Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, iMac, Apple, iPhone
The iMac, in a little more color

What do you all think of the iMac redesign? Most of the murmuring I've heard is lukewarm, and I tend to agree-- why bother, exactly? Yes, it looks just as cool as the old iMac (which is still very cool), but does a black Apple logo and a black back really make that much of a difference? Thin is nice (and that keyboard is awesome), but this is a desktop, and I'm not worried about a little bulk on my desk.
And here's the other question I have, though I think I already know the answer: Why are we still suffering that strip of metal across the bottom? Shouldn't the iMac's screen just go ahead and take over the rest of the front? I know, I know, it has to do with the insides, and all the room the ports and other guts need to function, but even if Apple made it a little thicker to fit everything in, I still think I'd rather see an iMac that was nothing but screen from the front. What do you all think?


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Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
Chris Gallahan said 8:04AM on 8-09-2007
I think the new design will sway anyone who has a desk that is not pressed up against a wall and is visually present in a room.
I know that I am actually considering buying one now, this is a computer that I actually would want in my house.
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nintendo fanboy hater said 8:13AM on 8-09-2007
the chin is for heat disipation... a guy took it apart over at engadget and the fans are in the chin. I dont like the glare but you guys need to relax about the black edge. It makes it poppin'
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Steve Keys said 10:08AM on 8-09-2007
This whole glare thing is a pretty pointless argument. Have you actually stood in front of it? You don't see anything but a beautiful screen that pops out.
I hated the last iMac, until I spent 30 minutes in front of the damn thing and bought it right there. And I had the same feeling about this one until I saw it today. The damn thing is a winner. SOLD!
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Billy K said 10:43AM on 8-09-2007
It may be a cliche' to hate on the look of any new iMac that appears, but I'm really not a fan of this new design. The pervious white plastic was clean and elegant - a pleasure to look at. This model seems somehow...depressing. The color scheme and materials really do remind me of a Dell product. And dammit - I went through a lot to get limited edition white KRK studio monitors to match my white plastic iMac. They're gonna look ridiculous next to the new iMac. (Despite my antipathy, I will eventually get one.)
And yeah, glossy screen sucks. I didn't realize how much until I actually owned a MacBook and spent some time with it. I would MUCH rather have an LCD monitor.
Oh, and the logo on the front is not black, fellas. It's chrome. (I kinda figured someone in this thread woulda figured that out by now.)
@21 - Brian, you seem to have taken great offense at Mike getting the "Product Red" name wrong. That must've been a heckuva report to have given you such a vested interest in this campaign. Congrats!
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Craig said 11:19AM on 8-09-2007
Ask me, this thread has been overrun by a whole bunch of whiners. This is exactly the new computer I have been waiting for -- lower price, bigger hard drive, faster processors, more RAM. And it will look good on the desk in my living room, even with the black strip, which far from being a deal-breaker. I've got a flat-screen TV for movies, thanks. Still, if you don't like it, you could always go out and drop the dough for a cinema display, then remove the stand and glue it to the face of your new iMac. Mine -- sans cinema display and glue -- should arrive at my house next week. I can't wait.
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EJP said 12:18PM on 8-09-2007
I personally love ithe new design. So there. ;)
As for "what's the point?" - This new iMac is more environmentally friendly. Which is a great thing.
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sendtojosh said 2:50PM on 8-09-2007
The reason behind the strip at the bottom: I guess it's necessary to reconcile the tilt of the screen for your eyeline with the bouncing-off-the-desk of the sound. Put in other words if it weren't there, your eyeline would be in one direction, while the sound would be travelling in another. Apple really do think of everything!
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sine nomine said 3:26PM on 8-09-2007
I'm curious - is the back aluminum or plastic? I've heard reports both ways. If it's aluminum, I bet someone can bead blast the black off and make it look better.
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miguel said 5:58PM on 8-09-2007
i like the "old" imac ..I just think it looks cool when the computer is turned off, the white body with the black no glare screen just my 2 cent worth.
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Brian K. said 10:29PM on 8-10-2007
Just for the record, it's PRODUCT RED, not Project Red like you have in the article. I did a college report on the RED Campaign and would really appreciate it if your article reflected the correct name, as the link that it points to does.
Thanks,
-Brian
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jawzxy said 10:36AM on 8-11-2007
I'd much rather see a chinless iMac that was thicker than the current generations, than this "new" design. Even though the cinema display is nothing new in Apple's design scheme, I would have much rather seen an iMac that looked like a cinema display.
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Ed 2 said 2:06PM on 8-13-2007
I, also, don't care for the large dark Apple logo. Something more subtle would be a lot better, I think.
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Richard Orlin said 10:51PM on 8-17-2007
I, for one, am tired of people bitching about the new iMac's design. Especially those people who have only seen a picture of the new model. Last week I purchased a 20" 2.4ghz iMac to replace my three-year-old G5 1.8ghz iMac. I have been using ot for a week now and am completely happy with it.
Yes, I could have saved $300 by buying a refurbished 20" 2.1ghz iMac, but I felt it was worth the money to get the bigger hard disk and more video memory/beter video card. I have no complaints about the new design. Love the new keyoard and love the display.
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