Apple's new iMac comes with color-matched accessories, braided cords

AppleInsider · April 20, 2021 10:06PM

Apple's new M1 iMac models come in bright new colors, and each ships with a matching set of colorful accessories and peripherals.

Credit: Apple

The 24-inch iMac, which Apple announced at its Tuesday "Spring Loaded" event, comes in Blue, Green, Pink, Silver, Orange, Yellow, and Purple.

Credit: Apple

Each iMac model will come with a color-matched set of accessories, including a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad with a colored aluminum base and a Magic Keyboard with a colored metal frame.

Credit: Apple

Apple's attention to color detail even extends to the iMac power cord and adapter, and the USB-C to Lightning cable. Both cable accessories feature a braided design in a user's choice of color, and the power cord has a matching aluminum connector.

Credit: Apple

The colorful accessories are currently exclusive to the iMac and are not sold separately. It's also worth noting that the higher-end iMac models come with a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, while the lower-end models feature a Magic Keyboard without the biometric authentication system.

Apple's new Apple Silicon iMac starts at $1,299 and will become available to order on April 30.

entropys · April 20, 2021 10:29PM

I am disappointed in the power bricks:
1. It’s external.
2. proprietary
3. the cable is permanently connected to the brick. No swapping out for a longer/shorter cable, have to replace the lot if the cable breaks, or the brick come to that. Serious $.
4. If it had been thunderbolt, you could have a pretty nice hub built into the brick which the Ethernet setup suggests. I understand of course that a third tb port is not possible with an M1 chip. And with the proprietary cable/connector, third party options may not be possible. And I suppose Apple doesn’t want people using usb-c powerbricks/hubs.

5. Magnet is cool and all, but mostly these iMacs will back onto a wall. Peripheral benefit at the margin for a lot of cost. It’s too bulky to be used on a future MacBook.

As for the keyboards and mouses. Lightning ports for charging? Really? I mean, really?

and the pastel colours are of course why there is a prominent, white/grey bezel on the iMac. Black would look awful at that size alongside those colours. Sad though, that blue would match my iPhone mini otherwise.

macseeker · April 20, 2021 10:33PM

Apple has gotten skimpy in the storage capacities. These days 2 TB isn't enough. 8 TB is the right capacity.

wg45678 · April 20, 2021 10:35PM

As a stockholder and long time Apple product user—Underwhelming and disappointing. A repackaged M1 Mac Mini albeit with what seems to be a outstanding display. Another step into the disposable computer e-waste problem from someone claiming to be ‘greener’.

entropys · April 20, 2021 10:50PM

macseeker said:

Apple has gotten skimpy in the storage capacities. These days 2 TB isn't enough. 8 TB is the right capacity.

Lol

charlesn · April 20, 2021 11:02PM

wg45678 said:

As a stockholder and long time Apple product user—Underwhelming and disappointing. A repackaged M1 Mac Mini albeit with what seems to be a outstanding display. Another step into the disposable computer e-waste problem from someone claiming to be ‘greener’.

The iMac has pretty much always been laptop-ish innards repackaged as a desktop with a large display. Nothing wrong with that. And honestly, what do you plan to do with an iMac that the M1 won't easily handle? As far as "disposable computer e-waste" -- I had my 2009 iMac until 2017, when it went on to its second life with another owner while I bought a new one. And if I was looking to buy one of these latest models, Apple would give me a pretty great trade-in price on my 2017. There's nothing "disposable" about an iMac.

AppleUfmyI · April 20, 2021 11:16PM

I was hoping for a larger screen size. But the cost really goes up when you add the 8th core and upsize the SSD. Wonder how much 16gb ram will cost assuming it’s available. Really should have larger options.

spheric · April 20, 2021 11:43PM

macseeker said:

Apple has gotten skimpy in the storage capacities. These days 2 TB isn't enough. 8 TB is the right capacity.

This is the lowest-end M1 machine you're talking about.

night9hawk · April 21, 2021 2:17AM

entropys said:

I am disappointed in the power bricks:
1. It’s external.
2. proprietary
3. the cable is permanently connected to the brick. No swapping out for a longer/shorter cable, have to replace the lot if the cable breaks, or the brick come to that. Serious $.
4. If it had been thunderbolt, you could have a pretty nice hub built into the brick which the Ethernet setup suggests. I understand of course that a third tb port is not possible with an M1 chip. And with the proprietary cable/connector, third party options may not be possible. And I suppose Apple doesn’t want people using usb-c powerbricks/hubs.
5. Magnet is cool and all, but mostly these iMacs will back onto a wall. Peripheral benefit at the margin for a lot of cost. It’s too bulky to be used on a future MacBook.

As for the keyboards and mouses. Lightning ports for charging? Really? I mean, really?

and the pastel colours are of course why there is a prominent, white/grey bezel on the iMac. Black would look awful at that size alongside those colours. Sad though, that blue would match my iPhone mini otherwise.

The power brick is especially odd given the M1 Mini does NOT have a power brick. Too much emphasis on "thin" I think.

deanbar · April 21, 2021 8:19AM

Quote -

"Too much emphasis on the thin"

I reckon Jony Ive was involved in the design! For Heaven's sake don't bring him back!

Very disappointed in this poor memory and storage size. Have been waiting a long time for Apple to come out with a decent iMathis new iMac to replace my ageing one, not going to happen. Will wait for M2 version and then maybe re-think my choices if still poor value. Proprietary power cable too limiting.

big kc · April 21, 2021 8:48AM

macseeker said:

Apple has gotten skimpy in the storage capacities. These days 2 TB isn't enough. 8 TB is the right capacity.

