Tangent's Pendant LCDPC-7500 packs a P4 into a 17-inch LCD
By Marc Perton 
posted September 3rd 2005 12:41PM
posted September 3rd 2005 12:41PM
We're going to resist any urge to refer to the Pendant LCDPC-7500
from Tangent as an iMac G5 knockoff, since, other than the fact that both are computers built into LCD displays (a
concept that Apple didn't invent), they're pretty different. For one thing, the Pendant, which is built around a
17-inch display, includes a number of things you won't find in the iMac, including built-in flash card slots, a bundled
wireless keyboard and mouse, and two PCI 32-bit slots. It's also cheaper, with an MSRP of $1,295 for a system with a P4
at 3.0GHz, a 120GB HDD and 512MB RAM. So, yeah, let's not even mention the iMac (though we know that, unlike us, some
of you will simply not be able to resist).
Who did the first all-in-one computer with an LCD?
you know, when I first read the description, I wasn't thinking anything about comparing it to the iMac... weird. Now that you mention it there's something funny about the fact that the next iMac rev will probably have a p4 or whatever intel's calling it next year.
How is this cheaper than the iMac?
1299 gets you a 1.8 ghz G5 (which is roughly equiv to a p4 in the high 2s, most would agree), 512 MB ram,a 160 GB Hard Drive (vs. 120), built in wifi and bluetooth(versus optional wifi and no option for bluetooth) an option to get a wireless keyboard and mouse for 59 bucks (Bluetooth ones no less, accept no substitute), a real graphics card (as opposed to integrated), and a killer software suite.
How is it cheaper?
with lcd i dont know... but gateway had been pumping out huge ass monitor computers for a while, they were almost as big as a tower stuck to an oldschool monitor, but without the customisability (no slots for any kind of upgrade)
>> includes a number of things you won’t find in the iMac, including built-in flash card slots, a bundled wireless keyboard and mouse, and two PCI 32-bit slots. It’s also cheaper, with an MSRP of $1,295 for a system with a P4 at 3.0GHz, a 120GB HDD and 512MB RAM
iMac G5s do come with wireless keyboard and mouse. They do come with 120gb SATA drives. They do come with 512mb RAM. What reality are you in??
Tho the memory card slots are a nice touch, would be kinda nice to see those in the iMac. Now if everyone would go to a USB flash drive based storage we wouldn't have to have 15 different kinds of flash media for our various cameras and other toys.
Anyone know, does this pc come with a superdrive, (DVD recorder)
802.11g networking, gigabit ethernet, firewire, or ambient light backlight adjustment? I didn't see those features mentioned. (except on the iMac)
The limited run 20th Aniversary Mac was the first all-in-one LCD computer that I ever came across, but there was probably someone else who made one previously.
The smell of the leather palm rests was irresistable
Gateway had a cheep "Astro" line a while back, basicially just like the CRT IMacs. Then they also released an All in one LCD unit, with the guts on the back of the screen. Profile was the name, but they had a few revisions of it out long before the iMac G5. http://support.gateway.com/s/Profile/p00553/p0055301.shtml shows the Profile 1.5.
In fact, Steve Jobs made fun of the design of the guts on the back when they released the iMac G4.
Much like how he made fun of Flash MP3 players before Apple shipped one.
I know Apple's 20th Anniversary Mac came out in 1997. http://www.apple-history.com/body.php?page=gallery&model=anniversary&performa=off&sort=date&order=ASC
This Tangent is... ugly. And flash card readers might be a "nice touch" but i'd just as soon buy a 7in1 reader for $8 and tape it to my much-prettier 20" iMac. :P
Kudos for trying, though, Tangent.
So was there an all in one based on an LCD before the 20th Anniversary Mac? i dont REMEMBER one, but i didn't really care about PCs.
Thos computers are all ugly. I have always hated the design concept of putting the guts with the monitor. I hated it on iMacs, I hated it on PCs. I saw one made by Sony (I think) at CompUSA once and wondered why anyone would want one. The only thing this has over the others is the 2 PCI slots. Other than that, these computers offer very little upgrade options. Not to mention that they waste more desk space than a regular LCD screen of the same display size. I'll take a tower on the floor over this design any day. Or atleast buy that Smasung laptop with the removable 19" screen.
