Apple Announces New iMac With Quad-Core Processors & Thunderbolt I/O | Hacker News Reader

Apple Announces New iMac With Quad-Core Processors & Thunderbolt I/O

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57 pointsssclafani77 comments

Can't wait to see these options in a Mac Mini. I would buy one of those in a heartbeat. Here's to hoping.

Hmm, even the low end one's default is to ship with Apple's wireless mouse and keyboard (with an option for a free swap from mouse to trackpad and and to a wired keyboard with numeric keypad. Thats going to make a lot of desks look pretty by default.

Do people actually use the Apple keyboards? Sure, they're a triumph of visual design, but absolutely horrible to actually type on. I throw them away and replace them with Cherrys at the first opportunity.

I'm particular about keyboards and I've got to say that while I was initially appalled by the new Apple keyboard, and was no fan of the precursor, the newest kind is actually one of the best keyboards I've ever used. The short travel of the keys makes them surprisingly good.

If you like clanky, clacky keyboards, they're not for you, but that's why Matias makes keyboards.

I've come to love Apple's current keyboard so much that I actually find I want Apple laptops simply because they have the same keyboard.

I'd love an apple keyboard which had the trackpad built in - basicall just the lower half of a macbook.

Not exactly what you're looking for, probably, but close: http://twelvesouth.com/products/magicwand/

Seen those, but it's still not that like the macbook (or any laptop).

It's actually a bit surprising to me that no one makes a wireless keyboard that replicates a good laptop keyboard without the screen.

Many of us have spent years with laptops - get this - on our laps, and usually a touchpad in the center of it. Moving to any sort of desktop system, you're stuck with lightweight keyboards - everyone's in a rush to make the lightest/slimmest wireless keyboards (Apple included) but ignore the fact that these do not sit well on your lap while typing. Pressing any keys not in the dead center of the keyboard cause too much movement.

A nice solid sturdy 4-5lb wireless keyboard with a nice trackpad would be awesome. I'm still waiting. :/

Cherry do these - I have a Touchboard MX 11900.

No touchpad below the spacebar in the middle like the macbook though. :/

I'll echo what astrodust wrote and say that my first reaction was "this keyboard is too flat" and I didn't enjoy typing on it, but now I think it might be the best keyboard I've ever owned.

I've grown to like short-throw keys and also like how little desk-space the Apple keyboards without numeric keypads consume.

I've come to adore mine. The mice, though, are still rubbish.

I've fallen in love with my keyboard. I'm very used to the Macbook Pro's keyboard size and style, and the Apple Wireless keyboard perfectly replicates that experience. I use it with the trackpad, and it's a joy, especially doing video editing.

And being able to hand a client your keyboard to type in their password on a website just feels badass.

I have the odd problem with RSI. For some reason, the Apple keyboards are the least painful I can find. I am considering buying some spares so I never have to be without.

Yes, I use Apple keyboards at home and at work. I have grown to like the flatness and ease of pressing keys. Pressing keys on other keyboards now (almost) feels like weight lifting.

Previously I used the Happy Hacking Keyboard, and the Apple keyboards are approximately the same size. Nice for travelling, but also to have a touchpad or mouse close by.

I think the Apple keyboard is one of the best keyboards I have ever used in the last 25 years. It's right up there with my IBM Model-M.

With 2x Thunderbolt you will be able to hook up multiple external Displays, thats great news for me ;)

Could possibly undermine Mac Pros in the future.

I think it's clear from Jobs' philosophy as the PC as the truck that he wants to make the iMac the new Mac Pro. Thunderbolt's the first step in making it possible to add the customization options of the Mac Pro to the iMac as a peripheral.

Pure speculation, of course, but I think the trend is starting to show.

I would agree with this, and have seen it as a trend. Of course, the purpose of the Mac Pro was always a specialized machine, but the iMac is definitely starting to compete in power and options, and probably the better choice for most people who want an Apple desktop.

Still no matte display option, I'm sticking with a Mini + Dell display combo.

