Seven Years of iMacs: The More Things Change....
Dan Knight - 2005.05.06 - Tip Jar
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core Memory 4GB kit $154 / 2GB kit $94, New 2008 iMac 2GB $46. MacBook Pro / MacMini / iMac Intel Core2 DUO 2GB $44 / 1GB $23--Free shipping available.
Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com
LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
OWC: Upgrade to a Larger Hard Drive, Add Additional Drives SATA for Mac Pro and G5s, up to 1.0TB in each Bay. 500GB from $90!
Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.
New MacPro Memory 800Mhz With Apple Spec Heat Sink 2GB $104 / 4GB $172 / 8GB $338. Click to Maximize your Macs...
Seven years ago today, Steve Jobs introduced the original iMac to the world. It didn't just look different, it was different. The iMac had no legacy ports for peripherals.
It was a gamble. Apple was hoping that the iMac would stimulate the nascent market for USB peripherals and guarantee drivers for the Mac. It worked, and by the time the iMac shipped (1998.08.15), you could buy printers that would work with it.
But what earned the iMac the most attention was the Bondi blue case. It looked like something out of the Jetsons, not the kind of beige boxes Apple and everyone else sold in those days. A lot of iMac peripherals were even designed to color coordinate with the all-in-one computer.
And what earned the iMac the most derision was Apple's decision to build the first Mac ever that wasn't designed to accept a floppy drive. Even as the iMac went on to become the best selling computer model, as Apple moved millions upon millions of the colorful machines, PC pundits continued to rail against its lack of a floppy.
Not Perfect, but Good Enough
The iMac wasn't perfect, but it was a marvelous compromise of looks, power, and just enough features to become an excellent home computer at an attractive US$1,299 price.
The keyboard was small and lacked a
few keys. The round mouse drove a lot of users crazy - and insured
a big market for USB mice. It was a real bear to get into if you
wanted to upgrade memory, but in the Mac OS 8 era, 32 MB was a
decent amount of memory.
The 233 MHz G3 processor was very comfortable with the classic Mac OS, and the built-in CRT display handled 800 x 600 video crisply, but 1024 x 768 was a bit on the soft side. Still, in that era 800 x 600 was par for the course. Even the 4 GB hard drive - minuscule by today's standards - seemed like a lot of space to people upgrading from older computers.
It Saved Apple
The iMac is probably the most important computer in Apple's history because it drew public attention at a time when Apple was climbing out of a pit. Everyone was explaining why Sony or Disney or someone else needed to gobble up Apple and rescue the Mac, but Steve Jobs and Jonathan Ive designed the iMac, which pulled the company up by its own bootstraps.
By the time the iMac shipped, there were at least a half-dozen iMac websites examining every aspect of the computer and prowling for USB peripherals they could tell their readers about. People waited outside stores for the midnight release in some areas.
iMac Evolution
The iMac improved. It got
faster, came in new colors, went with a slot-loading drive, got a
full-sized keyboard and lozenge-shaped mouse, added wireless
networking, and eventually reached 700 MHz before the G3 iMac gave way
to a G4 model.
The iMac G4 left the CRT behind in favor of a flat panel display. The design was unique with a hemispherical base, a shiny chrome support bar, and a screen that could be repositioned quickly. Reaction to the visual appearance was mixed, but it was a clever design.
The entry-level model sold for US$1,299, but the G3 iMacs it replaced has sold for US$799-999.
Unfortunately, the iMac G4 never caught
on like the CRT iMac, and Apple created the eMac to maintain a presence in the
education market. The big white eMac has a 17" display that handles
1280 x 960 comfortably, built in stereo speakers (the iMac G4 had
external stereo speakers), and was heavy. It was such a big hit
that Apple eventually released it to the general market, where it
remains a popular choice.
The next step in iMac evolution was
the iMac G5, which has been
around for a year. It dispenses with the big bulbous base of the
iMac G4 and puts the whole computer behind a 17" or 20" flat panel
display. The whole computer is just 2" deep and sits above the
desktop on a metal base. 
It's a clever solution that isn't unique to Apple - and in
some ways the 20th Anniversary
Macintosh of 1997 anticipated this design.
Change
The biggest change is the iMac's place in the Apple product line. It used to be the entry-level model, but it went upscale with the move to a G4 CPU. After the introduction of the eMac, the iMac was definitely Apple's midrange machine.
With the move to a G5 processor, the iMac moved a step closer to the Power Mac, and the latest iteration even has gigabit ethernet, making it a better choice than ever for people who need to move big files over a network.
In the Apple hierarchy, the Mac mini has become the entry-level model and the eMac the entry-level all-in-one Mac, putting the iMac two steps up from the bottom, one step below the Power Mac.
Of course, one step below the Power Mac is exactly where it was
seven years ago. I guess that hasn't changed. What has changed is
that Apple is now targeting the low-end computer market with
machines even less expensive than iMacs. 
Dan Knight has been using Macs since 1986, sold Macs for several years, supported them for many more years, and has been publishing Low End Mac since April 1997. If you find Dan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Recent Mac Musings
- Looking for a Content Management System That's as Easy as Mac, 08.29. Low End Mac needs to move to a content management system, but the few we've tried just don't cut it for people used to the simple elegance of the Mac.
