I recommend these to friends who want a simple computer setup. Many people have dramatically different needs and wants than I do as a software professional.

Apple knows this, and so it markets it to them rather than to us.

Pretty true, though I'm ordering one as a family computer. Pretty colors, tidy package and lack of portability make it perfect.

With an M4 and 16gb+ ram it is more computer than anything I’ve ever owned. I write text files for a living. Might be able to limp along on a souped up 486, definitely a Pentium 90.

I could do my work on one, but yeah, the screen size would be annoying long term. The sad part is that it's the exact form factor my dad wants. It's absolutely perfect for his needs, except it's wildly overpowered and overpriced.

The 4K monitor is going to push up the price, and I'm all for giving everyone a high quality monitor, but I'd argue that the iMac is 30-40% over budget for those who'd like that type of computer. I think you could get away with having it be a $1000 computer, but not $1600, for the lowest spec'ed model.