To explain a bit more: I have owned a 27" iMac for about four days. The machine was great but I couldn't handle looking at it for more than five minutes until getting eye strain, this, and on darker backgrounds the screen really ís a mirror - and I'm no narcissist.

May I ask why you want matte display? I am not missing it at all but I might be missing something.

Glare would be the #1 reason.

For some people that is like asking if they prefer vi or emacs.

I personally prefer matte displays because I like to avoid the glare that I get with glossy monitors. But the colors on a glossy do seem 'brighter'.

I don't think that is comparable.

vi and emacs are in competition. One cannot be said to be the successor of the other.

The glare is supposed to be better so that is what I don't understand.

Glossy is better because it's uncoated. "Matte" is a coating, an extra layer of gumpf on top of your beautiful, bright and colourful screen.

That's a bit like saying a rust-proofed car is worse than a non-treated one.

Rust-proofing is objectively good. It does not, when applied, change the quality of the car underneath it.

Matte coating puts a layer of gumpf between your eyeball and the screen, which affects the image you see.

Depending on your physical environment, you can see reflected objects in glossy displays. Some people mentally filter these out, some people don't.

I remember reading that about 40% of people tested suffered significantly more eye strain than others with a glossy screen. The theory was that there is a genetic trait affecting whether eyes tend to constantly refocus or not.

Personally, it gives me a headache and makes it very hard for me to concentrate because I can't help constantly refocussing. The other 60% of the population think we're just being awkward.

I see. Thanks.

The iMac screen is highly reflective, to the point that it's almost like looking in a mirror when running an app with a dark background color. My default IDE background color is black, and I had to change it on my iMac, so I could focus on my code instead of my face...

Apple offers a matte display on the MacBook Pro, and I highly recommend that option, especially if you intend to work outdoors.

I love the 27". Best display I've ever had. Move your desk.

The standard models' CPU: 3.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with 6MB on-chip shared L3 cache

That's no Sandy Bridge for the new iMac ?

The more expensive models allow you to configure Intel Core i7: "Configurable to 3.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, only at the Apple Online Store."

That's still a little vague ?

Sounds like the i5-2400 and the i7-2600 to me, both Sandy Bridge CPU's. The bit about the "only at.." means you can't get them in the physical store, because those will be custom built to your specifications.

You now have to upgrade to the second tier if you want to have more than 500GB hard drives or an SSD, so if you really want that you'll have to pay $300 more than the base model. Too bad the hard drives in these macs are so hard to replace yourself.

"Too bad"? Its of course no accident that memory, drives, in fact everything cheap to upgrade on an Apple is tucked away behind "warranty void" stickers.

Compare the the ease of replacing your PC laptop drive or RAM - behind a snap-off cover.

That is false.

RAM and HDDs in MacBook Pro machines are user-replaceable parts. No warranty is voided provided you install the proper stuff, and don't break your system in the process. I believe the manuals include detailed instructions for the replacements.

The RAM is _very_easily_ upgraded in an iMac. Apple's even designed a nifty door to make this process incredibly easy.

The only point of annoyance here is the HDD in an iMac. The design simply doesn't allow for the HDD to be accessed, and hence it's not user-installable. Personally, I'd never buy an iMac, and I very seldom recommend them.

The HDD on an iMac is replaceable if you have heavy duty suction cups ...

The good news is these are actually inexpensive compared to other essential tech tools: http://www.ifixit.com/Tools/Heavy-duty-Suction-Cups/IF145-02... ($14.95)

To replace the hard drive in my computer I need the essential tech tool, the Phillips screwdriver. I bought one for $14.95 and the UX on it is amazing.

And yet to upgrade the RAM in a Mac Mini, you just screw off the bottom and it's right there. You don't even need a screwdriver. If your theory was correct, they'd have sealed it up like the original ones.

It took a lot of model updates to the mini to get upgradeable RAM.

