Wow disappointing!

[turbineseaplane]

These things will fly off the shelves

We’ll see... People seem to say this exact thing about every single Apple product and we never go back and correct the record on things that they cancel or pivot from or silently just never update.

The family narrative is interesting to me because I think a lot of young folks get iPads and keyboards instead.

The colors are definitely fun- but it very much requires a full blown commitment on that front and that can be kind of a dealbreaker in some work environments and office settings.

 

[mj_]

I always find it funny that people equate their preferences and/or use cases with everyone else's.

More commonly referred to as consensus bias in modern psychology.

 

[MBX]

View attachment 1761516
I made this to leave here. 🙃

Yeah it was maybe cool in the early 2000‘s when we didn’t know better and when it was uniformly applied.

 

[usagora]

I don't see why they couldn't have just made a back-bulge on the bottom of a chin-less display

That would look so much better

That's definitely not a universal opinion. I'd much prefer the "chin" with an iPad-like profile (like they've done) vs. no chin with a swelling bulge on the back.

 

[Cassandle]

We’ll see... People seem to say this exact thing about every single Apple product and we never go back and correct the record on things that they cancel or pivot from or silently just never update.

The family narrative is interesting to me because I think a lot of young folks get iPads and keyboards instead.

The colors are definitely fun- but it very much requires a full blown commitment on that front and that can be kind of a dealbreaker in some work environments and office settings.

12 months ago I'd have agreed that iPads would be more popular, but with more people working from home desktops will become more popular. This iMac will be perfect for most people (who aren't heavy-use creative pros) who work from home.

People can argue about the design. Some like it, some don't. I'm surprised they went with white bezels, but I don't hate it. And I imagine - as with many Apple products, it looks great in real life.

 

[Cassandle]

Apart from the white bezel, I was mostly surprised that the display isn't rounded in the corners. Everything in the design of Big Sur suggested that the new Macs would go this way...

 

[turbineseaplane]

This iMac will be perfect for most people (who aren't heavy-use creative pros) who work from home.

Maybe. Maybe not...
Particularly compared to just having a laptop they can move around and is much easier to deal with.

The iMac does not exist in the mid 2000’s anymore.

The amount of actual work and stuff getting done on phones and tablets and laptops is probably higher than it ever has been.

It takes a really compelling reason to have an expensive large monitor/computer on a desk somewhere that you can’t move around.

 

[usagora]

It’s interesting to me how many people I guess have their computer in wide open space?

I guess on a desk in the middle of a room maybe?

Every large monitor or all in one computer I’ve ever had is either in the corner or against the wall on the desk… Where I would absolutely never see this beautiful new black color, nor care one bit how thick or thin it is.

Funny - this is the same argument acoustic guitarists use when the discussions of back/side woods used for high-end guitars. "You're not looking at the back when you play it, so who cares?" LOTS of people do! And guitarists also use the same false dichotomy that people on Mac forums do: "Are you buying the device for what it can do or how it looks?" The answer for many people is "YES." What's to complain about? If you don't care about the color, then just buy any of them. People who DO care about the color can also buy whichever they like best. Everybody's happy!

Oh, and the new iMac has color on the stand and chin (and keyboard) as well, so even if it's in the corner of the room, you still see color.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Funny - this is the same argument acoustic guitarists use when the discussions of back/side woods used for high-end guitars. "You're not looking at the back when you play it, so who cares?" LOTS of people do! And guitarists also use the same false dichotomy that people on Mac forums do: "Are you buying the device for what it can do or how it looks?" The answer for many people is "YES." What's to complain about? If you don't care about the color, then just buy any of them. People who DO care about the color can also buy whichever they like best. Everybody's happy!

I’ll be on board with that if they would simply offer a black bezel…
It would be very popular

All these colors for the back, yet not a single option for a black bezel on any color

Black should not be a pro feature when it’s a usability thing on the edge of the screen

 

[usagora]

I’ll be on board with that if they would simply offer a black bezel…
It would be very popular

All these colors for the back, yet not a single option for a black bezel on any color

Black should not be a pro feature when it’s a usability thing on the edge of the screen

While it's not personally a deal-breaker for me (and I'm guessing most folks), if I had to guess why Apple went with the white bezels is because all the colors are pastels on the front, and black would be too stark of a contrast with those colors. I agree, though, it would have been nice to offer a black bezel on the silver one.

