speed (800MH+) frontside bus to match.
4) integrated handle
5) sacrifice some thickness for the sake of a standard 5.25" drive bay, to make upgrades and repairs much easier down the road.
6) Wider, more stable base, allowing for a wider range of screen movement, and with cabling attached (or at least routed thru) the base rather than hanging off the back.
7) Almost forgot: FW800

Personally, I'd like to see a return to the "sunflower" design, or something like it, with the "computer" half of things in the base and the LCD panel on an all-moving arm. Maybe an aluminum cube instead of the white half-sphere, in keeping with the G5 industrial look. This would also put your drives horizontal, allowing tray-loading optical drives. But I doubt that'd happen.

[im_noahselby]

The main thing I'd like to see on the next revision of the iMac is bluetooth made as a standard feature. Not everyone is willing or able to order a BTO machine and it sucks wasting a USB slot for an additional dongle. Some people like myself, prefer to buy standard config machines; not having bluetooth as a standard feature on this round of machines is surely a major letdown for a lot of people who would like to have wireless keyboards and mice.

Luckily for me, I'm not in the market for a new iMac at this time, as I have a fairly new PB, but I'd sure be surprised to see Apple pass this feature up on their next iMac revision.

2.0Ghz G5 CPU's and better graphics cards are pretty much a given...

Noah

[LORL]

Does no one understand that all these standard features - bluetooth module, more ram, 8x superdrives, better GPUs - all equal higher prices?

Ya know, some of us would like the computer to stay at $1300 dollars, and not have all this junk standard.

Not to mention, I think it might have taken some engineering skill to fit all that stuff in that 2" case without it melting - asking for massive BTO options on top of that is a little too much.

[thesearcher]

Originally posted by LORL:
Does no one understand that all these standard features - bluetooth module, more ram, 8x superdrives, better GPUs - all equal higher prices?

...

They do now. Not necessarily a few months from now.

[hldan]

I just want a powerful GPU. I want the GeForce 2MX with 16MB for Doom3 at high settings.

[jamesa]

Better GPU definitely, would also like to see gigabit and FW800 to help aid adoption of those standards.

That would make it a kick-ass machine.

-- james

[legacyb4]

Sure, but a few months from now, everyone will continue to whinge about why the rev. B iMac isn't sporting the specs of the low end Powermac at that time... honestly, would having a better GPU magically make everyone happy?

Originally posted by thesearcher:
They do now. Not necessarily a few months from now.

[Spliffdaddy]

(see my earlier post)

[LORL]

Originally posted by Spliffdaddy:


(see my earlier post)

Not only does that look stupid, it also isn't practical. Ya know, there is an engineering reason for that big extension off the bottom of the monitor.

[Commodus]

I already have a vision of the next iMac in my mind: 1.8 or 2 GHz G5 processors (600 or 667 MHz bus), 120 or 200 GB hard drives, and a 128 MB GeForce 6400 on a PCI Express bus.

The 6400 is what I imagine that nVidia will call its 'value' model in the 6-series of cards (since the 6800 is the high-end, and 6600 is mid-range). Odds are that it would have performance roughly on par with a GeForce FX 5700, maybe better.

[iBorg]

Originally posted by legacyb4:
Sure, but a few months from now, everyone will continue to whinge about why the rev. B iMac isn't sporting the specs of the low end Powermac at that time... honestly, would having a better GPU magically make everyone happy?

Actually, yes, for a large percentage of we who refuse to buy "revision A" now!

I won't buy until Apple gives at least BTO video upgrade - my "wishlist" would then include 2.0 GHz G5, with more USB2 ports (since going with BlueTooth wireless keyboard eliminates 2 ports!), and FW800 (although that's not as important IMHO). I'd also expect 8x DVD burning, but Apple won't offer dual-layer burning except in the G5 tower.

Knowing Apple's track record, I expect they'll continue to come standard with the abominable 256MB ram, and BTO extra-cost BlueTooth and Airport, but that's OK, as long as it's easy, and not terribly expensive, to upgrade.

Another thing I hope/expect to see is "revision A bugs" worked out by then, however they will manifest!

