New iMacs and more
 

http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/08/07/macevent/

www.apple.com/imac

Interesting that the new keyboard doesn't have the Apple logo but instead "Command" written on the little keys next to the space bar.

heath

ps-Apparently until it was asked at the Q&A session, Apple didn't publicly announce the updating of the Mac mini.

http://www.apple.com/macmini/

heath

That's a good idea actually, since lots of documentation mentions the "command key" or references a keystroke like "cmd-N" and new Mac users have no idea what that means! I'm pretty sure that third party keyboards have labeled it as the Command (or Cmd) key for quite some time now. I think the "Apple key" is actually a holdover from Apple // days where the keyboard had two such keys: one looked like the current Apple key (a line drawing of an apple) and was called the "open Apple key." The other one had a filled-in (solid colored) apple and was known as the "closed apple key" IIRC. This got really confusing :-)

Then Steve Jobs was a fanatic about the Mac keyboard and wanted it to be really simple. I remember reading there was a big internal fight over putting a control key on the original Mac keyboard to make it compatible with the Apple // and PC's and Jobs wouldn't allow it. During the period when he was gone I believe the control key appeared on the keyboard.

Funny that you bring this up because I just looked at my own 2 year old apple keyboard and noticed that the Option key also says "alt" on it - I never noticed that! :-)

What I can never figure out are the heiroglyphics that Apple (and others) use in the manuals to represent the command, control, option and shift keys!

Heath, thanks for posting that. Dvinfo news misses so much stuff out there, because people don't share what they find.

I am moderately grateful for the Imac improvements, but the MacMini is very disappointing. It still uses the software rendering hobbled 950 chip set, when the chip set after that has already been replaced by Intel :(. Meaning, you basically are hobbled for games, GPU processing multimedia/work flow applications etc. It also lacks an HDMI port, firewire800, and PCIE card. It is basically something suitable to an business desktop, or Internet CAFE, not that they are going top buy them in drives. I wish Apple, and other manufacturers, would wake up to the potential to putting descent 3D chips, and including an single PCI-E card slot at the bottom/middle of the unit. We could all then buy one to put HDMI/Component intensity PRO capture card for field work, or 3D card for better production work on media. As it is it will struggle with AVCHD, currently popular.

The 3D chip in the Imac, as far as I can understand, is DirectX10/OpenGL2 level, but low end integrated, where as, i think, the 2600XT is the top end, but would not put it up against an low end ATI 3D card. DO they include an PCI-E card slot on these thing now? Also they haven't introduced an 30inch+ model. So, it is acceptable but needs to be more for the home.

Hopefully they can find it in their hearts to introduce and 30-40inch ImacTV with an couple of PCI-E slots (flat in the case, not interested in SLI). With at least an mid level ATI DX10/OPENGL2 level card. UWB would be good, if it came out. SHD offers the best interpolation between 720p and 1080p, but 4mp is also good. And an MacminiTV unit that records from multiple HDTV channels simultaneously, media player/recorder, ITV. With all these features, and many more channels recorded at once and blu-ray on the ImacTV. Multiple audio/visual output and remote controls, would also enable it to be used as an home media server (possibly using that UWB based wireless HDMI by Tzerotech). If they don't do this. somebody else can beat them to it. We also have been waiting for this for years, and all in one consumer devices are progressively getting this level of functionality, but an computer based unit had an better combined price (providing Apple charges less than the combined price of putting together the cheapest system on the PC from retail components)

That is an product worthy of the Apple label. Apple is loosing sales in this neglected market.

I bought my Mom and Stepdad a Mac mini way back in November 2005, right after they came out. It's a G4 and they seem to love it. The new iMac is nice, but I never owned one, to be honest. Had I not purchased a Gateway system in early 1998, I would've stuck with Apple (I had a Mac from 1994 I wrote on that crashed).

But by March 1999, I was on a Power Mac G3 blue and white tower, editing away on Premiere 5.1 before moving to Final Cut Pro 1.0.

Off topic, yes, but just writing this up makes me think of how far Apple has come! Intel? Who knew--it was rumored in 2003 before the G5s came out, but I never in a million years would've thought it.

heath

News round-ups, including Mac Pro RAID and .Mac (which makes me happy):

http://www.macrumors.com/2007/08/07/...mini-and-more/

heath

The missing Apple logo on the keyboard found?

http://www.macrumors.com/2007/08/08/...ng-apple-logo/

International versions, I suppose.

heath