Editors' Picks
What do you think of the iMac's newest design?
Editors' picks
August 31, 2004
The new look
Apple on Tuesday unveiled its new, highly anticipated iMac. The design matches what many had expected--a sleek, compact package built on the company's flat-panel display. In recent months, designs for desktop computers have been overshadowed by the look and feel of the company's iPod digital music player. Apple's response? Let the iPod designers take the reins. Here is what they came up with. - CNET Reviews Apple iMac G5
- CNET News.com Apple puts the squeeze on new iMac
- CNET News.com iMac G5 in pictures
- Forrester Research Commentary: Apple's missed opportunity
- CNET News.com New iMac tries to play it cool
- Mac Observer Initial iMac availability to be limited, sources say
- Apple Apple's iMac page
- CNET News.com Apple fans abuzz over new iMac
Apple's innovative design
More than probably anything else, Apple is known for its design. The
company pays attention to aesthetic details other computer makers
ignore, including hinges, on-off switches and even the innards of the
PC. That ethic has helped the company establish a profitable niche in
the market, even as its share of the PC universe has declined. The
company is seen as a trendsetter beyond the computer industry, with its
candy-colored iMac having led to a wave of goods in such colors. More
recently, the company's shift to white and metal has redefined the state
of electronics chic. - CNN.com Apple's core: The Mac turns 20
- Forbes How Apple's innovation saved the industry
- Wired Baby, friend, pet: That's my Mac
- Folklore.org How the original Mac case was designed
- Ecommerce Times Apple's 'Just one more thing' product design
- CNET News.com Titanium PowerBook: A test of Apple's mettle
- CNET News.com Apple bets consumers are ready for cubist movement
iMac's evolution
The iMac's 1998 debut launched Apple back into profitability and
established the company as a leader in innovative product design. Since
then, the iMac has seen several costume changes, moving from an
all-in-one device in every imaginable color to a computer that looks
more like a desk lamp than a PC. Continually proving that computers need
not be simply utilitarian but can be fashionable too, the iMac has
developed a devoted customer base. Those fans have been waiting on the
edges of their seats to see what the next stage in iMac's evolution would
be. - Time.com Apple's new core
Note: Paid subscription required for article; Apple timeline and iMac gallery are free. - The Mac Observer The iMac: A case study in historical contingency & evolutionary convergence
- CNET News.com Apple pulls plug on original iMac
- Wired News Belgian designer predicted iMac 2 design
- CNET News.com Bushels of new iMacs piling up
- CNET News.com Dimmer fades on desk-lamp iMac
- Applele.com A hobbyist's predictions for the new iMac
PC evolution
Today's PCs are a far cry from the bulky beige boxes they once were.
PC designers, charged with balancing form and function in every product,
constantly adapt to changes in both technology and culture. As PC
technologies advance, designers can fit far more hardware into a smaller
package, but the space savings can be offset by consumer demand for more
standard features, requiring more internal drives and ports to any
number of peripherals. At the same time, Apple has set a high standard
for the look of a home computer, ditching the old beige box for
something sleek and stylish. As the market forces other PC
makers to follow suit, the home computer as we know it is, no doubt, on
the verge of a dramatic makeover. - BusinessWeek Online Bye-bye boring beige box
- BusinessWeek Online Microsoft's hardware exec on how PCs need to evolve
- BusinessWeek Online New life for the PC: Coming innovations to transform PC
- ACUSD History The evolution of the computer: A timeline
- ibiblio.org PC and browser evolution in the 1970s
- Folklore.org The attitudes and values of the Mac team
- BusinessWeek Online Computing's new screen gems
Industrial design
Looks are far more important than engineers like to admit. Logitech
CEO Guerrino DeLuca has said that the
success of optical mice can be attributed not to performance, but to the
little red light. The Palm V became a standard through thinness. Still,
it's not easy. For every success, there is the - Guardian Unlimited Former Apple fellow on the importance of human interface in design
- WashingtonPost.com Taking Stock Of Industrial Innovation in Bearish Times
- Corporate Design Foundation Samsung's Lessons in Design
- BusinessWeek Online Winners of the 2004 IDEA industrial design awards
All-in-one computers
Many PC makers attempted to follow Apple's lead with the iMac, which
integrated all the major components--the processor, hard drive and so
forth--into the back of the display. Some followed too closely and were
sued, while others, such as Gateway and Micron, arrived to find a tepid
market for Windows-based all-in-ones. Despite the slow sales, innovation
has continued, most recently with Gateway's 610 Media Center PC, which
is built around an LCD TV screen. - Wired The PC answer to iMac
- CNET News.com Emachines unveils iMac knockoff
- PCWorld.com Apple shows speedier eMac
- CNET News.com MPC Computers debuts all-in-one desktop
- CNET News.com IBM to phase out NetVista X
Videos
A closer look at the iPod Mini
CNET MP3 insider Eliot Van Buskirk gives his take on the newest addition to the Apple Computer digital music player family.
