Metal and Glass is the new Beige - Is Apple the new IBM?

[roxics]

I remember when Apple used to be colorful and fun. Feels like everything today (iPhone XR excepted) is just boring metal and glass. Sure there are some different tints of the metal, but whatever happened to the fun colorful Apple? Have they just turned in IBM?

Don't get me wrong, I like a nice sleek modern looking steel/aluminum and glass design like the next guy, but how many years have we been on this style and how many more years will we have to endure this before they change it up?

 

[Huntn]

Yes, I remember:

Owned one of these, but mine was orange.
​

Not as many opportunities today other than iPhones as you mentioned. But I would consider a colorful plastic case for a laptop if I could save some $ and maybe Apple should offer those colors on demand. Or maybe as you implied, they are too hung up on their business image.

 

[CreatorCode]

The fun translucent colored plastics were deployed in the late '90s to grab attention back when the wider world thought Apple was done for.

Now that Apple is one of the biggest companies on Earth, it's more conservative. Much like IBM was, back when it was one of the larger tech companies.

 

[compwiz1202]

I don't even like the normal 11 colors. Too pastel for me. And even Midnight Green mostly looks gray to me unless the surroundings are dark. Wish they would have picked the rumored Cosmic Blue. It was a shade I liked like the 5c was.

 

[hawkeye_a]

I was hoping for a "Bronze" MacBookPro.

Macs have become too "Ikea" IMHO.

 

[Gutwrench]

There’s still no better keyboard than the model m.

 

[Jessica Lares]

You don't think the way they changed how color accents in macOS work is an indication that they're thinking about this? Would like to have that in iOS 14 and be able to match it with whatever case I'm using.

 

[roxics]

I don't even like the normal 11 colors. Too pastel for me. And even Midnight Green mostly looks gray to me unless the surroundings are dark. Wish they would have picked the rumored Cosmic Blue. It was a shade I liked like the 5c was.

To be honest, I don't really either. They are too pastel. I would personally prefer vibrant colors.

 

[bluecoast]

I think we’ll see Apple’s products get very colourful and signify a break from the minimalism of the iPod up to now.

The fashion world has moved to vibrant early 90s-eque colours.

In fact, we saw some of the pastel versions of these in the 11 and the saturated midnight green on the pro.

In 2020, I’d expect Apple to double down on this trend and bring much more saturated colours to the iPhone 12.

I think that we may even see the return of the classic Apple rainbow logo - or at least different colour blocked versions of it. On an ARM MacBook maybe?

One caveat - I think that the pro ranges will stay far more minimal as far as colours go but that’s no bad thing - it will help differentiate the ranges.

I don’t think that we’ll see a return to the late 90s translucent coloured plastics though! Glass and highly recyclable metals will be used plus slightly bulkier products that are more repairable and eco friendly.

 

[eyoungren]

Yes, I remember:

View attachment 896379
View attachment 896378
Owned one of these, but mine was orange.
​

Not as many opportunities today other than iPhones as you mentioned. But I would consider a colorful plastic case for a laptop if I could save some $ and maybe Apple should offer those colors on demand. Or maybe as you implied, they are too hung up on their business image.

Most of the Mac community moved on from these colorful Macs, but those of us still involved in using them are now dealing with what happens to plastic when it gets old.

Colorful yes. Enduring no. Metal and glass on the other hand have some durability.

 

[Huntn]

Most of the Mac community moved on from these colorful Macs, but those of us still involved in using them are now dealing with what happens to plastic when it gets old.

Colorful yes. Enduring no. Metal and glass on the other hand have some durability.

Are you referencing the iMac, the laptop or both? My assumption is that there is no home computer destined to last more than 10 years, if that before becoming obsolete. But what kind of issues are you experiencing?

 

[eyoungren]

Are you referencing the iMac, the laptop or both? My assumption is that there is no home computer destined to last more than 10 years, if that before becoming obsolete. But what kind of issues are you experiencing?

