Tag Archives: iMac

Apple Wants Your iMac (And Maybe Your Future iTV) To Use Kinect-Like Motion Control Tech

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In a new patent just published by the US Patent and Trademark Office, Apple has described a future system for controlling Macs using body language and gesturing, much like the Xbox 360′s Kinect. But frankly, if any Apple product is likely to use motion control, it’s the rumored iTV.

AppleInsider reports:

Apple envisions a user interface that would allow a person to more naturally use their hands and fingertips to control a device. An accompanying display could show knobs, sliders and buttons that a user could virtually manipulate in a three-dimensional space.

In one image accompanying the application, a user is shown using both of their hands to select inputs on an iMac. With their left hand, the user is twisting a virtual knob, while on the right hand, their index finger is being used to press a button.

The system would aid the user with on-screen visual cues, allowing them to more easily manipulate objects on the screen. For example, Apple’s system includes a virtual representation of the user’s hand displayed on the screen of the iMac.

This is very interesting, but what’s the point of using motion control to operate a machine sitting within arm’s length? There’s a reason why the Kinect is a game console peripheral, and that’s because it solves a problem distinct to the living room: how do you control a computer that is across the room, tethered to your TV?

Before he died, Steve Jobs said he had “cracked” the television control problem. My belief is that if Apple releases a so-called iTV at all, it’ll be controlled using a combination of an iPad/iPhone, Siri and just maybe this Kinect-like patent technology. We’ll see.

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The iMac Will Soon Lose The Title Of Best Selling All-In-One PC In The World.. Say What?

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Photo/xmarksmyhands - http://flic.kr/p/48izWF

It had to happen: Apple’s workhorse, the iMac, is expected to relinquish its title as best-selling all-in-one computer in 2012. What with its success in smartphones, tablets and notebooks, Apple appears ready to throw the PC industry a bone — a very limited one, however.

After being the world’s most popular and best-selling all-in-one system, the iMac’s market share will drop to 24 percent in 2012, down from 27 percent currently, according to DigiTimes Research. Apple will ship 3.8 million iMacs next year, compared to 4 million for Lenovo. The Asian giant has become a huge consumer of all-in-one computer systems.

“Although Apple’s iMac series has advantages in industrial design, the product series has shown only limited room for change in specifications,” according to DigiTimes. “However, HP and Lenovo have delivered above-the-standard industrial design in their products, while offering better hardware specifications, price and a variety of choices,” the researchers add.

Despite the loss of overall marketshare, the iMac remains strong in the U.S. and Europe, where HP lacks stability. It’s unknown how an expected 2012 iMac refresh will impact today’s research. The update is expected to include a 22-nanometer Ivy Bridge platform, better graphics, and more.

For longtime Apple fans, the iMac is a nostalgic connection to the past. However, the introduction of the iPad as well as the growth of the MacBook Air removed a large portion of the iMac’s daily use. I’ll hang on to mine, given it has become like an old pickup – the internal CD drive no longer works, the screen has a few dead spots, but it still is a perfect fit.

What’s so weird about this report is when was the last time you even saw a Lenovo all-in-one PC? The iMac’s everywhere, and it constantly pops up on television, whereas I couldn’t even really tell you what a Lenovo all-in-one PC looked like off the top of my head. I don’t doubt it’s going to outsell the iMac, but for all of that, it has zero brand recognition.

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Apple’s Not Making An iTV, They Are Just Bringing The iMac To The Living Room [Analyst]

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We’ve been hearing a lot lately about the so-called iTV, Steve Jobs’s “cracking” of the HDTV problem. But what if the iTV is just a rumor, and Apple instead plans on fixing television by making iMacs into HDTVs?

According to Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair, the iMac could work as a “bridge” TV to the eventual iTV:

Blair envisions the company pushing the largest screen sizes of the iMac toward the TV market by integrating Apple TV and iCloud features into a slimmer all-in-one PC with TV capabilities.

