Anyone else think the iMac looks, for lack of a better word, “feminine”?

[leman]

It is a hardware limitation that no components, as they fail, may be replaced by any party — be it an end-user, a repair technician, or Apple. The lifetime of the entire product is dependent on any single point of failure not occurring. Most acutely, the internal component most likely to fail for most units is the soldered SSD.

Can you demonstrate evidence that soldered SSD is a significant point of failure?

Now, this is only anecdotal data but I have professionally maintained over a hundred Macs with SSDs (more then half of which had soldered or proprietary SSD), and we never had a single SSD or RAM failure. Most frequent things were keyboards, ports, display coating issues, with a few total system failures (blow capacitor/power system/GPU). Actually, the single mac-related SSD failure on my watch was a personal pre-retina MacBook Pro which I have upgraded to a Samsung SSD — it died after a year and half of use if I remember correctly. Which is funny, since it was the only non-Apple SSD I used (and the only one that failed).

The only real problem with soldered SSD is that in the very unlikely case of SSD failure, you end up shelving a higher repair bill that you would otherwise. Then again, Apple must feel confident enough about there SSD reliability since they now offer unlimited extended warranty+accident coverage.

And let the fireworks begin....the apparently taboo words masculine and female were used to describe the iMacs

It's not about taboo words. It's about the immaturity of pretending that your own personal preference is somehow related to gender. Nobody would give a damn if OP would say that they don't like the look of these machines, it's their taste and their privilege. But declaring that they are "feminine" while heavily suggesting that this makes them "inferior" somehow is basic bigotry.

 

[leman]

Based on Apple policy and Apple tax about memory and storage, I don't think we will see more than 32 GB of RAM in these expected high-end iMac (we don't even know if this line will be showed).

You can configure the 27" iMac with up to 128GB of RAM. It is very unlikely that they will significantly lower this in the successor model. Yes, it will cost an arm and leg.

About Apple SSD, its suppliers (Samsung, Toshiba etc.) declare that TBW for the MLC type and others suppliers (like Micron) declare even less TBW so the estimated average TBW is that I have written before.

It depends on the controller and SSD over-provisioning. Consumer SSDs are optimized for bandwidth. We have no idea what SSDs Apple use are optimized for. Given the extremely low failure rates of Apple SSDs in the while, I would guess that their endurance is much higher than that of an average consumer SSD.

In 2021 would you really purchase a soldered 256/512 GB SSD?

Would, did and will continue to. I really don't see any issue with this. That's what my warranty coverage is for.

You think that a five-year period of useful life is good for a computer. Well, after the expired date of SSD you can literally throw the entire machine into the trash can because it's unusable and you can't resell it.

I usually buy a new machine every three years, so I don't really care anyway. If you are worried about these things, get Apple Care, it now offers extended warranty for as long as your machine is serviceable. As I wrote above, the fact that Apple offers this service means that they are extremely confident in the durability of their machines.

Pay attention to environment is also about the possibility of a circular economy.

Circular economy is great. That is one of the reasons why I buy Apple — while they are by no means perfect in this regard, they are actively working on improving recycling and reducing e-waste. I find their model (more reliable products, repairs solidarily covered by warranty, component-level repair, refurbishing or recycling at specialized factory using automated equipment) more sustainable in long term compared to other suggestions (modular components produce too much e-waste, direct component level repair is not economically viable).

 

[SuperMatt]

Yep, my thoughts exactly. Imagine an all-red iMac with black bezels instead.

That would be ghastly. They made an iPod with a color scheme like that, but something as big as an iMac? That would look terrible.

 

[Andropov]

If you are worried about these things, get Apple Care, it now offers extended warranty for as long as your machine is serviceable. As I wrote above, the fact that Apple offers this service means that they are extremely confident in the durability of their machines.

This is a very good point. I just don't see the M1 SSD apocalypse some are predicting 5 years from now.

