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Sticking with the Apple Remote
On that unboxing video we posted the other day (sorry about the ads-- point taken), it was noted that the Apple Remote no longer stuck to the side of the new iMac. Reader Sal emailed me this morning to point out that not only did his Remote not stick either, but apparently he rang up Apple, and the "product specialist" said the Remote should stick. I also called Apple, and they told me the Remote should stick as well.But neither the Unboxing Remote or Sal's Remote actually stuck, so what's the deal? Our commenters have noted over the past few days that aluminum eats magnetic fields, so it could be that the aluminum makes sticking the Remote on a no go. I don't know exactly how it worked with the old iMac (whether there was just a magnet inside or in both the Remote and the iMac), but Sal points out his Remote won't stick to the fridge either. After he told Apple that, they even offered to send him a new Remote, so maybe the Remote he has is defective (which means this is the second new defective product we've heard about in the past few days). One more wrinkle-- other commenters have suggested that instead of the side, the Remote now sticks to the "chin" of the iMac, but Sal tried that and said it didn't work either.At any rate, Apple says the Remote should stick, but everything we've seen says it doesn't. Which is it? Anyone have a new iMac and want to confirm that it sticks? It's not a big loss, of course, if it's really not sticking. But like the Open Apple button, that's another special Apple touch that's been lost on the new iMac.Update: This video, courtesy Rizza in the comments, shows the Remote stuck on the front right corner of the glass (which is one way to get around the aluminum, I guess). So looks like Apple moved the magnet there.
Unboxing the new iMac
Hard to believe you could run a whole video site just by posting vids of people unboxing new gadgets, but I'll be darned if the guys at Unboxing haven't gone and done it-- their latest video shows off the new iMac, and I have to say (a little ashamedly) that I was glued to my screen the whole time. I don't know if opening up something Apple didn't make would have the same effect, but going through that box piece by piece, with all the little custom packaging and that incredible keyboard... "vicarious thrills" indeed!Every time I crack open an Apple product, I'm always thrilled with all the little touches, and this time is no exception-- I love the two booklets, labeled "Everything Mac" and "Everything else," as if Mac was its own universe, and the way the iMac itself is nestled in the box and packaging just feels so perfect. It is disappointing that the Apple Remote doesn't stick to the side any more, however-- it's hard to believe Jobs would consciously choose not to put the little magnet in there, so maybe someone in Cupertino is facepalming when they realize they forgot it.Update: Engadget also has a nice unboxing gallery up, including a few good hands-on notes about the keyboard.Thanks, Andru!
The iMac, in a little more color
Sunny Wu sent us this mockup of what a Product RED/U2 iMac might look like, considering that Apple has put a little black in their originally all-white iMac design (it's based on the comparison the 37Signals guys did). It's true that the new iMac shares a little more similarity with the iPhone, although not as much as it could have.What do you all think of the iMac redesign? Most of the murmuring I've heard is lukewarm, and I tend to agree-- why bother, exactly? Yes, it looks just as cool as the old iMac (which is still very cool), but does a black Apple logo and a black back really make that much of a difference? Thin is nice (and that keyboard is awesome), but this is a desktop, and I'm not worried about a little bulk on my desk.And here's the other question I have, though I think I already know the answer: Why are we still suffering that strip of metal across the bottom? Shouldn't the iMac's screen just go ahead and take over the rest of the front? I know, I know, it has to do with the insides, and all the room the ports and other guts need to function, but even if Apple made it a little thicker to fit everything in, I still think I'd rather see an iMac that was nothing but screen from the front. What do you all think?
