Next-gen brushed aluminium iMac in August?

The rumor cycle continues to turn, with the iMac the latest to get the ol' speculation treatment. ThinkSecret says that the next iMac will hit in August, and will feature a new, 2-inch thick aluminium enclosure. The new model will reportedly feature a trimmed down chin -- bye bye Jay Leno iMac! -- 20- and 24-inch screens only, and Santa Rosa CPUs up to 2.4GHz. Before you start buying up metallic-styled peripherals in preparation, you might be wise to take a quick glance at our iMac rumor tag: if the eventual iMac replacement is nothing like this report, don't say you weren't warned.

[Niles @ Jul 7th 2007 8:21PM]

Why would Apple make a another computer with brushed metal? especially a non Pro computer like the iMac, they also dumped the Brushed Metal theme in Leopard, This is totally not happening!

[Ireland @ Jul 7th 2007 9:06PM]

Like they totally dumped the aluminum/metal look for their iPhones.

[Macinjosh @ Jul 7th 2007 9:10PM]

The iMac has sorta evolved from a bargain based all-in-one into a "Prosumer" desktop, so I wouldn't dismiss a brushed metal model, even though thats what Apple reserves for their Pro machines.

[Evan @ Jul 8th 2007 7:32AM]

Not only do the PRO models have the brushed metal, but the MAc Mini uses it too.

[Leonard Nimrod @ Jul 7th 2007 11:56PM]

Or...

Since they are dumping the brushed metal in favor for a dark slate color that will compliment--instead of clashing--with the new brushed aluminium iMacs.

[Miles @ Jul 7th 2007 8:29PM]

Finally, Apple gets some good style.

[[e-mail] @ Jul 7th 2007 8:37PM]

Brushed metal? really? It looks really nice on the macbook pro's, but on the iMac? I like the white plastic they've used currently. Actually, if they used a theme thats resembles the iphone, that wouldn't be too bad either. Just not all brushed metal.

I dunno, I know Apple can pull it off though.

[Miles @ Jul 7th 2007 8:40PM]

Like they pulled off the Pippin or Hockey Puck?

[Fred @ Jul 7th 2007 8:44PM]

Or the way they pulled off the iPod, right? Or maybe they'll go the MS route, and introduce MS Bob for OSX in Leopard? Everybody makes a product that in hindsight is stupid. Apple tends to make fewer, and I think it makes people resentful of their success.

[Zach @ Jul 7th 2007 8:54PM]

Miles, the Apple of 1995 and 2007 are two completely different companies. Apple has it's shit together in the new millennium with the apparent success of the iPod (most popular DAP), iPhone (fastest selling cellphone), and MacBook (best selling laptop i believe) lines.

And what was so bad about the hockey puck? Tell me a basic OEM mouse that is so much better?

How about Windows Vista, with less then stellar sales? Or the Microsoft Xbox with a 33% failure rate?

Windows Mobile, Play4Sure, TabletPC, WebTV, MSN TV, Ultimate TV... the list goes on.

Now, I still use Windows as much as Mac (Parallels and BootCamp), but I don't think anyone can deny that as of recent, Apple has been kicking some ass and taking names.

[Erik @ Jul 7th 2007 9:32PM]

Zach, I doubt the MacBook is the best-selling laptop (maybe for Apple, but not for all of laptops).

As for the puck mouse, I purposely avoided those computers in school after being forced to use it; so uncomfortable...

Vista is doing just peachy, the source that claimed 33% failure on the 360 isn't the most credible (and EB Games manager), and Windows Mobile is still one of the big players in the smartphone market.

Now, Apple is really skyrocketing as of late, but they need to show to businesses that they can meet their needs better than pcs.

[Martin @ Jul 7th 2007 11:04PM]

@Zach

You need to take Windows Mobile and Plays4Sure off that list. Also, I'd say that was a cheap shot at the Xbox 360 based on recent happenings with the new 3 year warranty and the letter and interviews with Peter Moore. Also 33% is speculation and any reasonable person could figure out that it's not really 33%.

[Zach @ Jul 8th 2007 12:06AM]

Martin,

Windows Mobile and Play4Sure (a platform MICROSOFT abandoned after creating) are staying on the list.

