My thoughts on the new design

[53x12]

I would have preferred that they kept the same design and improved on other things such as the inside!

I agree. Would have been nice if they had worked on some new screen technology or something else. While a thinner and lighter iMac is nice for those times you move it around, how often does that even happen. It isn't like this is a laptop. Seems that R&D could have been spent on some other areas

But I don't care. I used to look at iMacs as the were the only machines with affordable power, but now the Mini is faster and cheaper. For the price of each base iMac, you get a faster mini with better IPS display and free SSD and 16Gb.

iMac still offers dedicated GPU whereas the Mac mini does not.
Fastest iMac is still more powerful than fastest Mac mini.
iMac will take 32GB of RAM whereas Mac mini will only take 16GB RAM.

Mac mini 2.3 i7/256 SSD/16gb RAM is $1400 plus $1000 for ATD = $2400

Not sure where you are getting this better IPS display and free SSD and 16GB RAM for same price as base iMac?

 

[AppleMooseMan]

I agree. Would have been nice if they had worked on some new screen technology or something else. While a thinner and lighter iMac is nice for those times you move it around, how often does that even happen. It isn't like this is a laptop. Seems that R&D could have been spent on some other areas





iMac still offers dedicated GPU whereas the Mac mini does not.
Fastest iMac is still more powerful than fastest Mac mini.
iMac will take 32GB of RAM whereas Mac mini will only take 16GB RAM.

Mac mini 2.3 i7/256 SSD/16gb RAM is $1400 plus $1000 for ATD = $2400

Not sure where you are getting this better IPS display and free SSD and 16GB RAM for same price as base iMac?

I was seriously considering getting the Mini but the less than stellar graphics was a big turnoff.

 

[53x12]

Not to mention Mac mini uses mobile based processors and iMac desktop based.

 

[skippymac]

40% less volume than its predecessor.

not arguing that point, but I think it would still be a much more aesthetically pleasing product if it were a little flatter, with the same volume, it would also be more practical for anyone who wants to upgrade.

In fact if it were a more rectangular sort of shape they could probably get the volume down even more as it would fit the components better.

My argument about 10 years down the line still stands too. Would you rather have people saying now "Oh cool it's kinda thin but a bit weird looking", and for a later model saying "meh, it's been done." Or would you rather people saying now "great it's a bit thinner than before" and then later on saying "OH MY GOD HOW DID THEY MAKE THIS? IT'S LIKE PAPER?!".

Maybe a bit of an exaggeration but still.

Incidentally, I notice a distinct lack of side profile shots of the imac on apple's website...

 

[nutmac]

The "all in one" appeals to a lot of people, including me.

Could you elaborate?

Assuming Mac mini (1) has similar power as iMac and (2) costs about the same, why would you choose iMac over Mac mini? I realize those are big assumptions, but if Apple expands Mini's size a bit (so that it can use some desktop components like iMac) and offer display, keyboard, and pointing device as a bundle, I don't think the idea is far fetched.

And I never thought Mac mini to be so large (even earlier versions) that it feels less "all-in-one" than iMac. All the while offering ability to upgrade only the Mini (instead of upgrading to entirely new iMac) and being more user serviceable.

 

[katewes]

It's not about hating the new design, it's about the idiocy of creating this design to the detriment of things like bluray/DVD drives. Show me one person that was whining about the last iMac being too thick and I'll show you a fool.

I'll show you three:

Sir Jony Ive
Phil Schiller
Tim Cook

these 3 where whining.

 

[bflowers]

I'm putting it on a semi-fancy desk in my dining room, that has a upper part with shelves over it. The desk has a 16 inch depth, 36 inches wide, and the first shelf is 26 inches off the surface. Since there are drawers to one side, I'll have the iMac off center on the desk, with a phone to the other side. I'll have about 5 inches above it, it will sit within an inch of one shelf vertical, which takes up 8 inches of the 16 inch depth.

That means, from the sides, top and back, I won't be seeing much of the side of the computer, much less the back.

I stand by the fact that desktop computers don't need to be ultra thin and light. Unless this new design allows for better convection cooling, I think it's stupid to go ultra thin. I'd rather have the SD slot on the side next to the ODD. I'm not about to turn the thing every time I want to pull photos off my dSLR. I'll be ignoring the built in slot in favor of an external reader, even if it is slower, because I won't have to move everything to get to the back. I picked the 2012 over the 2011 because of the other upgrades, but I'm disappointed that Apple is obsessed with being anorexic on their desktops.

Actually, a better poll would have had different options:
The thinner the better.
Was fine before, just increase the specs.
Don't care how thin it is, get rid of the chin.
The Snowball with the floating screen was the best ever.
Make it thicker and give me more user upgradable options!