 

[B S Magnet]

Now, this is only anecdotal data but I have professionally maintained over a hundred Macs with SSDs (more then half of which had soldered or proprietary SSD), and we never had a single SSD or RAM failure.

Fantastic. I have professionally maintained a couple of dozen Macs, so I offer a smaller, still valid purview.

One, an early 2015 A1502, experienced SSD failure just over four years following manufacture date — putting it beyond the AppleCare window. Fortunately, the SSD could be replaced and the MacBook Pro was given renewed life, but all data saved/modified between their last TM backup and the sudden failure of that component was irretrievable.

This is to say: SSD failures may generally be less frequent than HDD-era failures, but all it takes is one solid-state drive failure to chasten one’s confidence in a manufacturer’s decision to deprive modular serviceability in the event of known component failure. I don’t look forward having to explain to a client how they must ditch their entire beloved computer because they were unlucky enough to be that 1-in-whatever case. It doesn’t need to be this way.

Most frequent things were keyboards, ports, display coating issues

These are components which, to varying extent, can be replaced. Their failures or diminished quality will not necessarily render the system completely unusable (i.e., one can still connect an external keyboard/trackpad or external display as stop-gaps until they can arrange for repair at a less-urgent time).

 

[BigMcGuire]

Even the silver version, maybe because of the white bezels, is hard to imagine in a guy’s room or office.

I’m not opposed to color, but the particular colors chosen and the pastel-looking tone of the stands. It just veers pretty hard into the feminine lane.

Black bezels and a black Apple logo on the front might go a long way to improve the silver iMac to my macho manly eyes.

I've never really seen Apple products as feminine. Yes, sleek thin, nice looking machines... I usually opt for Dark Grey because I like the darker colors. But I really didn't get the feeling or thought "feminine" during the iMac presentation. I was more distraught to see it wasn't a full screen on the front (maybe someday?).

I love the direction these computers are going. I remember as a kid having a PC tower that was 3x the size of my CRT monitor, which utilized almost all the desk space. These new computers are AMAZING. I love my M1 MBP.

I'm a pretty bulky heavy hairy man so I'm pretty sure I can speak as a man - never crossed my mind. I guess I could see how some would think that. I'd have been cool with a black color. To each their own!

 

[Andrea Filippini]

You can configure the 27" iMac with up to 128GB of RAM. It is very unlikely that they will significantly lower this in the successor model. Yes, it will cost an arm and leg.



It depends on the controller and SSD over-provisioning. Consumer SSDs are optimized for bandwidth. We have no idea what SSDs Apple use are optimized for. Given the extremely low failure rates of Apple SSDs in the while, I would guess that their endurance is much higher than that of an average consumer SSD.




Would, did and will continue to. I really don't see any issue with this. That's what my warranty coverage is for.



I usually buy a new machine every three years, so I don't really care anyway. If you are worried about these things, get Apple Care, it now offers extended warranty for as long as your machine is serviceable. As I wrote above, the fact that Apple offers this service means that they are extremely confident in the durability of their machines.



Circular economy is great. That is one of the reasons why I buy Apple — while they are by no means perfect in this regard, they are actively working on improving recycling and reducing e-waste. I find their model (more reliable products, repairs solidarily covered by warranty, component-level repair, refurbishing or recycling at specialized factory using automated equipment) more sustainable in long term compared to other suggestions (modular components produce too much e-waste, direct component level repair is not economically viable).

According to your needs, you won't have any problems with the new Apple policy.
I have no doubt about Apple quality and performance but, for customers like me and many others, the idea of a machine that can last for a decade like the previous ones is no more possible.

 

[blairh]

Even the silver version, maybe because of the white bezels, is hard to imagine in a guy’s room or office.

I’m not opposed to color, but the particular colors chosen and the pastel-looking tone of the stands. It just veers pretty hard into the feminine lane.

Black bezels and a black Apple logo on the front might go a long way to improve the silver iMac to my macho manly eyes.

