When the 24-inch iMac launched with the other M1 devices in 2020, it was something of a revelation. A statement of intent, that the new Apple silicon chips were going to be the next biggest thing in computing both on the desktop and in your backpack.
Back then, Apple was completely refreshing its product lineup with not only state-of-the-art chips, but a sharp new design language with fewer curves and more straight edges. It was fresh, it was new, and it was, crucially, exciting.
However, fast forward a few years, and the same computer that felt like it was something that would change the world, and yet held on to a kind of reminiscence of a more colorful Apple from yesteryear in 2020, now feels like a rush job that’s been pumped out as customers demand something with more power in 2023.
The M3 iMac, revealed at Apple’s latest ‘Scary Fast’ event, is a boring, uninspired release that doesn’t manage to give you much of a reason to upgrade from the last model beyond slightly better specs. Beyond even that, there are signs in the box that this was rushed — and you need to look no further than at the accessories that come in the box.
Where’s the USB-C?
While the iMac itself is smothered with USB-C ports (and by smothered we mean ‘four’), the accessories that it comes with are not. They still use the now-discontinued Lightning connector for charging — and that’s not just disappointing, it’s a clear sign that the iMac was rushed.
See, a more thought-through iMac would present Apple with the opportunity to bring USB-C to its accessories, like the Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse. As the company moves all of its products to the new port, such as its iPhones and its AirPods, it feels bizarre that the accessories that come with a Mac with a high pricetag, don’t have USB-C bring the whole product line up to speed.
A more thought-through iMac would present Apple with the opportunity to bring USB-C to its accessories.
It’s this decision from Apple that makes the new M3 iMac feel cynical. It’s not due to the reused design — that was expected. Apple has been using the same chassis for incremental updates for years, from the old iMacs of the nineties to years and years' worth of identical aluminum MacBook Pros. The chassis reuse doesn’t sting because:
1. It still looks beautiful
2. Research and development for a brand-new design takes loads of time and money, so this means that Apple can save money and put it into other areas.
Areas you’d hope would go into new USB-C accessories. Alas, while Apple just stuck a new chip into an old iMac and called it a day to save money, where that money went remains a mystery — as does where those USB-C accessories may be.
Where are the USB-C accessories?
Apple has been pivoting to USB-C for some time now. It began with the ports arriving on the MacBook and Mac lines in 2015, then moved to the iPad tablets with the Pro in 2018.
From there, it stalled for a while, before arriving in the iPhone 15 in September. Since then, we’ve seen the AirPods Pro 2 receive the USB-C port in a small update — so it would stand to reason that the accessories you get with your brand-new, M3 iMac would get the same.
Instead, we seem to have stalled again. There were rumors in the run-up to the announcement that Apple would be including USB-C accessories in the box, alongside apparently more realistic rumors that came to pass. The AirPods Pro 2 shows that adding in a new port isn’t all that hard, bringing the AirPods line into the present alongside the iPhone 15.
When we’ll see USB-C accessories remains to be seen. It must be something that is happening. Apple can’t hold on to the lightning port for all that much longer, one would’ve thought, but here we are, with a brand new device with lightning ports.
A boring, rushed release.
The new iMac feels boring because, beyond the new M3 chip, there aren’t all that many new spec bumps. The same 24GB of RAM is on offer, and the storage options remain unchanged. No new colors, no new stands, nothing.
If nothing else, just remember how tacked on the launch of the computer felt during the event. Three minutes or so that in essence said ‘Oh, and the new iMac is going to have the M3 too! Here’s how much it will cost. Same colors by the way. Happy Halloween!’ It’s disappointing that the iMac, a lovely computer, has been treated like this.
The other new releases got plenty of screen time, with the 14-inch M3 being the star of the show. The iMac deserves better — and its accessories deserve USB-C.
