Sit down in front of the new iMac and something incredible happens: The world around you seems to disappear, and you lose yourself in the big, beautiful display. To create an experience this immersive, we pushed every limit, rethought every detail, and advanced iMac in the most astonishing ways.
The first iMac was a revolution: An all-in-one computer that put everything — display, processor, graphics, storage, memory, and more — inside one simple, stylish enclosure. Countless innovations later, we’ve raised the bar yet again. The new iMac includes the most advanced, most brilliant desktop display we’ve ever built, and it’s filled with the latest high-performance technologies. Yet it’s just 5 mm thin at its edge with up to 40 percent less volume than the previous generation. To do all that required unprecedented feats of engineering — and imagination. We invented new technologies, pioneered new manufacturing techniques, and devised all-new ways to do more in less space.
Innovations at the molecular level.
One of the biggest challenges our engineers faced was how to join the front and back of the new iMac. The enclosure is so thin, it’s not possible to weld the pieces using traditional methods. So we searched far and wide for other ideas, and we found one in a process called friction-stir welding. It’s commonly used on airplane wings, rocket booster tanks, and other parts that simply can’t fail. This process uses a combination of intense friction-generated heat and pressure to intermix the molecules of the two aluminum surfaces — creating a seamless, precise, and superstrong join. You may not see it, but the new iMac wouldn’t be possible without it.
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Now you’re closer to the action.
The new iMac display is not set behind the cover glass — it’s right up against it. The LCD itself is 5 mm thinner than before, and we used an advanced process called full lamination to eliminate a 2-mm gap between the LCD and the glass, something that has never been done on a display this large. Although it may not seem like much, those few millimeters are enough to make images look as if they’re leaping off the glass.
- Eliminated 2-mm gap
- Antireflective coating
- 5-mm-thinner LCD
75 percent less reflection.
Full lamination has a second major benefit: It eliminates the reflection of light off the LCD panel and off the back of the display’s cover glass. But we also figured out how to reduce reflection off the front of the glass without compromising color quality. Instead of applying an antireflective coating to the glass in a conventional way, we adapted a process used on smaller surfaces like camera lenses and fighter pilots’ helmets. It’s called plasma deposition, and it involves coating the glass with layers of silicon dioxide and niobium pentoxide so precise and so thin they’re measured in atoms. The result: an astounding 75 percent reduction in reflectivity — and vibrant, accurate colors.
Less reflection
Individually calibrated for true-to-life color.
None of these innovations would matter much if the iMac display didn’t deliver vivid, true-to-life color. Which is why we put every single display through an exacting color-calibration process using three state-of-the-art spectroradiometers: one to measure gamma, one to measure white point, and one to check the work of the other two. This equipment is tuned to meet color standards recognized around the world for precision and accuracy.
More energy efficient.
Not only does the new iMac offer higher performance than any previous iMac, it’s also more energy efficient, using up to 50 percent less energy in the idle state with the display on. And its hardware components work hand in hand with the operating system to conserve even more power.
Friendly to the environment.
The environmentally friendly iMac design is free of many harmful toxins, including mercury, arsenic, BFRs, and PVC. It’s also made from materials such as aluminum and glass, which are more likely to be recycled and reused.
Highly rated designs.
As a result of all our efforts, iMac meets the stringent low power requirements set by the EPA, giving it ENERGY STAR 5.2 qualification. And it has earned the highest rating of Gold from EPEAT, which evaluates the environmental impact of a product based on how recyclable it is, how much energy it uses, and how it’s designed and manufactured.*
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