UPDATE: This rumor now seems more likely. See update section below.
I hate staleness. The future beckons and those who can lead the march so frequently stumble over their own feet. Such is the crime of Apple and its iMac. The iMac has been largely unchanged since 2004. The G5 iMac was, basically, just a smaller—and plastic—version of the current iMac. It’s a good design, but it could be better. The Microsoft Surface Studio showed how a touchscreen iMac could work perfectly with Apple’s existing ecosystem and the Apple Pencil. Then there’s the Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 5i. It’s a gorgeous piece of tech that makes a few mistakes with cable management (seriously, why aren’t all the ports on the base?), but is otherwise unique, despite the fact that the core mechanics are the same. A display and a computer, together. Both are completely unique, despite sharing the same basic elements of the iMac.
When I saw the iPad Pro, I got excited. Apple was working with a new type of hinge. Well, two hinges. The Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro and iPad Air gives it a floating screen effect. Increase the movement a little, and you could easily have something like the Surface Studio. I thought Apple may be on their way to making something radically different, but so far, they haven’t.
But now’s the perfect time. Apple’s new Macs will be powered by the M1 chip, and that is a leap forward in technology for the desktop platform. It means they can do something radical with the design. According to one notoriously unreliable leaker, who does sometimes get a good scoop, the next iMac is going to feature a new hardware design and something else: a much-needed splash of color.
An Icon Reborn
Do you remember the first time you saw an iMac in person? Well, if you’re an old lady like me, it was something special. The iMac G3, the first iMac, had brilliant translucent plastic. The keyboard had keycaps with smoked black plastic. The mouse? A strange little puck with, you guessed it, translucent plastic. It was gorgeous. It looked high-end, while still being fun and accessible. The kids in my class were so excited to see it. We had these old beige computers in our classrooms for years, and our school district finally purchased a new iMac for a teacher. It was something special, like a set piece out of sci-fi.
Friendly’s Back
According to Jon Prosser, who, yes, has a varied track record, terrible (borderline offensive) jokes, and a channel that’s basically clickbait, the next iMac will bring a new design for the updated Apple silicon processor. It’ll also bring something the iMac desperately needs: a touch of color.
Which is great, but, according to him, we’ll still have the stale design.
Still, colors! I recently took a gamble on an iPad Air (review in the works, I promise!). I couldn’t believe how much I loved the subtle splash of color. When I bought it, I wasn’t sure I would like it. Now? I wouldn’t have it any other way. Apple may bring that splash of color back from the late 90’s for the iMac.
The colors won’t be as bubbly as they were then. No translucent plastic here. They’ll instead match the iPad Air and AirPods Max colors. Still, Prosser’s rendering above looks pretty good. It’s not based on exact schematics, and he’s got a terrible track record, but doesn’t it look cool? Wouldn’t it be great if Apple focused on making technology likable again? I know, it’s probably even silly to show you this given Prosser’s damaged reputation with Apple leaks. Still, a broken clock is right twice a day, and this is certainly something I hope he’s right about.
It’s a shame the design is just so… familiar though, isn’t it? Maybe the iMac after this will be a radical new and brightly colored thing.
Update
According to far more frequently accurate Twitter user @L0vetodream (tweets protected), Prosser’s information is correct. L0vetodream is frequently correct with their leaks. They seem to be involved with Apple repair and may have hardware sources within Apple. While Prosser’s claimed to be 100% certain about leaks that later turned out to be false leads, L0vetodream is more cautious and more accurate. Either they’ve both been fooled by the same bad source within Apple, or the next iMac will bring a splash of color back to the platform.
Right now, it seems like it’s the latter.
Source: Luke Dormehl, Cult of Mac