 

[Lankyman]

Originally Posted by AppleMooseMan
For the past month I've seen a huge number of people who have been very critical of the new iMac design, i.e "who needs a desktop computer so thin"?
Well I said I would reserve judgement until I saw this new machine.
This morning it arrived, and I was blown away at how freaking beautiful it looks. Using this machine is just a blast; it looks like something straight out of science fiction. The 5mm edge looks great, and the bulge actually looks kind of trendy.

Now you really will have to explain this one to me. Everyone is agreed that from the front the new and the outgoing models are identical. Unless I'm doing something wrong I tend to look at the front of my iMac when I'm using it, the back is to the wall so I've rarely seen it and ditto for the sides. Why then to use your terminology have you been "blown away by how freaking beautiful it looks"? This design has after all been out for some years. Again, when the iMac has been out for some years is using it a blast and looks like something out of science fiction?

Me thinks you are over compensating for what is after all a very modest visual design change.

 

[MacFoodPoisoner]

I'm putting it on a semi-fancy desk in my dining room, that has a upper part with shelves over it. The desk has a 16 inch depth, 36 inches wide, and the first shelf is 26 inches off the surface. Since there are drawers to one side, I'll have the iMac off center on the desk, with a phone to the other side. I'll have about 5 inches above it, it will sit within an inch of one shelf vertical, which takes up 8 inches of the 16 inch depth.

That means, from the sides, top and back, I won't be seeing much of the side of the computer, much less the back.

I stand by the fact that desktop computers don't need to be ultra thin and light. Unless this new design allows for better convection cooling, I think it's stupid to go ultra thin. I'd rather have the SD slot on the side next to the ODD. I'm not about to turn the thing every time I want to pull photos off my dSLR. I'll be ignoring the built in slot in favor of an external reader, even if it is slower, because I won't have to move everything to get to the back. I picked the 2012 over the 2011 because of the other upgrades, but I'm disappointed that Apple is obsessed with being anorexic on their desktops.

Actually, a better poll would have had different options:
The thinner the better.
Was fine before, just increase the specs.
Don't care how thin it is, get rid of the chin.
The Snowball with the floating screen was the best ever.
Make it thinker and give me more user upgradable options!

Excellent post and poll options.

 

[iHailCarlo]

As if there's a choice. There's one new iMac design.

I could wait for a new model, right?

 

[tech4all]

I don't hate the design, I just don't see the reason for being so thin on a desktop over than because "it's Apple."

For me, one of the biggest reasons against new iMac is timing of it all. I frankly don't think iMac needs to exist at all. Apple should instead beef up Mac mini to match iMac spec, and offer 21.5" and 27" displays, along with keyboard and mouse, as a bundle (with discounted pricing).

The iMac is all about having an all-in-one computer. It's the hallmark of Apple. Well at least with Macs.

 

[bflowers]

Excellent post and poll options.

Thanks. I actually still have my snowball iMac sitting on a desk in our basement Family Room. I still love the ergonomic display. I used to move that all over depending on what I was doing.

 

[4tune8chance]

For the past month I've seen a huge number of people who have been very critical of the new iMac design, i.e "who needs a desktop computer so thin"?
Well I said I would reserve judgement until I saw this new machine.
This morning it arrived, and I was blown away at how freaking beautiful it looks. Using this machine is just a blast; it looks like something straight out of science fiction. The 5mm edge looks great, and the bulge actually looks kind of trendy.


As for Apple removing the optical drive in favor of a thinner design, I'm not sure if that was the correct decision in terms of the consumer, at least not right now. I certainly never use an optical drive, but I'd imagine there are a lot of people out there who still do, they want to view DVD's on their computer, they want to burn certain stuff to a disk, and yes some software still requires a disk. Fortunately though, this issue really is a small one considering how cheap external DVD drives are today.


My two biggest annoyances about this machine are:

1. The re-positioning of the SD Card slot. I find it a lot more convenient to have it on the side as I'd imagine a lot of you do.

2. The lack of user-upgradable ram (21 inch), Apple charge an arm and a leg for their ram, so the inability to upgrade it is a huge annoyance. 8GB is fine for me now, but in a year or two I might need to upgrade to 16GB and I would have really liked that option.


So to sum up: I firmly believe this re-design was a good option, I'm still quite astonished to have all this power in a machine that's this thin. I've been waiting for this machine since April and I can say it's certainly been worth the wait. It's exceeded my expectations! I'm ecstatic

I'd appreciate your views on the re-design.

best aspects are:
Runs very quiet,
Runs very cool,
Great display.

 

[Lankyman]

best aspects are:
Runs very quiet,
Runs very cool,
Great display.

So then, exactly the same as the outgoing model!

 

[nutmac]

The iMac is all about having an all-in-one computer. It's the hallmark of Apple. Well at least with Macs.