“We think this makes sense because while we typically think about the newest TV’s hanging on the wall in large form factors, Apple could effectively start with what they already have on the manufacturing line and slowly push their offering from 27 inches and scale up from there to 32 inches and then move on to the 42, 50 and 55 inch market,” he writes. “In short, we believe the initial Apple TV is their iMac computer that can function as a TV, over the iCloud platform.”

In essence, what he’s saying is that if you turn Front Row into the Apple TV’s interface and make iMacs in slimmer sizes up to 55-inches, Apple can have their cake and eat it too: iMacs could work as both mountable HDTVs and desktop computers, just by knocking off the base.

That’s interesting, but what will ultimately make or break the Apple TV isn’t the hardware, it’s how you control it. The iTV is all about the interface, and it’s the minutiae of how Apple intends for us to finally get rid of our remotes that will really prove if Steve Jobs really did “crack” the HDTV problem.

[via MacRumors]

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Thailand Floods Means Apple Doesn’t Have Enough Hard Drives To Fulfill Some Mac Orders For 5-7 Weeks

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Apple’s a master of the supply chain, keeping just a couple days’ worth of inventory at stock any time under the mantra that any product in a warehouse is just costing the company money. The benefit of all of this is Apple is able to manage its supply chain with laser precision, deliver new products quickly and on-time without worrying about selling out existing inventory and save millions while doing so. But when something unexpected happens, Apple can find it doesn’t have enough inventory in stock to fulfill demand.

Apple’s just been hit by the rare downside to the way it handles its supply chain. The hard drive shortages caused by massive flooding in Thailand over the past few months have finally caught up with Apple, delaying built-to-order iMacs with two terabyte hard drives.

Luckily, hard drives smaller than two terabytes are fine. Also, Apple’s hardly alone in having a hard time securing the drives it needs. In fact, the Thailand floods have had one positive upside for computer users around the world, in that it has spurred computer manufacturers to adopt MacBook Air style SSDs, which are faster and less prone to damage than spinning drives. That’s a really good thing, because the more manufacturers are spending on SSDs, the quicker and faster SSD technology and storage capacity will catch up with traditional HDDs, all the while prices fall.

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Apple Store Black Friday Deals go live (in Australia+New Zealand)

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..

Prices are pretty on par with our leaked Apple Black Friday Ad leak from yesterday.

  1. iPad 2 - Save A$ 45.00
  2. iPod touch - Save A$ 21.00
  3. iPod Nano - Save A$ 11.00
  4. MacBook Air - Save A$ 121.00
  5. MacBook Pro - Save A$ 121.00
  6. iMac - Save A$ 121.00

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Apple’s Black Friday 2011 Discounts Are Leaked

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Apple famously keeps its Black Friday deals a closely guarded secret until the day of the event. But thanks to a leaked sales pamphlet from a “trusted tipster,” we already know where the Cupertino company will be slashing prices, with savings to be made on the iMac, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, iPod nano and iPod touch, iPad, and plenty of accessories.

The sale is very similar to those the company has held in previous years, and just what we predicted. Shoppers will save $101 on new Macs, including the iMac, the MacBook Air, and the MacBook Pro; $41-$61 on the iPad 2; $11 on both the 16GB and 32GB iPod nano, and $21-$41 on the iPod touch.

Apple has also thrown a ton of its own accessories into the sale, including $11 of the iPad 2′s Smart Cover; $11 off both the Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad; $5 off a $50 App Store/iTunes/iBookstore gift card; and money off the Time Capsule and AirPort base stations.

A shed-load of third-party accessories are also reduced, including iPhone and iPod touch cases, iPad docks and mounts, the new Jawbone Up, headphones, and cases and sleeves.

If you’re buying Apple gadgets or accessories for loved ones this Christmas, there’s no better time to buy than this Friday!

[via 9to5Mac]

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Apple’s Black Friday 2011 deals revealed: discounts on iPad, iPod, iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and accessories

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A trusted tipster has provided us with the details on Apple’s Black Friday (November 25th) 2011 sale. The sale is very similar to Apple’s offerings in past years, but does give better discounts to higher capacities of the iPads and iPods. The deals on the Mac end cover the iMac, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro, while the iPod nano and iPod touch are the discounted iPod offerings. The Macs will be $101 less, the iPads will go from $41-$61 discounts depending on capacity (16GB, 32GB, 64GB), the iPod nano will shave off $11 for both 8GB and 16GB storage sizes, the iPod touch will follow the iPad’s lead of bigger discounts for bigger capacities, ranging from $21-$41 discounts.

