The Apple Silicon iMac received its fourth refresh this month.
Every other Apple Silicon Mac has found a way to move forward over the last half-decade: we got a more Pro design for the MacBook Pro, a more mini design for the Mac mini, and a Mac Studio that finally made Apple admit it doesn’t want to make the Mac Pro anymore.
But the Apple Silicon iMac has always been more interested in looking back. This is the iMac’s slim stand-display design, by way of the original Bondi Blue G3 iMac. It’s a clean, pretty desktop computer that I see all the time in small offices and on TV shows that depict small offices. We’re long past the days when this was Apple’s primary workstation computer.
So I wanted to write about this new iMac from the perspective of that entry-level iMac buyer, who chooses the iMac because it’s simple and then uses it until it breaks. What does a new iMac do for you if you’re upgrading from the M1 model or comparing it to an older refurbished M4 model? Without any real external updates, what makes this iMac iteration interesting?
Same friendly face
If you’ve never used an Apple Silicon-era iMac before, here’s a quick primer.
The new iMac is much thinner than the older aluminum Intel models. Its front consists mainly of a large 24-inch screen, surrounded on all sides by a relatively thick white frame (I still wish black was at least one optionbut Apple apparently disagrees).
White border aside, this is by far Apple’s most colorful computer. iMacs come with color-matched fronts, backs, stands, keyboards, mice, trackpads, and cables. Apple has tweaked the color offerings and changed the hues of each specific color several times over the years, but the M6 iMac uses the same six color hues (plus silver) as the M4 iMac.
Gn tech
