New iMac Is Beautiful

[Kierkegaarden]

The design — inside, outside — beautiful. Perfectly positioned in the Mac lineup.

I get it all — the M1, the colors, the white bezel, the logo-less chin, the power brick. Brilliant.

What exactly do some not get about this remarkable machine?

 

[TwoH]

People's thoughts on the design are opinions -- which they are allowed to have. I don't exactly like how the new iMacs look from a design perspective. The shape is nice (ignoring the stand).

 

[Apple_Robert]

It looks ok to me. I think many here expected a new design in space gray or silver without the chin with tiny black bezels. No matter what, MR is the place to see constant weeping and gnashing of teeth no matter what Apple does. lol I think some people enjoy being angry.

 

[wim.v]

I like the new iMacs too.

No logo on the front seems strange at first but imagine the previous iMacs never contained a logo on the front and now they would have included one, people would react the same way.
The white bezels look good with the pastel (and grey) colored fronts.
I really like the colors Apple used on the back. I'm not a huge fan of the pastel colors which are the colors you will look at all day. If I would buy one of these new machines it probably would be the grey one.

 

[Nimoy]

I liked it from the start, but starting to love it more and more. I think that any great design will always have mixed reactions at first, but people will become accustomed to it quickly. You can't make an iconic design without some bold choices. And they really went above-and-beyond with the attention to detail on the power cord and keyboard/mouse. Plus, all this running on the M1 chip for a fairly affordable price...the average consumer will be absolutely delighted, I'm betting.

 

[4sallypat]

I'll reserve any aesthetic opinions until I get one on my desk.

Anyone know if a sticky will be created for the M1 iMac pre-ordering event in 5 days ???

 

[Apple_Robert]

I'll reserve any aesthetic opinions until I get one on my desk.

Anyone know if a sticky will be created for the M1 iMac pre-ordering event in 5 days ???

I don't recall MR doing that. You could request it in the Site and Forum Feedback section.

 

[kildraik]

People's thoughts on the design are opinions -- which they are allowed to have. I don't exactly like how the new iMacs look from a design perspective. The shape is nice (ignoring the stand).

I did notice the VESA stand option. 🔥

 

[ccsicecoke]

For starters, it does NOT have a SD card slot.

Where is the beauty without a SD card slot?

 

[FelineTech]

I think it's a fantastic design. My only preference would have been if you could have the color on the back..... be the color on the front chin.

The chin and overall design serves a functional purpose too. The logic board, speakers, all fit in the chin area. Easy to install different versions of the logic board during the manufacturing process. Also, having an EXTERNAL power supply is fantastic from a support perspective. Power supplies (and ethernet ports) are notorious for getting fried by power surges. Instead of ripping open a machine to repair, just get a new power supply.

I think it's a great design. I don't mind the white border at all. I find it refreshing. The whole world does not have to be in dark mode!

 

[AJACs3]

I dislike nearly all the port positions on my 2009 Mac: the crappy FW800 port that loses its cable when you tilt the chin towards you, or worse, the SD card being so close to the DVD slot. The number of times I had to carefully coax a card out of the DVD card slot. If your iMac is on a shallow desk with a back wall (think cube farm) it’s not like you can easily get to the back side of the iMac to plug and unplug things. If your power cable was impinged, you would pull the power out. (So I’m concerned about the magsafe power on the iMac.)

I also wonder just how many people who use an iMac as a home machine use all those ports. A decent port expansion bar conveniently placed based on your own individual needs is easier to use and saves the rest of the user base from paying for ports they don’t use. And you could possibly make the argument its less wasteful (environmentally advantageous) not to build in ports folks won’t use.

Does anyone remember the switch to USB from all those horrid port options of their day? First villainized now lionized.

 

[AJACs3]

For starters, it does NOT have a SD card slot.

Where is the beauty without a SD card slot?

You mean that tiny slot right next to the DVD slot?! No thanks.

Just guessing but I’d bet that the target audience probably uses their iPhone for pictures with iCloud photos.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

I like the new iMacs too.

No logo on the front seems strange at first but imagine the previous iMacs never contained a logo on the front and now they would have included one, people would react the same way.
The white bezels look good with the pastel (and grey) colored fronts.
I really like the colors Apple used on the back. I'm not a huge fan of the pastel colors which are the colors you will look at all day. If I would buy one of these new machines it probably would be the grey one.

I believe the reason for eliminating the logo was to help the machine relate to a future iMac Pro that will reduce or eliminate the chin.

I agree — the subdued colors on the front all seem to blend well with the white bezel.

 

[Maconplasma]

I believe the reason for eliminating the logo was to help the machine relate to a future iMac Pro that will reduce or eliminate the chin.

I agree — the subdued colors on the front all seem to blend well with the white bezel.

Apple stated in their event that the point of the clean face is so the user will focus on the screen. This is exactly why the color on the back of the iMac is bold but the front is a soft pastel. If there will be an AS iMac Pro it will for sure have a chin. That's where all the electronics, fan and speakers are.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

I think it's a fantastic design. My only preference would have been if you could have the color on the back..... be the color on the front chin.

The chin and overall design serves a functional purpose too. The logic board, speakers, all fit in the chin area. Easy to install different versions of the logic board during the manufacturing process. Also, having an EXTERNAL power supply is fantastic from a support perspective. Power supplies (and ethernet ports) are notorious for getting fried by power surges. Instead of ripping open a machine to repair, just get a new power supply.

