The iMac has been a primary part of Apple’s consumer desktop offering. The all in one that debuted in 1998 has had it’s first major redesign in years, and we have some thoughts.
Super Thin Design
The design choices by Apple have always been making the device super thin and minimal, the iMac at 11.5mm is a shockingly thin computer. The body of the iMac is thin enough for a 3.5mm headphone jack to not fit in, hence moved towards the side. This design has a downside which Apple turned to a feature, first external power brick in a iMac. But the color matched cable and the addition of an ethernet adapter in the power brick helps keep the rear of the machine free from the wired mess.
The Chin
The iMac has had the iconic chin with Apple logo since the iMac G5 and it gave the iMac a personality no other computer had. With the custom designed M1 SoC Apple managed to fit almost entire computer in the chin hence allowing it to make the computer just as thin as the display. But this machine lacks the personality that earlier iMac had with colored chin and lack of Apple logo.
Colors
Colors are distinguishing feature this machine has compared to other computers and even the earlier iMac models. The colors look beautiful on the machine and give it a fun look. With enough colors that would fit right into any household. The color matched accessories fit right in with the computer itself and give it a overall beautiful, fun and charming look.
Camera, Mic and Speakers
The iMac features a new 1080p camera which uses the same image processing which is used in the iPhones hence give an way better image quality compared to the previous models. The camera now supports a greater dynamic range, improved auto exposure and white balance and a better auto focus. The camera is more than enough for video calls and conferences but a better camera could be expected in upcoming years.
It also features “studio-quality three-microphone array” as stated by Apple with pretty great performance. The recordings on these new microphones sound a lot natural and clearer.
The speakers which Apple calls the best sound system ever in a Mac are not so great. Though these are a lot clearer and have a lot less distortion they suffer due to the ultra thin design hence lacking the bass earlier model used to provide.
The M1
The M1 being first desktop class silicon by Apple still manages to be an absolute masterpiece. With performance better than most Apple Intel based computers of the past. Giving a maximum RAM capacity of just 16GB it isn’t a Pro machine but is more than enough for home use.
Ports
The M1 has put a limitation on how many ports the machine can have. With just 2 Thunderbolt ports on lower end model and 2 thunderbolt + 2 USB-C ports on the higher end models the port situation on the iMac is bad for those who use a lot of external devices.
Accessories
The iMac comes with new color matched Accessories. A new keyboard with full height function keys and TouchID (Not included with lower end iMac) makes the experience of using different accounts for different family members on an iMac even better as you can log into your account with just a single click.
Conclusion
The 2021 M1 iMac is a beautiful looking machine with a CPU built in it. It is powerful enough for everyday tasks and is a great machine for every home. Not intended for Pros yet the machine delivers an exeptional performance for a lot of Pro workflows. The white bezels could be a disappointment for Pros but it blends right in to most homes as white is the most common color for interior walls.