Appe head honcho Steve Jobs unveiled the new iMac this week, and though the improvements are largely incremental as opposed to the revolution that was the last generation, there’s lots to like — the US$200 price drop first and foremost. Apple has ditched the 17-inch version, offering only 20- and 24-inch models. It gives us a break from the steady diet of iPhone hype. And there’s lots of aluminium and glass — very sexy. (Somehow, though, I keep thinking of David Spade’s line on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update, talking about Jennifer Aniston: “OK. We get it. You’re pretty.”)
It’s an all-in-one world, according to Jobs, and looking at the tangle of cables that supports my PC, I’m hoping someone on that side of the fence is listening.
But there was something amiss among the iMac and many iLife software announcements. What’s happened to the Mac Mini? Was Word 1 uttered about it on iMac day? I’ve always had a soft spot for The Littlest Mac. Apparently, Apple has quietly squeezed a few improvements into the Mini (the Web site refers to testing on preproduction machines in April 2007), but with none of the iMac fanfare.
Dell’s multicoloured laptops aside, Apple still seems to be the only computer company that’s taking the aesthetics of computing seriously.