[citation][nom]fleeb[/nom]What is world standards and what are style-computers? Also, if you are into photography, you just need something like the NEC PA271W and not necessarily the whole package.[/citation]
I did not intended to get into a specific technicality about color representation but anyway:
1. For world color standards there are many for video and for printers. Professional monitors are more accurate and consistent in color representation and they also work in different color gamma, luminosity or white point. A typical consumer IPS panel may represent 72% of the AdobeRGB 1998 standard, witch is a world color standard. A higher end professional or even commercial monitor may be closer to a 100%, and even surpass that standard. Another standard to measure color deviation, the color that is presented and the color that should be represented by the screen is Delta E. The lower the better and is accepted that a color deviation lower than 2 is almost impossible to differentiate by the eye. But there are many standards.
But a good monitor for a printer job may not be that good for video editing because they are calibrated with different standards, actually very different. These standards are word standards because if a client needs to reproduce lets say a company color, a specific Pantone color, they want the color to be consistent world wide and ideally it should be achieved independently of the device or material used to reproduce de intended image.
Apple is promising an individual color calibration (factory calibration out of the box) with every new iMac using 3 high end spectroradiometers. This is not entirely new, I have a 24 IPS panel from Dell that is calibrated out of the box using 2 color standards, but I don't know waht tools they used. And this Dell monitor is considered and entry level professional monitor and I payed more because I work with color reproduction and I need that. Higher end professional monitors from NEC or HP are over $2K or $4K. So again you wont expect these new iMacs will compete with those pro monitors. But the point is for smaller studios, even medium ones and for enthusiasts a decent monitor color calibrated is very attractive because it means the monitor is usable for professional work out of the box without the need to do the calibration yourself and the extra cost of buying good software and hardware tools.
Considering Apple has a long experience with graphic design specifics, has its own color calibration systems and has a long tradition with good color accuracy I personally expect these iMacs to be very well received by graphic studios, photographers or independent creatives.
2. For a style-computer I referred to a device that goes beyond its simple use or function. I mean a computer form that is not a mere box to put components inside. And Apple pays very close attention to use the form on all its devices as another very strong quality, but this increase the cost. If you chose a computer case with a specific style you may be willing to pay much more for that feature as that is pleasant, important or useful to you beyond the simple function it has. The iMac is an all in one computer made from brushed aluminum intended to simplify its use and even attempt to be desired or ideal.