10 beautiful iMac setups worth a look (pics)
The Apple iMac is the stuff that dreams are made of. When it was released in 2000 (iMacs were released in 1998, but the current ’slim’ form was introduced in 2002), it was hailed as the best innovation seen in the recent past, and won many accolades for the design innovation.
The original Intel iMac (24″) received CNET’s “Must-have desktop” in their 2006 Top 10 Holiday Gift Picks list. Technology columnist Walt Mossberg described it as the “gold standard of desktop computing”, and Forbes hailed it as “industry-altering success”. No wonder iMacs turn eyeballs wherever it is spotted.
iMac is Apple’s range of home desktop computers. Priced at $1200-1800, iMac is an affordable, yet powerful workhorse. Sporting a single-unit design and sleek finishing that Apple is famous for, it is only natural that you would wish to have an iMac.
iMac, the design marvel
To increase the temptation, I have collected a list of some of the most exquisite iMac setups that I could find, on Flickr. I started out with some ~30 images, but pruned it down to the top 10 for the sake of readability, and also because many of them contained unwanted clutter.
Preference was given to neatness, lack of clutter and any other extras (exquisite lights, backgrounds etc.). The image credit link (on the titles) and short descriptions about the setup (after the image) are also provided. Instead of wasting time with the slow Flickr search, I searched for the images on CompFight, which loads the results via AJAX (meaning no extra pageloads). Enjoy!
Quattro Vageena
Wood-panel wall background, classy lighting and a clean desk
dziner
The strong lighting from behind makes for an interesting visual effect
Nathan
A (slightly) older iMac (which is a good thing, since it doesn’t have the ugly black rim around the screen that current iMacs have)
Matt Brett
iMac for work, Xbox360 for gaming and a large, spacious desk - minimalist and clean
anh guan
PC(left) vs iMac(right) - literally
Daines
iMac, the desk and lighting look exquisite
Crouching Donkey
Leopard overload! The black-coloured desk surface is in good contrast with the Apple machines, which creates a beautiful effect
QuattroVageena
iMac, Macbook, and iBook make picture-perfect
Falling Sky
Sideview with near-silhoutte look
bigbold
Not the cleanest of desks, but a iMac, Dell LCD (Ubuntu/iTunes) and PC(runs Ubuntu) won me over
I am an avid surfer of beautiful Apple machines on Flickr. These were my favourites. So, which are your favourite setups? Share it with us in the comments. Would you like to see lists of more beautiful Apple setups? Tell us in the comments.
By Abhijeet Mukherjee on Apr 14, 2008 | Reply
Awesome pics !…I need to know more about this iMac thing now :) ( stumbled too )
By Sambo on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Look at all that wasted money on aesthetics…
What a shame…
By macgasm on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Some of this photo’s are pretty sweet. We’d love to have them submitted to our flickr pool for our blog (see user name… ;) ).
http://www.flickr.com/groups/macgasm
By Bob on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
wasted? I can only wonder what type of car you drive if you are concerned about wasted aesthetics. Do you live in a card board box? Do you only wear a potato sack for clothes?
What’s wrong with having something that looks as good as it works?
By Me on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Dude, that last one has a dell=works iMac set up.
By Jordan on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Here is mine, a music setup with a DIY MIDI keyboard drawer and a custom background.
http://jordanbalagot.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/STP81223.jpg
http://jordanbalagot.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/STP81019.jpg
More photos via the website link above.
By Mark on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Absolutley,
If computers are more and more becoming the center pieces of modern homes for more than just computing but for home entertainment as well, they might as well look good.
And accuse me of being an apple fan boy, as much as enjoy the aesthetics, at the end of the day, i just enjoy a computer with a OS that just works.
By Goat on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
yawn…. better going to http://www.rickrolling.com than reading this choss
By kip on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
aesthetics are lost on some.
let the aesthetically challenged drones build the bridges the artistically inclined design.
By Anon on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
I expected to see some setups, not a computers on desks. I’m a design grad and I have a Mac (in fact my whole house has Macs), but I can’t appreciate something like this. Desk + Mac = Genius!? I don’t get it.
By holy molly on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Crapple crapple crapple! Expensive pc with a big lcd.
By what the... on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
So, if I turn off the lights in my room and turn the camera 10 degrees and take a shot I have a cook iMac setup?
By fjdoiu on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
yes it is beautiful! I watched some of them on marrymillionaire.com. there is a forum about these pics on that club.
By subcorpus@subcorpus.net on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
if were to get these setups … it wouldn’t last a week …
i dont think i can keep the desk so clean … i dwell in clutter … hehe …
By Mike on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Whoever thinks these chunks of platic look good has no sense of aesthetic.