 

[Cassandle]

Maybe. Maybe not...
Particularly compared to just having a laptop they can move around and is much easier to deal with.

The iMac does not exist in the mid 2000’s anymore.

The amount of actual work and stuff getting done on phones and tablets and laptops is probably higher than it ever has been.

It takes a really compelling reason to have an expensive large monitor/computer on a desk somewhere that you can’t move around.

For sure more work is being done on mobile devices. But a big, beautiful, 24" glossy screen running at over 4K res will be better than a laptop or iPad for a lot of work.

 

[turbineseaplane]

For sure more work is being done on mobile devices. But a big, beautiful, 24" glossy screen running at over 4K res will be better than a laptop or iPad for a lot of work.

I think we are missing what I’m getting at.
It could be a tough sell compared to a laptop just plugged into a monitor. (As one example)

Not everybody can afford or justify to just have thousands upon thousands of dollars of Apple products all over the place for the occasional use.

 

[Tiberius2000]

Was the iMac ever for you? The original G3’s were nothing on the 8600, much like the comparison you are attempting to draw now. Apple are in a shift of product strats and it shows, but really as a veteran of Apple computers you will know by now that expectations have to change.

Yes, the iMac was for me. My 8600, just like the Quadra 840, was bought used, at significant discount– it was what I could afford. The 8600 did not have the processor or bus speed of the iMac released before I bought the 8600; but, it had the audio-video connections and expansion that allowed me to use it for quite a while. With the discount I got on that machine I could use a not-top-of-the-line-anymore for a while with incremental updates as I saved money. I put in a USB card, CD burner, and extra RAM. I baulked on a processor replacement because it was reaching the point of diminishing returns.

I LOVED my iMac G4 (that one with the articulating arm). I had either the bottom or mid-range version; I can't remember. That machine was great: enough power for occasional gaming, great sound with the spherical speakers, and ergonomically perfect as I transitioned into education and producing materials on the device. I only replaced it because part of my work needed a single, Windows-only application. I replaced it with a first generation Intel PowerBook (or was it MacBook Pro at that point)? Side note: that was a machine I hated, but needed.

My current iMac (2015, 27 inch) is just like my G4: great for the light video production that I am doing every other week, enough power for occasional gaming, I can run virtual machines for certain applications, and it was more cost effective than the awful 2014 Mini + monitor + cam + etc. The only complaints: a few more USB ports, and have them on the side, not the back.

But this new iMac is a problem. I am fine with the M1's power, the colors, the bezels, even the chin. I am fine with a smaller screen (I needed the GPU, not the 27 inches on this machine). I am not fine with the limited RAM, storage, lack of USB-A, lack of ethernet on the base models. I also question the thickness: they solved a problem no one had.

I can now move to Linux on a laptop or NUC. If I continue to need a GPU, I can buy an enclosure.

Also, without knowing my workflow questioning my affinity to the iMac is presumptuous.

 

[turbineseaplane]

But this new iMac is a problem. I am fine with the M1's power, the colors, the bezels, even the chin. I am fine with a smaller screen (I needed the GPU, not the 27 inches on this machine). I am not fine with the limited RAM, storage, lack of USB-A, lack of ethernet on the base models. I also question the thickness: they solved a problem no one had.

This continues to plague Apple

They love to solve problems nobody has… And in the process create new ones

 

[UTS]

Easily the worst product put out by apple, simply looks horrendous with white bezels and ugly chin. The colouring just makes it look like a kids toy.

 

[halfapie]

Should have been like this Dell. All circuits could have easily fit into the monitor stand like this and remove the chin.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Maybe a more attractive stand though

That said I do like how it is height adjustable

Absolutely unfathomable to me that they redesigned this thing completely and didn’t fix that aspect.

 

[Rck1984]

Thanks for this Apple, at least I can save my money and spend it on something else instead.

Personally, to me the design looks horrible.

- Colors? Fine, but atleast offer a Space Grey and/or black one.

- White bezels?? Why do you think TV's have black bezels? Because they blend in with content and don't distract..

