Some people have too much time on their hands

Meanwhile, Apple may have also called for a small, but last minute design change to a the facade of its new iMac enclosures. Although purely aesthetic, observers note a disparity in the color of the desktop's Apple logo as seen in the company's marketing materials.

A .Mac Sync video tutorial released alongside the new all-in-one desktops correctly presents the iMac with a black logo on Apple's U.S. website. However, the same tutorial on its European website depicts the systems with a silver logo -- akin to the iPhone's mirror-like emblem.



While introducing the new iMacs last week, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs acknowledged that his design team took cues from the iPhone in designing the new Macs, including the use of black, glass and aluminum.

The disparity could indicate that Apple originally planned to mimic the iPhone's exterior more closely with the iMac. (Alternatively, the silver-logoed model may simply represent a graphical error.)

Update: A source who provided an accurate description of the latest iMacs ahead of release claims that the original design indeed called for the mirror logo. However, it was subsequently scrapped, the source says, as people "do not like to look at themselves in the mirror all day."

White, black and grey were said to be candidates for a replacement color, with black winning out despite its slightly conspicuous appearance.