By Junaid Ahmed on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
This is definitely an awesome picture, wish I could put up my setup on flickr to be discovered by this blog. Soon!
By Mason on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Here’s my “setup” it’s more like a dump, but I like it!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/myownbiggestfan/2397227835/
By Paulofjustice on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Sambo: Of course there is tons of wasted money on aesthetics. They’re Mac owners. Wish they actually had a reason to be elitists. Then maybe it wouldn’t piss me off so badly…
By gf on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Proving once again that Mac owners are nucking futz for Ikea.
By Henche Mann on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Ooooh! Cool masturbation portals, guys!
By Henche Mann on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
iWank.
By Dav on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
This one’s cool too:
http://flickr.com/photos/sneeka2/4355306/
By blakefox on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
I prefer my iMac workspace to any of those you listed:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ekalb/444291503/
If fact now it is much better with the new small wireless keyboard and mouse. Just to the left outside the photo area. My two external drives and cable modem sit on the file drawer under the desk. Easy access and no clutter.
By Bhavin on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Any desktop machine would look cute in such surroundings. No big deal whether it is a Mac or a Dell.
By Jorge on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Matt Brett’s desk is an Ikea ‘Jerker’ model for those who may be wondering. I own two, great desks!
By Dragis on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Bob,
Obviously you missed his point. Aesthetics is the only sell point here. *pat*
By Charlie Styr on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
I must admit, these were pretty nice, but I have definitely seen some amazing ones, quite a bit nicer than these. Keep looking! ;-)
Charlie - http://theapblog.com/
By mahdi yusuf on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
amazing collection!
By Gregor on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Sorry, but i don’t see anything special on these pics except to little space on the tables. Maybe 1st picture is nice, but that has not anything to do with Mac, it’s just nice pick of colors together?!
By dingdong on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
What “setup”? You cannot set up an iMac. There is nothing to set up. It’s just an iMac on a desk. Why a Apple users so obnoxious?
By Gilbert on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
“The Apple iMac is the stuff that dreams are made of.”
Dude catch a grip.
A $1200 computer - pretty or not - is NOT “the stuff that dreams are made of”.
Scarlett Johannson, winning a Grammy, becoming an astronaut: THAT’s “the stuff that dreams are made of”.
It’s just some nicely designed consumer electronics, you geek fanboy idiot.
By derekguy on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
I have the Altec Lansing speakers in photo number two (dziner) they are beautiful to listen to, catch all the highs and lows.
There are some really pretty setups here, I really like the iMac’s compack aesthetic.
By matt on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
i have seen many awesome setups….
here is my desk at work. just because i can.
http://trpublic.com/myspace/large.jpg
http://gallery.mac.com/trpublic#100269&bgcolor=black&view=grid
By Ivan on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
This is beautiful, some of the setups and desks are extraordinary, want some more :D
By SD on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
What is so special? Just a bunch of desks with an iMac on it.
The iMacs are nice, but the rest? not really stunning or creative.
By Chuck on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
@Bob, calm down fanboy. No need to defend yourself on a blog post dedicated to fanboys like you.
By cOwMoO on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Bob,
The problem with having something ‘that looks as good as it works’ is in this case, the massive compromise in performance vs. cost.
Asthetics are fine, but should NEVER get in the way for functionality and performance.
Macs are simply not worth their cost, a PC of the same cost can easily outperform a Mac, and can look a whole lot better (users actually get to choose a style, not just accept the only one available).
Oh, and the right mouse button.
cOwMoO
By jonny on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
money is never wasted on aesthetics
By NT on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
It wouldn’t be a problem if Macs worked properly, but unfortunately Macs are just overpriced hardware running an operating system that is terrible in comparison to GNU/Linux.
By Pixelkid on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
What are you talking about?? Money wasted on asthetics! If you know anything about productivity you would know how important it is to have a workplace like those shown here.
Good design is about productivity not just how something looks.
By BlogOhJoe on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
The first one is the best.
By josh on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
amazing pics, i would love to have such an inspiring set up - and a machine that is actually able to deliver the goods!
By Elvis on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Nerds
By Wayne Liew on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Nice!
Are these for work or for decoration purposes? LOL
By xxdesmus on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Glad to see your mac is a piece of furniture…silly mac boys (or girls).
By dan on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
$1200 to $1800 is affordable? On what budget? I didn’t even spend $1100 building my computer, and it has rougly three times the power of a Mac.
By anon on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Wow…. half of them look like they were taken in shitty college apartments. SweEt SetUp DuDe!!111!111
lame…
By Tyson Williams on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Beautiful set up in each photo!
By Joe Sum Body on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Man, I didn’t see anything special here. Just a total waist of time. Sigh!!!
