Apple iMac 24-Inch: Best Mac Desktop for Everyday Computing

REVIEWS/HARDWARE

- TOM BRANT

The original Apple iMac, which was launched at the end of the last millennium, is the archetype for the modern all-in-one desktop computer. The most recognizable of all Mac desktops, its luster diminished over the past two decades as it became less distinctive and more like its Windows competitors. Now, Apple is trying something different.

The new-for-2021 24-inch Apple iMac takes the legend back to its roots, adding customizable color options that extend across the physical surfaces of the computer and its accessories. Add in cutting-edge enhancements that Apple’s M1 silicon enables, including a fingerprint reader and immensely improved image processing, and you get an excellent iMac that could define the next 20 years of desktop computing. It wins our TechX award for redefining what is possible—and what “skinny” means—in an all-in-one desktop. (Read the First Look column in this issue for more about our TechX award program.)

PICK A COLOR

The new iMac’s headlining feature is color. Available in seven hues, the new PC is a throwback to the whimsy of designer Jonathan Ive’s original iMac case, which came in your choice of translucent, candy-colored plastic. There were a whopping 13 color options on the iMacs of the late 1990s (Blue Dalmatian and Flower Power among them), with keyboards and mice to match.

Apple iMac 24-Inch

PROS A perky reimagining of the classic iMac design. Color-matched accessories. Extraordinarily thin. Available fingerprint reader. Snappy Apple M1 processor. Excellent camera quality.