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Editors' Picks

What do you think of the iMac's newest design?

Editors' picks

From the introduction of the first Macintosh computer in 1984 to the release of the iPod three years ago, Apple Computer has earned a reputation for cutting-edge industrial design that is elegant and functional. Now the company has unveiled the newest phase in the iMac's evolution. Does the look live up to Apple's history of ground-breaking PC design? Here is a sampling of stories from around the Web that may offer hints about how the company thinks and how it arrived at the iMac's latest design.
August 31, 2004

The new look

Apple on Tuesday unveiled its new, highly anticipated iMac. The design matches what many had expected--a sleek, compact package built on the company's flat-panel display. In recent months, designs for desktop computers have been overshadowed by the look and feel of the company's iPod digital music player. Apple's response? Let the iPod designers take the reins. Here is what they came up with.

CNET Reviews Apple iMac G5
CNET News.com Apple puts the squeeze on new iMac
CNET News.com iMac G5 in pictures
Forrester Research Commentary: Apple's missed opportunity
CNET News.com New iMac tries to play it cool
Mac Observer Initial iMac availability to be limited, sources say
Apple Apple's iMac page
CNET News.com Apple fans abuzz over new iMac

Apple's innovative design

More than probably anything else, Apple is known for its design. The company pays attention to aesthetic details other computer makers ignore, including hinges, on-off switches and even the innards of the PC. That ethic has helped the company establish a profitable niche in the market, even as its share of the PC universe has declined. The company is seen as a trendsetter beyond the computer industry, with its candy-colored iMac having led to a wave of goods in such colors. More recently, the company's shift to white and metal has redefined the state of electronics chic.

CNN.com Apple's core: The Mac turns 20
Forbes How Apple's innovation saved the industry
Wired Baby, friend, pet: That's my Mac
Folklore.org How the original Mac case was designed
Ecommerce Times Apple's 'Just one more thing' product design
CNET News.com Titanium PowerBook: A test of Apple's mettle
CNET News.com Apple bets consumers are ready for cubist movement

iMac's evolution

The iMac's 1998 debut launched Apple back into profitability and established the company as a leader in innovative product design. Since then, the iMac has seen several costume changes, moving from an all-in-one device in every imaginable color to a computer that looks more like a desk lamp than a PC. Continually proving that computers need not be simply utilitarian but can be fashionable too, the iMac has developed a devoted customer base. Those fans have been waiting on the edges of their seats to see what the next stage in iMac's evolution would be.

Time.com Apple's new core
Note: Paid subscription required for article; Apple timeline and iMac gallery are free.
The Mac Observer The iMac: A case study in historical contingency & evolutionary convergence
CNET News.com Apple pulls plug on original iMac
Wired News Belgian designer predicted iMac 2 design
CNET News.com Bushels of new iMacs piling up
CNET News.com Dimmer fades on desk-lamp iMac
Applele.com A hobbyist's predictions for the new iMac

PC evolution

Today's PCs are a far cry from the bulky beige boxes they once were. PC designers, charged with balancing form and function in every product, constantly adapt to changes in both technology and culture. As PC technologies advance, designers can fit far more hardware into a smaller package, but the space savings can be offset by consumer demand for more standard features, requiring more internal drives and ports to any number of peripherals. At the same time, Apple has set a high standard for the look of a home computer, ditching the old beige box for something sleek and stylish. As the market forces other PC makers to follow suit, the home computer as we know it is, no doubt, on the verge of a dramatic makeover.

BusinessWeek Online Bye-bye boring beige box
BusinessWeek Online Microsoft's hardware exec on how PCs need to evolve
BusinessWeek Online New life for the PC: Coming innovations to transform PC
ACUSD History The evolution of the computer: A timeline
ibiblio.org PC and browser evolution in the 1970s
Folklore.org The attitudes and values of the Mac team
BusinessWeek Online Computing's new screen gems

Industrial design

Looks are far more important than engineers like to admit. Logitech CEO Guerrino DeLuca has said that the success of optical mice can be attributed not to performance, but to the little red light. The Palm V became a standard through thinness. Still, it's not easy. For every success, there is the Audrey from 3Com and the cube computer from Apple. Experts here try to divine what's hot and why.

Guardian Unlimited Former Apple fellow on the importance of human interface in design
WashingtonPost.com Taking Stock Of Industrial Innovation in Bearish Times
Corporate Design Foundation Samsung's Lessons in Design
BusinessWeek Online Winners of the 2004 IDEA industrial design awards

All-in-one computers

Many PC makers attempted to follow Apple's lead with the iMac, which integrated all the major components--the processor, hard drive and so forth--into the back of the display. Some followed too closely and were sued, while others, such as Gateway and Micron, arrived to find a tepid market for Windows-based all-in-ones. Despite the slow sales, innovation has continued, most recently with Gateway's 610 Media Center PC, which is built around an LCD TV screen.

