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No New iMac Soon

It should come as no surprise that Apple will not announce new hardware in Paris. The new hardware introduced at MacWorld was just so conservative that many think of it as not being new.


It should come as no surprise that Apple will not announce new hardware in Paris. The new hardware introduced at MacWorld was just so conservative that many think of it as not being new. Once Apple emptied their channels and then refilled with “new” equipment they closed the window for some time on new desktop computers.

The real surprise is that Steve Jobs has given an uncharacteristic heads-up that there will be no new hardware announcements to quell any unrealistic expectations for Paris. The one piece of hardware that needs some updating soon is the PowerBook G4 which needs CD-RW, Combo and Super drives in slot loading configurations along with faster processors.

I would not worry about Panasonic or Sharp beating the rumored LCD iMac to production. There have been quite a few computers in this category, so being early to market is no big advantage. After the Twentieth Anniversary Mac, there was I believe a Compaq all-in-one with LCD screen followed by some others. These were all too expensive and made in limited quantities.

In order to be a success, the volume of production should be high enough to support a massive consumer ad campaign with a price as close to $1,000 as possible. An LCD desktop has to be cheaper than a laptop to be successful. Sony is the one company I see with a shot at hitting this homerun before Apple. Nobody is going to make such a bold move during the severe sales slump that the industry is feeling.

Sales of Apple laptops continue to grow faster than desktops. Apple is going to make the move to turn the iMac into a near laptop just because of it’s shift to smaller, lighter components. The original iMac already had a keyboard, memory and CD drive that were really laptop components. The Twentieth Anniversary Mac used a 2.5″ laptop drive and LCD screen as well. The handwriting is on the wall with Apple eliminating external CRT monitors, it’s just a matter of timing.

By Jason O'Grady

Founded the PowerPage in 1995.