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Flat iMac Design

- 2001.07.09

I was thinking over the weekend - what could Apple do for an encore now that they've killed the Cube? Well, how about a square iMac? Yes, what about a flat, square iMac?

Looks like I wasn't alone. Surfing the Web over the weekend, I found a link to a possible iMac rendering by Derrick Square flat iMac Tittsworth. It's thin. It uses a flat panel display, as almost everyone expects. And it's square.

Could Apple do it. Sure. The technology already exists to build this hybrid of desktop and laptop parts into a "Think Square" iMac. Some guesses:

Unlike a laptop, no battery. Also would use a 3.5" hard drive instead of the more expensive 2.5" drives found in the iBook and PowerBook.
Latest version of G3 running at 500, 600, and 700 MHz. Give it 128 MB RAM standard (1 GB max) and a 20 GB hard drive.
Screen would be either a 14" 1024 x 768 like recent PowerBooks or 1152 x 768 like the TiBook. Let's call it 14" wide by 14" tall.

Yes, it does have stereo speakers in the front, a slot-loading CD/DVD drive on the side, and vents at the top.

To provide room and internal ventilation, I'm guessing the SquareMac would be at least 1.5" to provide room for a standard hard drive. If it uses an external power supply, as the portables do and the Cube did, it should cool by convection, just like the iMac and Cube.

Other views show a foot in the back that keeps the flat iMac from tipping over. It's a very well thought out design.

Of course, as with the Cube, having any cables running to the computer detracts from the clean lines, so if Apple does go in this direction, maybe they'll also have a wireless keyboard and mouse to complement it.

Whatever, Derrick has come up with a clever, attractive design that everyone would recognize instantly as a Mac and as an iMac. I wonder how Apple's design will compare.

Could they sell it for $999? I doubt it at present, but I think it could sell for less than the iBook. How does $1,199 sound?

And I'm thinking maybe Spongebob Squarepants as Apple's new spokesperson. ;-)

- Anne Onymus

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Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: 15" MacBook Pro Core Duo, Jan. 2006 - The first Intel-based MacBook launched at 1.83-2.0 GHz, had several teething problems.
Group of the Day: System 6 is the email list for those who choose System 6.
November 22 in LEM history: 99: Gradebooks - 00: Leveraging Apple design - Quadra 630 to Power Mac 5200 - 02: Laptop or desktop? - 04: SuperDuper: Quick, easy, efficient backup - Cross-platform programming for the rest of us - 05: Mac video surveillance on the cheap - Which OS is best for my vintage Mac? - No 'best browser' for the Mac - Sorry state of browsers for classic Macs - 06: Core 2 means cooler running 'Books - 2.0 GHz G4 upgrade
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Best eMac Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz Combo, $100; SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 GHz Combo, $119; SD, $319; 1.42 GHz Combo, $289; SD, $498.
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