If you are an existing MacBook user or have never used an Apple computer before, the obvious question you may ask is – why spend money on a desktop computer when you can have the flexibility of a laptop with similar or better hardware. ? But if you ask anyone who is into serious content creation the answer will be that the MacBook Air is just an entry level Apple computer.

On the other hand, for buyers with deeper pockets, they will mostly be inclined towards the MacBook Pro with the option of M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max chipsets. But what about the new iMac M3? Well, Apple has uniquely positioned it and fulfills the need for an all-in-one computer for office needs and home workspaces.

The new Apple iMac with the M3 chip, 24-inch 4.5K Retina display, 6-speaker audio, and better thermal performance couldn’t be easier for professional use cases. There’s really no competition for this ready-made all-in-one computer from Apple.

In India, Apple is officially selling the entire M series chip computers spanning Macbook Air, Pro and iMac. You can buy the MacBook Air with an M1 or M2 chipset in either 13-inch or 15-inch display sizes. For the MacBook Pro, there are two sizes available – 14-inch and 16-inch. You can buy MacBook Pro with M3, M3 Pro or M3 Max chipset. As for the iMac all-in-one, it comes in only one size – 24-inch – with the M3 chipset.

Moving on from the specs sheet, what are important are faster USB ports, better performance due to better heat management, larger and higher quality 4.5K display, better audio, and ample customization options depending on the workload. For serious video editing or graphics work, it may be worth considering these aspects while compromising the laptop’s mobility or the fact that the iMac will need a separate UPS power backup support.

For businesses and office environments, there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to all-in-one computers, considering performance requirements, aesthetics, and reliable software support. But what about houses? Does the iMac still make sense? Well, if you start considering that working on your couch or from bed isn’t really what should be done from home, then the iMac makes sense.

For starters, if you have to share your laptop with family members including kids and don’t have a well-defined workspace in your home, an iMac can help bring in some work discipline. Of course, you won’t spend more than Rs 1.30 lakh for it. What you are really spending is for a dedicated workstation for the family that can render workloads fast and no one will have any complaints regarding performance.

With a family computer, you won’t have to worry about your child’s artwork appearing on your work laptop during an important meeting or you won’t have to wait for an online class to finish so you can turn on your laptop. Get it back and go to work with it. Simply put, if you don’t want your personal MacBook to become a shared family device, then you can easily understand the need for it. But that’s lightly.

The iMac M3 can easily make a difference when you want to watch high quality content. The 24-inch 4.5K Retina display with 4480×2520 resolution at 218 ppi and 500 nits brightness is truly the best computer monitor you will be looking at. Not to forget, it features a high-fidelity six-speaker system with force-canceling woofers supporting wider stereo sound. The audio quality is on another level compared to any MacBook or other computer.

With a great content consumption experience, iMac M3 can become the entertainment center for your family. And let’s not miss gaming. The new iMac is also built for gaming. With Apple silicon and increasing developer support, gaming is no longer an afterthought. If you still want to believe that gaming is limited to Windows only, try some of the best iMac games – Disco Elysium, Sims 4, Diablo III, Shadow of the Tomb Raider or Baldur’s Gate 3. Of course, there is support for Steam but note that 32-bit games will not work natively.

As a family computer, the iMac can become a reliable device for gaming as well as an entertainment center and all computing needs. Let’s talk about the other aspect of that huge 24-inch display – video calls. With the 1080p FaceTime HD camera, video calls on the new iMac are a joy. You don’t need to connect headphones or speakers. The studio quality in-built mic with speaker system provides a great experience and the software ensures that every voice is heard and the person speaking is kept in focus in the group conversation.

The iMac M3 looks stunning with a slim and minimalist design with vibrant color options like blue, green, pink, silver, yellow, orange and purple. You can really think about getting an iMac that blends well with the interiors of the room. The new iMac will blend in with the aesthetic of the home and won’t stand out as an odd-looking desktop computer in the middle of the room.

When it comes to serious work, the iMac M3 has you covered. It cannot be denied that Apple has restricted the entry-level model with only two ports, limited color options and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID is reserved for the higher models. The M3 chip comes with an 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores. The base model has an 8-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing and 100GB/s memory bandwidth. The media engine supports hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW, making it a fun tool for editing high-quality content or working with spreadsheets.

The iMac M3 has definitely carved a niche for itself. Although it may not be the primary choice with portability in mind, the fact remains that this device has come a long way to still make sense in modern homes.