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/Q4.06/2E6D9BB2-FE1B-4556-8389-67BD581FBCCC.html

You can call the puck mouse a failure, they were in fact awkward to use, however, obviously they fixed the issue, stopped production, and now use the mighty mouse (which I hate still).

The Xbox 360 33% rate may be unreliable, but you can't deny that the 360 has had a higher then average failure rate.

Vista, the last I heard was that sales weren't meeting expectations. I had Vista installed, and it wasn't horrible, but it just had a few bugs and kinks that really need to be ironed out for me to use it full time. I also think the Aero interface is incredibly overrated and bloated.

Erik, the laptop was a guess. I know that the MacBook is selling great currently (as a graduating senior, I only know so far of two others who bought a non-laptop). I'm looking for figures, but you may be right. My guess is that Dell is at the top of the list. Though, if I had to go with a Windows laptop, it'd be a Vaio or a thinkpad.

Anyway, my point was in retaliation to the first guy who pointed out two flawed Apple products, one dating more then 12 years ago and the other just a peripheral device that should be upgraded asap anyway.

[Zach @ Jul 8th 2007 12:09AM]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/pc/565108/ref=pd_ts_pc_nav

Opps look at that. Best selling notebook on Amazon, the MacBook! Coming in at #1 and #4. However, as stated, since Dell isn't sold on Amazon.

On the other hand, NotebookReview lists the Dell XPS M1330 as the most viewed laptop. So it's anyones guess.

[Martin @ Jul 8th 2007 12:39AM]

Zach, while Microsoft may have abandoned Plays4Sure, you can't deny that not only is it a great idea but also became widespread among most mp3 player manufacturers (although DRM as a whole sucks). And right now Windows Mobile is the best selling PDA platform in the US as well as the most developed for in the US.

And as for the Xbox 360, while I do agree that it does fail more than an electronics device should. I don't think that it fails SO MUCH that I sit there playing every day worrying is it about to fail and especially not anymore with the 3 year warranty.

[Zach @ Jul 8th 2007 12:51AM]

Martin, go check out the URL that I posted before about Windows PDA. Symbian holds a 75% market share. And now with Apple in the game (w/ the fastest selling cellphone), that game is even more widened.

No, I wouldn't say the Xbox 360 is a terrible failure, just that it's had TOO many problems. The 3-year warranty isn't a gift, with all the controversy it should be EXPECTED in the least for Microsoft to clean this mess up.

PlayForSure is a great idea, but the grand fact is that most other DAP/DVPs have not caught on with the majority of consumers. Microsoft even bailed out of it with the Zune and the only involvement is the Vista and Windows Media Player compatibility.

Until Apple jumps on board (unfortunately never :( ) P4S is generally going to be a non-threat.

I'm not even saying that Apple's products don't come without their own fault. iPod audio output quality is disgusting when compared with other results (CNet it). Mac OS X is beautiful, but it has its quirks with me at times. The PCs are about as upgradeable as a toaster. And the "OS X comes with EVERYTHING YOU NEED" is bullshit. How about instead of shitty iLife apps, you give me a full version of Quicktime, so I can ya know Fullscreen my movies, and Office.

[Erik @ Jul 8th 2007 1:38AM]

Zach, I agree with everything you said about the flaws in many of Apple's strategies (I, for one, think they need to take a cue from Microsoft and let people encode in Quicktime and watch QT vids fullscreen for free).

I wasn't trying to slam on you about what you said, just voicing what I think is the current situation.

And yes, it's stupid to fault a company (Microsoft or Apple) for a big mistake of the past (Millenium Edition *shudder* or the Pippin).

[Zach @ Jul 8th 2007 1:47AM]

haha Windows Millennium, i almost forgot about that... almost :)

To have a great OS like Windows 98 then come out with that... ughhhhh. They redeemed themselves with 2k at least :D

My opinion is that Apple needs to ditch Quicktime and Itunes all together because I hate both products with a horrid passion.

[Martin @ Jul 8th 2007 2:18AM]

@Zach
You can post percentages all you want. But the fact of the matter is that, in the US (MS' main market) there's only 3 symbian phones sold and only on 1 carrier (actually that number is just off the top of my head there might be more than 3). And the fact of the matter is that Windows Mobile is really the ONLY PDA platform right now in the US.
Additionally, the only reason why other download services have failed (and subsequently the relative of P4S) is because of the iTunes juggernaut. P4S compatibility built in to almost all other DAPs proves that it was worthy of what it was.