Nick
Companies have been putting the guts into keyboards for a while.
why are you all pissing on it, thats a compact media center pc built into the monitor, all you need to do is add a media center compatible graphics card and there you have it, id definately consider buying one rather than a seperate box.
Guys you cant even COMPARE the iMac with this thing. I think the 20th anniversary Mac was one of the first ones out there but I never followed the pc market.......anyways the iMac is leaps ahead by design price and everything
Yes, can someone please say who did the first integrated LCD computer? Not trying to continue an Apple debate (unlike the author), but if someone is going to write in their article like that, then perhaps they should have some facts or details to back it up.
I am curious to know who did it first if it was not Apple in the mid 90s.
This Tangent machine suffered a severe ugly stick beating in the labs, but who cares.. and who wants this trash.
Just plain ugly!
Hey Cooky, I thought everyone got 'freebies' from Apple. I personally love my free iBook.
Maybe you missed that sign-up day while you were away.
In all honesty though, I love good gadgets and frankly, Apple makes sweet stuff.
Let engadget post what they want, and maybe if somthing doesn't interest you, well... maybe you could just not click on those links. Sound fair?
We have posted a very extermly similar Product on Akihabara News a long time ago, in fact this is the SAME one, this product is manufactured in Taiwan by TopTech International Co. The poduct is nice but hte quality is quite... low
http://www.akihabaranews.com/news_9559.html
No one has mentioned the Monorail. It was a 100 MHz computer that had all the guts packed into what seemed like an overweight LCD. I think I was in 9th grade at the time & it seemed like a beautiful thing to own at the time (I was living in Wisconsin & was quite poor). The link below seems to be related to what I am talking about, however the 100 MHz version I dreamt about when I was younger is nowhere to be found. Maybe I just imagined it.
http://developer.novell.com/yes/50627.htm
Here you go, I found a link that has a picture of that monorail pc I posted a comment on. Not sure if they are first, but they sure came in early.
http://www.armory.com/~vern/toys/Monorail.htm
How is this cheaper than the iMac?
1299 gets you a 1.8 ghz G5 (which is roughly equiv to a p4 in the high 2s, most would agree), 512 MB ram,a 160 GB Hard Drive (vs. 120), built in wifi and bluetooth(versus optional wifi and no option for bluetooth) an option to get a wireless keyboard and mouse for 59 bucks (Bluetooth ones no less, accept no substitute), a real graphics card (as opposed to integrated), and a killer software suite.
How is it cheaper?
It's cheaper because 1299 - 1295 = 4.
What a bunch of boneheads.
Seriously, some people....
look i'm going to be an idiot and just say, anyone that saves $4 for that piece-of-c**p ugly windoze all-in-oner rather than getting a beautiful 17" iMac.... just ain't ready for the mac.
no performance/watt arguments here please, p4 is a hot chip, so i hope this Tangent or whatever knows what they are doing. apple has learnt quite a bit through some painful experience.
really, if you are even remotely considering this, really, just get an iMac g5. 512mb, 160gb SATA with the bridge problemas fixed, bluetooth, airport, like the poster above mentioned, and a sweet ATi 9600 128mb vram. iLife and Os X Tiger as opposed to all the crappy windows utils floating around, this is a nobrainer, people.
now feel free to flame me to death about being a Mac zealot, i am typing this on a winxp2/amdvenice/nvidia6600gt rig :p
The first all-in-one LCD based computer I remember using was a Fujitsu FMR-30 which had a monochrome LCD screen with a nice blue backlight. I think it was 80286 based. That was back around 1987-88.
Apricot XEN from 1984 was similar. Almost bought one of those too. Bought an Amiga instead.
Daniel you nimwit, he's not referring to the actual price, but what you get for the price.
Have a look at a similar- Aussie designed-- setup:
the OZiQ All-in-One with touchscreen at DigitalReviews.net
Would be great for kiosks and corporations, s'pose..
Cheers,
martin
In all honesty though, I love good gadgets and frankly, Apple makes sweet stuff.