With the M1 iMac, Apple is again performing its mysterious trick of making me want something I didn’t know I needed. After all, I own a perfectly good MacBook Pro 16 inch, which does everything from web browsing to video editing in a flash. But the gorgeous design of the new iMac and high-end specifications suddenly makes my MacBook look dull and slow. As usual, Apple has released a device that seems so futuristic that it resembles an object dropped off by a UFO from an advanced alien civilization, rather than an iteration of every other computer on the market.
The iPad of Desktops?
Apple is unifying the design language of all its devices with the new iMac. It’s got the same general shape as both the latest iPads and iPhones. The M1 iMac looks like a giant iPad that’s been stuck on a stand and paired with a keyboard, and I mean that as a compliment. When you look at the new iMac from the side, it resembles an iPad paired with Apple’s Magic Keyboard for iPad. The new iMac, which starts at $1,299, has a 24-inch, 4.5K display with thinner borders around the top and sides, and the back of the display is now flat instead of curved. Apple says the volume has been cut by over 50% from the previous generation of iMacs. The screen also has Apple’s True Tone tech for automatically adjusting the color temperature. While I appreciate the minimalist looks of recent Apple designs, it’s time for a change. I love the iMacs’ return to bold colors that reference the translucent hues of the very first models. There are seven color options for the new iMac. I owned one of the first generations of iMacs, and while it wasn’t a fabulous computer (don’t get me started on the unusable keyboard and hockey puck mouse), it certainly looked different. The choice of contrasting colors on the M1 iMacs is a retro trip that somehow doesn’t look dated. The thin and light design of the M1 iMac also looks like it would fit well in my cramped New York City apartment. I could easily see turning to the 24-inch iMac when I needed a step up in screen real estate from my MacBook. There are lots of subtle design tweaks that will make using the new iMac a better experience. I’m thrilled with the Touch ID on my MacBook Pro, as it makes logging on a breeze. The new iMacs have the same Touch ID feature available on their keyboards, and it’s a seemingly small difference that could smooth out my workflow. The new iMac also comes with the world’s niftiest power plug. It’s not only magnetic for easy plugging and unplugging, but it also integrates an Ethernet cable for a sleeker look.
Power to Match
It’s not just the design of the new iMacs that resemble the new iPad Pro that Apple also revealed this week. The iMac shares the same blazingly fast M1 chip that’s in the latest iPad Pro and MacBooks. My 16-inch PowerBook Pro is far from slow, but if I was investing in a computer right now, it’s good to know that the new iMacs are future-proofed for a least a few years. The base model comes with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD; it can be upgraded to include up to 16GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. Other specs on the new iMac have gotten a boost. Like many people, I spend way too much time on Zoom calls these days, and I appreciate that Apple has slapped an upgraded camera into its latest models. It now has a 1080p resolution and a larger sensor. I can’t wait to give the new iMac a test drive.
