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August 10, 2006

people

Should Apple go back to the drawing board?

Posted Aug. 10, ’06, 8:44 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Apple » People

iMac ConceptNow that WWDC is over, it’s back to business here. Apple’s completed it’s Intel transition, and it’s done it all while barely changing the form factor of any of its product line. A smart move, as it implies a consistency between the PowerPC and Intel machines: nothing to see here, move along.

But sooner or later, the form factors are going to change. And nobody likes to speculate about future products than Apple fans. So take a look at this iMac concept design from illustrator and designer Adam Benton.

It certainly looks pretty cool; I like that the LCD screen can fade into transparency when not in use. But anything like this is likely to be a long, long way off. It would, however, be nice to see Apple getting back into the innovation game; a lot of their recent works seems, as the trope goes, more evolutionary than revolutionary. I think the Cupertino crew needs a fire lit under them—I want to see some excitement about computing again, a little bit of the “look what we can do” spirit that permeated products like the iMac G4 (I loved that adjustable screen).

What could Apple produce that might be revolutionary? Thoughts?


3 Comments

harrison said:

Apple's products are known for there design, but at the same time, one of my favorite parts of Apple's designs are that because they are simple, they are very durable. The materials used and design offer a great combination of design and functionality. I believe that Apple should keep that in mind when inovating further.

August 10, 2006 9:43 AM
Matt Hoult said:

While the design is certainly eye catching and indeed awe inspiring; there are numerous issues with it in terms of technology in the foreseeable future (10 years+).

Firstly is translucent, solid materials like the ones shown here; that would be a feet of science (light sources powerful enough to match the sun and yet not blind you, small enough to be hidden completely, and presumably solid state yet not allow you to knock it over when it's "invisible"...) Hrm...

Wireless power... No comment. New power sources... No comment.

What about component form factor. Even if you swap out the HDD for Flash and the optical for something closer to the disks used in the GameCube you are going to be way off. PSU, RAM, HDD, CPU, GPU, cooling, I/O bus', NIC, W-NIC, antennas, DCB, inverters, lights, speakers, mics and even the logic board (remembering this has to "float" on risers)... Talk about reinventing the Personal Computer.

Still, it's a cool concept for 2107.

August 10, 2006 10:35 AM
macnuke said:

way cool.

right up to the point where someone like me tries to reach for an item on the desk behind the display and trashes it right to the floor.

other than it would be at risk around me.. I like it.

August 10, 2006 3:36 PM

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