Hopefully, we'll see revision B shortly after Jan. 1.



iBorg

[thetman]

in terms of the FW800 and gigabit, if you really need that stuff buy a powermac. If those kinds of speeds are somehting you need its time to get a better machine. Granted you then must purcahse a screen as well, but your tradeoffs are muhc better. fw800 as far as I know only exists in hard drives at the moment and if you need those kinds of speeds for a reason you probably alos need somehting faster thna a 1.8G5. and gigabit? how many consumers, which is where the imac is targeted, have gigabit networks setup at home, let alone actually utilize it? i rarely transfer files on my home netowkr and while gigabit would be nice, i definatly can wait the extra few min once a month when I move 10GB across my 100mb wires.

as for graphics cards, yes that needs to be fixed. and 8x superdrives, i understnd they had to use a slimline drive for space saving, but the emac was the first mac to have 8x, and evne after an imac revision they dont have 8x. also the point about the wires hanging from the back, i totally agree. maybe they should bundle their bluetooth keyboard and mouse to reduce some clutter, but still having you ipod, isight and more connected all the time back there must be ugly

[mitchell_pgh]

I think the GPU issue is actually two issues... it shows that the iMac is slightly underpowered for gamers... but also highlights the issue that the G5 towers are too expensive for gamers.

To be honest, I feel the GPU is fine for 90%+ of the people out there...

[mitchell_pgh]

I'll throw in my 2� also...

How about removing the monitor... placing the internal components in a clean white "mini tower" and calling it the headless iMac?

AKA: Let me pick my own monitor...

[deboerjo]

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
How about removing the monitor... placing the internal components in a clean white "mini tower" and calling it the headless iMac?

Bring back the cube! Only without the stupid top-loading "toaster" optical drive.

What would be really cool is a Sunflower iMac style design (only with an AGP slot instead of onboard video) with the LCD screen and flexible arm an optional attachment. Plug it in to an external monitor and you've got a Cube, plug in the LCD screen attachment and you've got an iMac.

[mitchell_pgh]

no no... don't bring back the cube.

Just take the LCD monitor off off of the iMac and resell it in a nice little enclosure minus with a price that reflects the missing LCD. Perhaps dual monitor support and space for an extra HD would be nice...

1.6GHz PowerPC G5
512K L2 cache
533MHz frontside bus
256MB DDR400 SDRAM
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
64MB DDR video memory
80GB Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load Combo Drive
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$999

[iPoder]

Let's face it that Apple is unlikely to change the form factor on the next revision of iMac. So headless iMac is just a wishful thinking, IMHO.

For me, I like the idea of headless iMac, which avoids the nasty question of hidden cost of AIO design. This decision is all in the name for the sake of simplicity. A very slim, almost non-existing, chance is that Apple will make the next eMac like that.

But again, Apple might want to protect the profit margin by forcing everyone to choose

1) Buy LCD and main unit together (iMac/eMac/powerbook/iBook),
2) Buy expensive main unit, and more expensive LCD screen (PowerMac).

Tough luck for us, I guess.

[iPoder]

I am starting to consider the cable management system is the most important issue for the new iMac G5.

It is ironic that Apple like to advertise that the back view of iMac is prettier than the front view of any PC out there. I will agree with that if and only if there is no wire attached to any port, whatsoever.

I truely like to see a photo with all the wires hanging on the back of the new iMac, and give a honest opinion to Jobs.

[Commodus]

Well if you're really concerned about maintaining the 'purity' of the back, then get an Airport Extreme card and Bluetooth keyboard/mouse combo. At that point, the only cables you'd need to plug in would be power and devices like iPods or cameras.

And besides, one option you have that you didn't with the iMac G4 was to have a built-in means of tidying up cabling: the hole in the stand. It's big enough that you could put several cables through it, so there's no reason why you couldn't just put your Ethernet/USB/Firewire cables through the hole so that they're tucked neatly away.

[iPoder]

I do understand that you can go wireless to reduce the wire cluttering, which is the way I will go anyway. (BTW, this is the reason that I think bluetooth should be standard. Otherwise, if you don't make it BTO when you order it, you are out of luck to switch it to wireless keyboard without attaching an ugly BT dongle, sticking out the panel like a tumor).

However, not everyone will choose to do that, and not every device that you attached will have wireless option, such as iSight.

Personally, I think that Apple should move the ports from vertical position to the horizontal position on the bottom of the unit, and make a cover for it (like many flat-panel screens out there). A hole in the stand or some sort of cable management system will help.

I like to experiment attaching all the wires in the back panel, and to see the impact of the balance of the panel. When a product is designed, it should consider the worst case scenerio (attaching all wires) than the best case scenerio (no wire), IMO.

A critic like this will help Apple to improve the product in the future. So, I hope that nobody will take the offense of it.

[Lancer409]

Originally posted by Spliffdaddy:
Heavy gauge aluminum construction that mimics the PowerMac line's rounded corners - with, perhaps, a lone 'handle' at the bottom...in place of the iMac's existing chin. Perforated grillework, again borrowed from the PowerMac, could be used to fill the lower 'handle' to offer ventilation for internal components while providing room for the power supply (which should be a remote power brick, imho, but whatever) and, more importantly, room for front-facing speakers. yay.

