There is no excuse for not going bezel-less

[826317]

With the release of the iPhone X we got to see what type of displays Apple are capable of having shipped with their products. In the next round of iMac upgrades I cannot fathom any reason as to why they cannot go fully bezel-less. In addition, iMacs are stationary devices that are far less prone to display damage than say an iPhone.

For me personally it's not only about aesthetics, it's about maximising surface area.

 

[mikehalloran]

Let's see... the dreaded notch is a partial bezel. Do you mean like the iPad Pro? No, wait, that has a bezel.

For me personally it's not only about aesthetics, it's about maximising surface area.

For me, it's about function. This is a non-issue.

 

[mcnallym]

This thread sums up what seems to be the problem with Apple. People worrying about the size of the screen bezel or Chin

What I want is a system that works and has proper cooling and decent performance. Not bothered by the Bezel or Chin.

When people focus on Chin and Bezel then wonder why Apple focusing on Thin and Light

 

[TorontoJen]

I honestly don’t care about bezels. That would be the last thing that ever influenced me to not purchase. It is still a great looking computer.

 

[Strider64]

I look at it this way, if you are more concerned about bezels then you're not looking at the most important part of the computer which is the screen.

 

[BigBoy2018]

I love that responders are coming down on the side of 'who cares about slightly big bezels'.
I'm in that same camp. After all, it's a purely cosmetic issue. I'm MUCH MUCH more concerned about what specs and upgradability (or lack of) the next iMac will have.

I realize a smaller, or no bezel, would mean more screen real estate for the amount of desk space I'm using, but frankly with a 27 inch iMac, I've already made the space on my desk so it's no big deal really.

ALL THAT SAID, I will confess that if the new iMac comes out redesigned, I will have some 'new shiny product' lust ... for a little while at least. But after a month and you're used to whatever your thing looks like, you stop caring and it's about what it can DO.
So at the end of the day, the bezel ultimately won't affect my buying decision, the more important aspects of the system will.

 

[colodane]

I value reliability, performance, display quality, and acoustic silence. Bezel size has zero relevance to me.

 

[revmacian]

I value reliability, performance, display quality, and acoustic silence. Bezel size has zero relevance to me.

Ditto. I'm more interested in how it performs.

 

[xgman]

If this was a high volume designer product it would already have smaller bezels. As it is, it is likely a matter of priorities and doing the least amount of work possible to keep the brand where it is now in the marketplace. That said a new design could come (or not) at any time from this year onward. Nothing would surprise me at this point.

 

[JustMartin]

I will buy a new iMac when I need one and that will be when my current one can no longer do what I want and at that point, I will have to get a new computer regardless of where we are in the cycle and whatever rumours are bouncing around. A computer that does what I need is the point, not necessarily the cosmetics.

 

[sunapple]

I hope they focus on the thermal design first before making it thinner and smaller.

 

[Fishrrman]

Fearless prediction:
I don't believe we're ever going to see a "bezel-less" iMac.

There are probably technical and engineering reasons why the bezel is needed -- probably due to the requirements of fitting the display panel into the case, having enough room "around the edges" for the adhesive tape, etc.

And the "chin" will always be there, too.
Again, due to the form factor of display panels and also "space requirements" for motherboard, cooling, ports, etc.

I simply don't understand why some spend so much time obsessing over "bezel size", etc., blah, blah.
When the Mac is turned on, I see the display, and "the space around it" recedes from my perception. But that's just me...

 

[redheeler]

With the release of the iPhone X we got to see what type of displays Apple are capable of having shipped with their products. In the next round of iMac upgrades I cannot fathom any reason as to why they cannot go fully bezel-less. In addition, iMacs are stationary devices that are far less prone to display damage than say an iPhone.

For me personally it's not only about aesthetics, it's about maximising surface area.

Maximizing surface area matters on a portable device like a smartphone or laptop, where the smaller form factor helps with portability. But it really doesn't matter on a desktop.