These pastel colors combined with a white bezel make these machines very appealing to kids and women. It's the white bezels that really drive it home. You add a black bezel, and they would appeal to more teenage and adult men.

 

[SuperMatt]

These pastel colors combined with a white bezel make these machines very appealing to kids and women. It's the white bezels that really drive it home. You add a black bezel, and they would appeal to more teenage and adult men.

Sorry, how do you know what appeals to each of these groups you’ve arbitrarily chosen? What makes you believe that each of these groups is a monolith that all like the same colors?

I get it if YOU think the colors are feminine or childish, but how is it you are speaking for all kids and women, and all teenage and adult men, as if their preferences are the same, and somehow align with your personal preferences?

Perhaps you believe in metaphysical solipsism?

Also, is The Rock a man or not? Just wondering.... according to some, based on this shirt, he must not be. I believe others have already posted pictures of his bedroom earlier in this thread too.

 

[davegoody]

Even the silver version, maybe because of the white bezels, is hard to imagine in a guy’s room or office.

I’m not opposed to color, but the particular colors chosen and the pastel-looking tone of the stands. It just veers pretty hard into the feminine lane.

Black bezels and a black Apple logo on the front might go a long way to improve the silver iMac to my macho manly eyes.

My take on this is that they look like Fisher-Price toy iMacs. Really disappointed thus-far, I am wanting a replacement for my 2019 27" iMac, but this most certainly isn't it..... perhaps the 27" replacement, when it eventually comes, will be better, and available in Space Grey or Black. I know you can run DisplayLink adapters off the M1 devices, but being limited to one external screen is just a dealbreaker for me too.

 

[Robospungo]

It's not about taboo words. It's about the immaturity of pretending that your own personal preference is somehow related to gender. Nobody would give a damn if OP would say that they don't like the look of these machines, it's their taste and their privilege. But declaring that they are "feminine" while heavily suggesting that this makes them "inferior" somehow is basic bigotry.

The connection between the words "feminine" and "inferior" is entirely in your mind. You won't find that anywhere in the original post. The bigotry you're looking for might be closer than you think.

Would some rather delicate posters here have flown off the handle had I said the iMac Pro looked masculine? Doubtful. I do think that computer looks masculine, by the way.

 

[Robospungo]

My take on this is that they look like Fisher-Price toy iMacs. Really disappointed thus-far, I am wanting a replacement for my 2019 27" iMac, but this most certainly isn't it..... perhaps the 27" replacement, when it eventually comes, will be better, and available in Space Grey or Black. I know you can run DisplayLink adapters off the M1 devices, but being limited to one external screen is just a dealbreaker for me too.

What about the silver? Black bezels for that model alone would have been killer.

 

[leman]

The connection between the words "feminine" and "inferior" is entirely in your mind. You won't find that anywhere in the original post. The bigotry you're looking for might be closer than you think.

Would some rather delicate posters here have flown off the handle had I said the iMac Pro looked masculine? Doubtful. I do think that computer looks masculine, by the way.

Dude, you are the one linking color preferences to testosterone levels (!!) and claiming that "Grown men using pink and pastel green computers" is something unnatural... 19th century is calling and wants it's "scientific ideas" back. Obviously, you are entitled to hold whatever anti-intellectual views you want, but the moment you take them outside your dusty boy's club, the rest of us equally becomes entitled to call you out for sprouting nonsense.

In the meantime, we men continue to like whatever we want, no matter what someone like you tells us is "right" for us. Really, the nerve of some people.

 

[SuperMatt]

Dude, you are the one linking color preferences to testosterone levels (!!) and claiming that "Grown men using pink and pastel green computers" is something unnatural... 19th century is calling and wants it's "scientific ideas" back. Obviously, you are entitled to hold whatever anti-intellectual views you want, but the moment you take them outside your dusty boy's club, the rest of us equally becomes entitled to call you out for sprouting nonsense.

In the meantime, we men continue to like whatever we want, no matter what someone like you tells us is "right" for us. Really, the nerve of some people.