By Paul on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Oh come on, where’s mine? :-p
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauliusg/407239555/
By macfan_2828345 on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Wow, these photos are incredibly beautiful, and very inspiring.
The delicate poise of the composition and the dove-white sheen of a beautiful macintosh laptop, exudes an aura of dignified simplicity which has a profoundly emotional effect upon me.
I feel blessed to have found this blog post.
By Link on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
I love the people who think the Mighty Mouse doesn’t have a right button.
By gna on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
It’s like the most of modern architecture. It looks nice in the first place, but it sucks to work in those houses.
By Phil on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
what an utter disappointment, I always thought mac users were retarded but this just proves it.
Ikea desks plus iMacs does not equal cool.
rubbish.
By Brad on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Don’t forget to stick your head up your ass first. That’s the second favorite point of perspective for most Mactards after “in Steve Job’s ass”.
By stevan2811 on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
like monet.
By Jeff on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Seriously? Are you guys for real?
All I see is some furniture from Ikea with an IMac on top and some light effects.
You wana see “Beautiful setups” Check out some of the hottest PC desks. We’ve got ya beat HANDS down.
for example:
http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/8093/cimg011786un4.jpg
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/766/cimg0119ft7.jpg
By stefn on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Gorgeous. But why are all of these sitdown stations? Yall, do yourselves a favor and work standing. Get vertical and do your spines a favor.
By Pigpen on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
For cOwMoO:
I’ve got your right click right here… No really, the mouse that comes standard with every iMac has more functionality than you give it credit for.
http://www.apple.com/mightymouse/
By doctorsimon on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
This post only reafirms my point that Mac users are such douchebags.
And gay , not that theres is something wrong with that.
By jabber_wolf on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Looks great.
Too bad they are macs, or else they would actually be functional!
Funny, more look to aesthetics to cover for our stupidity.
Only goes to show the intelligence of the average Mac user!
“Looks as good as it works”? I’d be impressed if the Mac WORKED as good as it looks, which it doesn’t!
Not to mention- anyone see much of a difference?
There doesnt seem to be much individuality, they are ALL THE SAME FRICKEN STYLE !
One style is not STYLE, its a sheep call!
By MUTE MATT on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Here are a couple of mine. I think at least one should have been included :p
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mutematt/527382505/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mutematt/236600596/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mutematt/2111856619/
By SD on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
No doubt. Do you Mac fanboys just sit on a couch and stare at your computers from afar?
By Madhur Kapoor on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Man they just look beautiful.
By brad on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
GOAT……You are the type dude I want to bash in face. With that rickrolling bullshit…..asshat
By chris on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Great setups!
Reminds me of my college setup before graduation.
By brad on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Also….why the hell do all of you PC luvin machaters waste your time in here talkin shit? Move on…..I’m a switcher from PC to Mac and the reason was not the aesthetics but MacOS functionality. Go load up your PC’s with antispyware and antivirus and all that Kaka, and leave people alone!
By Brandon on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
I never understood the fascination with aesthetically pleasing desktop setups. Can’t we all admit we’re just trying to impress other people?
Whether it’s writing a research paper, perusing through facebook, or some light gaming, I want something that’s at the most extremely efficient and functional, and at the least aesthetically pleasing.
The gap between Macs and Windows-based PCs is driven by marketing targets and ridiculous arguments regarding the perceptual senses and their weight with the user. I personally have no desire to work with a “beautiful” PC, as I am more concerned with familiarity, comfort, and functionality. For me, the choice is the WBPC.
At the end of the day, you’ll be happy with what you get because you got it.
By adam on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Am I missing something? Looks like a bunch of macs on desks? I see absolutely nothing in any of these pics that would call for their own website or collection of pictures. Idea for you guys, get lives…..
By adam on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
I love the people that call it “Mighty Mouse”.
Now if only wouldn’t have taken 20+ years for them to develope a mouse that has some use…
By um_ok on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
how is this interesting? look at this computer desk… now look at this one….
By Kevin Farley on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Yeah, but Bose speakers suck completely. Get some Dynaudio or ProAcs in there and you’d have something…
By kyle on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
what a waste of money. wow look at my pretty plastic.
By Pedo Bear on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Funk macs.
By Jeff little on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
>It wouldn’t be a problem if Macs worked properly, but unfortunately Macs are just overpriced hardware running an operating system that is terrible in comparison to GNU/Linux.
Yeah!!! Because 2008 is the year of the Linux desktop.
or was that 1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007..
Hell just wake me up with Linux is better than Win 95..
Also get a life nerd, and move out of your mom’s basement..come up and join us in the sunshine..but bring sunblock 3000 because that pasty white skin is going to burn.
