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Hands-On With Apple's New Orange M1 iMac
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I was at a Bay Area Apple store earlier today where all iMacs were on display.
All (colors) look superb along with their matching keyboards/mice. The big surprise was the display itself. It's stunning and reminds me of when I first viewed a large screen 5K iMac a few years ago, even though it's "only" 4.5K. The white bezel looks great as does the chin - it's all glass. Overall, well done! Sadly, I don't need another iMac right now - it would be an instant purchase otherwise.
All (colors) look superb along with their matching keyboards/mice. The big surprise was the display itself. It's stunning and reminds me of when I first viewed a large screen 5K iMac a few years ago, even though it's "only" 4.5K. The white bezel looks great as does the chin - it's all glass. Overall, well done! Sadly, I don't need another iMac right now - it would be an instant purchase otherwise.
The design of the chin is rightfully being mocked.
1. The color is awkward.
2. Due to the white bezel, the chin is wider than the screen and looks wrong.
3. It should have an Apple logo or the name “iMac”
Solution was to have the whole face white/gray with a color apple logo that matches the stand or back.
The colors are nice but in the final analysis I only want to work on photos using a neutral colored computer with a black border around the display. If I was a 20 year old girl the colors would be legit.
For what it's worth here are a few numbers for comparison, particularly for those hung up on the chin.
I compared the frontal area of the previous 21.5 iMac with the new 24.
I mentioned somewhere in another thread that the 24 has a display about 20 percent larger than the 21.5 it replaces.
Here are a few other numbers:
The 21.5
- display is 63% of frontal area.
- display is 75% of blacked out area.
- chin is 16% of frontal area
The 24
- display is 75% of frontal area.
- display is 88% of blacked out (whited out?) area.
- chin is 14.5% of frontal area.
So all the noise about how awful and obstrusive the chin is on the new 24 is not backed up by the numbers. The actual display area is significantly larger in relation to the total frontal area of the computer. And the chin is notably smaller in relation to the total frontal. Consequently the bezel area is also significantly reduced.
I compared the frontal area of the previous 21.5 iMac with the new 24.
I mentioned somewhere in another thread that the 24 has a display about 20 percent larger than the 21.5 it replaces.
Here are a few other numbers:
The 21.5
- display is 63% of frontal area.
- display is 75% of blacked out area.
- chin is 16% of frontal area
The 24
- display is 75% of frontal area.
- display is 88% of blacked out (whited out?) area.
- chin is 14.5% of frontal area.
So all the noise about how awful and obstrusive the chin is on the new 24 is not backed up by the numbers. The actual display area is significantly larger in relation to the total frontal area of the computer. And the chin is notably smaller in relation to the total frontal. Consequently the bezel area is also significantly reduced.
Sure - the computer part itself is fantastic (although I think the lack of ports on the base model sucks).
But to me there is just too much going on colour wise. When screen is off, it looks really bad. By contrast I have an old 21.5 4K, in the corner of the living room and it looks superb as a single slab of deep black with slim silver chin. Just two areas cleanly split from left to right. Blends away, and ready to switch on when it gets used (1-2 times a day maybe.)
When the new 24 iMac on, it still has problems...not only is there a clash between the stand and the chin colour, there is also the white bezel, plus yet another thin black outline around the screen! This previously used to be hidden within the black bezels.
Will you be returning the 24" or will you make use of the 14 day return period? Is it possible you are stuck in the old Apple design ways and finding it hard to accept a change that doesn't focus on ports etc. ?
They have to decide a color in the marketing material and settle with that. In the real world there isn’t just lighting or eyesight that will change your perception of colors, but even the smallest difference in the materials used to make the product.
Take space gray Macbooks as an example. Put 10 of them side by side and you notice they are not the same tone of gray. Because even a tiny tiny tiny difference in the metal alloys or anodizing will shift the wavelength of light. These differences in the alloys are unavoidable because it only takes a few molecules to shift the colour of reflected light.
Too bad there wasn't an all white option to make the bezels go away.
Then get the silver iMac or wait for the higher end Macs.
The Magic Mouse is included with all iMacs, the Magic Trackpad is an additional cost.
I can only imagine the cries of rage if the bigger iMac also has white bezels. 🤣
At least it better be available in Silver because the lack of Space Gray will be too much for some. 😆
At least it better be available in Silver because the lack of Space Gray will be too much for some. 😆
How about putting the Apple sticker on the big chin you don't like. Surprised Apple didn't put the branding on the chin anyway???
The sticker‘s too big, but there are already color-matched vinyls you can get on Etsy.
Love the orange! Apple knocked it out of the park!
It was many many years of waiting and while I am happy that some new Macs are coming out—the vision is lacking to a great degree. Whereas Microsoft Surface Studio and the Concept D are appropriating Apple's brand identity (much like Hyundai + Samsung did to Honda + Sony), Apple is NOT pushing hard enough. And they are ripe to be diminished and pushed out of this market if they're not careful.
