New iMac Is Bizarre

[George Dawes]

I find the infatuation with thinness for a desktop ridiculous, on a laptop or iPad or iPhone , fair enough

Theyre portable so weight and size are paramount, but on a desktop ? 🤦‍♀️

 

[4sallypat]

I find the infatuation with thinness for a desktop ridiculous, on a laptop or iPad or iPhone , fair enough

Theyre portable so weight and size are paramount, but on a desktop ? 🤦‍♀️

If it was not for the adoption of their own M1, Apple could not have made it thin as it is with the new iMac.

The engineering difference between Intel's: hot, bothered, power hungry, fan spinners, wasted clock & instruction cycle software and laggy performance -

Compared to Apple's M1: cold, energy efficient, software matching snappy action, and no more spinning beach balls.

If you look at the new M1 circuit board and power supply requirements, they have considerably reduced in size and coupled with the low heat generation, they can now get thinner, lighter and trim than ever before.

A case in point: look at the circuit board size of the new M1 Mac Mini compared to the older Intel Mini board - it occupies less than half the case:

 

[ascender]

What is the bad thing with the power brick? the cable is 2m long
I love that the power supply is outside the imac now...if it fails at least you buy another one

Because some people don't want a power brick as its something else to find a place for?

I genuinely don't mind either way, but I get why some people liked the old iMac with no external brick.

 

[George Dawes]

If it was not for the adoption of their own M1, Apple could not have made it thin as it is with the new iMac.

The engineering difference between Intel's: hot, bothered, power hungry, fan spinners, wasted clock & instruction cycle software and laggy performance -

Compared to Apple's M1: cold, energy efficient, software matching snappy action, and no more spinning beach balls.

If you look at the new M1 circuit board and power supply requirements, they have considerably reduced in size and coupled with the low heat generation, they can now get thinner, lighter and trim than ever before.

A case in point: look at the circuit board size of the new M1 Mac Mini compared to the older Intel Mini board - it occupies less than half the case:

That is very impressive tbh

 

[Serban55]

Why keep them heavy when is no longer necessary ?! and also...too thin is not a good either for the mobile world...remember how fragile to bend those 5.9mm thick ipads were/are
I think on a desktop you can go thin if you can, because you dont use it to move it around so much or keep in your bag or anything like that

 

[Retrostarscream]

Why keep them heavy when is no longer necessary ?! and also...too thin is not a good either for the mobile world...remember how fragile to bend those 5.9mm thick ipads were/are
I think on a desktop you can go thin if you can, because you dont use it to move it around so much or keep in your bag or anything like that

Can't read into their priorities when they slam against the thinness of the desktop 🖥 but do believe what they mean is they would be willing to sacrifice width and weight if it meant they could do away with the chin.

In the very least I would.

 

[Robospungo]

The new design feels like a collab with ikea.

I agree. But I like Ikea stuff so it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[blairh]

Once people start frequenting physical stores more moving forward, I think a lot of consumers (who don't follow this stuff like we do) will be surprised to learn there is no 24" iMac without a white bezel.

 

[ADGrant]

I find the infatuation with thinness for a desktop ridiculous, on a laptop or iPad or iPhone , fair enough

Theyre portable so weight and size are paramount, but on a desktop ? 🤦‍♀️

I find the obsession with internal power supplies ridiculous. So it the obsession with chinless iMacs.

That said the cooling system of the iMac is a bit pathetic. I think they should have used the case as a heatsink and gone fanless.

 

[trip1ex]

Once people start frequenting physical stores more moving forward, I think a lot of consumers (who don't follow this stuff like we do) will be surprised to learn there is no 24" iMac without a white bezel.

lol. It's completely the opposite. No one is going to care. Members of the 'black bezel or die" club are a tiny niche.

 

[blairh]

lol. It's completely the opposite. No one is going to care. Members of the 'black bezel or die" club are a tiny niche.

It's not black bezel or die club. It's being forced to buy something with a white bezel if you want that machine. A more neutral color like silver would have made a big difference in just one model option.

 

[trip1ex]

It's not black bezel or die club. It's being forced to buy something with a white bezel if you want that machine. A more neutral color like silver would have made a big difference in just one model option.

You're describing the black bezel or die club.

 

[blairh]

You're describing the black bezel or die club.

I literally just said even a silver bezel would have been a good option for consumers who don't want white. Black bezel or die means only a black bezel would suffice. I am not saying that.

 

[transpo1]

The point being we aren't getting an iMac in this size class in a more conventional color combination. (Silver and white bezels ain't it.) I think that's a big mistake.

There is no obsession here. I'm a forum member sharing my thoughts on a product.

I understand, and you have every right to share your opinion, over and over and over again. But no matter how flat you make a pancake, it's still got two sides.

I tried a simulated picture of white bezels on my 27" 2nd monitor display as a simulation (from this thread) and the white bezels didn't bother me at all. Perhaps you should try that simulation as well; maybe you'll be surprised.

They will eventually come out with an iMac with the traditional colors, but they will likely force you to spend a little bit more money and wait for a bit longer, but that's Apple's game.

 

[blairh]

I understand, and you have every right to share your opinion, over and over and over again. But no matter how flat you make a pancake, it's still got two sides.

I tried a simulated picture of white bezels on my 27" 2nd monitor display as a simulation (from this thread) and the white bezels didn't bother me at all. Perhaps you should try that simulation as well; maybe you'll be surprised.

They will eventually come out with an iMac with the traditional colors, but they will likely force you to spend a little bit more money and wait for a bit longer, but that's Apple's game.

White bezels would never work for me.