A fanless design could be possible if the rear panel of the iMac was a convection-cooled heatsink. Maybe an extruded aluminum or cast aluminum 'plate' - onto which all internal heat producing components are thermally bonded. Internal airflow (via convenction) would then be sufficient to extract any 'stray' heat from within. Perforations near the top rear of the iMac would pair with the perforated grillework at the lower front to provide a adequate convection path for airflow. Having a substantial aluminum plate (heatsink) at the rear of the iMac would offer a strong foundation for any sort of mounting apparatus - wall, stand, or whatever else.

The current iMac weighs as much as 3 bowling balls. I doubt an aluminum iMac would be much worse.

OK, so you polish that aluminum plate on the rear of the iMac - to a mirror shine. Laser-etch a big Apple logo into the center, maybe. Then you color anodize the aluminum frame and front grillework to match the current iPod lineup.

ugh .. why steal the powermac's stylings for the imac .. should stay seperate..

as for the mirror shine .. hehehe ... every time u adjust the monitor .. more fingerprints...
i can see some adventurous people doing the "brushed chrome" look on it .. like they do with ipods .. =P

[the_glassman]

I want a 2 GHz G5, better GPU and FW800. Then I'll purchase two of them.

[jamesa]

Originally posted by thetman:
in terms of the FW800 and gigabit, if you really need that stuff buy a powermac. If those kinds of speeds are somehting you need its time to get a better machine. Granted you then must purcahse a screen as well, but your tradeoffs are muhc better. fw800 as far as I know only exists in hard drives at the moment

As has been demonstrated with both Firewire and USB 2, you need a lot of computers to support the standard before many devices start shipping it. Not vice versa.

Remember what the original iMac did for USB devices?

and gigabit? how many consumers, which is where the imac is targeted, have gigabit networks setup at home, let alone actually utilize it? i rarely transfer files on my home netowkr and while gigabit would be nice, i definatly can wait the extra few min once a month when I move 10GB across my 100mb wires.

Again, that's what many people said before the original imac came along, which happened to support 100bT. Turned it into the standard for consumer desktop machines.

They should do the same again.

-- james

[Sparkletron]

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
no no... don't bring back the cube.

Just take the LCD monitor off off of the iMac and resell it in a nice little enclosure minus with a price that reflects the missing LCD.

Well regardless of whether or not it is Cubed-shaped, the point is that many patrons want a cheap headless iMac with similar capabilities to all the mini-PCs (e.g., Shuttle).

-S

[Spliffdaddy]

Originally posted by LORL:
Not only does that look stupid, it also isn't practical. Ya know, there is an engineering reason for that big extension off the bottom of the monitor.

doh.

read. the. post.

[P]

Originally posted by thetman:
in terms of the FW800 and gigabit, if you really need that stuff buy a powermac. If those kinds of speeds are somehting you need its time to get a better machine. Granted you then must purcahse a screen as well, but your tradeoffs are muhc better. fw800 as far as I know only exists in hard drives at the moment and if you need those kinds of speeds for a reason you probably alos need somehting faster thna a 1.8G5. and gigabit? how many consumers, which is where the imac is targeted, have gigabit networks setup at home, let alone actually utilize it? i rarely transfer files on my home netowkr and while gigabit would be nice, i definatly can wait the extra few min once a month when I move 10GB across my 100mb wires.

Think Video editing. Think a classroom of Video editing. The iMac would rock at this with Gigabit Ethernet and a FW 800. Personally, I think Apple left it off to have something to add in a revision or two.

BTW, can someone explain why Firewire 800 needs a different port?

[Lancer409]

Originally posted by P:
Think Video editing. Think a classroom of Video editing. The iMac would rock at this with Gigabit Ethernet and a FW 800. Personally, I think Apple left it off to have something to add in a revision or two.

BTW, can someone explain why Firewire 800 needs a different port?

isnt it shaped differently? or does it retain the same plug like the usb 1 / usb 2?

[Simon]

Originally posted by Lancer409:
isnt it shaped differently? or does it retain the same plug like the usb 1 / usb 2?

FW800 has a different plug than FW400. However there are simple & cheap dongles to attach FW400 peripherals to FW800 ports. That's why it's ridiculous that Apple stubbornly refuses to switch to FW800 across the entire line. They should stop acting as if FW800 were some pro feature or something. It's basically the thing that gives FW the lead over USB2 and it's Apple's own technology. If they want to keep up with it they should include it in every Mac regardless of how badly it's need or not - this includes bare-bones grandma eMacs! It's just about staying around when competing against a giant like Intel (the home of USB). And it would cost them basically nothing (cost of FW400 and 800 controller are probably identical), especially if they don't include a 800->400 dongle default.