The biggest break is the base level MacBook Air which will now start at $898, a dollar less than MacConnection‘s current promo.  They don’t however come close to Best Buy’s current $200 Promo on the base 13″.

Apple will also (images after the break) discount accessories. On the Apple in-house accessory list is $11 off the iPad 2 Smart Cover (comes out to $28 for the polyurethane and $58 for the leather), $11 off ($58 in total for each) for the Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple Wireless Magic Trackpad, $5 off ($45 total) for a $50 iTunes/App Store/iBookstore gift card, in addition to discounts on the AirPort Extreme, Time Capsule, and AirPort Express. Third-party accessories such as Western Digital hard drives, the mophie JuicePack Air, Speck CandyShell iPhone 4/4S case, Jawbone Up, a Griffin Universal Remote Control system for the iPod touch, the Jawbone Jambox, a Phillips clock radio, and more are also on sale. Check out the entire sale with the rest of the leaked pamphlet after the break:

Note: 9to5mac.com and 9to5Toys.com will be the first to bring you Black Friday deals from all over when they go live.

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Here Are The Holiday Discounts You Can Expect From Apple This Black Friday [Apple Store Shopping Guide]

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The biggest shopping day of the year is fast approaching. This Friday, countless retailers all over the U.S. will be slashing prices for Black Friday, causing a frenzy amongst shoppers who cannot wait to spend some of their hard-earned cash on discounted goods.

Apple famously recognizes the event by discounting some of its hottest products in the Apple online store for one day only, with savings to be made on new Macs, iOS devices, iPods, and even the latest accessories for your beloved Apple gadgets. This year will be no different, so based on the past few years’ reductions, here’s what to expect at the Apple online store on Black Friday.

Macs

We’re expecting Apple to slash around $100 off its most popular notebooks and desktops, and that includes its MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac. Last year the company dropped $101 off the price tags of these machines, and we’re expecting much of the same this time around.

It’s unlikely, however, based on previous years, that Apple will reduce its entry-level Mac, the Mac mini, or its high-end Mac, the Mac Pro. Having said that, with no refresh in over a year, there are rumors Apple will kill of its Mac Pro, which could mean we’ll see it discounted on Black Friday in a bid to clear inventory.

iPad

The iPad looks set to be the must-have gift this Christmas, and you’re sure to save money on it this Friday. But it won’t necessarily be the best deal. Apple is likely to reduce its price by around $40 — the same reduction made to the first-generation iPad last year.

However, to get an iPad 2 with the best deal, you’re likely to be better off going for a refurbished model. You can get $50 off every model of the iPad 2 if you choose to buy it from Apple’s refurbished section, and it’ll come boxed like new with the same one-year warranty. In fact, if you’re buying it as a gift, its recipient would never notice it wasn’t a brand new model.

For an even cheaper iPad, you could choose to bag the first-generation device, on which you can currently save a whopping $230 if you buy refurbished.

iPods

Apple’s Black Friday price cuts usually usually fall very favorably on the iPod, with some of the biggest savings to be made on Apple’s popular iPod touch. And the bigger you buy, the more you’ll save. For example, we’re expecting Apple to cut around $20 off the 8GB iPod touch, $30 off the 16GB model, and $40 off the 64GB model. That’s a generous savings of more than 10%, and the biggest discount we’re likely to see again this year.

As for the iPod nano, we’re likely to see similar reductions with around $10 off the 8GB model, and $20 off the 16GB model.

Like Apple’s entry-level Mac, we don’t expect to see any reductions on its entry-level iPod, the iPod shuffle.

iPhone

Those hopping to bag a cheap iPhone from the Apple online store are going to be disappointed. While carriers will be quick to offer discounts on the device in an attempt to lure you into a two-year commitment, Apple’s generally leaves its iPhone price tags well alone.