iPod Minis in short supply
Apple Computer's iPod Mini has sold out at retail stores across the United States, prompting weeks-long waiting lists for the digital music player. Correspondent James Hilliard visits the Apple Store in San Francisco, where some shoppers got lucky.
Jobs: Make your own GarageBand music
At Macworld 2004 in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces GarageBand--a new software application for the Mac that allows you to compose music with more than 50 different software instruments.
Jobs unveils smaller, cheaper iPod
At Macworld 2004 in San Francisco, Steve Jobs provides a first look at the iPod Mini--a smaller, cheaper digital-music player that holds 1,000 songs.
Apple previews next version of Mac OS X
At the Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs shows off Tiger, the next version of Mac OS X. The operating system has more than 150 new features, including a systemwide search engine and an update to iChat that allows up to four people to hold a videoconference.
Jobs displays 30-inch flat panel
Apple Computer's Steve Jobs shows off three new monitors at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. One monitor, set for an August release for more than $3,000, has a 30-inch LCD screen.
Apple unleashes new Power Mac G5
At the Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces a line of Power Macs that run on the new G5 processor. He calls it "the world's fastest personal computer."
New Power Mac boasts 64-bit processor
At the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs touts the new G5 chip that drives the latest line of Power Macs.
Apple: New G5 outperforms Windows PC
At the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, AnchorDesk's David Coursey looks at Apple's new G5-based Power Mac and finds out why the company calls it the "world's fastest personal computer."
The bottom part of the computer is somewhat jarring -- it looks like it has a massive chin. It would look much more acceptable if the space was used constructively, perhaps with the speakers, rather than being completely blank white space.
I also have concerns about the internal design. Apple's PR photo showing the inside of the computer shows a huge bank of capacitors that are right up against the hot CPU. I'm not too sure this is a good thing for the lifespan of the computer. I also hope Apple thermally sealed the LCD from the computer very well, because I also have major concerns of damage to the LCD caused by the heat in the computer.
In short...it looks somewhat weird, and the design durability is very questionable.
That's exactly what I have been thinking. We already know the G5 gives off incredible amounts of heat. And positioning it directly behind the LCD seems like a recipe for disaster.
This design makes a lot of sense. It is very practical: it is shaped
after biggest part of modern computer.
Apple will have to come up with some new design, if future
display/panels will have no physical parts - projectors/alike.
Apple really cleans up the mess of cables, modern PC desktop
produces. Sooner or later, you start hating PCs for just this
annoying cables, which are always too short to be hidden.
The "but" comes from the fact that the design is plain - but only on Apple's terms. It still looks wonderful compared to a lot of the Windows boxes out there, and would certainly get some people thinking. If you don't need raw performance, why spend a similar amount of money (Dell costs you as much if you price it out) on something that will take up a lot more space and will go completely unnoticed?
Can u beat that price?! It works 24/7 doing picture processing and 3D rendering in Bryce and has been doing that for the last year. I'm extremely satisfied with my machine. Ah! forgot about it! It really is VERY stable using XP Professional... couldn't perform rendering otherwise!
Very minimalist, nice form and function. I'll have to wait for final
judgment until I see it in person, usually photos don't do their
products justice.
The specs are okay, I wish they would include more RAM.
use microsoft, the only operating system that you have to press
start to shut down... what!?!?
market anyway... obviously... you're not hip enough in you like
cheap mass marketware...
trapped in the MS pit of death. If you aren't going to provide a
real comment, then just keep quiet and wait for MS Shorthorn.