**The Dumbest Apple Product I've Ever Purchased**

Inside this box is the dumbest Apple product I've ever purchased, and that's saying something. I would explain, but it's better (table thumping) to just show you. Behold, my friends, my new computer, an iMac. Yeah, I'm not kidding. This is my new computer. I custom ordered a very expensive, yellow iMac.

The way this one's set up might be the only one in existence, because I don't think anyone is dumb enough to order an iMac the way that I ordered it, and by I, I mean I asked Ken to help me order it, and then he ordered it wrong, so, it's even weirder. (chuckles) (Ken laughing)

Now, you might look at this and think that it is an incredibly questionable purchase, but when you see my existing office, you'll see that I have a lot of room to make some improvements. So, before we get started, let me give you a tour of my actual office. I've shown this in videos in the past, but I've always cleaned it up; we've tried to decorate it.

This is what it actually looks like. I actually need to kinda, like, design this sort of setup a little bit more. It's still a little bit basic, but there's that. The couch, I can't show you. We're gonna have to censor all of this,'cause (clears throat) this is where I leave embargo products that have not been dealt with, so, we're just gonna move on from that.

Then you'll see this, my Samsung Frame TV. Now, there's a little bit of a theme in my office, where I have a lot of items that don't really make a lot of sense from a value perspective, but I irrationally want it, and I wanted one of these Frame TVs for a while.

**My Current Office Setup**

So, let me show you what's currently set up. This is basically unchanged since something like 2016. A lot of it is built around my LG UltraFine 5K monitor. Now, I'll be honest; I love this display. This is the original launch model, and I've used it for many years.

The problem is that it's starting to go out on me. The way this one's set up might be the only one in existence because I don't think anyone is dumb enough to order an iMac the way that I ordered it, and by I, I mean I asked Ken to help me order it, and then he ordered it wrong, so, it's even weirder.

**The Need for a New Setup**

Now, you might look at this and think that it is an incredibly questionable purchase, but when you see my existing office setup, you'll see that I have a lot of room to make some improvements. So, before we get started, let me give you a tour of my actual office.

I've shown this in videos in the past, but I've always cleaned it up; we've tried to decorate it. This is what it actually looks like. I actually need to kinda, like, design this sort of setup a little bit more. It's still a little bit basic, but there's that.

**The VESA Arm and Bitdefender**

I'm gonna put this back on now. We're just gonna cover this up (crew laughing). I'm gonna show, make sure that I keep my screen nice and protected until I get it on the actual VESA arm.

The way I'm going to configure this in my office is this is goinging to be on a VESA arm, so I actually have some sort of flexibility because the base stand that it comes with is a very short, squat, little thing that just adjusts a little bit of tilt.

I'd like to thank Bitdefender for sponsoring this video. Bitdefender is constantly rated as one of the best cybersecurity companies in the industry. Tons of the biggest companies in the world rely on their technology, but now, any business can have Bitdefender's enterprise-level protection with GravityZone Small Business Security.

