The M4 Macs prove that Apple should steal from itself more

I love it when Apple steals from itself. First of all, it just makes sense. Its designs are usually pretty good.

Just ask Samsung (zing).

Second, it gives its products a sense of cohesion and often a sense of history. Pick up the Apple TV remote and you can see the original iPod Shuffle. Not all the design homages are so easy to make out. Apple’s recently updated Macs made me think about how the company likes to recycle not just materials from its products but the way they look.

Mac throwbacks

The iMac is essentially an updated version of the classic Mac: an all-in-one design for the average user. The reason the classic Mac form factor had substantial depth was mostly to accommodate a CRT. Indeed, the first iMacs took on a tapered shape because the CRT was the main constraint as the other components got smaller but the screen got bigger. Still, the shape of the classic Mac and the current iMac is basically a screen set in the upper part of a rectangle. It’s not complicated, but Apple has been one of the few companies to make an all-in-one form factor for decades that is a real banger of a computer in both performance and aesthetics. Say what you want to about the boring shape of these iMacs, at least they come in actual colors, just like the original iMacs did.

Apple also updated the Mac mini, making the mini-est mini ever. These 2024 Mac minis were rumored to look more like an Apple TV, but it really looks more like a diminutive Mac Studio, which is more what it is. The Mac mini has always owed a bit of its inspiration to the much-loved, oft-maligned G4 Cube and the 2024 iteration makes the homage even more pronounced. Personally, I think Apple could turn it up a notch and throw in some clear plastic, but Apple may be loathe to do this because plastics don’t feel as premium and don’t weather as well as darker materials (although I’ve seen some graphite Mac minis that have beat to hell).

So, while I love the references, Apple’s current design ethic is still rather minimalist, maybe too staid. Across the board, Apple’s products lack the sense of whimsey present in some of its older offerings.

One rumored device that might change that is the mysterious smart home accessory that is expected to have a screen or an arm like the iMac G4. If Apple does ship a WALL-E style device that follows you around the kitchen, I think there are some other clever ways it can reuse, recycle, and reinvigorate its product lineup.

Not-so-crazy Apple product ideas

Apple has hinted that it might be getting more into the home automation field. For years one standard after another has promised to make everything in your home work seamlessly together and that hasn’t happened yet. It’s high time Apple did for home automation what it did for wireless headphones: just make its own devices that work better. And while it’s doing that, would it kill it to do it with a wink? This is why I’m turning to you today to ask you to sign my online petition asking Apple to make a thermostat that looks like a classic iPod. Want the heat to go up? Jog the wheel clockwise. Want it to go down? Back the other way. Buttons around the rim can set the other functions. No need to put a 5GB spinning hard drive in it.

According to Apple lore, Steve Jobs was not a fan of the Newton but he liked the look of the eMate. The iBook was then based on the eMate design, making it more rugged than previous Apple laptops and having a handle. An iPad in a rugged form factor with a dedicated keyboard might just be a good opportunity for a third party, but if Apple ever does ship a touch-screen Mac, some of that old eMate/iBook magic might sweeten the deal. Who doesn’t love a handle?

Finally, let’s turn to the iPod nano. No other device in Apple’s history went through as many changes as the nano. The nano was Apple’s playground, going from a diminutive classic iPod shape to squarish, back to vertical, then to just a square touch screen and finally an iPhone-like appearance. Apple has–sadly, in my view–left small phones by the wayside, apparently deciding the number of units shipped wasn’t worth the effort.

But what if it made a smaller phone that was the weird phone? It’s hard to mess with success and it’s even harder to support odd screen sizes, but imagine if Apple had a line of iPhones that experimented with different materials, maybe put Touch ID in the power button, it could even try an e-ink screen, giving it crazy battery life. Imagine if it had a line it could have fun with. It did that with the nano, it could do it again.

I love it when Apple copies itself. I wish it would copy itself more.