Q: No DVD drive in new iMac ???

El Deanio wrote:

 

Blast!

 

It took about 4 pages of A4 to print out.  I'm loath to copy it here because it's probably copyright material and I'm sure I will need their permission.

Just copy the salient details and post them here.

Csound1 wrote:

 

Tht link requires an account to be made prior to viewing, as you already have an account copy and paste the text here.

Read the Wikipedia article on New Scientist.  It alone is enough to convince me that I don't want even a free account.  I read enough science fiction as it is.

crh24 wrote:

 

Read the Wikipedia article on New Scientist.  It alone is enough to convince me that I don't want even a free account.  I read enough science fiction as it is.

I did that, and I agree with you.

Attribution please.

I can't wait to watch movies using this superior technology to streaming or downloading.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD

El Deanio wrote:

If you haven't already thought of this, may I recommend using a second monitor in extended desktop mode.  I really miss my Philips 190B since it broke.

Actually, I have a 26" HD TV neaxt to the new 27" iMac that I occasionally use with it via a Thunderbolt to HDMI adaptor, but to be honest about it the 27" iMac screen is generally all I need for my work, even for my 3D modeling app with its half dozen toolbar windows & a huge window for the model.

Right now I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the next thing that gets dropped from any new iMac are the peripheral ports?

I would be very surprised to see that happen. Apple has consistently upgraded the iMac ports to higher speed ones, making it progressively more suitable for high end professional applications. Four USB3 ports, with one connected to a USB2 hub for my slower stuff, is more than enough USB connectivity for me, & the two Thunderbolt ports give it awesome capabilities for pro video work.

The only port I sort of miss is a line level audio input, but somewhat like with the missing DVD drive, there are better external peripheral alternatives for that for any serious work (mostly because you can't get a clean analog to digital conversion near all the high speed digital electronics inside any high performance computer).

Basically, I see Apple morphing the iMac from an "all-in-one" consumer solution into the nucleus of a flexible, highly expandable system adaptable to many different needs.

Will this thread please stop ignoring history.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHzM4avGrKI

R C-R wrote:

 

Basically, I see Apple morphing the iMac from an "all-in-one" consumer solution into the nucleus of a flexible, highly expandable system adaptable to many different needs.

The iMac is supposed to be a DAISY CHAIN, everything you need, all in one cable chain, (exception to network connectivity). Having external adapters, drives, etc was exactly what the iMac fought to deminish.

ilvi wrote:

 

Will this thread please stop ignoring history.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHzM4avGrKI

R C-R wrote:

 

Basically, I see Apple morphing the iMac from an "all-in-one" consumer solution into the nucleus of a flexible, highly expandable system adaptable to many different needs.

The iMac is supposed to be a DAISY CHAIN, everything you need, all in one cable chain, (exception to network connectivity). Having external adapters, drives, etc was exactly what the iMac fought to deminish.

A daisy chain is a series of devices all connected together, in a chain. Have you any idea what you are you TALKING ABOUT, (it's fun to randomly capitalize in sentences, isn't it)

FYI, there is no e in diminish. Carry on

ilvi wrote:

The iMac is supposed to be a DAISY CHAIN, everything you need, all in one cable chain, (exception to network connectivity). Having external adapters, drives, etc was exactly what the iMac fought to deminish.

As Csound1 said, a "daisy chain" is the wrong terminology for this, but you are right that the iMac was originally conceived mostly as a relatively low performance all-in-one ("AIO") consumer-oriented device with very limited external connectivity. (I have owned a lot of them, starting with the old "Five Flavor" CRT model.)

However, over the years we have seen it evolve into something considerably different. They now include high performance CPU's & GPU's, very fast ports, high performance internal busses, multiple radios, sophisticated high power sound systems, very high quality high resolution displays, & so on. In some ways, they are more capable "out of the box" even than far more expensive Mac Pros. Even where they are not, they are now very well suited for many "pro" applications & almost all "prosumer" ones, albeit often with the addition of external peripherals.

