Tech —

Taking the new iMac out of its weird-shaped box

New trapezoidal box is harder to stack but much easier to open.

The new iMac is here, and we're going to unbox the hell out of it.
The new iMac is here, and we're going to unbox the hell out of it.
Andrew Cunningham

If you want to feel like you're buying an iMac but you don't want to drop the cash (or if you're waiting for the 27-inch version), we've got you covered today: first we told you what it was like to try to get one early this morning, and now that we've succeeded in our quest, we're going to walk you through taking the new computer out of its box.

Apple is known for paying close attention to the packaging of its products, and while other computer makers have improved their own boxes quite a bit in the last few years, new Apple boxes are still noteworthy enough for a picture tour.

Andrew Cunningham

The first thing you'll notice is that the new iMac's box is thinner than the old one, but not quite in the way you'd think. The old box was perfectly rectangular, but the new box is trapezoidal, with a wider base and narrower top. This seems like it would make the computers difficult to stack up if you've got a lot of them.

Pics or it didn't happen: this is indeed a 2012 iMac.
Enlarge / Pics or it didn't happen: this is indeed a 2012 iMac.
Andrew Cunningham
Andrew Cunningham

Cut the tape and open the lid, and you'll be greeted with a styrofoam block that both protects the top half of the computer and houses most of the accessories.

This box contains the keyboard, mouse, and some other accessories.
Enlarge / This box contains the keyboard, mouse, and some other accessories.
Andrew Cunningham
Same old wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse (or Magic Trackpad, if you prefer).
Enlarge / Same old wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse (or Magic Trackpad, if you prefer).
Andrew Cunningham
Screen wipe, Apple stickers, and fine print.
Enlarge / Screen wipe, Apple stickers, and fine print.
Andrew Cunningham
Andrew Cunningham

Remove the styrofoam block and you'll get your first glimpse at the computer. Older iMacs would need to be yanked upward out of their boxes at this point, an annoying process especially for the large, heavy 27-inch models. Not so anymore: the new box has a front face that falls completely open.

The front and back sides of the box aren't actually attached to one another.
Enlarge / The front and back sides of the box aren't actually attached to one another.
Andrew Cunningham
The front face of the box falls completely open.
Enlarge / The front face of the box falls completely open.
Andrew Cunningham
Nine out of ten cats would sleep in or on this box.
Enlarge / Nine out of ten cats would sleep in or on this box.
Andrew Cunningham

The styrofoam in the bottom of the box is also a bit different than it was before. Previously, there were two big chunks of foam that grabbed at the base of the iMacs and didn't want to let you pull it out of the box; now, you can easily lift the iMac off of the styrofoam bases and then pull the remaining foam off from the left and right. Much easier.

The iMac and some of the styrofoam lifts off of a couple styrofoam bases...
Enlarge / The iMac and some of the styrofoam lifts off of a couple styrofoam bases...
Andrew Cunningham
And the remaining pieces easily pull away.
Enlarge / And the remaining pieces easily pull away.
Andrew Cunningham
The power cable is stored in a sealed styrofoam compartment.
Enlarge / The power cable is stored in a sealed styrofoam compartment.
Andrew Cunningham
The cable itself is unchanged from previous models.
Enlarge / The cable itself is unchanged from previous models.
Andrew Cunningham
Peeling the cloth and plastic wrappers off of the iMac will reveal your new computer.
Enlarge / Peeling the cloth and plastic wrappers off of the iMac will reveal your new computer.
Andrew Cunningham

The first thing you notice once you've actually extricated the iMac from its various wrappings is that it is indeed much slimmer than previous models. It's not uniformly thin throughout as some of Apple's product photos would have you believe, but it is much thinner and much less boxy. The non-reflective screen is also immediately apparent; when I photograph most gadgets, I need to take great pains not to appear reflected in their super-glossy screens. You can't see me in the picture of the iMac despite the fact that I'm sitting right in front of it. Some reflections, especially light sources, still appear, but the situation is much improved over every iMac since the 2007 model introduced the aluminum-and-glass aesthetic to the line.

The iMac looks the same from the front, if you don't count the non-reflective screen.
Enlarge / The iMac looks the same from the front, if you don't count the non-reflective screen.
Andrew Cunningham
The back also looks pretty familiar.
Enlarge / The back also looks pretty familiar.
Andrew Cunningham
But from the side, the computer is much slimmer. There is, of course, no optical drive.
Enlarge / But from the side, the computer is much slimmer. There is, of course, no optical drive.
Andrew Cunningham

We have yet to turn the system on, so we'll leave further observations for our full review. One final thing to note is the iMac's complement of ports. The 21.5-inch iMac picks up a second Thunderbolt port for the first time, and the SD card slot has been moved to the rear—in older iMacs the SD card slot was adjacent to the optical drive, and we've heard some horror stories about people who have inserted their cards into the wrong slot by mistake.

Ports and vents.
Enlarge / Ports and vents.
Andrew Cunningham

Listing image by Andrew Cunningham

Channel Ars Technica