I realize Mac made its debut as all-in-one (Macintosh) and came back with an iMac. But nostalgia aside, I fail to see compelling reason for keeping it alive.

 

[MacFoodPoisoner]

Thanks. I actually still have my snowball iMac sitting on a desk in our basement Family Room. I still love the ergonomic display. I used to move that all over depending on what I was doing.

It really is a lovely device, best they ever made.

 

[Scrapula]

It really is a lovely device, best they ever made.

I have a friend who is still using his. Still going strong and it does what he wants it to.

 

[hacke]

I would have liked a "medium vote option", I like the new design but would have prefered a more expanded iMac with better upgradeable hardware.

 

[bflowers]

I have a friend who is still using his. Still going strong and it does what he wants it to.

I opened mine up long ago and bumped the RAM and HDD well above the intended specs. 3/4 GB of RAM and a 250 GB HDD. We mostly use it for banking purposes these days, but I might drop it back down to either OS9 or an early version of OSX. I still have some old OS9/Classic software that I like to keep around. Some Edutainment games for when the kids get a little older.

 

[MacFoodPoisoner]

I have a friend who is still using his. Still going strong and it does what he wants it to.

I 've been tempted many times to buy one off ebay and use it at least as an itunes server with a usb airport dongle. That, and, you might laugh, the flower power imac!

 

[Tucson Allen]

My 21 2012 runs much cooler

It's not about hating the new design, it's about the idiocy of creating this design to the detriment of things like bluray/DVD drives. Show me one person that was whining about the last iMac being too thick and I'll show you a fool.

I think the new design is functional. It uses the changes in the depth or slope of the back to create complex convection patterns which tends to move the rising air to the center. In the top center the slope change is more pronounced and progressive, making the moving air traveling across the top to turn downward toward the vent. The mechanism depends on the interrelation of temperature, volume and pressure of gasses--Boyle's Law. The rising gradient, slope, makes the moving air expand, cool and lose pressure--progressively--moving down until it arrives at the vent in the center of the back. Here the gradient moves toward infinity, and the air pushes out of the iMac.

Bear in mind that the fan causes a pressure drop and rise largely within the iMac. Since it discharges opposite the vent it creates a pressure rise in that area. But the fan is not coupled to the vent; that would fatally seal off the vent from releasing the heat burden of convection. I, and others, have reported my 21 runs quite cool to the touch, and cool at the vent. That's magic! Aesthetics drove the design, but genius made it work far better than the old form. For me the great improvement in function out ways the loss of the optical drive. I'm getting a Blu-ray.

 

[Lankyman]

I think the new design is functional. It uses the changes in the depth or slope of the back to create complex convection patterns which tends to move the rising air to the center. In the top center the slope change is more pronounced and progressive, making the moving air traveling across the top to turn downward toward the vent. The mechanism depends on the interrelation of temperature, volume and pressure of gasses--Boyle's Law. The rising gradient, slope, makes the moving air expand, cool and lose pressure--progressively--moving down until it arrives at the vent in the center of the back. Here the gradient moves toward infinity, and the air pushes out of the iMac.

Bear in mind that the fan causes a pressure drop and rise largely within the iMac. Since it discharges opposite the vent it creates a pressure rise in that area. But the fan is not coupled to the vent; that would fatally seal off the vent from releasing the heat burden of convection. I, and others, have reported my 21 runs quite cool to the touch, and cool at the vent. That's magic! Aesthetics drove the design, but genius made it work far better than the old form. For me the
great improvement in function out ways the loss of the optical drive. I'm getting a Blu-ray.

Do you actually buy into all the above or are you simply trying to be controversial? Do you think those of us with the outgoing model hose them down whilst in use? My 21.5 iMac never gets more than warm to the touch too.

 

[4tune8chance]

Hardly

So then, exactly the same as the outgoing model!

Hardly. Put you hand on the top of the older model, it's noticeably warm, the new is way cooler.
I always thought the older screens a bit too glossy.
As for the quietness, I must admit that I have no direct comparison, but compared to my old PC..............

 

[d0nK]

I would have preferred that they kept the same design and improved on other things such as the inside!

This.

Mithinks this poll was sent round the Apple headquarters office

You basically have to spend £1449 minimum now for an iMac because the 5400rpm hard drives are a joke... a j o k e! period.

There's no way that people think a slightly thinner design is worth having 5400rpm 2.5" laptop drives for. No way.

What's the percentage of people that will see their iMac from the side anyway? lol 2%?
...and who moves their desktop around? 2%?
Apple become more pathetic... shame.

 

[53x12]

Hardly. Put you hand on the top of the older model, it's noticeably warm, the new is way cooler.

Can you put your hand behind the new model where the power cord goes in. Is it noticeably warm there?