And based on the 360's continued success I wouldn't say that the problems have been TOO MANY for the 360 to be considered a failure and especially shouldn't be in the same sentence as WebTV. Wait what am I saying? The 360 shouldn't even be in this conversation. It is clearly dominating this generation's console "race" together with the Wii. Technical problems or not.

[treetrunk @ Jul 8th 2007 10:24AM]

Did someone cite Roughlydrafted? That guy is the ultimate fanboy. He writes long completely one-sided "articles" about how Microsoft are the spawn of Satan and Apple are the best thing since sliced bread, just for fun. He's a complete moron- on one of the linked articles from that page he looks at Apple's market share and divides all the PC manufacturer's sales figures in half (allocating the rest to Microsoft) because each PC comes with a copy of Windows! What kind of crazy logic is that!

[Blah @ Jul 7th 2007 8:40PM]

Because ThinkSecret is, like, SOOOOOO credible...

[Ireland @ Jul 7th 2007 9:04PM]

T.S. stands for TALK SHIT. Everyone knows that.

[Fred @ Jul 7th 2007 8:42PM]

Yeah, that white plastic does look great, but it sucks if you live in a house with smokers and your really retentive about the way your computer looks.

[Zach @ Jul 7th 2007 8:55PM]

It sucks if you live in a house full of smokers period.

[Josh H. @ Jul 7th 2007 8:46PM]

That is way to predictable for a company like Apple. Also, its not very innovative which Apple is known to be. I highly doubt this is happening.

Josh at mntdev.com

[Aaron @ Jul 7th 2007 8:47PM]

I’m a huge apple fan boy, I know first hand apple makes great products for most consumers, I’ve owned one pc and 10+ Macs. That being said the apple bias on this website is starting to become a bit much. I don’t see you reporting pure speculation and rumors about other companies like you do for apple. The amount of apple news is monopolizing this site, you writers are giving them priceless advertising which is unfair for a number of reasons. TUAW is in place for pure apple bliss, and that’s why I like it but this site is not an Apple site, it’s a gadget and electronics site, get it straight. Apple should be a part of this site, but it should not be the bulk of it, especially with stories like this. Thanks.

[tyler @ Jul 7th 2007 10:00PM]

Finally an Apple fanboy with some sense. Thank you so much.

[Karl @ Jul 8th 2007 8:10AM]

They write about what people want to read about. And considering the huge number of replies on the apple articles, Apple is still popular.

Although I do agree that there is a limit. God damn, the iPhone isn't the ONLY thing that's happening in the gadget world, is it?

[Derek @ Jul 7th 2007 9:01PM]

my guess is the new imacs will resemble the iphone in bezel and material and probably have a single key and god willing a breakthrough UI method, such as multitouch, or dual cam 3D recognition.

the time is right for apple to really make a stand with something strong -to pull ahead of microsoft's stumbles, while the whole world is watching apple.
i doubt jobs would miss this inflection point, since he's the one who masterplanned it for years now.

[Ireland @ Jul 7th 2007 9:01PM]

Think Secret is the biggest joke of a website in existence. They predicted these aluminum iMacs at WWDC, they were wrong. There accuracy is about 5%. And when the time comes when Apple release their next iMacs TS will be there to claim their prophesy. BS, BS, BS!

[Japlan @ Jul 7th 2007 9:02PM]

Sorry, but all-in-one computers are lame.

[Mr. Hi-Fi Banjo Strings @ Jul 7th 2007 10:28PM]

Like...laptops?

[Japlan @ Jul 7th 2007 10:35PM]

Just for desktops. By the way, how do you upgrade the
processor, hard
drive or video card in an iMac?

[Leonard Nimrod @ Jul 8th 2007 12:10AM]

Apple has been doing this since the 1970s. A handle on top with the monitor integrated with the computer.

Homegrown solutions for tech-heads and "time rich" gamers who like to fiddle and upgrade their machines is fine. But this isn't who Apple targets. Their consumers tend to be "time poor". In other words, they are in the market for a machine that "just works" and requires no assembly.

If they want a faster machine they buy one and then easily transfer their users, apps and settings to the new mac with Migration Assistance when it boots. Simple.