If Apple wants to make the screen bigger, they don't have to shrink the bezels to do it.

 

[danwells]

bezel-less and/or chin-less (without a major redesign that relocates the actual computer away from behind the screen) means mobile CPUs and GPUs...

 

[revmacian]

There are probably technical and engineering reasons why the bezel is needed -- probably due to the requirements of fitting the display panel into the case, having enough room "around the edges" for the adhesive tape, etc.

Yes, good points.

And the "chin" will always be there, too.

Agreed, there needs to be some sort of brand recognition on a machine that usually has its back facing a wall. The iOS devices are usually out in public and others can see the back of the device.

When the Mac is turned on, I see the display, and "the space around it" recedes from my perception. But that's just me...

And that is exactly the way it is supposed to be, in my opinion - making the machine disappear so you can focus on work.

 

[BigBoy2018]

And that is exactly the way it is supposed to be, in my opinion - making the machine disappear so you can focus on work.

And if anything, a thick bezel helps in that regard, since it provides a clear separation between the screen and the rest of the world around the computer. I helps 'draw you in'.
[doublepost=1548783607][/doublepost]

Maximizing surface area matters on a portable device like a smartphone or laptop, where the smaller form factor helps with portability. But it really doesn't matter on a desktop.

If Apple wants to make the screen bigger, they don't have to shrink the bezels to do it.

This ... x1000

 

[Zdigital2015]

The current iMac aesthetic is a timeless, minimalist design that will still look good in 30 years. The width of the bezels are inconsequential to its intended function.

The only thing that matters to 99% of us on this forum is an internal redesign that can accommodate and adequately cool a Core i9-9900K, up to 128GB of DRAM, up to 4GB of SSD storage, an 8GB AMD Navi GPU and that will allow the iMac to run at full speed without throttling excessively or sounding like a Blackhawk helicopter taking off when it's time for some heavy lifting.

I expect a sealed box like the iMac Pro, so I would love for Apple to find a way to replace those silly tape strips with a magnet system similar to the previous gen iMacs that allows users a way to add or remove DRAM at will along with a 2.5" SSD. I do not expect an M.2 slot, because Apple just does not do that. What would be really nice would be Apple giving us an easy way to access the innards along with authorized upgrades from Apple for those that decide to go with a lower sized PCIe blade. Even if it means getting an authorized provider to install it for us to keep AppleCare coverage. I do not expect a mini-tower/full-tower free for all like a Windows PC, but I also expect that I would not have to jump through hoops to source a larger PCIe blade to move up in storage.

Case in point, my Late 2013 27" iMac has a 3TB Fusion Drive. We ALL know that eventually that 3TB HDD is going to croak. I need more than a 128GB SSD in that PCIe slot...the computer is fast and does what I need it to do for now. I should not have to lurk around on eBay or a third party site like some crazed stalker waiting to snatch up a used SSD in a larger capacity, wondering how much life it really has left. Apple does not need to keep the parts longer than they normally do, but they could make it easier to find upgrade parts. Also $699 for a brand new 1TB SSAUX SSD blade seems a bit excessive for a replacement SSD, but I digress.

Bottom line...smaller bezels do not fix the issues of Apple ignoring the Mac market, when they need to be making some minor adjustments to get it growing again, which is was doing...outpacing most Windows OEMs in unit growth. Make no mistake, if I can transition to an iPad workflow, I will, but right now, it is just not there and no one at Apple can force it to be there, no matter how hard they try. I hope they are learning that a business cannot depend on one product at the expense of the other products, especially when it was clear that the Mac portion of the business was expanding as well, not contracting. It boggles my mind that a strategic decision was made to ignore the growth of a $25 billion dollar a year market. Yes, the iPhone sells more and makes more, but going all in belies a lack of understanding your customer base.

So, hopefully a new iMac is on its way soon, along with a new Mac Pro and a revised chassis for the MacBook Pro that fixes what is an extremely embarrassing situation at this point. I have had no problem with my MacBook Pro keyboard, but I would still prefer the Magic Keyboard scissors mechanism in a slightly thicker chassis.