[kokkao]

whinge key - press it and a list of components more advanced than those currently in the computer pops up.

Well said!!

Half of the "wishlists" seem to me to refer to a completely new machine - which is NOT a G5 iMac.

I think the GPU issue is actually two issues... it shows that the iMac is slightly underpowered for gamers... but also highlights the issue that the G5 towers are too expensive for gamers.

To be honest, I feel the GPU is fine for 90%+ of the people out there...

Quite right! Maybe what is REALLY needed is one more model version specifically for gamers? Maybe a 20" with 2Ghz and an upgraded GPU?

Personally my votes would go to built-in Bluetooth and 512 RAM - certainly on the 2 higher spec models, and I am sure that this could be done later without affecting price. But with built-in BT you lose 2 USB ports. So perhaps an extra port maybe on the underside would be good for temporary connections. I also think those who want an extra Firewire port have a point - iPod dock , iSight and then.... where's your camcorder going?
Yes I know you can plug/unplug but it's a pain and unnecessary with a bit of foresight.
The 800/400 issue is another good point - make them 800 and include 1 converter as standard, or a cable that has 800 one end and 400 the other.
8x DVD would be nice too - but that I think is about it.
Apart of course from steady price reductions as the investment is recovered!

[Shaddim]

2GHz (or faster) CPU and ATI Mobility 9700 GPU (very fast and very cool)... maybe a faster DVD-R, but it's not neccessary.

They do that, and I'll take 2.

[macaddict0001]

Originally posted by kokkao:
But with built-in BT you lose 2 USB ports.

you don't lose any usb ports because you can connect everything via bluetooth.

[iBorg]

Reading the threads here, and in the Apple iMac forums, I have another wish: Fix the fan problem! While most people seem to be happy with the loudness of their new iMacs, there are a fairly large number of posts from people complaining about the loud, high-pitched fan noise.

If they fix this in revision B, and give me a decent GPU option, I might buy one then.



iBorg

[jamesa]

Originally posted by iBorg:
Reading the threads here, and in the Apple iMac forums, I have another wish: Fix the fan problem! While most people seem to be happy with the loudness of their new iMacs, there are a fairly large number of posts from people complaining about the loud, high-pitched fan noise.

If they fix this in revision B, and give me a decent GPU option, I might buy one then.



iBorg

think rev a 12'' powerbook. it's going to get sorted, but all those early adopters are going to wear it until it does

-- james

[Peter]

1) Probable - gotta update the processors each revision, logical next step.
2) Unlikely - 512Mb would increase prices of iMacs.
3) Possible - But then it would increase the price?
4) Pleaseee - 9600Pro kkthxbye.
5) Unlikely - Design changes? doubt it
6) Probable - eMacs have them, right?
7) Optional Accesory

Just my 2 cents.

[kokkao]

quote:
Originally posted by kokkao:
But with built-in BT you lose 2 USB ports.


you don't lose any usb ports because you can connect everything via bluetooth.

Now you can't really mean that surely - even things that don't have BT?

[iBorg]

Originally posted by kokkao:
Now you can't really mean that surely - even things that don't have BT?

He means that you don't lose any net ports by not having USB connect ports on the Bluetooth keyboard, since one of those would be taken by the USB mouse, leaving only one port open, while occupying one of the main ports on the computer.

Another advantage of ordering the iMac with Bluetooth keyboard/mouse is that all USB ports will be fully powered, (although they'll all be behind the monitor) unlike the keyboard port on a USB keyboard, which sometimes don't provide enough power to run USB scanners, for instance.

USB peripherals still need to connect via USB.



iBorg

[BenRoethig]

By wish list:

1. PCI express graphics with either ATI axiom or Nvidia MXM graphics module (hopefully they have settled on one or the other in six months).

2. Apple buys MacMice and replaces the current one button mouse with their mouse.

3. Apple and IBM replace the current method of soldering processors to the motherboard (and proprietary daughter cards on the powermacs) with a 576 pin ZIF socket.

[lpetschauer]

Dual layer DVD burning. This should be in the next PowerMac revision.

[Skip Breakfast]

2. Apple buys MacMice and replaces the current one button mouse with their mouse.

They're not reliable after regular use. Even an $8 MS mouse is built better.

[Grrr]

I wish that it has everything and doesn't sell for more than $50, this way we are assured no premature 'G5 iMac rev C wish list' threads.