I think it's a great design. I don't mind the white border at all. I find it refreshing. The whole world does not have to be in dark mode!

Ah, that would have been bold, and maybe more polarizing! Would be interesting to see what that would look like though.

Very well put. They seem to have looked at it from all angles. The manufacturing efficiency probably played a bigger role in the overall design.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

Apple stated in their event that the point of the clean face is so the user will focus on the screen. This is exactly why the color on the back of the iMac is bold but the front is a soft pastel. If there will be an AS iMac Pro it will for sure have a chin. That's where all the electronics, fan and speakers are.

Yes, I don’t know if it’s even technically possible to locate the guts behind the screen. Even if it was, maybe the extra thickness would just be too much of a compromise on the overall aesthetic.

I don’t care about the “chin”, but if anyone can figure out how to eliminate it, it’s Apple.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

I dislike nearly all the port positions on my 2009 Mac: the crappy FW800 port that loses its cable when you tilt the chin towards you, or worse, the SD card being so close to the DVD slot. The number of times I had to carefully coax a card out of the DVD card slot. If your iMac is on a shallow desk with a back wall (think cube farm) it’s not like you can easily get to the back side of the iMac to plug and unplug things. If your power cable was impinged, you would pull the power out. (So I’m concerned about the magsafe power on the iMac.)

I also wonder just how many people who use an iMac as a home machine use all those ports. A decent port expansion bar conveniently placed based on your own individual needs is easier to use and saves the rest of the user base from paying for ports they don’t use. And you could possibly make the argument its less wasteful (environmentally advantageous) not to build in ports folks won’t use.

Does anyone remember the switch to USB from all those horrid port options of their day? First villainized now lionized.

Reading this while my 2009 iMac is staring at me. She knows her days are numbered...

Not to disregard the users that want many port options, but I agree that most users probably don’t need this. I only need two usb at the most.

I have never used the sd card slot — instead just connected my camera directly via usb. But now all of my photos are shot with an iPhone, so either cloud or usb is all I need.

 

[Allyance]

I've had my current iMac about 7 years, bought used from student from China that was going home. Knowning this forum, no matter what Apple did, there would be a slew of complaints. I am looking forward getting a new one as soon as possible. Never used SD slot, iPhone photos appear on iMac automatically. DVD slot? not on my machine.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

I liked it from the start, but starting to love it more and more. I think that any great design will always have mixed reactions at first, but people will become accustomed to it quickly. You can't make an iconic design without some bold choices. And they really went above-and-beyond with the attention to detail on the power cord and keyboard/mouse. Plus, all this running on the M1 chip for a fairly affordable price...the average consumer will be absolutely delighted, I'm betting.

Absolutely — nicely said. The whole package just seems so well thought out. The attention to detail, as you mentioned, is seen everywhere.

Now if someone could create a slim hard briefcase for it, with the same attention to detail, that would be great.

 

[plinden]

Yes, I don’t know if it’s even technically possible to locate the guts behind the screen. Even if it was, maybe the extra thickness would just be too much of a compromise on the overall aesthetic.

I don’t care about the “chin”, but if anyone can figure out how to eliminate it, it’s Apple.

The 11mm thickness of the new iMac is probably as much to do with how much space is required for the guts, as what is needed for the screen. Since the guts fit in a volume about 1/5 the size of the screen, to put the guts behind the screen would have meant not just doubling the thickness, but also adding a lot of empty space, or having a weird bump.

 

[plinden]

By the way, we will know what the general public think of this after 4/30. If we see the delivery dates starting to slip for one or more of the colors we'll know it's a hit (no, companies with a well-established brand like Apple don't need to try to gin up demand by restricting supply - Apple will want to deliver exactly what people are ordering)

As for myself - I was neutral on the looks when the iMac was announced. I didn't mind the colors and they've only grown on me since then. The silver one looks dull in comparison. However, it doesn't have the specs I'd like, but that's ok. I've been tempted by the Mini since I have a Dell U2720Q 4K monitor and all the peripherals I need, but I don't need a new computer, so I'll pass for this generation and maybe the next one.

 

[Loyola]

I like the design and it is growing on me. It has enough ports for me and I have never used the SD card slot.

The only thing stopping me is a better processor option.

 

[GhostHost]

I wish I could wait until I see one in person before deciding but I need to upgrade my 10 year old iMac as soon as they become available.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

The 11mm thickness of the new iMac is probably as much to do with how much space is required for the guts, as what is needed for the screen. Since the guts fit in a volume about 1/5 the size of the screen, to put the guts behind the screen would have meant not just doubling the thickness, but also adding a lot of empty space, or having a weird bump.

Good points. I’m trying to think of what they would fill the space up with, and I can’t think of anything logical. So maybe, as you said, the only practical way would be to have a bump, which would compromise the aesthetic quite a bit.

But even then, I don’t know if certain components need to be shielded from the display in such a way to avoid interference issues.

The “chin” seems to be the best compromise, and it doesn’t bother me at all or change my productivity.

 

[fishkorp]

I wish I could wait until I see one in person before deciding but I need to upgrade my 10 year old iMac as soon as they become available.

And I think that’s going to be an issue for a lot of people. Best Buy won’t have all colors on display. And most Apple stores have resized in “express” mode with no products on display and no way to browse. Sure they’ll go back eventually, but who knows when. If I decide to get one, I just need to pick a color and take the gamble. I don’t want to return to get another color, I’m not that guy