With seven color options, it certainly owes a debt to that oh-so-colorful 1999 iMac G3 series.

Yes, the classic candy-colored CRT-sporting G3 model, from 1999, which is still a lauded example of clever, consumer-friendly industrial design. The newest iMac reminds me so much of one of the oldest iMacs. Read more: iMac gets bright colors, first redesign since 2012 It's a testament to the forward-looking design that it still mostly held up year after year, when even the MacBook Air, Apple's other unchanged-for-too-long computer got a major physical redesign in 2018. That now-eclipsed Apple iMac look has stood for nine years. Since 2012, roughly forever in computer design terms, an iMac has been a large screen, gently bowed out on the back, tapering to a sharp edge and perched on a single curved foot. The new CPU and webcam add the best elements of the still-new M1 MacBooks and the Intel-powered 27-inch iMac. That alone will be enough to recommend it to some shoppers, especially those who have held off on updating a much older iMac.

The new version of the smaller iMac (formerly 21.5 inches, now 24 inches) has taken on a whole new look, becoming the first M1-powered Mac in a new design unveiled at Apple's spring event. One of the longest-standing personal computer designs has fallen.