 

[4sallypat]

It's not black bezel or die club. It's being forced to buy something with a white bezel if you want that machine. A more neutral color like silver would have made a big difference in just one model option.

You don't have buy anything.
No one is forcing you to buy the M1 iMac.
If you don't like the aesthetics then that's your personal choice.

I don't make decisions because the bezel is a certain color or thickness.
I buy based on what it will do for me as a computing device.

 

[trip1ex]

I literally just said even a silver bezel would have been a good option for consumers who don't want white. Black bezel or die means only a black bezel would suffice. I am not saying that.

lol. The black bezel or die club approved the use of silver bezels 17 years ago. They kept the same name because it rolls off the tongue better.

 

[blairh]

You don't have buy anything.
No one is forcing you to buy the M1 iMac.
If you don't like the aesthetics then that's your personal choice.

I don't make decisions because the bezel is a certain color or thickness.
I buy based on what it will do for me as a computing device.

I can share my thoughts on a product even if I'm not going to purchase it. That has nothing to do with anything.

A white bezel will be a part of the computing experience. It goes beyond aesthetics.

 

[Serban55]

I find the obsession with internal power supplies ridiculous. So it the obsession with chinless iMacs.

That said the cooling system of the iMac is a bit pathetic. I think they should have used the case as a heatsink and gone fanless.

if they went fanless...while the current M1 doesnt need a fan..the next gen it might...so Apple designed this thing for the future, not just for 1 generation...we all know Apple likes to keep the same design for years...4-5 years for laptops and for imacs...well over 5 years...

 

[Serban55]

lol. The black bezel or die club approved the use of silver bezels 17 years ago. They kept the same name because it rolls off the tongue better.

""I literally just said even a silver bezel would have been a good option for consumers who don't want white""
but, why you are talking about white bezels when even Apple said officially that are light grey bezels

 

[BradMacPro]

The white bezel, as well as the chin, are behind a pane of glass that covers the entire front of the desktop.

I don't have one to confirm, but I see no evidence of this and a color anodized chin makes a lot more sense than glass over the whole face.

 

[trip1ex]

I don't have one to confirm, but I see no evidence of this and a color anodized chin makes a lot more sense than glass over the whole face.

They said it in the presentation. Glass over the whole face.

 

[Serban55]

I don't have one to confirm, but I see no evidence of this and a color anodized chin makes a lot more sense than glass over the whole face.

Indeed the whole front is cover in glass. The good thing is that there will be no more gap between the chin and the glass

 

[kildraik]

So many puzzling decisions by Apple with the iMac redesign.

1. White bezels are terrible for content consumption. If you use dark mode it's going to make the bezels stick out so much. There is a reason just about no monitor, TV, etc, is white these days. Yes I'm aware Apple used white bezels back in the day. No I don't think that's a good reason to use them again. They could have either matched the bezels with the colors of the machine, gone with silver, or used less pastel colors. At the very least offer the silver model with a black bezel.

2. Yes, the bigger future iMacs will look very different. But what if you want a cheaper/smaller iMac with no white bezel? You are SOL.

3. The chin looks bigger without the logo. It also looks like an unfinished product without it.

4. The ports on the base model are pathetic. No ethernet unless you pay for it on the power brick or get the next up model. Two USB 4/Thunderbolt ports and nothing more is a joke for a machine that starts at $1,300.

5. The power brick is embarrassing. The whole appeal of the iMac is that it is an all-in-one device. A power brick is such a junky addition.

6. Headphone jack on the side sucks if you use wired speakers.

7. This obsession with thinness on a desktop makes no sense to me. Other than taking an iMac to the Apple store for service, who cares how light your iMac is? I'd rather have a thicker iMac and not have a power brick, not have a headphone jack on the side, and potentially not have a chin either.

8. 8 GB of RAM is really cutting it close and not very future-proof. My iMac struggles at times and I'm a light user with the same amount of RAM. Luckily I can manually update mine if needed. You cannot manually update the RAM on this iMac so you have to pay for 16 GB at purchase if you are unsure if 8 GB will be sufficient.

9. The look of this iMac itself is very polarizing. Pastels combined with white bezels is a bold choice of course but with such choices you are going to turn off a lot of consumers looking for something less bold and/or more professional. Another reason why a silver/black bezel model would have made sense as an option.

1. Vaguely agree, but I’m not the market they are targeting with the base iMac. This will matter only if it doesn’t change with the Pro. They’re filling a niche. People have gone bananas over them.

2. Then buy a Mac Mini.

3. I disagree. It’s slick and futuristic.

4. I bet 98% of normal users will use one port 5% of the time. And Ethernet is irrelevant to 98% of those users.

5. The power brick might be a weird flex, but again, you’re likely the only one outside of a handful of other MacRumors members who cares. My LG Wallpaper has a power brick, and I don’t mind.

6. The headphone jack is generally irrelevant. Unless you’re an audio/video professional using a USB-C connected interface, chances are 99% of users have wireless headphones.

7. Design. User demand. Do you really think Apple hasn’t done their market research? Plus, why not? It will look excellent in the spaces it will most likely live, and function better than most will expect. In my opinion, it’s a job well done for the chipset that lives in it.

8. You clearly do not own an M1 with unified memory. I have both a 16GB MBP for personal (and side hustle video editing-heavy workloads) and 8GB MBP for work (normal business and DAW testing). 8GB is a non-issue. This isn’t 2012.

9. This “polarising,” and “bold,” choice, in my opinion, works. They thought differently and delivered an excellent consumer machine.

 

[trip1ex]

YOU can actually see a side view of the new iMac on apple.com and you can see the glass is top to bottom.