[img]https://media.giphy.com/media/HbjDTy6gfBXMI/giphy.gif[/img]

scartart · April 21, 2021 9:27AM

entropys said:

I am disappointed in the power bricks:
1. It’s external.
2. proprietary
3. the cable is permanently connected to the brick. No swapping out for a longer/shorter cable, have to replace the lot if the cable breaks, or the brick come to that. Serious $.

I dislike external power bricks and have always appreciated built-in PSUs in Apple products (ATV, Mac mini, iMac, Airports etc.) but had it been internal it would have been proprietary and probably very difficult to replace given that Apple have probably made this Mac very difficult to open up.

I'm not sure the connected cable will be that much of an issue. It isn't a product like a laptop that is being plugged/unplugged and moved about all the time.

crowley · April 21, 2021 9:30AM

macseeker said:

Apple has gotten skimpy in the storage capacities. These days 2 TB isn't enough. 8 TB is the right capacity.

2TB is huge! Very few users of these consumer grade iMacs will get anywhere near that.

aderutter · April 21, 2021 10:37AM

I consider 1TB the minimum for my use.

I like the deep colour of the back and sides, but find the lighter metal colouring rather insipid.

I too can’t use a small 24” model and it would be a down-grade from a recent decent spec 27” i9 for example.

The wait continues.

mike1 · April 21, 2021 12:31PM

macseeker said:

Apple has gotten skimpy in the storage capacities. These days 2 TB isn't enough. 8 TB is the right capacity.

For what? I couldn't even fill up a 512GB drive on my old computer with years of large-file photos taken with a good DSLR.

dav · April 21, 2021 2:45PM

it's the iPad Pro Max

CheeseFreeze · April 22, 2021 1:33AM

wg45678 said:

As a stockholder and long time Apple product user—Underwhelming and disappointing. A repackaged M1 Mac Mini albeit with what seems to be a outstanding display. Another step into the disposable computer e-waste problem from someone claiming to be ‘greener’.

Yes I’m also disappointed in respect to e-waste. At least the display should work by hooking it up to another computer even if the iMac SoC is broken or SSD is EOL. A display can work for years and years.

mattinoz · April 22, 2021 7:10AM

entropys said:

I am disappointed in the power bricks:
1. It’s external.
2. proprietary
3. the cable is permanently connected to the brick. No swapping out for a longer/shorter cable, have to replace the lot if the cable breaks, or the brick come to that. Serious $.
4. If it had been thunderbolt, you could have a pretty nice hub built into the brick which the Ethernet setup suggests. I understand of course that a third tb port is not possible with an M1 chip. And with the proprietary cable/connector, third party options may not be possible. And I suppose Apple doesn’t want people using usb-c powerbricks/hubs.
5. Magnet is cool and all, but mostly these iMacs will back onto a wall. Peripheral benefit at the margin for a lot of cost. It’s too bulky to be used on a future MacBook.

As for the keyboards and mouses. Lightning ports for charging? Really? I mean, really?

and the pastel colours are of course why there is a prominent, white/grey bezel on the iMac. Black would look awful at that size alongside those colours. Sad though, that blue would match my iPhone mini otherwise.

I think item 1 would be understandable if 2,3 weren't true and as per 4, if it was (or could be a published) USB-c cable with the magnetic end on the machine side.

One dock-brick then becomes an optional upsell for Laptops, iMacs and maybe say Displays that look like an iMac.

Surely this machine isn't using anymore power than the 100W that could be delivered over USB-PD or PoE latest standard.

The brick could then just be an PoE injector or USB-C Hub.

At least then Magsafe-(USB)-C could be super useful over a number of products in the range if it fitted laptops as well but no it just ends up like the Orginal Apple display brick, whole device useless if one part misplaced.

mattinoz · April 22, 2021 7:11AM

dav said:

it's the iPad Pro Max

I wish!

A3 paper sized iPad would be grand.

nicholfd · April 22, 2021 4:03PM

entropys said:

I am disappointed in the power bricks:
1. It’s external.
2. proprietary
3. the cable is permanently connected to the brick. No swapping out for a longer/shorter cable, have to replace the lot if the cable breaks, or the brick come to that. Serious $.
4. If it had been thunderbolt, you could have a pretty nice hub built into the brick which the Ethernet setup suggests. I understand of course that a third tb port is not possible with an M1 chip. And with the proprietary cable/connector, third party options may not be possible. And I suppose Apple doesn’t want people using usb-c powerbricks/hubs.
5. Magnet is cool and all, but mostly these iMacs will back onto a wall. Peripheral benefit at the margin for a lot of cost. It’s too bulky to be used on a future MacBook.

As for the keyboards and mouses. Lightning ports for charging? Really? I mean, really?

and the pastel colours are of course why there is a prominent, white/grey bezel on the iMac. Black would look awful at that size alongside those colours. Sad though, that blue would match my iPhone mini otherwise.

The M1's are not limited to 2 x Thunderbolt ports. They are limited to 2 x Thunderbolt busses. There are Thunderbolt hubs that take one port/buss, and provides 3 x Thunderbolt ports: OWC THUNDERBOLT HUB. Apple could have built-in a Thunderbolt hub.

Yes - Lightning ports are thinner and the cables are almost ubiquitous.

Apple's new iMac comes with color-matched accessories, braided cords

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