When you think of cyber attacks, you might think of a hacker breaking through your firewall, but did you know that almost 90% of successful cyber attacks start with email phishing? That's when a criminal literally goes fishing for your critical information.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Inside this boxis the dumbest Appleproduct I've ever purchased,and that's saying something.I would explain, but it's better(table thumping)to just show you.Behold, my friends, my new computer,(foam squeaking)(rhythmic music halting)an iMac.Yeah, I'm not kidding.This is my new computer.I custom ordereda very expensive, yellow iMac.The way this one's set up might bethe only one in existence,because I don't thinkanyone is dumb enoughto order an iMac theway that I ordered it,and by I, I mean I askedKen to help me order it,and then he ordered it wrong,so, it's even weirder. (chuckles)(Ken laughing)Now, you might look at thisand think that it is anincredibly questionable purchase,but when you see my existing office,you'll see that I have a lot of roomto make some improvements.So, before we get started,let me give you a tourof my actual office.I've shown this in videos in the past,but I've always cleaned it up,we've tried to decorate it.This is what it actually looks like.I actually need to kinda,like, design this sortof setup a little bit more.It's still a little bitbasic, but there's that.The couch, I can't show you.We're gonna have to censor all of this,'cause (clears throat)this is where I leaveembargo products thathave not been dealt with,so, we're just gonna move on from that.Then you'll see this, my Samsung Frame TV.Now, there's a little bitof a theme in my office,where I have a lot of itemsthat don't really makea lot of sense from a value perspective,but I irrationally want it,and I wanted one of theseFrame TVs for a while.So, my existing setupis basically unchangedsince something like 2016.So, a lot of it is built aroundmy LG UltraFine 5K monitor.Now, I'll be honest,I love this display.This is the original launch model,and I've used it for many years.The problem is that it isstarting to go out on me.Not only have I ever since day onehad Bluetooth and 2.4gigahertz interference,which means that thingslike Bluetooth micetend to be a little bit flaky with me,but on top of that, especiallythe last year or so,I've been getting this purple fringingaround the edges of the display.It's fine, but it'sgetting worse and worse,and honestly, I know that I'm gonna haveto give up eventually.Look, I'm stubborn, it's areally good display, I like it,but it is definitelytime for a replacement.The problem is, is that withmy office, what I tend to do,because I have a lot ofproducts come in and out,a lot of stuff, it all justkind of lives on the desk.I gotta stop doing that.I know I gotta stop doing that,but for now, that's where things live.I am going to fix this desk.That is my goal for this video.So, I'm going to upgrade andcompletely redo my setup.Now, this setup is reallydesigned to be used with a laptop,and that's been my primary system,so, it's been a number oflaptops over the years,but I've pretty muchalways taken my laptopsand plugged them invia a Thunderbolt dock,which then goes to the 5Kdisplay, 10 gig ethernet,all that kind of stuff.It's really quite a good setup for me,because I can take the laptopwith me when I go home,when I travel, when I come to the office,one system everywhere.Now, there are other, like, 4Kmonitors and stuff out there.There are even someOLEDs that are tempting,but to me, it feels likethis is a good opportunityto try to go back to adevice that I have wantedto use since day one, which is the iMac.The issue though is that using a base iMacbecomes a little bit of a challengewhen it comes to doing a littlebit more of creative tasks,you are running lots of apps and stuff,because all those base iMacs only haveeight gigabytes of RAM.Now, we've talked about this in the past.We made an entire videousing the MacBook M3,the MacBook Pro with eight gigs of RAM.It is a usable setup,but for me, it's not...I'm not gonna, look, it's 2024,I am not gonna daily drive a system.I don't care, Apple Silicon ornot, with eight gigs of RAM,that's just not an option.This is a good opportunity forme to actually tidy, clean,and redesign this setup with at leasta little bit of thought in mind.(screen whooshing)Big thank you to the sponsorof today's video,Bitdefender.Bitdefender is constantly rated as oneof the best cybersecuritycompanies in the industry.Tons of the biggest companies in the worldrely on their technology,but now, any businesscan have Bitdefender'senterprise-level protectionwith GravityZone Small Business Security.When you think of cyber attacks,you might think of a hacker breakingthrough your firewall,but did you know that almost 90%of successful cyber attacksstart with email phishing?That's when a criminalliterally goes fishingfor your critical information.Criminals use social engineering,usually emails to impersonatelegitimate businesses,or pretend to be someone you know,hoping you take the bait and clickon something you shouldn't.All it takes is for one person in a hurry,or not being careful enough(alarm ringing)to make a single mistake,and it can all be gone.With GravityZone SmallBusiness Security,you've got a multilayered defense,starting by blocking anyone impersonatingreal businesses that you work with.It also automatically blocksknown phishing websites,and continuously scanscontent for malicious payloadsthat can steal your security credentials.Best of all, GravityZoneSmall Business Securityis flexible.Set the level of protection that you need,and let the robust defensesystem do the rest.Just use the link in the descriptionto get yourself anexclusive 50% off discount.And another huge thank youto Bitdefender for not onlysponsoring this video,but for keeping us safe.