The Apple Silicon iMac
In early 2020, Apple announced that it would transition its line of Macs from Intel CPU chips to its own designed processors. With an unparalleled power efficiency, Apple's Silicon chips will allow a new generation of hardware innovations across Apple's entire product lineup.
I love my iMac, but I couldn't wait for Apple to announce its much needed and delayed design revision. So I took the task of redesigning the iMac for the 2020s, just for fun and learning. Here I share some bits of this process.
The iMac Today
The iMac at the centre is the sixth major revision (late 2012). The iMac at the right is the mid-2020 update. Can you spot the difference? Apart from the keyboard and mouse, the external design has remained practically the same for eight years.
The Inspiration
The inspiration for a redesign comes from other product lines. It has long been rumoured that the new iMac could come with an iPad like form factor, with tinnier bezels and rounded corners. The Pro Display XDR and the Pro Stand can also come to help.
The inspiration for a redesign comes from other product lines. It has long been rumoured that the new iMac could come with an iPad like form factor, with tinnier bezels and rounded corners. The Pro Display XDR and the Pro Stand can also come to help.
The Redesign
The crossbreeding of an iPad Pro with a Pro Stand has a pretty obvious but elegant, consistent, and minimalist result. But remember that an iMac is a real object with its structural challenges. I don't know if just maximize an iPad into a 24/32 inches form factors could work.
The iPad Pro has mere 5.9mm on its sides. How could such a slimmer body connect with the stand hinge? Would it endure slight structural stresses without bending? What about the speakers and the sound quality? The current iMac has great acoustics, and no one in their right mind should trade-off this function for the sake of an iPad-like design with worse acoustics.
The Geometry
So I went for a triangular/prism/wedge shape. The chassis has 19 mm at the base and just 4 mm at the top. Such geometry may bring space for good speakers and passive cooling. It is a smaller volume, but it seems reasonably feasible since ARM-based chips are champions in power efficiency, which reduces or even eliminates the need for cooling fans. Indeed, I think Apple is going for passive cooling.
The Stand
The Pro Stand is beautiful, but this *accessory* costs $999 alone. So I decided to take its basic shape and adapt it into a built-in stand for the new iMac. Instead of the original straight geometry, the new stand is tilted at 15 degrees.
The Pro Stand is beautiful, but this *accessory* costs $999 alone. So I decided to take its basic shape and adapt it into a built-in stand for the new iMac. Instead of the original straight geometry, the new stand is tilted at 15 degrees.
The Aspect Ratio
It is also time for an aspect ratio change. Here I adopted a 2:1 aspect ratio, which sits in the middle of a traditional 16:9 and an ultrawide display.
It is also time for an aspect ratio change. Here I adopted a 2:1 aspect ratio, which sits in the middle of a traditional 16:9 and an ultrawide display.
The Workflow
And here goes a huge thanks for the teams behind Shapr3D and Adobe Dimension. The love for design and the Mac sparked this project, and these tools were so easy to use that it made it possible. The learning curve was very gentle, and it got me more and more interested in 3D modelling and rendering.
And here goes a huge thanks for the teams behind Shapr3D and Adobe Dimension. The love for design and the Mac sparked this project, and these tools were so easy to use that it made it possible. The learning curve was very gentle, and it got me more and more interested in 3D modelling and rendering.