By Jef on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
So people are taking ordinary pictures of their computers to look at on computers?
Technology scares me sometimes.
By shdwsclan on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
anh guan
I assume thhe pc is for graphics, cause it can ACTUALLY display bit color….unlike the imac next to it….
By Billco on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Okay so you guys are commenting on the rooms housing the iMacs ? As if it were a piece of art in an exhibition ?
As much as I enjoy OS X, I always get the feeling I can’t get much real work done on a Mac. Now you folks have confirmed it.
A computer is supposed to be a functional tool, not something you hang on the wall and show off. Perhaps the fact, that Macs cost 3x as much as a like-powered PC, has led you to believe otherwise.
By Macs are gay on Apr 16, 2008 | Reply
Mac’s are gay.
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant
By interl0per on Apr 16, 2008 | Reply
Im sorry, but so what? Most of these just look like any other computer desk Ive ever seen but with a Mac thrown in.
I see a could of Apple fanboy Smug on the horizon…
By Obsidian on Apr 16, 2008 | Reply
LOL… I see Quake3World.
Nice workspaces.
By Adam Fisher-Cox on Apr 16, 2008 | Reply
Jealous?
These all look like mine to some degree… I have to yet to get a picture that does it justice.
By Adam Fisher-Cox on Apr 16, 2008 | Reply
Wait… are you serious? Because those are PCs sitting on ugly grey counters… :D
By Matt on Apr 16, 2008 | Reply
I think I’m more interested in some of the wallpapers. I like the first one. Can anyone find what/where to get that wallpaper?
By Nicole on Apr 16, 2008 | Reply
As a fellow iMac owner I couldn’t help but notice how many of us opt to buy a Logitech mouse to replace the Mighty Mouse. Right on.
By Alex on Apr 16, 2008 | Reply
What’s up with everyone saying Mac’s cant perform? These are Imacs, yes, but what about the 8-core Mac pro’s? Do those suck too? The price is high, I agree, but the same goes for vehicles, furniture, food, etc. You pay for class.
And who ever says PC’s look as good as Mac’s because you can “choose” your style is absurd. 90% of PC casings are plastic, with too many hard lines on the front, creak when they move, and look better by the dumpster.
All of this PC support sounds like its coming from people who dont use the computer for design or creative purposes, ie people who care about aesthetic. Sure, your PC plays WoW. Terrific. Good for you.
By Berje on Apr 16, 2008 | Reply
Hahaha!! “Vageena”! How is it that no one else has noticed that the first guy’s last name is Vageena? Ease up on the peepee contests.
By Patrick Cavan Brown on Apr 16, 2008 | Reply
This is the coolest one I’ve seen: http://web.mac.com/shadowdetails.com/ShadowDetailsBlog/Blog/Entries/2008/2/7_What_a_strange_little_place….html
By Chris G on Apr 16, 2008 | Reply
iMac Feng Shui
By chris on Apr 17, 2008 | Reply
right mouse button?! are you still stuck in the 90s? as far as cost, macs generally have a lower cost over the life of the computer. they aren’t for everyone though.
By SB on Apr 17, 2008 | Reply
Nice setups. Let’s see some Macbook Pro setups
By DDH on Apr 17, 2008 | Reply
Finally someone who agrees with me that the current iMacs (with the black rim around the screen) look ugly compared to the older white ones.
By VIncent on Apr 17, 2008 | Reply
“the black trim which looks ugly”
I don’t think that is true. I personally like the trim a lot, which really frames the desktop and makes the screen look better visually.
Anyway, I like the first image a lot. Good choice of wallpaper too.
By Sam Clarke on Apr 17, 2008 | Reply
Top of my wish list…
All of them…
Sam
By Rick on Apr 18, 2008 | Reply
Love Macs…but the setup “Crouching Donkey”, he has three iPods! Since when is one not enough? Crap, why are humans so greedy and wasteful!!!
By Aqua on Apr 20, 2008 | Reply
I only have an Apple Cinema Display hooked to a regular PC but for what it’s worth, here’s my setup
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3088/2281293826_822435b757_b.jpg
By ArmyOfAardvarks on May 3, 2008 | Reply
I’m not a Mac person. Nothing really wrong with them, but there’s software I use that they don’t have, and I find the interface a bit kludgy. (Not to say that Windows doesn’t have issues, but that’s for another time.)
That being said, I am extremely jealous of the slimline hardware.
By chris on May 4, 2008 | Reply
Although these pictures are of the older (g4) imac I still like them. The simplicity of the older design is still very cool: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jupin/sets/72157604859571396/
By Myspace Quiz on May 6, 2008 | Reply
Falling Sky has the tightest setup IMO