The M4 Macs prove that Apple should steal from itself more

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Image: Foundry

I love it when Apple steals from itself. First of all, it just makes sense. Its designs are usually pretty good.

Just ask Samsung (zing).

Second, it gives its products a sense of cohesion and often a sense of history. Pick up the Apple TV remote and you can see the original iPod Shuffle. Not all the design homages are so easy to make out. Apple’s recently updated Macs made me think about how the company likes to recycle not just materials from its products but the way they look.

Mac throwbacks

The iMac is essentially an updated version of the classic Mac: an all-in-one design for the average user. The reason the classic Mac form factor had substantial depth was mostly to accommodate a CRT. Indeed, the first iMacs took on a tapered shape because the CRT was the main constraint as the other components got smaller but the screen got bigger. Still, the shape of the classic Mac and the current iMac is basically a screen set in the upper part of a rectangle. It’s not complicated, but Apple has been one of the few companies to make an all-in-one form factor for decades that is a real banger of a computer in both performance and aesthetics. Say what you want to about the boring shape of these iMacs, at least they come in actual colors, just like the original iMacs did.

With the iMac, Apple is the only company that has made an all-in-one desktop computer that is not just successful, but also iconic.

Foundry

Apple also updated the Mac mini , making the mini-est mini ever. These 2024 Mac minis were rumored to look more like an Apple TV, but it really looks more like a diminutive Mac Studio, which is more what it is. The Mac mini has always owed a bit of its inspiration to the much-loved, oft-maligned G4 Cube and the 2024 iteration makes the homage even more pronounced. Personally, I think Apple could turn it up a notch and throw in some clear plastic, but Apple may be loathe to do this because plastics don’t feel as premium and don’t weather as well as darker materials (although I’ve seen some graphite Mac minis that have beat … Read More