This is at best half correct, depending on the model. The RAM in iMacs come with tabs to help you pull them out. You do need a screw driver, but it's kind of hard to have a snap-off cover on an aluminum case, no?

You are correct about the hard drives on imacs and macbooks, but on the pro machines, those are pretty easy to replace as well.

You may want to check where is RAM on iMacs "hidden", and how hard it is to access it.

I wish it was like this, but most standard PC laptops are so hard to open up that it is not even funny.

It's not the same as the iMac (which is hard to upgrade iirc), but the MacBook (Pro) is a really nice machine to upgrade, and it doesn't void your warranty. Apple even has nice instructions on how to do it. (http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1270)

That's not true.

To upgrade the memory in an iMac there's 1 screw in the way.

To upgrade the memory or hard drive in a MacBook, there are 10 or so screws, but as long as you don't damage your device in the process it remains under warranty.

People like to make Apple out to be draconian about this stuff, but let's at least do basic fact-checking.

That said, to upgrade the hard disk in an iMac is a total PITA and requires a special sensor cable to the hard disk that is HDD vendor specific:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/iMac-Intel-27-Inch-Hard-D...

I pine for the old days of white G5's and original iMacs where they were a piece of cake to work on. That said, I don't pine for their bad capacitor problems...

I remember those; my wife had one; had to send away for the special screwdriver invented solely to keep me out of the case. "Piece of cake"?

I have one of the first Intel iMacs and the hard drive is not easy to replace at all.

Sorry, the mac mini on my desk had me confused I guess. With the special tool needed to pry off the friction-fit case after breaking the warranty sticker; then having to disassemble the entire stack of circuit boards to get at the memory socket.

To clarify - this is only true for the 21.5" iMacs - the base 27" can support larger HDD + SSD.

While it's great that the new iMac has Thunderbolt, it's really not that important right now. The reason is that there are not any devices in the market that support it. Will Thunderbolt be the next USB? Maybe. But until people actually make stuff for it, I'd advise against purchasing a new iMac based solely on that feature.(Disclaimer: I have a Thunderbolt MBP, but I bought it because my 6 year old laptop couldn't go more than a few hours without crashing.)

No word on if the Thunderbolt ports support video in like the 27" before them did - you used to be able to plug another computer into the 27" iMac and use it as a display.

Finally! Apple Canada prices on a par with US prices,

$1199 really means $1199.

Except for GST :(

Except for that 1.05 exchange rate...

It's been many years since we've had a new Mac chassis. I'd love to see Apple apply some of their touch screen technology to the Mac line.

Yep, it seems like they haven't figured out the solution to gorilla arm yet. On the positive side they have a free trackpad option to start educating desktop users about multi-touch input.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchscreen#Gorilla_arm

Now if they update the Macbook Air with Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt, that would be a perfect machine.

Can anyone tell me how the iMac does in terms of noise under heavy load ? I have a QuadCore Macbook Pro 15" and while its immensly powerful it also gets annoyingly noisy as soon as you try to use all that power.

My Fall 2009 iMac is virtually silent, even with all 4 cores fully loaded. Sometimes, late at night, when the house is very quiet, I'll notice some fan noise, but it's very soft - nothing at all like the MacBook Pro (which I also own)

thanks for the info! Ever played games on it or any GPU intensive applications ? I work alot with games, thats where my MBP gets noisy very quickly.

Only WoW and Minecraft, and I never noticed any additional fan noise (although I doubt the GPU was maxed-out). In any case, I'd expect a game's sound effects and background music to be MUCH louder than any fan noise...

Apple doesn't publish the models (just the GHz)... Are these the Intel Sandy Bridge series of processors (the second generation ones)? If so, which ones?

According to Heise (German) they do use Sandy Bridge chips[1]. Apple sometimes receive chips from Intel that aren't available outside of Macs, but other than that, the exact model should be possible to work out - you've got clock speed, i5 or i7, and they all have 6MB L3 cache.

[1] http://www.heise.de/mac-and-i/meldung/Neue-iMacs-mit-Quad-Co...

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