I'm referencing any of the Macs from the late 90s to early 00's. I have a blue iMac G3 which is one of the colors in your picture. So far the plastic seems to be holding up, but the handle on my PowerMac G3 server has cracked.

There have been quite a few people in the PowerPC forums and elsewhere (reddit) reporting brittle plastic.

As far 'no home computer destined to last more than 10 years'. Well, all I can say is 1999 iMac G3, 1999 PowerMac G3, two G4s, three G5's (the youngest being 2006), a 2006 MBP, a 2008 MBP and a 2009 Mac Mini (my youngest Mac). There's also three 2008 Thinkpads in the house and the plastic on all three is not brittle. So, whatever plastic Apple was using I can't say much about.

There is a vibrant PowerPC community here on the MR forums and we prove every day that old PowerPC Macs are usable in 2020 and beyond. But in many cases, the materials Apple used do not have the durability that metal and glass do. Hence a lot of G5 cases are still going (internals are a different story).

Apple was colorful back in the day, but people moved on before they had to deal with the brittleness that comes to that plastic when these Macs age.

 

[Huntn]

I'm referencing any of the Macs from the late 90s to early 00's. I have a blue iMac G3 which is one of the colors in your picture. So far the plastic seems to be holding up, but the handle on my PowerMac G3 server has cracked.

There have been quite a few people in the PowerPC forums and elsewhere (reddit) reporting brittle plastic.

As far 'no home computer destined to last more than 10 years'. Well, all I can say is 1999 iMac G3, 1999 PowerMac G3, two G4s, three G5's (the youngest being 2006), a 2006 MBP, a 2008 MBP and a 2009 Mac Mini (my youngest Mac). There's also three 2008 Thinkpads in the house and the plastic on all three is not brittle. So, whatever plastic Apple was using I can't say much about.

There is a vibrant PowerPC community here on the MR forums and we prove every day that old PowerPC Macs are usable in 2020 and beyond. But in many cases, the materials Apple used do not have the durability that metal and glass do. Hence a lot of G5 cases are still going (internals are a different story).

Apple was colorful back in the day, but people moved on before they had to deal with the brittleness that comes to that plastic when these Macs age.

Thanks for the perspective.

 

[roxics]

Apple was colorful back in the day, but people moved on before they had to deal with the brittleness that comes to that plastic when these Macs age.

That was twenty plus years ago. There is a whole generation of people born from the mid 90s to now that didn't have the opportunity to buy a colorful new mac. Plus Apple could possibly use a different plastic today. Even if they didn't, we know that plastic lasts at least a decade or more.
I also have and old G3 iMac. Sadly I didn't get mine until well after it was past its expiration date. I bought it mostly as a collectable. So it's never been much use to me. But it is pretty.
I'd love to buy a new colorful mac.

 

[mjs916]

To be honest, I don't really either. They are too pastel. I would personally prefer vibrant colors.

Exactly why I bought my XR in Black. The others were too “meh” to me.

 

[venom600]

Colorful yes. Enduring no. Metal and glass on the other hand have some durability.

The iPod touch is proof that you don't have to give up glass and metal to get vibrant colors. So is the Product Red iPhone. Apple simply chooses not to give us those choices for whatever reason.

 

[retta283]

The iPod touch is proof that you don't have to give up glass and metal to get vibrant colors. So is the Product Red iPhone. Apple simply chooses not to give us those choices for whatever reason.

Agreed. They've been doing colored aluminum products since at least the iPod Mini, in January of 2004.

 

[faust]

I'd kill for a nice phone/computer/tablet with a colorful, transparent shell to be honest. Tempered glass and metal is just so boring nowadays, and uh, given my recent accident with my Lian Li 011 Dynamic case's tempered glass side panel(had to buy a whole case to replace it), I'd appreciate it if DIY PC case manufacturers offered a lil more variety than just tempered glass & metal.