- MacDrought: 4 Months with No New Macs, 08.27. The most recent Mac update was over four months ago, and the Mac mini has been unchanged for over a year.
- The iMac Legacy: After the G3, 08.15. The G3 iMac influenced the whole industry, but Apple continued to move forward with innovative designs using G4, G5, and Intel processors.
- The iMac Legacy: The G3 Era, 08.15. 10 years ago today, the original iMac went on sale. One of the most popular lines of computers ever, the G3 iMac would be Apple staples for nearly five years.
- More in the Mac Musings index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Quadra 700, Oct. 1991 - The successor to the Mac IIci ran a 'wicked fast' 25 MHz 68040 processor.
- List of the Day: Apple TV List The Apple TV List is a forum to discuss the Apple TV.
- August 29 in LEM history: 00: My lowest low-end Mac - 01: Uncluttered organization - Microsoft wins over Mac user - 02: Salute to SatireWire - 03: Wireless Internet popping up everywhere - 05: World domination, online or off - A 3-dimensional Dock replacement - 06: Productive at the low end - PowerPC vs. Intel - Secure wireless
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- First 3 Million Mac Quarter, Skinny on Mac mini Pricing, Mac-like gOS, and More, Mac News Review, 08.29. More plan to buy Apple products than ever before, complete reset can fix MobileMac synch problems, Apple boosting computer and smartphone share, and more.
- iPhone 3G Reception 'Completely Normal', AT&T International Data Plans for iPhone, and More, iNews Review, 08.29. Also longer life for iPod earbuds, an alternative to MobileMe, new cases and apps for iPhone, AppStoreGems website launched, and more.
- New 'Books Likely in September, 17" PowerBook Display Fault Site, SSD Security, and More, The 'Book Review, 08.29. Also 6 ways to speed up your MacBook, next generation MacBook Air CPU, MacBook Air Update, LapStrap carrying solution, rise and fall of ultraportables, bargains from $220 to $2,699, and more.
- Best Power Mac G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.29. Used 450 MHz AGP, $75; 500, $99; 800 QS, $199; 1.25 GHz MDD, $375; 450 MHz dual, $179; 867 dual, $300; 1 GHz dual, $395; 1.42 dual, $575.
- Best iBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.29. Used 300 MHz clamshell, $150; 500 CD, $150; 800, $200; 600 CD-RW, $240; 900 Combo, $300; 14" 600, $360; 900, $400.
- Best iPod nano Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.29. Used 2 GB iPod nano, $89; refurb 3G 4 GB, $99; new, $140; refurb 8 GB, $149; new, $179.
- 10 Mac Browsers Compared, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 08.28. A look at Internet Explorer, Radon, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, Flock, and Camino running in Leopard.
- Clone and Boot: Another Advantage of the Mac OS, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 08.28. Unlike Windows, Apple makes it possible to clone a bootable drive (Classic Mac OS or OS X) and use it with another supported Mac.
- Best MacBook Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28. Used 1.83 GHz, $799; 2.0 black, $875; refurb 2.1 GHz, $899; 2.4, $1,099; black, $1,299; new 2.1, $1,019 after rebate; 22, $1,094; 2.4, $1,219 a/r; black, $1,394 a/r.
- Best iMac G5 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28. Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $499; 1.8 SuperDrive, $530; 2.0, $600; 1.9 iSight, $625; 20" 1.8 GHz, $580; 2.0, $650; 2.1 iSight, $700.
- Best classic Mac OS Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28. System 6, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5.1, $4; Mac OS 7.6, $13; 8.0, $13; 8.1, $48; 8.5, $25; 8.6, $20; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $20; more.
- CrossOver Strikes Out, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 08.27. Running Windows apps on a Mac without paying for Windows is great in theory, but actually getting Windows software working is another story.
- Resurrecting a Dead Pismo, Spotlight Search Tip, and EasyFind a Good File Finder, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 08.27. Lots of tips on bringing a comatose Pismo back to life, a Spotlight file name search tip, and EasyFind as an alternative to Spotlight.
- Best Intel iMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27. Used 17" 1.83 GHz, $625; 20", $599; 2.16, $749; 24", $950; refurb 20" 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.4, $1,299; 2.8, $1,549; new 3.06, $2,094 after rebate; more.
- Best 15" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27. Used 1.25 GHz Combo, $600; SuperDrive, $650; 1.33 Combo, $640; 1.5, $680; SD, $725; 1.67, $730; hi-res, $800.
- Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27. 500 GB Time Capsule, $294; 1 TB, $468; AirPort Extreme Card, $39; 802.11n Base Station, $166; 802.11g AirPort Express, $60; 802.11n, $98.
- More links in our archive.
About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts
Have a question?
Ask an expert!
Navigation
Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Best Used Macs
Video Cards
Email Lists
InfoMac's Low
End Mac Forum
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System
6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
Mac FAQ
Abandonware
Petition
Mac vs. PC Info
Affiliates
The Apple
Store
Mac
Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
MacResQ
ExperCom
Crucial
Memory
batteries.com
Advertise
