I can’t afford one, but I’m intrigued by Sony’s US$3000 (and up)BRAVIA OLED A1E 4K HDR TV, particularly its “Acoustic Surface” speakers.
Sony has designed the surface of the BRAVIA OLED to double as a sound source. The picture is the sound. This innovative audio setup, called Acoustic Surface, uses four actuators affixed to the back of the panel to turn the entire screen into a sound-emitting structure.
As noted by Wired; “This kind of technology means the BRAVIA OLED can do things no other TV can do. Thanks to the vibrating units behind the panel, sound can move from side to side within the picture and be isolated to certain parts of the screen. Dialogue and sound effects emanate directly from onscreen objects, providing an audio experience that’s as immersive as the video. And they vibrate the screen so delicately that the movement isn’t even visible to the human eye.”
I’m not sure if it’s feasible, imagine an iMac or iMac Pro with such speakers along with a 5K display. It certainly wouldn’t be inexpensive, but image the gorgeous images and fantastic sound you’d have with such a desktop that didn’t take up too much space.
But let’s get really crazy and imagine such an iMac in a “single slab of glass” design. On January 24, Apple filed for a patent (number 20200026327) for “electronic device with glass housing member” that hints at a radical design of the iMac. LetsGoDigital commissioned designer Jermaine Smit to create a video imagining such a device, and it’s gorgeous (albeit with some impracticalities such as a keyboard too close to the screen).
I doubt we’ll see a new all-in-one with either Acoustic Surface tech or a “single slab” design, but it’s fun to imagine. Plus, the iMac is rumored to seeing an design overhaul this year, so who knows?
