Today I went into my local Best Buy to take a look at the new iMacs. In particular I wanted to see if the so-called "bulge" was objectionable, because of all the discussion about it.
Fortunately, they had a 21 inch late 2012 next to a 27 inch 2011. I immediately noticed the thinness at the edges of the 21 inch, and saw a bulge. Fortunately, there was nothing objectionable about it.
Then I noticed something on the 27 inch 2011 -- it also has the same bulge. It is only less apparent because the edges do not taper down to the very thin edge. So I attempted to take some causal measurements of the "thickness of the bulge" on both models. While my method had a lot of built-in error, after several comparisons I had to conclude that the bulge is roughly the same on both models. A better comparison would have been to a 21 inch 2011, but there was not one on display.
My conclusion is that rather than "adding a bulge", the designers rather sculpted away thickness as you move towards the edge, leaving the bulge the same as it was before. That is, the bulge was not "added", simply "revealed".
When I got home I checked my 24 inch 2007 iMac. The thickness at the edge is approximately 30 mm. The thickness at the bulge may be estimated by extending a vertical from the bulge over the top of the screen, then measuring the distance from the front of the screen to the vertical. The measurement is approximately 60mm. Even given significant error in the measurements, one is forced to conclude that prior to 2012 there has always been a bulge in the iMac. It was simply less noticeable because of the tapering to a much greater thickness at the edge.
Conclusions:
Fortunately, they had a 21 inch late 2012 next to a 27 inch 2011. I immediately noticed the thinness at the edges of the 21 inch, and saw a bulge. Fortunately, there was nothing objectionable about it.
Then I noticed something on the 27 inch 2011 -- it also has the same bulge. It is only less apparent because the edges do not taper down to the very thin edge. So I attempted to take some causal measurements of the "thickness of the bulge" on both models. While my method had a lot of built-in error, after several comparisons I had to conclude that the bulge is roughly the same on both models. A better comparison would have been to a 21 inch 2011, but there was not one on display.
My conclusion is that rather than "adding a bulge", the designers rather sculpted away thickness as you move towards the edge, leaving the bulge the same as it was before. That is, the bulge was not "added", simply "revealed".
When I got home I checked my 24 inch 2007 iMac. The thickness at the edge is approximately 30 mm. The thickness at the bulge may be estimated by extending a vertical from the bulge over the top of the screen, then measuring the distance from the front of the screen to the vertical. The measurement is approximately 60mm. Even given significant error in the measurements, one is forced to conclude that prior to 2012 there has always been a bulge in the iMac. It was simply less noticeable because of the tapering to a much greater thickness at the edge.
Conclusions:
- bulge not objectionable
- it was always there, more or less.