Sometime around the beginning of the year I sat down to write a post evaluating the design of the iMac and trying to come up with some improvements I’d like to see made. The general tone was that it would be nice if iMacs and Apple’s displays could somehow complement eachother more naturally.

With the release of the new iMac today, it’s safe to reason that none of those potential issues have been addressed, since the new iMac is essentially the old iMac, but thinner, faster, and silver-er.

That’s not to say it isn’t dead sexy. JB said that he thinks this is one of the best-looking Macs ever made, and while I’m not ready to give it that, I will say that it is one of the nicest Macs in a long time in terms of actual beauty. If you think about it, Macs of the most recent generation wear very little jewelry, content in their aluminum and plastic skins while iPods and iPhones are allowed a little more flash. This newest iMac is a slight departure (I see a lot of iPhone influence), and I wouldn’t be surprised to see typical iMac reactions go from “where’s the rest of the computer?” to “wow, that’s really cool”.

And at the same time, it feels a little derivative to me, both of the G5/Intel iMacs and of every single modern TV made. Rounding the corners made it apparent that it’s something different, but the black bezel/silver base motif is one that’s been popular for years now. But considering the materials used (glass and aluminum vs. plastic) and the fact this is a full computer and yet remains similar in size and depth to those TV’s, it’s still impressive.

I think the new keyboards introduced today are without a doubt an aesthetic improvement over their predecessors. I’ve been quite pleased with the feel of the current/old units but disappointed in the unparalleled amount of dirt they’re able to accumulate, and I hope that these new models are easier to clean. I like the clever integration of the USB ports (wired) and battery chamber (Bluetooth), because it’s a great example of function-inspired design that only a few companies do really well.

It’s pretty easy to conclude that while the new iMac really doesn’t offer anything beyond the expected evolution in functionality, the added shininess will ensure that it remains a strong seller for Apple. They’ve got a buyer in me as soon as Leopard rolls out, and if I can figure out what size to get.