10/20 new products (1 Viewer)

[Craig S]

It finally hit me what was different about the new iMacs. The chin is gone! Well, OK, not totally gone but significantly reduced in size. Sorry, Leno fans.

 

[Sam Posten]

Originally Posted by Michael_K_Sr

I'll reserve judgement on the new mouse until I've tried one myself. I've found multi-touch on the MBP's trackpads to be far too sensitive for my liking.

You know that they are seriously user adjustable, right?

 

[Sam Posten]

Originally Posted by Craig S

Check out the Magic Mouse video on the Apple site. After over a decade of underwhelming pointing devices, Apple may have a real breakthrough here - assuming it works as well as the video shows. I know I look forward to never having to deal with another mouse ball or nub getting gunked up.

I'm running out to buy one this afternoon. It looks that good. Video sold me. Hope it's not just new release hot blood but it meets the expectations.

 

[Sam Posten]

Originally Posted by Carlo Medina

I'm buying a 27" with the i7 and ATI 4850 upgrade options sooner rather than later. My credit card plastic is already heating up. Glad I didn't buy a quad core Mac Pro recently (because I would also need to buy a monitor and I don't have that kind of $$$ right now). I know the Pro would still beat these in benchmarks, but the new iMac should get me most of the way there with a substantial monetary savings.

Just realize what you are giving up in internal hard drive expandability. May be a problem for you may not. Otherwise I agree, its a real winner. Just wish it had Blu too. =(

 

[Carlo_M]

Sam - won't be a problem. I'm going to get the 2GB internal and invest in a mirrored RAID external backup solution. Hoping that external BD will be an option in the future (I know Macsales sells them but I'm not sure how they will work with the new hardware).

 

[Craig S]

Originally Posted by Sam Posten


Just realize what you are giving up in internal hard drive expandability. May be a problem for you may not. Otherwise I agree, its a real winner. Just wish it had Blu too. =(

Sam, I'm bummed for you that Blu is still an Apple Dream. I believe the rumors that it was pulled at the last minute, especially since the iMac displays are now true 16x9 and 1080p (or greater).

As far as HD expandability - I understand your situation. But you can CTO the iMac drive to 2TB, and with a FW 800 port to hang a Drobo (or other backup/archive device of your choice) off of, I think most people will be set. I know one of the Core i7 models will be in my house before the holidays!!

 

[Craig S]

The store is up! Start up your plastic...

 

[Craig S]

Confirmed: You can CTO the full-size wired KB on the iMac if you wish (no price difference).

Apple is charging $200 for the upgrade to 8GB. I suspect you can get 2 2GB SO-DIMMs for $100 or less from Egghead, etc.

Price for the top-end 27" w/ Core i7 and 2 TB drive is $2449. Upgrade from 1 to 2 TB is $250 - ouch, seems steep to me.

Oh, there's a redesigned aluminum Apple Remote as well.

 

[Michael_K_Sr]

Originally Posted by Sam Posten




You know that they are seriously user adjustable, right?

Yes...and they don't adjust to my satisfaction.

 

[Todd H]

I think I'm sitting this one out until blu-ray is offered as an option. Not sure why they are touting the resolution of the new iMacs and then refuse to give us a way to watch true 1080p material on these beautiful screens. Low bitrate 720p video downloaded from iTunes just doesn't compare to blu-ray.

Plus, now that everyone in my family has gone blu-ray, I'd like to get an HD camcorder and start burning blu-ray discs to share with them. Bummer.

 

[Sam Posten]

Buy the new 27" iMac, get a 27" display for your portable (essentially) for free!
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/20/what-the-27-imac-means-for-a-designer/

Edit: See below, this makes perfect sense to hook a BluRay player to, just get an HDMI to Display Port adapter!