Sorry for the tangent this took!

Viva la bezels!!!

 

[826317]

I thank everyone for their response to my thread. I think however that something got mixed up somewhere though. This wasn't supposed to be a competition based question. It was not supposed to be either no bezels and ****** internals. It was merely asking the question, knowing that the technology is here, would you be disappointed if they did NOT make it bezel less.

 

[klatox]

I think a reduced bezel would be an aesthetic improvement and would put it in line with the latest phones and monitors that are already out there. Not sure if it’s a dealbreaker for me, but would be a bit disappointing.

 

[Zdigital2015]

I thank everyone for their response to my thread. I think however that something got mixed up somewhere though. This wasn't supposed to be a competition based question. It was not supposed to be either no bezels and ****** internals. It was merely asking the question, knowing that the technology is here, would you be disappointed if they did NOT make it bezel less.

I think most people on the forums would rate the following in order of importance when it comes to Apple's products. Others may want to revise these slightly, but I think I have captured most of the discontent I have read in the past few months (and years):

1. Redesigned 13" and 15" MacBook chassis - Users want Apple to put a traditional scissors keyboard mechanism that replaces the butterfly keyboard due to the minimal key travel and lack of reliability and repairability. There are other changes that users would like, but this is easily the top request.
2. Redesigned Mac Pro - Five years and counting since the 2013 was released and nearly 2 years since Apple's mea culpa and users are still waiting.
3. Redesigned iPhone XR, XS and XS Max - Users want that notch gone, do not know what else to say.
4. Redesigned iPhone SE - Although I am dubious as to the size of the market for this iPhone, there is a loud and vocal chorus of users who want a more up to date version of the iPhone SE. Whether it retains the SE industrial design or ends up echoing the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max design in a smaller package is a matter of much debate.
5. Redesigned iPad mini 5 - Lots of debate and interest in a new iPad mini, with a split between a new iPad Pro styled mini or simply updated innards using either the old mini 2/3 chassis or the current mini 4 chassis.
6. Redesigned AppleTV - Some want a stick, some want a larger set top box with more storage and outputs, etc. Most just want that damn remote redesigned into something more useful than a tongue depressor.
7. Redesigned iMac and iMac Pro - Something more accessible as opposed to two sealed boxes that make even the most minor upgrade a thankless chore. Give the iMac a Space Grey option.

Design is personal and subjective. I would be perfectly fine with the current iMac design sticking around with some minor tweaks to usability, performance and repairability. YMMV.

 

[mikehalloran]

I expect a sealed box like the iMac Pro, so I would love for Apple to find a way to replace those silly tape strips with a magnet system

Well, that won't happen again. Tape is cheaper, easier to assemble and disassemble, cheaper, lower labor, cheaper, fewer parts and scares people away from opening the darned things—exactly the way Apple likes.

Did I mention that it lowers the costs to make and service these?

 

[Zdigital2015]

Well, that won't happen again. Tape is cheaper, easier to assemble and disassemble, cheaper, lower labor, cheaper, fewer parts and scares people away from opening the darned things—exactly the way Apple likes.

Did I mention that it lowers the costs to make and service these?

You may have mentioned the cost aspect once or twice...

 

[spheris]

I feel like along with no bezel, they'd like RGB lighting too

I think there will probably be a thin bezel display as a stand alone unit. but the mechanical requirements and thermal limitations of an AIO make it unlikely the chin or bezel will go away from the iMac design anytime too soon.

 

[jeyf]

Please stop buying the latest apple hardware releases.
instead
consider your purchase with care, hold back, wait till its ben out there a half year or more.

its not like there are significant changes that affect functionality

 

[Falhófnir]

Does it matter for an AIO desktop? It's not like you're carrying it around and every mm counts. Purely for aesthetic reasons I could see a modest reduction but I don't think they need to go iPhone X (or even iPad Pro) pseudo edge-to-edge.