Apple’s iMac gets little love these days even though its the tech giant’s biggest-selling desktop. But even though most folks prefer laptops these day, there are still some pretty cool things Apple could do with the all-in-one.
In 2015 Samsung announced the ATIV One 7 Curved, the first curved all-in-one computer. Maybe Apple could give us the “iMac Curve.”
Samsung has this to say about the curved design of the US$1,299 Samsung ATIV One 7: It offers a “unique entertainment perspective and realistically immersive gaming experience. “Ot draws users in and brings details to life on the Full HD panel, while the 4000R curvature makes the screen feel even larger than its already ample 27-inches,” the company claims.
While I think curved TVs are a gimmick, a curved screen on a desktop computer makes more sense. The upsides of such a screen (such as immersion and less glare) are more obvious when you’re sitting right up against it instead of looking at it from six feet away on your couch.
I’m not the only one who thinks a curved iMac could be a good idea. In a 2013 Cult of Mac post — which was written before the 5K Retina display iMac debuted— Mike Elgan predicted Apple would use flexible-glass touch displays for, well, everything, including a curved screen Mac.
Here was his idea: How do you improve the iMac? It’s sleek, elegant, thin, brilliant and beautiful. Sure, you can later up the processor, memory and storage capacity. But how do you make it jaw-droppingly better? You triple the screen size. But how?
If you’ve got a 27-inch iMac, you know that the screen is already a little too big in one respect: If you want to look at something onscreen near one side, then the other, you need to lean from one side to the other and crane your neck to see it. Otherwise, you’re looking at the screen at an angle. Desktop monitors like the 27-inch iMac are pushing the limits of straight-on visibility.
By using flexible display technology, I believe Apple will build wrap-around iMacs that could be about 30 inches high and four or five feet across, curving around in a semi circle so that the middle is about the same distance from your face as the edges.
Of course, there is no 27-inch iMac anymore. Just the 24-incher.
But, wait, that’s not all. The Samsung ATIV One 7 Curved came with two dynamic 10W stereo speakers, a surround sound experience with Dolby Sound Effects, and lossless audio transmission through APT-X technology. The speakers on the current iMac are nice, but could be improved.
I think 27 (or 30) inches of curved display would be enticing for folks who still prefer a desktop to a laptop.
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