Wired The PC answer to iMac
CNET News.com Emachines unveils iMac knockoff
PCWorld.com Apple shows speedier eMac
CNET News.com MPC Computers debuts all-in-one desktop
CNET News.com IBM to phase out NetVista X

Videos

A closer look at the iPod Mini
CNET MP3 insider Eliot Van Buskirk gives his take on the newest addition to the Apple Computer digital music player family.

iPod Minis in short supply
Apple Computer's iPod Mini has sold out at retail stores across the United States, prompting weeks-long waiting lists for the digital music player. Correspondent James Hilliard visits the Apple Store in San Francisco, where some shoppers got lucky.

Jobs: Make your own GarageBand music
At Macworld 2004 in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces GarageBand--a new software application for the Mac that allows you to compose music with more than 50 different software instruments.

Jobs unveils smaller, cheaper iPod
At Macworld 2004 in San Francisco, Steve Jobs provides a first look at the iPod Mini--a smaller, cheaper digital-music player that holds 1,000 songs.

Apple previews next version of Mac OS X
At the Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs shows off Tiger, the next version of Mac OS X. The operating system has more than 150 new features, including a systemwide search engine and an update to iChat that allows up to four people to hold a videoconference.

Jobs displays 30-inch flat panel
Apple Computer's Steve Jobs shows off three new monitors at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. One monitor, set for an August release for more than $3,000, has a 30-inch LCD screen.

Apple unleashes new Power Mac G5
At the Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces a line of Power Macs that run on the new G5 processor. He calls it "the world's fastest personal computer."

New Power Mac boasts 64-bit processor
At the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs touts the new G5 chip that drives the latest line of Power Macs.

Apple: New G5 outperforms Windows PC
At the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, AnchorDesk's David Coursey looks at Apple's new G5-based Power Mac and finds out why the company calls it the "world's fastest personal computer."

Add a Comment (Log in or register) (13 Comments)

L@@KS GOOD TO ME!
by lpbruop August 31, 2004 12:54 PM PDT: I like it. Kind of wish that they included a mounting bracket with the computer (but I would rather have more standard RAM, 256MB come on!) or have it as an option when I fill out an order for one. Hope some third party venders come up with some really cool things. I was thinking that you could have a different stands, touch screen like that company did when the first set of iMacs came out, battery packs that would either connect on the back of it or on the bottom part of the stand so that when I do move it into another room because everything else in my wireless so could the power. I love it and I am saving for one now.; Like this Reply to this comment

It has its uses...
by August 31, 2004 1:30 PM PDT: I can see this being ideal for someone where space is a major consideration, but that's about it. I'm told it doesn't need to be that fast because it's for "home" use, yet why does a "home" user need a 64-bit CPU in the first place? Why put in a rather nice processor with only 256MB of RAM?

The bottom part of the computer is somewhat jarring -- it looks like it has a massive chin. It would look much more acceptable if the space was used constructively, perhaps with the speakers, rather than being completely blank white space.

I also have concerns about the internal design. Apple's PR photo showing the inside of the computer shows a huge bank of capacitors that are right up against the hot CPU. I'm not too sure this is a good thing for the lifespan of the computer. I also hope Apple thermally sealed the LCD from the computer very well, because I also have major concerns of damage to the LCD caused by the heat in the computer.

In short...it looks somewhat weird, and the design durability is very questionable.; Like this Reply to this comment

Why that question?
by Philips August 31, 2004 1:47 PM PDT: What the problem do you see with new design?

This design makes a lot of sense. It is very practical: it is shaped
after biggest part of modern computer.

Apple will have to come up with some new design, if future
display/panels will have no physical parts - projectors/alike.

Apple really cleans up the mess of cables, modern PC desktop
produces. Sooner or later, you start hating PCs for just this
annoying cables, which are always too short to be hidden.; Like this Reply to this comment

It works for me, just one "but"
by Jonathan F August 31, 2004 1:58 PM PDT: The design looks good enough to me; I think you have to see it in real-world photos or videos to get an appreciation of that, though. The real beauty of it is in the functionality. Not only is it as thin or thinner than most people's stand-alone displays, the computer itself 'floats' above your desk. You could actually use that space to stow away the keyboard, to hold a collection of CDs you use often, or anything else you want quick access to.

The "but" comes from the fact that the design is plain - but only on Apple's terms. It still looks wonderful compared to a lot of the Windows boxes out there, and would certainly get some people thinking. If you don't need raw performance, why spend a similar amount of money (Dell costs you as much if you price it out) on something that will take up a lot more space and will go completely unnoticed?; Like this Reply to this comment

It's not their sexiest design...
by August 31, 2004 2:42 PM PDT: But it's hot!

Very minimalist, nice form and function. I'll have to wait for final
judgment until I see it in person, usually photos don't do their
products justice.

The specs are okay, I wish they would include more RAM.; Like this Reply to this comment

Big Deal...
by PCCRomeo August 31, 2004 3:15 PM PDT: I don't care if the new iMac is lined in gold, I'm still not getting one...I'm just going to stick with my Compaq ;-); Like this Reply to this comment