- That chin.. We're living in 2021 where chins are disappearing from basicaly every device. Yet, Apple decides to give us a massive chin to look at. Almost like they designed this thing around it..

To me Apple stands for design/class, this has neither.. Hopefully this is not a sign towards the new MacBook line..

 

[turbineseaplane]

- Colors? Fine, but atleast offer a Space Grey and/or black one.

- White bezels?? Why do you think TV's have black bezels? Because they blend in with content and don't distract..

These two points are what it’s all about for me.

It was long ago settled that black bezels are much better for this type of use case and product.
It’s fine that they want to offer white ones, but you’ve got to offer black ones optionally also.

huge miss there

 

[Macmamamac]

Wow, this new iMac looks stunning!.....from the back.

 

[ctotheb]

Everybody said it would be a giant iPad with small bezels. Now it still has that nasty big chin sans the Apple logo. WTF

What a disappointment and lost opportunity to create a beautiful iMac.

This is so ugly.

This is just the non-Pro version. Wait for the Pro version. I am almost certain there will be a black option.

 

[09872738]

Thanks for this Apple, at least I can save my money and spend it on something else instead.

Personally, to me the design looks horrible.

- Colors? Fine, but atleast offer a Space Grey and/or black one.

- White bezels?? Why do you think TV's have black bezels? Because they blend in with content and don't distract..

☝🏻 This. Plus: They could have integrated the power brick into the base. The extra power brick alone makes it a half baked thing. A missed opportunity to create a true successor to the iMac G4, the most iconic computer of all times (designwise)

 

[SuperMatt]

Yes, the iMac was for me. My 8600, just like the Quadra 840, was bought used, at significant discount– it was what I could afford. The 8600 did not have the processor or bus speed of the iMac released before I bought the 8600; but, it had the audio-video connections and expansion that allowed me to use it for quite a while. With the discount I got on that machine I could use a not-top-of-the-line-anymore for a while with incremental updates as I saved money. I put in a USB card, CD burner, and extra RAM. I baulked on a processor replacement because it was reaching the point of diminishing returns.

I LOVED my iMac G4 (that one with the articulating arm). I had either the bottom or mid-range version; I can't remember. That machine was great: enough power for occasional gaming, great sound with the spherical speakers, and ergonomically perfect as I transitioned into education and producing materials on the device. I only replaced it because part of my work needed a single, Windows-only application. I replaced it with a first generation Intel PowerBook (or was it MacBook Pro at that point)? Side note: that was a machine I hated, but needed.

My current iMac (2015, 27 inch) is just like my G4: great for the light video production that I am doing every other week, enough power for occasional gaming, I can run virtual machines for certain applications, and it was more cost effective than the awful 2014 Mini + monitor + cam + etc. The only complaints: a few more USB ports, and have them on the side, not the back.

But this new iMac is a problem. I am fine with the M1's power, the colors, the bezels, even the chin. I am fine with a smaller screen (I needed the GPU, not the 27 inches on this machine). I am not fine with the limited RAM, storage, lack of USB-A, lack of ethernet on the base models. I also question the thickness: they solved a problem no one had.

I can now move to Linux on a laptop or NUC. If I continue to need a GPU, I can buy an enclosure.

Also, without knowing my workflow questioning my affinity to the iMac is presumptuous.

You have a 27-inch iMac, but you were considering replacing it with a 24-inch, and not the upcoming 27-inch replacement? So you’re switching to Linux? Why wouldn’t you just wait for the 27-inch replacement to see what it is like? The 21.5-inch iMac didn’t have expandable RAM even on the Intel version. You had to get the 27-inch to get that back panel for RAM upgrades.

You’re comparing a mid-to-high-end machine to an entry-level machine.

 

[turbineseaplane]

A missed opportunity to create a true successor to the iMac G4, the most iconic computer of all times (designwise)

Very true - it also had a height adjustable monitor..
Amazingly awesome design.

 

[Macmamamac]

To be fair though, I have the suspicion the upcoming iMac Pro’s will have no bezels and will essentially be iPads on sticks. Sleek.

If that happens, then these smaller, colourful designs make sense. They are fun, people will like them. Kids, women, they will look good in well lit rooms with plush pillows.