(screen whooshing)So, this is my 24-inch iMac.It looks so weird with this VESA stand.Take a look at...(upbeat music)Wow, that is a white-ass bezel.I'm gonna put this back on now.We're just gonna cover this up.(crew laughing)I'm gonna show,make sure that I keep myscreen nice and protecteduntil I get it on the actual VESA arm.The way I'm going toconfigure this in my office,is this is going to be on a VESA arm,so I actually have somesort of flexibility,because the base stand that it comes withis a very short, squat, little thingthat just adjusts a little bit of tilt.So, that was one of the main thingsthat I wasn't sure I wanted,and then Ken ordered it with a VESA arm,and then I was like, "Okay,I guess I'm gonna committo the VESA life?"Oh, good lord.- I mean, I have theSlack message. (chuckles)I basically sent you the invoice,did not realize it was VESA,and you were just like,"Ah, the one with the VESA.Ah, actually, (duck quacking)it, I'll just order it."- That is an exact quote?(Ken laughing)- That's literally what you said.I didn't even have time to respond to you.You made your decision up on your own.- That isexactly what I said, yes.- You could have turned back.(screen whooshing)- So, it is timeto start cleaning up this desk.I need to order a bunch of accessories,a bunch of peripherals.I have some ideas right now,but this is the starting point,and hopefully by the end of this video,this whole setup will be muchtidier, and much, much cooler.(Austin muttering indistinctly)Yeah, yeah, there you go.(arm thumping)I did it.(bright music)So, with my VESA arm built, it is timeto layer our iMac into place.Goodbye to this beautiful, gold exteriorthat I'm never gonna see,'cause I'm looking atit from the other side.All right, I'm gonnaadjust this very slightly,tighten everything down,and we're gonna get thisiMac up and running.My questionable decisions continue.Ready and...(computer chiming)Whoo!Those speakers are actually not bad.I have a little bit ofsecond thoughts right now,I'm not gonna lie.Screen's a little small, a little small,but something that'ssmall, never hurt anybody.(bwow intensifies)I'm gonna see how well I like this iMac,and I'm gonna startthinking about the restof the desk, but,I feel good.Asterisk, a little nervous.(screen whooshing)And now, the peripheralsare in, it is time tolook at my new desk setup.So, in addition to my yellow iMac,I also have this keyboard,which was built for me byBetty from Switch and Click.I have swapped out the key capsto make them a littlebit more Mac friendly,but on top of that, I amusing the Magic Trackpadthat came with the iMac, plusmy Logitech MX Master 3S.All of this is on a yellow desk pad.As you can see, I've tried,not super successfully,but I've tried to get a little bitof color coordination with this setup.I also now have some basicthings, like a headphone holder,and an Anker USB-C charger on my desk,where I can charge laptops,and phones, and you name it,but I'll tell you what, I've been usingthis iMac setup for a few weeks,and I'm actually kind of happy with it.So, let's discuss the iMac M3It's not terrible.You know, you've gotthe Apple M3 processor,which is very powerful, even today.So, you've got very goodsingle thread performance,enough sort of graphics, andsort of general horsepowerto do things like editing,which I've had zero problem with,and you've also got a verynice, 24-inch, 4.5K display.What I've been using this iMac foris a mixture of basictasks, like, you know,web browsing, and writing,and researching everything,but I also do a lot ofvideo editing on this.Now, primarily, the things that I editthese days are Shorts,so, certainly a little bit(graphic whooshing)easier to handle,but I will tell you this,the M3 has had absolutelyno problem chewing through it.It shouldn't be a surprise.I used to edit our mainvideos on my M1 MacBook Proall the time back in 2020,so, the fact that this hassignificantly more performancethan that easily makes it powerful enoughfor anything I want to throw at it,but I will say, it'd be really niceif at least I could haveoutfitted this with the M3 Pro.That is still a significantstep up in performance,and because they'vegot the pro-level chipsin something like the Mac Mini,I don't understand why theycouldn't put it in the iMac.It does feel like they'resort of artificially tryingto separate out their product line,and let's be real, theyprobably don't sellthat many of these iMacs.It is a very niche productthat is much more sofor consumers than foractual professional use,but it just looks so cool, right?It's one thing for me to tellyou all about my new setup.I need to actually bring in an expert.Luke Miani has made many,many, many wonderful videoson the Apple products ofyesteryear and tomorrow,but does he approve of my setup?