I agree with you, and so does Hulk Hogan. Now there’s a dude supremely confident in his own masculinity.

 

[B S Magnet]

The connection between the words "feminine" and "inferior" is entirely in your mind. You won't find that anywhere in the original post. The bigotry you're looking for might be closer than you think.

Would some rather delicate posters here have flown off the handle had I said the iMac Pro looked masculine? Doubtful. I do think that computer looks masculine, by the way.

They should call you Sparky: you’re pretty skilled with lighting the gas.

 

[Hieveryone]

pastels have actually been incredibly popular across the design spectrum the last 3 or 4 years. If anything apple is following rather than setting a trend here.

oh really? I haven’t really seen it, but maybe that’s bc I’m mainly only looking at Apple haha

 

[Yrmmont]

Even the silver version, maybe because of the white bezels, is hard to imagine in a guy’s room or office.

I’m not opposed to color, but the particular colors chosen and the pastel-looking tone of the stands. It just veers pretty hard into the feminine lane.

Black bezels and a black Apple logo on the front might go a long way to improve the silver iMac to my macho manly eyes.

No. It must be YOU!

 

[tkermit]

I agree with you, and so does Hulk Hogan. Now there’s a dude supremely confident in his own masculinity.

View attachment 1762232

And yet his outfit looks, for lack of a better word,
with no negative connotation, "feminine", doesn't it?

I have to admit, I'm confident enough in my masculinity (whatever that may be) to use a pink iMac but I probably wouldn't wear that outfit. I'd certainly look a lot less manly than Hulk Hogan does at that point. That's ok though.

 

[keyofnight]

People keep talking about the "chin" and the white bezels, and I'm just over it. Not every computer has to appeal to some minimalist zen dude aesthetic or some macho RoG STRIX RGB XTREME 2' HYPER FIGHTING Tournament Edition aesthetic. What if I just want an orange creamsicle computer? Why should the opinions of 15-45 year old boys with masculinity hangups determine how every single product looks?

 

[tkermit]

People keep talking about the "chin" and the white bezels, and I'm just over it. Not every computer has to appeal to some minimalist zen dude aesthetic or some macho RoG STRIX RGB XTREME 2' HYPER FIGHTING Tournament Edition aesthetic. What if I just want an orange creamsicle computer? Why should the opinions of 15-45 year old boys with masculinity hangups determine how every single product looks?

I agree, except I think the new iMac does actually appeal to a minimalist zen dude's aesthetic.

 

[Allyance]

Considering roughly half the population is female, who care what it looks like, choose the color that suits your liking. Sitting in front staring at the screen, color is not an issue. If your computer is free standing and not up against or near a wall, then choose wisely. Why can't you just say minimalist's aesthetic and leave it at that?

 

[Adelphos33]

Green, Yellow, Silver, even “Pink” look good to me. Somehow the blue looks a bit off (Apple can never get blue right in any single device)

 

[ZachNathan]

I'm surprised they didn't offer a Space Gray. The colors feel a bit like the iPhone 5C. I suspect they're offering the grown up colors in the larger iMac.

I'm hoping they release the black/space grey version for the 30in model, or do what they did with the purple 12 and just drop it at a later date (WWDC?)

 

[ZachNathan]

I'd argue that this is Apple touching on it's roots of colorful early 2000s Macs, but updating them to be in line with the design philosophy set by the 12 series... I know first and foremost these are designed to be consumer computers, and specifically college students and young creatives at that (which explains the very chic and bold color choices).

I imagine the more boring/man color palettes will come out when Apple releases an iMac that isn't entry-level (like the iMac Pro was with Space Grey), and at that point might retroactively add those colors to this line.

 

[JMacHack]

Honestly the griping over space gray not being available chaps my ass. How lame of a person do you have to be to say “hmm yes, make my gray more gray.” I’m soured on space gray, there’s an entire spectrum of wonderful colors in several pallet styles that you could want and you’re so worried about looking “professional” that you want dark gray.