CNet News Looks At Past & Future iMacs

by , 11:30 AM EDT, July 28th, 2004

Whenever it becomes time for Apple to update hardware, excitement builds in the Mac community as questions about the new hardware are posed and pondered.

What will it look like? What new cool technology will it contain? How much will it cost?

Apple has made it no secret that it intends to update its aging iMac line of computers, and it has also stated that the new consumer computer will be G5 based. The news has fanned speculation fires, but from places not necessarily Mac-centric. For instance, CNet News' Editor's Pick has asked the question: "What will the next iMac look like?" and invited readers to offer their musings on the design of Apple's biggest non-secret. From CNet:

From the introduction of the first Macintosh computer in 1984 through to the release of the iPod three years ago, Apple Computer has earned a reputation for cutting-edge industrial design that is elegant and functional. Recently, the company acknowledged that it is developing a new iMac to replace the current version, which has been described as looking like a desk lamp. What's Apple going to do next? Here's a sampling of stories from around the Web that may offer hints about how the company thinks.

There are some interesting responses to the CNet News question, including lots of negative comments from anti-Mac partisans.

More importantly, and perhaps more interestingly, CNet has put together a long list of interesting articles from a variety of courses about Apple, the Mac and iMac lines, and PC design in general. Some of these articles date back several years, and offer some historical perspective on these subjects. Whether or not you are interested in the speculation on the new iMac, the list of articles makes for very interesting reading.

The Mac Observer Spin:

It's a tradition in the Mac community to pontificate on new Apple hardware, but its always interesting to see the mainstream press fanning the speculation fires. As September draws near, don't be surprised to see more articles in the mainstream offering guesses at the design of the new iMac, and how it will affect Apple and the rest of the computer industry.

What will the next iMac look like?