- Let's face it,
nobody really cares about desktop computers anymore,
but that wasn't always the case.
In 1998, Apple's mission was to get people to care
about a little thing called the internet.
- We are targeting this for the number one use
that consumer's tell us they want a computer for,
which is to get on the internet.
- So Apple came up with this bad boy, the iMac.
(computer chimes)
Fun colors, fast performance, and Jeff Goldblum.
- Well, there's a computer that makes it so easy,
you're up and running in 10 minutes
and you're still yourself.
- But now, welcome to 2021,
where this new iMac turns on in seconds, if that.
We care a lot about computers now,
just not the big, stationary kind.
So you can say this 24-inch iMac has a similar strategy
to that original one,
get people to care about desktops
with fun colors, fast performance, no Jeff Goldblum.
Believe me, I tried to get in touch with him many times.
Dear Mr. Goldblum,
will you be in my video?
Thanks, Joanna.
With the new M1 chip, beautiful display,
and very good webcam,
this iMac is certainly more iPhone or iPad
than that 35-pound old monstrosity.
But is that enough to convince a laptop lover like me?
Let's find out.
Let's start with the design because it's bonkers,
and there's good bonkers and then there's bad bonkers.
The entire computer sits in this 0.4 inch thick rectangle.
Just look at it.
It's just a bit thicker than an iPhone 12 Pro.
Yes, everything that once sat in here,
processor, RAM, graphics, storage,
now sits in this thin shell.
In fact, it's so thin,
they had to orient the headphone jack this way
because there wasn't enough room to do it this way.
Like I said, bonkers, good bonkers.
And this is all enabled by a new M1 chip inside,
the same one inside the new MacBook Air and Pro.
Unlike Intel-powered machines,
this is based on the same arm architecture
found in chips in the iPhone and iPad.
It integrates the processor, graphics, memory, and more
onto a single chip, which means less space.
Some other things I like about the design
the power adapter magnetically locked to the back,
there's an ethernet port on the brick itself
if you want to plug directly into the router,
and there's four USB-C ports.
Sadly, no SD card slot.
You know what reviewers knocked this thing for?
No floppy disk.
It comes with matching accessories too.
You have a choice of the Magic Mouse or the Magic Trackpad.
And just like the MacBook,
there's a fingerprint sensor in the keyboard,
if you upgrade to the higher-end configuration, that is.
But then there are a few questionable design choices here.
Like why is the screen surrounded by this white frame?
I would much prefer it to be black.
And I'm not the biggest fan
of the front pastel color options.
I'd much prefer the darker color of the back.
It's almost exactly like Steve Jobs said back in 1998.
- [Steve] The back of this thing looks better
than the front of the other guys, by the way.
- Plus, how the hell does this mouse still charge like this?
Look, Apple, you know how to put a cable
at the top of a mouse.
You did it once before.
What is this?
On the plus side,
you get this very nice fabric Lightening charging cord.
Okay, let's talk about screens,
since that's what this thing really is.
The 24-inch panel has not a 4K display,
but what Apple calls a 4.5K display.
Translation?
It's beautiful and crisp, with plenty of room
for seeing multiple apps open at the same time.
Take that, 13-inch laptop!
Possibly my favorite part of this whole machine?
The 1080P webcam.
Thanks to image quality optimizations with the M1,
it completely shows up the webcams on the new MacBook Pro
and even the front-facing camera
on the iPhone 12 Pro in some lighting conditions.
So how does this thing perform?
Just like the M1 MacBooks,
it's hard to get this thing to slow down in everyday usage.
Web browsing with tons of tabs while photo editing,
listening to music, and watching a 4K video,
no trouble at all for this thing.
Wow, look at those graphics.
- [Computer] Checkmate.
- The high-end model I tested,
which is priced at $1,899 with 16 gigabytes of RAM,
only started to chug
when I threw in big video editing projects in Adobe Premier.
I do recommend the $200 upgrade for the 16 gigabytes of RAM
for those who juggle a lot of apps and web browser tabs.
Sadly, you can't upgrade the RAM yourself,
like you were able to on this thing.
Those who want more power and a bigger display
will have to wait until Apple replaces the 27-inch iMac.
The company wouldn't comment on future products,
but there are reliable reports
that it will get a more powerful M chip
and an even bigger high-contrast screen.
So what do you do?
Well, I'd still get a laptop
for the freedom to move away from this desk,
though I really wish Apple made a monitor
that looked like this.
But if you're in the market
for a very sleek stationary computer,
this iMac is very good.
It's GIF, GIF, GIF, GIF, GIF, GIF...(audio fades out)