Dont shoot the messenger- new iMac- 17inch widescreen!

[eSDee]

Ok I might get kilt for this but check out the new iMac that comes standard with a 17 inch widescreen. Too cool for school.




What do you guys and gals think? Remember, it's unix based, and Unix kicks windows square in the jimmer jammer.

/mr runs and hides and gives you some linkage:

http://www.apple.com/imac/

[Apex]

iMac models with the 15-inch flat-panel active-matrix LCD screen deliver nearly the same viewable area as most of those bulky beige 17-inch CRT displays — and with twice the brightness, sharpness and contrast.

Sweet. Average CRT's have in the area of 800:1 or better contrast, good ones have over 1000:1. That's absolutely incredible that they have around 1600:1 contrast. I've never heard of an LCD monitor like that. This is one area they must absolutely be beating the stuffing out of PC's at. The best PC LCD's can barely squeeze out 350:1 to 500:1, with crappy ones going down to 250:1 to 300:1.

[DREDD]

that's why I wish I could afford Apple's screens for my PC...they also have to use a ADCtoDVI converter which adds $200.

[Apex]

http://a16.g.akamai.net/7/16/51/777a...t_Panel_DS.pdf

My bad, I took them at their word *bonk self*. Actually, the contrast ratio is 300:1, no better than low end PC panels. 200 nits brightness is on the low end too. 120 degree horizontal and 90 degree vertical viewing angle is also well below the 160 to 170 degrees h/v most PC monitors have.

[DREDD]

well, the 23" widescreen display is definately better than the iMac screen. hell for $3k it better be

[ribitch]

Originally posted by Apex
http://a16.g.akamai.net/7/16/51/777a...t_Panel_DS.pdf

My bad, I took them at their word *bonk self*. Actually, the contrast ratio is 300:1, no better than low end PC panels. 200 nits brightness is on the low end too. 120 degree horizontal and 90 degree vertical viewing angle is also well below the 160 to 170 degrees h/v most PC monitors have.

yeah, the imac lcd isnt the greatest, but their normal LC'D' sre amazing. I use a 15" Apple & 15" dell LCD at work. The dell is good, but the apple is much better.

DF, you're damn right i like it. I like the new ipods much more though.

[attgig]

I wish they would start selling components for macs..
I'd love to get a mac - but all the mac clones are pretty much dead, and macs are just too darn expensive

[Bires]

Originally posted by attgig
macs are just too darn expensive

But they're "pentium crushing" and "stunning"

Apple marketing is the equivalent of political mudslinging. Their commericials bash PCs left and right. (Would you trust someone that had trouble finding files on their Windows98 PC...Apple thinks you will)

OO...I hate Apple, and I grew up on them.

[LegendKiller]

I dont like a lot of what apple is doing, it seems like they are counting on turning people into zealots.

It reminds me of the linux effect that was put on my friend. He told me one day he was switching to linux, I asked why and he said because he hated MS. Well, you shouldn't switch to something just because you hate the company who produces the alternative. You should switch because you like the other product better.

Then, a year ago, when I was looking for an internship I interviewed with MS. Well, I asked him if he would ever work with MS even for a million bucks. He said hell no (and I DO believe him). Thats just stupid...people need to think logically about things like that. Hell, I would work for Apple for a mil a year (as long as I could use my dell 8100 laptop there ).

They are also approaching the "switch" thing the wrong way. www.viahardware.com made a good point. In my marketing class we were shown that the "me too" approach had the LEAST effect on consumers. They want something unique but still utilitarian. While the imac is unique, it is hardly utilitarian. Apple will not garner many "switchers".

As I told my dad yesterday (we are going to visit San Fran this weekend). If San Francisco fell in the ocean and everybody died, then Apple would lose 3/4 of its customer base and Star Bucks would go out of business. Most "common" people view macs the way this cartoon does, and the whole "look cute" thing just pushes it further into that niche.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/view2002-07-12rl.html

Now, if I were apple, I would go for what is working right now, the Ipod kicks major ass. Its SUPER unique, priced rather well, and gets even die hard PCnuts to admit it rules. They need to do that for the common person, ones who do not want something "pretty" but they want it to work without any frills. Really, the way to appeal to the masses is to appeal to the performance freaks (they are the ones who influence their parents, aunts, uncles, etc). How do you do this?

1. Stop with the whole "supercomputer", "we beat P4's", and all of that bs. Anybody who knows benchmarking knows its all bs. This will also attract more game designers beause they will not be programming for a "me too" company.

2. Get their systems on parity with PC's, GF4 4600's, games, MORE upgradability and customization. THEN you get them out to the PC gamer, Maxiumum PC and such and then show how the Mac beats the PC (I dont care if it does or doesn't, but they need to STOP using photoshop).

3. Get units out to www.anandtech.com, www.tomshardware.com, www.gotapex.com...etc. The usual suspects in the internet and get them to review them against gaming machines and such.

Until they do this they will be seen as an "elitist", "photoshop terminal", which will NOT get people to switch. And their choices for the "Switch" marketing campaign are just REDICULOUS. "Umm yeah, my machine went beep beep, then went blue and it died". Or "I was a PC user system administrator, now I am a tech writer so I love macs", or "I am a programmer, hear me roar on my mac". They all look like maroons on crack.

If you can show me that I can do EVERTYHING just as fast or faster on a Mac than a PC then I have no problem switching, as long as I dont have to pay the rediculous premium associated with macs. However, apple has not done that, so they will remain small...