Accessories

We’re expecting Apple to discount a selection of popular accessories for most of its devices. Expect to discounts on the Smart Cover; iPhone & iPad docks; Apple’s wireless keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse; the company’s in-ear headphones, the iPad camera connection kit, and lots, lots more. Accessories are expected to see discounts of between $5 and $15, depending on their usual price.

Other

Apple is also likely to slash the price of its Time Capsule, and the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express base stations. You can expect to see around $20 off the 2TB Time Capsule, and $50 off the 3TB model, with around $10 off the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express.

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Apple Will Overtake HP As The Biggest PC Maker On Earth With Some Help From The iPad 3 [Analyst]

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Photo by LuMag00 - http://flic.kr/p/8RneUy

The folks at Canlys this morning are doing what analysts are fond of: playing the ‘if’ game. If iPads were included in the same category as computers, Apple might soon overtake HP as the world’s largest PC maker — particularly if the Cupertino, Calif. company launches the iPad 3, anticipated by many to be a 2012 release. Canalys, which does count tablets as PCs, expects Apple to pass HP before mid-2012.

Although a stretch, the scenario would leap frog Apple from its current five percent worldwide share via incredible Mac sales to triple that figure by calculating tablet growth that some expect could hit 130 percent during the holidays. The analyst firm projected earlier this month that Apple had 15 percent of the computer market, just 1 percent behind leader HP… if you count the iPad.

Even if tablets were not counted as PCs, that projection may not be too far off the market. The firm predicts 2011 PC sales will increase 15 percent to 415 million units – more than half of those notebook computers, an area Apple has under lock and key.

Still, all is not certain for Apple, particularly with the introduction of the $199 Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble’s Nook tablets. “iPad shipments in [Apple's] core market — the United States — are likely to come under pressure in Q4 due to the launch of the Fire and Nook at extremely competitive price points,” writes Canalys analyst Tim Coulling.

The rival tablets could perhaps be most damaging to the Android-powered tablets, which some reports suggest could be left on shelves due to low pricing.

But all of this rests on tablets taking on some of the tasks now accomplished by desktop and notebook computers. Despite the chatter of their wide utility in the field for reading manuals and replacing some mobile tasks, tablets remain largely a consumption device. Personally, I’m a huge tablet fan, watching videos, playing games, reading emails, surfing the Internet and more. But when I need to produce: write, manipulate images, and such, I turn to my desktop iMac. As we saw last week, the Cupertino, Calif. tech giant is beating the pants off the PC industry with huge demand for the Mac. Apple doesn’t need any favors to boost its PC sales.

What do you think? Is a tablet a PC, or is it, as Steve Jobs saw it, a device that sits between your phone and your PC? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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You’ll find the top 3 Popular Science “Best of What’s New” award winners in Apple’s Macs

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Popular Science Magazine is once again declaring their Best of What’s New Awards for 2011, and not so surprisingly this year’s top three spots in the computing category are all technologies that you will find in Apple’s latest lineup of Macs.

At number one we have OS X Lion which earned a spot for its ability to close the gap between desktop and mobile operating systems with the publication calling it “the first step toward a computing landscape in which one interface can serve all purposes”.

The number two spot goes to Intel Sandy Bridge chips and their ability to reduce “data’s travel time from component to component by replacing lengths of wire with nearly a billion close-knit microscopic transistors”. We know Apple just recently refreshed their MacBook Air and Mac Mini lineup with new Sandy Bridge processors, and future Macs will likely get the same treatment. The new Thunderbolt I/O has also been an emerging technology Apple has adopted for future Macs, and that brings us to number three…

Last but not least, we have Intel Thunderbolt at the number three spot, which we all know Apple teamed up with Intel to help develop and is now being implemented on future iterations of iMacs and MacBooks. Minor limitations aside, its contribution to the tech industry is pretty obvious, as Popular Science puts it, “Thunderbolt’s wires are the first to combine the languages that handle data and display in one channel, making it faster and more versatile than any other connection”.

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