(screen whooshing)Behold, my friends,this is very secretive,my office setup.Can I direct your attentionto my setup over here?And can I get your honest opinion,unbiased, as much as possible?Don't tell me what I wanna hear.- Okay, first off, I love this keyboard.The keyboard, 10 outta 10.Now, the yellow iMac...- Uh-huh?- I'm not sold on it.- Oh really?- I'm not sold on it.It's...(Austin and Luke laughing)See, the thing is they need a bigger iMac.- What?- I miss the 27-inch iMac.- It's a little small.- It's a little small,but I like the idea that you've done here.I like the coordinatedyellow, that's a good touch.- So, I've had this setup nowfor about three weeks now,so, I've been spending some time on it.My thoughts are I'm gonnareplace this VESA arm.- With a yellow one.- Well, I need something that's less ugly.I actually wanna put,like, a small display.I was actually thinking about mayberunning an iPad with Sidecar.I was thinking about it,- Oh.- 'Cause I want somethingthat's kind of small.- I like that.- More so just, like,to kind of put, like, just a little bitof extra information down there.Some of the other things I've got here,and in fact, this is new to you,because I've spent the lastcouple of weeks tweakingand tuning this setup.I now have the Osmo Pocket,which now functions as a webcam.So, now, I have a decent webcam,which you can see will actually follow me.So, as I move around, getclose, get farther away,it works pretty well.I also have the Neumann mic,which I can just pull right down here.So, if I need to podcast,I can just be ready to goas quickly as this.Hit a couple of buttons with the lights,(remote clattering)it feels good.This is the setup now.I'm gonna evolve it more.I've already established someareas that need improvement,- Mm-hmm.- But does it getthe Luke Miani seal of approval?- Oh yeah, this is an excellentsetup, you have my seal.Would you like a handshake to confirm it?- Thank you, appreciate it.So, you agree that a$2000 iMac is a good idea?Thank you very much.- No, no, no, no, no.Wait a minute, wait a minute.(Luke chuckling)- So here's the next partof the video that I've been waitingto talk about for a long time.This iMac,(hands clapping)let me actuallyshow you how expensive this was.You look at the iMac, itstarts at 1,300 bucks, right?But who wants no USB 3 ports, gigabits,and then nah, of course not.And you also have to goup to the higher configsfor the colors.- The colors.- So, we'restarting at 1,700 bucks,then we go out to $1,900.(cash register chiming)- God.- And then wehad another 50 bucksfor the Trackpad,(cash register chiming)making this computer(pen scratching)$1,949for an M3 iMac.(exhales) Is this stillLuke Miani approved?- You don't even have a terabyte.(Austin wheezing)- No, I could have!That would've been just another 200 bucks.That would've been 2,000,I wanted to keep it under-- That's insane.- I wanted to keep itreasonable at less than $2,000.Well, you know what?Have you ever made an irrational purchase?Have you ever done something dumbbecause your heart told you to?- Yeah, I bought an M2 Ultra Mac Pro.(Austin laughing)Even I'm not that dumb.- Yeah.- Well,you made some videos out of it, though.- I did.- I'm making a video outof this, which helps meto justify.- There you go, I mean,only YouTubers couldjustify it, then, is whatwe're basically saying.- That's true, that's true.This is my new system.I am quite happy with it.I really like the aesthetic of it.I like the fact that it isreally a super minimal setup.I don't have to have the tower,I don't have to have the laptop.It is outrageously expensive,but if you can get past that price,or just don't configure it with a VESA armand everything, like Ihave, it's really solid.(screen whooshing)So,is the M3 iMac worth it?No, it is not, it is not.It is not a hard conversation to have.Now, if something like theiMac is interesting to you,I would highly recommendto consider a refurb model.When you're talking aboutsub-$1,000 for a system,even with an M1 that hasstill plenty of performance,you've got years of updates down the line,Apple Silicon, a beautiful display,it's not an actually bad system.It really is pretty solid.The problem though is thatwhen you get into the value.When you look at the upgrades,when you look at trying to get this thingto, like, a reasonable sort of spec,it is absurdly expensive.And the fact that the iMac does not haveany CPU options at all isincredibly frustrating,because if it had thepro chip as an option,that would make such a bigdifference to the performance.Thank you very much for watching.Don't do what I do,but what you can do is subscribeto the channel on theringaling that dingaling button.If you don't, then,a charge for $1,949will be magically debitedout of your account,and Tim Cook will be hiding in the bushes,laughing maniacally that someonefinally bought this iMac,the only one that they'veever made like this,because it's dumb.(upbeat music)