[Zach @ Jul 8th 2007 12:15AM]

Japlan, it takes a lot of willpower and big cajones to do. The negative aspect of buying a mac is that is isn't upgradeable in any easy way. You have to take it to the store typically.

However, if you wanna upgrade a PC - you should just build it yourself in the first place. Most major OEM brands void your warranty if your caught rummaging through your system - so in reality, it isn't "easy" to get into your PC either.

I know the hard drive and RAM are upgradeable. However, the processor and the GPU are not.

[zorg @ Jul 7th 2007 9:11PM]

Brushed metal doesn't yank my chain, but chinless yeah!!

That means there's a fighting chance the 20" would
fit in carry-on luggage!! Sorry, baggage smashers!!
No treats for you!!

[Jordan Sembower @ Jul 7th 2007 9:20PM]

All in one computers may be lame to you, but my sixty year old parents have no problem doing anything on their iMac. This coming from the guy who always had to fly home, and found himself wasting hours in front of the old PC, trying to make it work (i.e. Upgrade, virus file update, etc).

So, to you and me, sure all in one is lame. But there is a HUGE market out there for people who just want email, web, and DVD.

[Mongoos150 @ Jul 8th 2007 12:08AM]

Good point, but all-in-ones are not just for light users. I'm a Media Arts student, and although the power of a quad core MacPro and a 30" ACD would be great, the iMac is more of a prosumer machine with above-average specs (for its footprint). I have a 2.16 Core2Duo processor with a 256mb ATI 7600GT video card, a 500GB hard drive, 3GB ram and a 24" 1080P LCD built into one unit. This is awesome for a cramped bedroom at a university.

[Danny @ Jul 7th 2007 9:35PM]

I'd much rather see an update to the regular iPod...that's the one product that seems most overdue in the lineup for some updates (And mine is due for a replacement, so of course I want an update). I'm wishing for a touchscreen iPod video, not an iMac

[SHOTT3R @ Jul 7th 2007 10:49PM]

I believe some part of their contract with ATT precludes Apple from releasing an iPod that is essentially an iPhone minus the phone for some time.
So don't hold your breath.

[Staticoranges @ Jul 7th 2007 9:44PM]

Slow news day?

[zach @ Jul 7th 2007 11:20PM]

it's Saturday.

[Staticoranges @ Jul 7th 2007 9:44PM]

Slow news day?

[Bobo @ Jul 7th 2007 10:21PM]

I don't care if it's hot red.. just get me the discontinued model in Costco like they did with the G5.

[Natedog @ Jul 7th 2007 10:28PM]

Oh crap! I can't take another string of "news" about another Apple product. *waits for RSS feed that doesn't include "news" about this iMac*

[Neptune5 @ Jul 7th 2007 11:36PM]

Think Apple should of just kept the iMac G4 models in production a few years longer then this current design wouldn't seem out dated ,which i don't really see how their going to improve on the current incarnation of the iMac , it's damn near perfect, unless the do what they did with the the ipod nano make it aluminum , Make it thinner and give you color options and a 32 inch version, i'm happy with my24 incher ,

What i don't understand is when apple use to redesign everything after 12-18 months people would bitch and complain that they update everything to fast, and now they have solid designs across the board , i know the iPod Video design is gonna be 2 years old in October and the iMacs design is 3 years and the Macbook Pros over all look is 4 years old, their just perfect except I could use a multi touch iPod running OSX.

[Zach @ Jul 8th 2007 12:53AM]

I actually like the G4s slim design a lot more! I wouldn't mind going back to that :)

[crescentdavid @ Jul 7th 2007 11:54PM]

The brushed metal look has been done unto death. I hope Apple continues to prove its design prowess and moves into a post-90's look. I completely agree with less of a chin (which means even more tech/design streamlining) ... but metal? Ugghh.

[Taylor @ Jul 8th 2007 12:06AM]

The MacBook is *Apple's* best-selling laptop - and it has a 12% market share, compared with the 5% market-share of Macs in general. But it's not *the* best selling laptop.

As for this... hmm, I'd personally prefer a white/black option, or maybe an iPhone-esque one.

[Zach @ Jul 8th 2007 12:21AM]

No, but it's currently the fastest selling notebook according to Amazon.