Creatives need the next level of product from Apple—not a tired, regurgitated design from 10+ years ago. Nevertheless, I still support the company, their past brilliance and their team. I wish them ultimate success in their next iteration of these machines. However, I will stick to a Macbook Pro and Wacom display until something comes out that blows my mind. Or I will get a Surface Studio if and when they ever figure out how to execute that machine for hands-on creatives.
I love the orange in back and do not like the muted / pastel vibe in front. Give me the full orange please. Reminds me of the Julep on Decarie—the greatest orange of them all. Or better yet, let us change the color on demand. Use glass and RGB and imagination.
I mean—it's time to think different again, is it not?
Creatives need the next level of product from Apple—not a tired, regurgitated design from 10+ years ago. Nevertheless, I still support the company, their past brilliance and their team. I wish them ultimate success in their next iteration of these machines. However, I will stick to a Macbook Pro and Wacom display until something comes out that blows my mind. Or I will get a Surface Studio if and when they ever figure out how to execute that machine for hands-on creatives.
I love the orange in back and do not like the muted / pastel vibe in front. Give me the full orange please. Reminds me of the Julep on Decarie—the greatest orange of them all. Or better yet, let us change the color on demand. Use glass and RGB and imagination.
I mean—it's time to think different again, is it not?
You say creatives need the next level product from Apple and then you bash the design. Apple has delivered with the M1 which is better than anything Intel has produced. In my opinion, the M1 is more than capable. If you don't like the design that is fine. Don't equate appearance with ability, which is what you seem to be doing.
I think if Apple could have removed the chin and still provide the quality and power they expect, they would have done so. I don't think the tech is quite there to allow them that ability in design.
If they had picked the green one maybe some post processing color replacement magic could have been done to shift its colors, as an approximation at least. Maybe could still be done on the orange one though.
That being said, all of this reminds me of Queen Elizabeth and her green outfits:
Great. I don’t care.
Saying you don’t like the colour might be a normal response from some people.
Claiming that aspects are wrong is quite arrogant.
I know we live in a post opinion world, but I am entitled to mine.
Arrogance is claiming other people can’t have opinions if you don’t like them.
Ah the irony.
"I'm entitled to my opinion"
"X is WRONG".
Wrong is not an opinion. Wrong is a statement of truth/correctness.
"I don't like this <X> because <Y>" is an opinion.
"<X> is wrong, it should be <Y>" is a statement, claiming that no one can like X.
Edit to clarify.
The lack of an Apple logo from the chin has been raised many times as a design criticism.
I can see some subtlety in the omission of the Apple logo from the face of the new iMac.
Apple's design cues are now so universally distinctive that it doesn't need an explicit logo to identify the new iMac as an Apple product. So, even though the 24" iMac comes in a new and refreshingly updated design, it's unquestionably an Apple computer viewed from the front without the need for a logo on the chin to identify it as such - without the distraction of a logo for the user.
As an aside, this means that when the iMac appears as a prop in TV shows (e.g. The Big Bang Theory), there won't be any need to obscure the logo with Post-It Notes, transfers, etc. to avoid inadvertent unpaid product advertising. Although, even when the logo is obscured, Apple products remain instantly recognisable.
This is not the first time that Apple has omitted their logo or product name from the face of their products, although they have brought it back in later designs. For example, I have a mid-2104 13" Retina MBP that has no Apple identification when open and viewed from the front.
I can see some subtlety in the omission of the Apple logo from the face of the new iMac.
Apple's design cues are now so universally distinctive that it doesn't need an explicit logo to identify the new iMac as an Apple product. So, even though the 24" iMac comes in a new and refreshingly updated design, it's unquestionably an Apple computer viewed from the front without the need for a logo on the chin to identify it as such - without the distraction of a logo for the user.
As an aside, this means that when the iMac appears as a prop in TV shows (e.g. The Big Bang Theory), there won't be any need to obscure the logo with Post-It Notes, transfers, etc. to avoid inadvertent unpaid product advertising. Although, even when the logo is obscured, Apple products remain instantly recognisable.
This is not the first time that Apple has omitted their logo or product name from the face of their products, although they have brought it back in later designs. For example, I have a mid-2104 13" Retina MBP that has no Apple identification when open and viewed from the front.
The design choice was simple: they could have done away with the chin by making the whole thing a bit thicker - or keeping the old ‘baby bump’ design - to accommodate the electronics, cooling and speakers (I suspect it’s the speakers that are the real issue). So in terms of the chin, it’s one cosmetic issue vs. another.
...personally, I don’t care about the presence or absence of the chin, but I dislike the move to an external power brick & proprietary connector which is most likely purely to satisfy the craving for thinness.
There’s a huge slice of “form over function“ in the design of the new iMac - which isn‘t so bad for a home/consumer focussed product, esp. one constrained by the features of the M1, but I hope Apple can reign it in a bit when it comes to the 5k replacement and high-end Mini.
You may get to see the higher end models later this year. Hopefully, it will be more to your liking. I think the same set up with the external power supply will happen for the 5 or 6K iMac. I think it was done that way to remove heat build up from the internals thus giving the Mac longer life.