Sorry for the oblique rant. The LCD's they have ARE very cool, and again, those are the products that attract the "switchers" if they can put a computer on them that does what the "switchers" want them to do. I mean, geez, when you get people buying 3k screens and modding them to put them onto a PC, that means you are NOT SEEING the full potential of your product...


LK

[ChrisMG187]

Originally posted by LegendKiller
... Star Bucks would go out of business....

Ahh, but that is so untrue. I can tell you've never been to Seattle.

[LegendKiller]

Originally posted by ChrisMG187
Ahh, but that is so untrue. I can tell you've never been to Seattle.

No, I have never been there...I mean, geez, in SF there is a starbucks on every corner with some stacked on eachother vertically.

All of the people in SF are SOOO depressing. They ALL wear black/grey or some other depressing color, with their black plastic rimmed glasses and black hair. Nobody ever talks to eachother (I am originally from MN, everybody talks to eachother), and everybody looks like they are so depressed they are about to pull out a gun and shoot themselves...ugh!


LK

[spigidygak]

Originally posted by Apex
http://a16.g.akamai.net/7/16/51/777a...t_Panel_DS.pdf

My bad, I took them at their word *bonk self*. Actually, the contrast ratio is 300:1, no better than low end PC panels. 200 nits brightness is on the low end too. 120 degree horizontal and 90 degree vertical viewing angle is also well below the 160 to 170 degrees h/v most PC monitors have.

The apple lcd's are actually mostly from samsung.

[Ladogaboy]

Originally posted by LegendKiller

All of the people in SF are SOOO depressing. They ALL wear black/grey or some other depressing color, with their black plastic rimmed glasses and black hair. Nobody ever talks to eachother (I am originally from MN, everybody talks to eachother), and everybody looks like they are so depressed they are about to pull out a gun and shoot themselves...ugh!


LK

Hahaha, that is soo true...

[zero2dash]

I think the new iMacs look interesting but I think Widescreen computer monitors are a really REALLY stupid idea. I can understand watching MOVIES on a widescreen. But playing first person shooters on a widescreen? WTF? Bleh.

[ribitch]

Originally posted by spigidygak


The apple lcd's are actually mostly from samsung.

very true. Last I heard, apple owns a portion of samsung.

The widescreen is designed primarily for one of apples main audiences, video editters. With the wider screen, editting is much much easier. The coolness factor is just something that came along with it, so apple rode the tide into shore.

A game with a widescreen would be pretty cool if you ask me. You would be able to see more of your surroundings, much like real life. It helps add to the periperial vision.

Apple does sell the GF4Ti. ATI introduced the 9000 series cards at macworld. Nvidia announced the GF4 last year at a macworld. The graphics card vendors are helping apple. They need the programmers to help some as well (some have, but not all).

Steve Jobs made some commect the other day about intel. I dont remeber the specifics, but it was along the lines of keeping options open. When I was with apple, I heard that X ran on Intel after some mods were made. I dont know any specifics, and I never saw it with my own eyes, but a port is always possible. Will apple switch to x86? I doubt it. It would cost M$, Adobe, Macromedia, Alias, and other companies too much to report their software. Who knows what will happen. Motorola is hurting, and lagging behind in MHz, and thats frustrating to apple. A switch may be in store in the future. IBM Power4 would be an option, but heat an dpower consumption are still issues with that cpu.

Sorry for getting sidetracked.

[Apex]

Apple's LCD's are almost exclusively LG Philips. They poured hundreds of millions into the LGE fabs.

[GraingerGuy]

Originally posted by LegendKiller

All of the people in SF are SOOO depressing. They ALL wear black/grey or some other depressing color, with their black plastic rimmed glasses and black hair. Nobody ever talks to eachother (I am originally from MN, everybody talks to eachother), and everybody looks like they are so depressed they are about to pull out a gun and shoot themselves...ugh!
LK

Except the guys who are wearing the pink spandex with a pink tutu<sp?> and holding a flamigo puppet. *shudder*

Yes...for those of you who are wondering...I did see one of those people. I went to SF with a few of my friends and this guy was just standing there at the entrance of the parking lot! ick...

Oh...and to keep this post on topic....

I still think it looks like a desk lamp....

[NullUnit2000]

Technical and personal considerations aside, there's one point that always seems to get left out of these Mac/PC debates. The machine is only as good as the software it runs.

Fast hardware and a stable OS are nice, but if you can't run the software you want to then what does it matter.

The only reason I always take the side of PC's is because I'm a gamer and if I want to play the latest and greatest games the PC is the way to go. I don't think any one can argue with that.

[fanboy] MAC SUX! biLL gAteS is l33t! wIndowz OwnZ J00![/fanboy]

Just kidding. The Mac is a fine machine. (snicker)

[Ladogaboy]

Originally posted by ribitch
Steve Jobs made some commect the other day about intel. I dont remeber the specifics, but it was along the lines of keeping options open. When I was with apple, I heard that X ran on Intel after some mods were made. I dont know any specifics, and I never saw it with my own eyes, but a port is always possible. Will apple switch to x86? I doubt it. It would cost M$, Adobe, Macromedia, Alias, and other companies too much to report their software. Who knows what will happen. Motorola is hurting, and lagging behind in MHz, and thats frustrating to apple. A switch may be in store in the future. IBM Power4 would be an option, but heat an dpower consumption are still issues with that cpu.

Sorry for getting sidetracked.

Are you saying that we might see Apple with an Intel or some other non-Motorola CPU? That would be very, very interesting...