Helplessly Pretty ⇥ minimallyminimal.com

Andrew Kim takes a look at the iBook, eMac, and white iMac (via Stephen Hackett):

I do sometimes miss Apple’s white age. The designs of this age were so calm, warm and pure, despite the brutally honest and analytical design. I especially love the way the clear layer interacts with the opaque white inner shell. However all this glossy plastic did make Apple’s products universally prone to scratches. The lineup of today stands the test of time much better.

The white iMac generations (G5 until the mid-2007 aluminum model) hold a special place of nostalgia in my heart. Right around the time of their release, I started getting into Apple and customizing OS X, and soon found the MacThemes forums. Buried in “The Lounge” was a thread for users to post photos of their desks. Setups like Glenn Wolsey’s caught my eye with their pure simplicity (though, it must be said, the keyboards and Mighty Mice of that era were abysmal).

Of course, this nostalgia doesn’t necessarily mean the white Apple era contained better products. I’d certainly prefer to have one of today’s iMacs over a white one. Aluminum and glass feel much more premium than an all-plastic body, and the displays of those iMacs were terrible. But a small part of me would like to have the guts of a 2013 iMac inside the body of a 2007 one. They’re just so nice.