Why did other companies' all-in-ones never take off?
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The iMac is25 years old this weekand still going.
So why is it the only desktop all-in-one you’ve heard of?
Toshifumi Kitamura / Getty Images
So where, if it’ssuch a great machine, were all the Windows PC knockoffs?
“The iMac has proven that all-in-one desktop computers can deliver an amazing experience when designed thoughtfully.
But there are two main reasons they never took off.
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One is that nobody else does hardware/software integration like Apple.
The other is thatwe areall using all-in-one computers.
We just call them laptops.
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Apple’s entire company is built on designing hardware and software in tandem.
The latest Apple silicon chips are a great example.
Those chips have entire sections dedicated to processing camera images, for example, or running machine-learning software.
Back in the days of the OG iMac, things were simpler, but integration was still key.
With a Mac, you never had to install drivers to get the screen to work.
You could use the volume buttons on the keyboard and later burn CDs and DVDs in the SuperDrive.
It was all built-in, and it all just worked.
The iMac has proven that all-in-one desktop computers can deliver an amazing experience when designed thoughtfully.
This was important because there were significant compromises with all-in-one designs.
You were buying convenience, not power.
And the current 24-inch iMac is essentially just the guts of a MacBook with a big screen.
A PC all-in-one has none of these benefits.
And all-in-oneseven Apple’sare hampered by their very nature.
With a notebook computer, the compromises of the all-in-one are totally worth it.
Desktop computers were relegated to specialized duties.
Gamers who wanted ultimate performance.
Movie-makers using racks of Mac Pros to churn through CGI scenes.
And dentists who wanted a cool-looking computer out there on the reception desk.
“All-in-ones are great for businesses and personal users that want something more compact.
They are also easier to transport.”
Today, it’s pretty much game over for the all-in-one desktop for most people.
The latest M2 MacBook Air hasmore power than most people need.
you’re able to do the same job, on the couch, with an all-day battery.
And yet the iMac persists.
It’s pretty telling that it actually looks better from the back than from the front.
Even the latest masterpiece has now gone for over 800 days without any update, double the average time.
And yet Apple is still clearly committed to it.
