I’ve been using the new iMac for more than a week now—my in-depth review follows shortly—and first impressions are very good. But there’s so much to the new machines which wasn’t mentioned at launch, or wasn’t evident until you see the iMac in the flesh, as it were. Here are seven details that are worth knowing.
1. The attention to color detail is phenomenal
Apple is known for sanding the underside of the drawers, but this takes things to a new level. The color-matching is comprehensive, with every bit of metal (apart from two, see below) gleaming in your chosen color. That means the underside of the Magic Mouse, surround on the Magic Keyboard and Magic Keyboard and the stand and back of the iMac. Not to mention the power button, something you’ll hardly ever see, given that it’s on the back of the display, is perfectly matched.
The secondary color is found on the glass front of the computer, the woven power and Lightning cables and the big Apple logo on the back of the iMac.
Although… there are two bits of hardware that aren’t color-matched. The cool-looking hinge on the back of the iMac which lets you adjust the angle of the display with great precision is the color of the main iMac but, look closely at the hinge itself. There’s a circular central part that’s silver. Sloppiness? Oversight? I’d doubt it. It is a subtle but attractive contrast.
There’s one other silvery bit. It’s on the Touch ID version of the Magic Keyboard and there’s a slender silver ring that invites you exactly where to press on the white Touch ID key.
2. Even the software is color-matched
Go to settings in macOS 11 and you’ll see under General there are nine accent color options. With the M1 iMac there’s a tenth. Click this and the setting changes to “This Mac”. The accents and details and highlight colors all now match that of your iMac.
Not to mention the wallpaper. Yes, this matches the hue of the hardware, too. Of course, you can mix it up and choose green accents and blue wallpaper on a purple iMac if you would like, you rebel, you.
Oh, and all the new wallpapers come with light and dark modes so you can choose which one you like or let the computer switch from one to the other as the day progresses.
3. The magnetic connection is strong and secure
The power cable slots in and is held in place magnetically. This alarmed me before I tried it. After all, if with a MagSafe connector on older MacBooks the connection came out, the laptop stayed on because it had a battery. If the connector comes out here unexpectedly, you could lose any unsaved work.
No need to worry: the connector is easy to slot in and out but holds tightly. It really won’t come out accidentally.
4. Even the bits you don’t see are color-matched
Okay, final color thing, I promise, but that magnetic connector, it slots right into the back of the iMac, so you can’t see the part which sticks out when it’s in place. Even so, Apple color-coded it to match the main metal chassis.
What’s more, the internals of this connector, which you literally can only see for the moment when you’re plugging it in or unplugging, is also perfectly matched.
Just think of the consequences of this: instead of making one, silver, connector for all the iMacs, Apple has made seven different ones.
5. The packaging is simple, but it’ll take you time
Apple’s determination to be eco-friendly means that the internal packaging in the box is very nearly all paper and card rather than foam or other non-recyclable items.
It’s very cleverly done and some of it has the complexity of origami. Cables are tied by card folded back on itself and so on. All of which means that unpacking the iMac and accessories from the box will possibly take you longer than getting the computer itself going.
6. The new Magic Keyboard with Touch ID is great
The keyboard looks small at first sight, but it’s the same size as before. It’s just that the curvier corners emphasize its compactness. It also means that the keys in the edges are slightly differently shaped.
One of these is where the Touch ID button sits, so that is an especially rounded key. Touch ID is something of an engineering accomplishment and Apple has stressed that the secure enclave is in the iMac itself, where the imprint from the finger pressing the button is compared to the fingerprint data in the iMac.
The combination of the convenience of a wireless keyboard and the security of Touch ID is excellent.
7. There’s no nano-texture option for the display
If you’ve tried the iMac 27in, you’ll know there’s an option for a special low-reflection coating called nano-texture. It’s expensive (though it’s just quietly dropped in price) but it’s extremely good. Apple isn’t offering this for the M1 iMac. It may be because the completely flush glass surface of the computer, which looks so great, might look less effective if the glass beyond the display had a more matte finish to it.
That said, the screen here looks very good indeed.
Check back here for the full in-depth review soon.