All this constantly upgraded performance comes at a cost: it becomes increasingly hard to cram all that stuff into one box without significantly sacrificing reliability. Sure, Apple could build thicker, heavier iMacs & keep adding more complex & noisier cooling systems to keep the guts of the thing from melting down or throttling back everything to prevent that, but is that really what current iMac users want or expect?

As good as Apple is at industrial design, there is no way it can continue to increase the useable performance of the iMac indefinitely without making some compromises in what is included in the case. It just isn't possible to optimize everything in there at the same time. So if you want a built-in high performance optical burner, would you rather Apple throttles the performance of the basic system, adds noisier cooling systems, or what? You can't have it all, so if you were Apple what would you do?

Personally, I'm very happy with my new super-slim iMac. Yeah, I would love to have a built-in burner too, but not if it means sacrificing any of things that make it the most capable iMac made to date.

"As good as Apple is at industrial design, there is no way it can continue to increase the useable performance of the iMac indefinitely without making some compromises"

That's ridiculous.  Of course Apple could create an iMac  that does not adversely affect useable performance while maintaining useability.  Their senseless obsession with thinness is the reason the new iMac is so user hostile.  No optical drive, an SD card slot on the back, and not one conveniently placed USB port.  And let's not forget  that the end result of inconveniencing users is that the are pushed to purchase their content online from Apple.

The various ports have always been on the "backslides" of the iMac designs since the G4 SnowBall/lamp-style models. Why is this design feature all of a sudden an issue for you.

Even when Apple went to the overall flat screen designs starting in 2005, all of the interface ports have been located on the iMac's backside. Your argument on that particular feature makes no sense.

The interface ports have been on the iMac's back panel for eight years.

zBernie2 wrote:

That's ridiculous.  Of course Apple could create an iMac  that does not adversely affect useable performance while maintaining useability.

OK. I'll bite. Explain in general terms how that could be done. Some sort of revolutionary heat dissipator that exploits an undiscovered loophole in the laws of thermodynamics, maybe? Or maybe a new line of Apple-designed, super-efficient CPU's & GPU's that don't heat up under load, using an entirely new design principle that Intel, nVidia, et al have not discovered?

I don't know what your background in engineering might be but it doesn't sound like you understand the basic tradeoffs engineers have to make among mutually conflicting design goals to create marketable, real world products. There is no magic formula that can optimize everything at once. It doesn't matter how clever you are. You can't break the laws of physics or avoid economic realities.

It is sort of touching that you have so much faith in Apple's design skills that you think the company can do this but it just isn't possible outside the realm of fantasy.

The comprise was removing the abillity to easily handle it and its periphrials in one hand.

You're wrong, my 2011 iMac has an SD card reader on the side -- The ONLY conveniently placed port on the entire computer!  And now Apple has placed that on the back, and eliminated the optical drive.  It simply is not a user friendly design.  If you want to see a user friendly design, with ports located conveniently on the side of the computer, AND the back, then look at these three models I just easily found.  Everyone except apple has conveniently placed ports, and the problem is getting worse, not better.  All other manufactures seem to know how to do this, except for Apple!

http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/desktop/ideacentre/b-series/b540/

http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-one-23-2330-aio/pd

http://shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/static/page-ts

Evidently you do not understand engineering, because the new iMac is simply not designed to be user friendly.  Blaming the new iMac's lack of user friendlieness on "tradeoffs" is a .  If you want to see a user friendly all-in-one design, with ports located conveniently on the sides of the computer (and back), then look at these three models I just easily found. Everyone except apple has conveniently accessible ports, and the problem is getting worse, not better  All other manufactures seem to know how to do this, except for Apple!

http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/desktop/ideacentre/b-series/b540/

http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-one-23-2330-aio/pd

http://shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/static/page-ts

Seems to me if you're not satisfied with the new iMac; don't buy it! There are plenty of PC's out there to purchase, and as an added benefit you get to use that wonderful Windows 8 software. All of us Apple types know how wonderful that is. Be sure to budget for all the anti virus and spyware software you'll need to go along with it.

I guess all those wonderfull inovations that Dell and HP have put into their computers lately have solved their financial problems. Oh well, maybe another CEO replacement will help.

Keep adding those app's....virg