By Matthew Laurrie
Features Assignment Editor
I remember the clunky, old Gateway desktop computer my family absolutely adored. It was our main connection to technology circa 2001. Flash-forward a decade, and that clunky monstrosity would be an embarrassment.
Apple’s most recent update to one of its products – the iMac – is hitting stores today. According to a Nov. 27 ABC News article, the “super skinny” computer, available in 21.5 and 27-inch screens, has undergone a major makeover.
If Apple continues to release newer, thinner, sleeker products, pretty soon its merchandise will be practically invisible. But I have no doubt as tiny and irrelevant as any new gadget may seem, people will still congregate outside stores to pay hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to own it.
“The machine measures just 5 mm at the top edge and the display has been recrafted with a new glass that has less reflection and glare,” according to the article. In addition, the computer features more memory, faster processors and better graphics.
Sounds fancy, huh? I won’t even begin to feign an understanding of the fresh updates this machine underwent from its one-year-old predecessor, but I will say Apple is advertising this product as the next must-have item on the market. What else is new?
Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller, introduced the new iMac model last month and praised the Apple brand for its ingenuity.
“(The iMac is) the number-one desktop model in the U.S.,” Schiller said. “Many think of it as the flagship of the Mac product line.”
While I do own Apple merchandise, I’m almost afraid to purchase any new products, simply because I know in just months, a completely revolutionized product will sweep the Apple-nation.
Apple seriously needs to calm down with its product upgrades and renovations. It’s becoming way too hard to keep up with the most current commodities.
The iMac, Macbook Air, Macbook Pro and Mac Mini comprise Apple’s line of personal and desktop computers. I remember when the only ‘mac’ I cared about had to be cooked and mixed with a gross, cheesy powder. My concerns have evolved from artificially enhanced pasta to expensive computers, and I’m not sure I like it.
Whether it’s the debut of a revamped version of an old product or the introduction of some new creation that just seems like a slightly altered version of another device, Apple gadgets are, ironically, becoming a bit unhealthy.
Isn’t an iTouch just a step up from an iPod, and isn’t an iPhone just an iTouch with calling features? Isn’t an iPad mini just a slightly smaller version of the iTouch, which I believe is just a more compact version of an iPad? Frankly, iThink I need a separate gadget just to keep up with every new innovation.
So, I’m not saying the release of the updated iMac is a completely bad thing. I’m simply saying it is a reminder of Apple’s insatiable quest to constantly develop new generations of technology.
Nothing says “happy holidays” like an overpriced piece of metal and glass. It seems to me that Apple can’t help but take a bite out of the latest and greatest technology. That’s consumerism for you, I guess.