 

[Sam Posten]

Know your intel processors:
http://gizmodo.com/5381760/giz-explains-intels-entire-confusing-armada-of-chips

 

[Sam Posten]

Maybe BluRay playback isn't as big a deal as I thought:

The screen is finally LED-backlit, like the Cinema Displays. And like the 24-inch Cinema Display, it does IPS (In Plane Switching), which is great for edge-to-edge viewing without color distortion. The iMac has a new trick, too—its DisplayPort can turn it into a second screen, receiving video (but not audio) input from DVD players or a MacBook. Apple said it was HDCP compliant so it should be fine for watching Blu-rays on, via the port, via a separate player.

http://gizmodo.com/5385841/apple-imac-hands-on

 

[Ted Todorov]

Originally Posted by Craig S
Price for the top-end 27" w/ Core i7 and 2 TB drive is $2449. Upgrade from 1 to 2 TB is $250 - ouch, seems steep to me.

Depends on what drive they are using. WD Caviar Green 2TBs are < $200 at Newegg, while Caviar Blacks (faster, supposedly more reliable) are $300. When I bought my MacPro (early 2009) I can't remember if they were offering a 750GB or 1TB as the top drive size, so I just kept the stock 640GB drive and upgraded it to 2TB myself -- but it cost me $300 a few weeks ago -- so the iMac price could be a bargain. (FWIW the stock MacPro drive was a Caviar Blue, of which supposedly larger sizes don't (yet) exist).

 

[Carlo_M]

Awesome news if true. I would actually try to get an HDMI to MiniDP adapter to be able to play my 360 in my bedroom (where the iMac will be when I buy it) when the living room TV is in use. Only question is how to handle the audio portion...

Originally Posted by Sam Posten

Maybe BluRay playback isn't as big a deal as I thought:

http://gizmodo.com/5385841/apple-imac-hands-on

 

[Tony Whalen]

Might hafta check out the Magic Mouse! Looks pretty damn cool.

I caved.. I'm now surfing HTF on my new MBP. Prices dropped at the Apple store this very morning. (Dropped about 150 Cdn)

No more PCs in this house! WOO!

 

[DaveF]

Maybe I'm a mouse snob, but I'm unimpressed, disappointed even, by the new awesome mouse. It seems to have removed features, now only supporting right click, left click, and scroll. Oh, and the prominently featured ctrl-scroll "zoom" feature, which ranks among the least useful features in OS X. The previous mighty mouse had that and the squeeze button.

I was hoping for something exceeded my MX Revolution; not something a few steps back. Feh.

 

[Ken Chan]

I always seem to buy iMacs at the wrong time. I can't remember why I was compelled to buy my last one six months ago. Oh well....

Originally Posted by Todd H

Not sure why they are touting the resolution of the new iMacs and then refuse to give us a way to watch true 1080p material on these beautiful screens.

1080p trailers from apple.com?

Maybe I'm a mouse snob, but I'm unimpressed, disappointed even, by the new awesome mouse. It seems to have removed features, now only supporting right click, left click, and scroll.With the two-finger swipe, you get more programmable actions, depending on the app. Multi-finger swipe works great on the MacBooks -- although I suppose it can be confusing that on the mouse, you use one fewer finger: two-finger scrolling on the trackpad, one-finger on the mouse; three-finger swipe vs. two-finger on the mouse.

 

[DaveF]

I guess I don't understand what "swipe" is versus "scroll" in an app.

What I was hoping for was a mouse that gave normal behaviors, plus controls for Dashboard and least two Expose controls (e.g. Apps and Desktop). The mouse shown at Apple.com seems to be about like a typical $30 mouse with a two-axis scroll wheel. Maybe I'll feel differently after playing with one at the store. And maybe they'll increase its functionality with driver updates.

 

[Sam Posten]

http://daringfireball.net/linked/2009/10/20/snell-imacs

The new dual-core 27-inch iMac is $1699. The 30-inch Cinema Display is $1799. As Jeff Mancuso notes, it’s like buying a nice display and getting a built-in Mac for free.

Oh and Macworld quoted me today in a different but similar article:
http://www.macworld.com/article/143407/2009/10/imacs_oct2009.html?lsrc=twt_macworld

where the hell is the BluRay support? =) Or more curiously, how does Apple expect consumers to acquire 1080p video with no Bluray and iTunes only supporting 720p?—Navesink

I guess Steve Jobs and Apple still think Blu-ray is a bag of hurt. Good question, though. One for my list when I talk to Apple.

Sam