2 min readThis week has marked a continous rollercoaster of Apple announcements - the brand wants to sell you Mac minis, and iMacs, and Macbooks, and yet it won't sell you coloured accessories.
The latest iMac comes in seven different colours, all pastel and perfect. No matter which one you pick, the device comes with a Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard in matching hues. It's quite frankly a stunning set up. But here's the thing, I'm not in the market for a new iMac. My home office set up is pretty sweet as it is, and I've got a great ergonomic keyboard from Logitech that has saved my wrists - and it's pink! I am, however in the market for a new Magic Mouse.
While there is nothing wrong with the mouse itself (controversial, I know), it is the last remaining relic I use that needs a Lightning cable. Once this baby goes I can finally get rid of (read: store in a box in case I need them) all of those cables that have built up over the years. Or I can take it to the office to replace the terrible Microsoft Surface Mouse that refuses to connect to my laptop. Either way, it's a win. Except that it isn't.
A relatively new trend has emerged in home decor and fashion called Dopamine Dressing, or Dopamine Decor. The concept it simple - dressing yourself and your home in a way that boosts joy. Colour might not be a neccessity for Dopamine Decor, but it is one of the most popular forms of expression amongst the trend. My pink keyboard, on my green desk is one of my little ways to find more happiness in my surroundings while I work, and quite frankly I want a mouse to match. But, unless I want to spend upwards of $2,000 on an entirely new set up, I need to look outside of the Apple ecosystem.
Exclusive colourways aren't anything new. Samsung routinely offers the prettiest colours if you buy a phone directly from them, and of course Apple limits colours across every product category. But when it comes to accessories, the decision stings that little bit more. I don't mind paying an extra $100-$150 to upgrade to my chosen colourway on a phone, but when the only way to unlock a pink mouse is to drop $1,999 on the entry-level iMac, it is simply asking too much.
Accessories are some of the cheapest products you can buy for your computer set up, and they have the longest lifespan. I'm pretty sure the mouse my mum uses is the same one I spilled tea on when I was 13, and if my wrists weren't hurting I never would have upgraded my keyboard. Surely it would be in accessory makers best interests to speed up that upgrade cycle. So many of us may not need a new iMac, but the look of them triggers something. It is wanting, it is desire. Apple could harness that same drive in its accessories, but not if they're stuck in black and white.
