I'm dissapointed though. For two reasons.

Aesthetically, the new iMac (in my opinion) is just not as cool looking. I own one of those iLamp thingies. The hemisphere with the movable flat panel. Us Mac zealots, we like our computers, we're real proud of OSX, the hardware tends to be well and thoughtfully designed. But there's an intangible aspect to owning a Mac. They're cool. Actually, sometimes, you may think some of their ideas are stupid. BUT, they are different. Usually. When people come to my house and see the iLamp sitting there, it always entices a comment "that's a cool computer." It stands out, people notice it. It's more than just a computer, it's almost like its a piece of furniture. A nice vase. A nifty gadge. When I flop open my slim 17" powerbook in meetings all clad in anodized goodness, people notice, they say something. It's a wonderful machine to own. But the new iMac... it's nice and appealing, but it lacks in the "wow factor" arena. I have a Sony flat panel monitor at work that looks a lot like it. It also pivots. Sure there's CPU somewhere off to the side, and so I appreciate the utilitarian value of what they've done by tucking it all up behind the gorgeous monitor, but it's pretty predictable. It reminds me of a refined all-in-one Dell that used to hop around the iLamp in those silly commercials.

My other beef is the loss of the iSwivel monitor. I don't know if you can appreciate the two hinge rotatable lamp arm that the now-old iMac's flat panel sits on, unless you've spent time with one. I didn't, until I spent some time playing with one at a friends house. After a while, I concluded it was niftiest subtle sneaker feature I'd seen in a long time. I move the monitor all the time on my iLamp. When I want to change my sitting position. I change the monitor position. Up or down. Closer or farther away. Rotated. The viewing angle. It all is as easy as "reach out and put it where you want it." When the wife, asks me a question from the couch, I swing the monitor so she can see. When the kids, ages 3, 6, and 8, use the machine, they each put it in different places. If they're playing together, there's a different optimum placement. When the sun shines through the window in the late afternoon, it's just a quick change of angle and all is well again. The new iMac has a single pivot, which means you can slightly change viewing angle. You can't move it closer or farther. Higher or lower. Spin it all around. It's too bad, this is what made the iLamp so cool. Now the iMac is just another monitor. Even if the computer is the monitor. Or the other way around. Or whatever.