Reporter’s Notebook: iMac ideas Apple never thought of

The energy level of the show is really high this week. I wasn’t expecting this large an attendance and certainly wasn’t anticipating this many product announcements and updates. And the new iMac has certainly generated a lot of buzz.

I certainly like the new machine. You’ve got to see it up close to truly appreciate its marvelous design. It’s like the best design elements of the original iMac and the Cube merged into one machine, then taken to the next level. And though it does have a fan, as well as cooling by convection, it’s surprisingly quiet. But more on that at another time.

My MacCentral compadre, Peter Cohen, has an interesting suggestion for an iMac rev: make it where the flat screen monitor pivots for either horizontal or vertical viewing. Peter’s good friend Glenda Adams of Westlake Interactive also has another excellent idea: make an iMirror accessory that attaches to the flexible screen so that folks could use it to apply makeup or comb their hair. Heck, combine makeup and the Mac’s ColorSync technology for applying makeup, and you have another “i” utility: iPretty.

Of course, since the new iMac looks uncannily like Luxo Jr., the computer-animated lamp that starred in a short film by Pixar (Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ other company), I have an idea for a feature in the new iMac. Implement IBM’s ViaVoice or MacSpeech’s speech recognition products so that the iMac screen turns to “look” at you when you speak to it from an angle or the side. After all, the new system is so adorable and lifelike, why not play up the cuteness factor? Heck, the iMac might even get its own cartoon show. (An interesting aside: Pixar creative chief John Lasseter, who directed the “Toy Story” films, is the man behind the first new iMac ad. Watch for it.)

By the way, if you’re attending Macworld Expo San Francisco, drop by the User Group lounge today. I’ll be chatting with folks from Mac User Groups (MUG) from 3-4 p.m. (In fact, last night I prepared for the event by sipping on MUG root beer while I wrote article’s for today.) Perhaps I’ll see you there.