Editors' Picks
Editors' picks
What will the next iMac look like?
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, no doubt, now wait on the
edges of their seats to see what the next stage in iMac's evolution will
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 far sleeker and more 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."
However, and this is big, Apple's prices still aren't in line with the industry and its dwindling market share demonstrates this in a dramatic fashion. I don't care what any Machead says market share DOES matter. It matters to the developers who invest time and a hell of a lot of money porting from one OS to another. (You don't port a piece of software from ix86/Windows to PPC /MacOX over night.) It matters to the consumer who looks at that shelf of software in the apple store and thinks why is it so small in comparison to the PC software at best buy. Row upon row of software is reassuring to the user that yes my platform will be here in 10 years. Yes. Yes I'm well aware that people have been predicting the death of Apple for over a decade now. However the face remains Apple's market share has never been this low. It should be a major concern to anyone who is interested in Apple being around 5, 10, 20 years from now. The only people who aren't concerned are the Mac zealots in the crowd.
How does this tie into the new iMac? Simple. These midrange systems are where PC sales are hitting their stride. This is where Apple needs to make some serious sales and that requires not only the ability to crank out a ton of these systems FAST, (Way faster then PowerMac G5's that were introed last year at any rate.) the ability to cut prices to meet competition, and the ability to build a quality product. (Sorry folks but spending time on the various Mac BBoards there are SERIOUS QC issues at Apple on every product they have including software.) Apple needs to compete. Enough of this laid back, whatever type attitude. If they are going to remain a computer company (Which I'm starting to question what with Apple seriously focusing on Music and the iPod.) they need to kick some butt. Minimum 10% market share if they hope to be around in 15 years. Windows is only going to get better. The past and current thinking is that Windows is an unstable, insecure, difficult POS. I agree with the last two. But unstable in NOT the case. If MS can fix the latter half of those complaints Apple is screwed. People use Windows because its good enough. I've never heard anyone other then Windows zealots sing praise to windows. If MS can get Windows to be better then good enough Apple is in deep trouble. Here's hoping that in the next two years before Longhorn Apple catches a wave of success beyond just the iPod.
report. . . but cnet has become such a hack for worthless fluf. . .
Use the virus backlash and go after the office and big edu lab installs. Sell the blades as G4 to start (fine for most business and lab use) with G5 blades compatible with the racks next year. Upgrading labs would be as easy as swapping a drive in a RAID array.
option from Apple.
The cost of repairing/replacing the monitor for these out-
weighs the benefits.
- refined functionality
- by tomshaughnessy July 27, 2004 2:21 PM PDT
- There is every reason to expect the next consumer oriented Mac
- Reply to this comment
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(19 Comments)to carry forward the design elements of the current iBook, iPod,
and Airport Express consumer products. And so, my gut tells it
will integrate the design of the new pro monitor with the white
consumer cosmetic branding elements. It seems reasonable
from a manufacturing and shipping cost perspective that the
design will move the traditional CPU oriented functions into the
back of the monitor - optical drive, peripheral bus connections,
etc. This means the only wires necessary will be power and
possibly ethernet. The speakers, keyboard and mouse could
reasonably be Bluetooth. Given the current demand/delivery
restrictions on the G5, it would seem higher yields for 130
nanometer chips in the 1.8 range seem appropriate. 17 and 20
inch monitors are reasonable as is SuperDrive throughout the
likely 3 models.