Apple’s new colorful iMacs embrace retro design with a state-of-the-art twist inside

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When Apple first introduced the iMac in 1998, it was a revelation for the technology industry. The all-in-one PC was no different from anything else in the industry, with the computer built into the screen. And then there was the body. In a sea of ​​tanned and gray PCs, the first iMac stood out with its translucent, vibrant and colorful plastic case.

Over the years, however, the Apple iMac it went from candy colors to white plastic and then, finally, processed sterile aluminum, like many other Apple devices. But on Tuesday, the company immersed itself in its new color creation, announcing the newest iMac in seven colors: green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue and silver. I will starts at $ 1,299 when pre-order begins April 30 before shipment in May.

The front of the computer is mostly a sheet of glass above the screen, with a pastel chin on which the computer lives. On the back, however, it has striking shades.

“The back is designed to celebrate color,” said Colleen Novielli, a member of Apple’s Mac marketing team.

The burst of color marks a break from the recent convention and returns to the original iMac. But the use of colors, just as attractive, is not something companies do on a whim. If the company produces too much of an unpopular color, it just loses sales.

“You need to know what you’re doing when you’re in the game of color,” said Roger Kay, an analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates.

New interior and exterior

When the first iMac was launched, Kay and IDC, his employer at the time, tried to help PC makers decide whether to take over iMac designs. What he discovered was that while it is easy to create a good design, the safest colors among consumers were black, white, silver and blue. “So the PC guys said, ‘Yeah, we’re going to do this,'” Kay said.

Apple is different. Analysts often compare it to a fashion company, focusing on both the appearance of the computer and its interior. And, like bell-bottom pants, neon and denim “Canadian tuxedo”, old-fashioned trends can often return to style after a few decades.

In the Apple world, this translates into the company’s shift from boxy designs for the 2010 iPhone 4 to the 2012 iPhone 5S to rounded edges on the 2013 iPhone 6 through the 2019 iPhone XS. Now the iPhone 12 is boxy again .

The new models help to dramatize the fact that something has changed. In the case of the iMac, the computer is powered by M1 microprocessor chips. The company last year began changing its computers from Intel microprocessor brains that powered Apple computers for 14 years to new custom ones, similar to those on the iPhone and iPad.

“The technology industry is becoming like the fashion industry,” said Bob O’Donnell, an analyst at Technalysis Research. His research not only shows that Apple shoppers tend to deviate younger, but O’Donnell also said that more people are forced to spend time in front of their computers at home during a pandemic. So that custom color splash can really matter to some people.

“I rarely have a technological craving in my heart and I thought it was a bit cool,” he said.

Pandemic malaise

During its presentation, Apple nodded at features that could help us get over the pandemic more easily. The iMac webcam, for example, has added a feature to watch and magnify a person while talking during a video chat. And its microphones can filter background noise. The iMac’s footprint is also smaller, Apple said.

None of the new features of the iMac are particularly innovative – Google, Facebook and other companies they worked on the chat at home and at the office for years. But in the case of Apple, it all came together at a time when the company seemed to recognize that a zoomed-in video could help families talk together, microphones could help filter out children interrupting a meeting, and a smaller footprint means that an iMac could sit on a kitchen table or other small space, reducing the need for a central computer desk.

When Apple discussed the colors, he even called them “light and upbeat.” IMac was not the only device to get a new coat of paint. iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini each gets a vibrant purple as a new color option.

If nothing else, it’s a break from our gray reality of COVID.

“Apple’s lens is retro modern, but a mouthful – or a bright yellow iMac – is certainly appreciated after a year of pandemic and unrest,” said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Techsponential.