I will agree that the SD card reader should be located else where or not even included. But even then an external card reader solves that.
I could see them putting ports on the bottom, but running them out to the side would cause issues with the cooling. One of the reasons it's so quiet is because of the large volume set aside for cooling. More volume --> slower fan speeds --> quieter computer.When you consider that there's no reason, and no tradeoff that you have to make to put the ports on the side, it's a completely idiotic decision on Apple's part.
I could see them putting ports on the bottom, but running them out to the side would cause issues with the cooling. One of the reasons it's so quiet is because of the large volume set aside for cooling. More volume --> slower fan speeds --> quieter computer.
I had a 2010 27" i7 iMac and now have a 2012 version and would do it over again in a heartbeat. It's faster, quieter, cooler, Thunderbolt/USB 3.0, and has a better display image. It's not perfect, but IMO, nobody makes a better All-In-One.
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I do photography/videography as a hobby and don't think the new location is inconvenient. It's quite a simple matter to insert an SD card while I'm sitting in front of my iMac. I actually much prefer the new location over the side, however I have a 21" monitor to the right my iMac. So IMO, it's not even a trade off, it's simply a good move irrespective of the thinner edge design.I don't think people have a problem with inconvenient ports as much as they have a problem with inconvenient ports and the expense of the edge thickness of the screen. There's a very clear tradeoff going on, and it's not a good one.