Apple Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Steve Jobs Unveiling the iMac

[smoking monkey]

My first iMac was the one released in May 2008. I have to say that it was just okay even though it was the maxed out model. After 4 years I felt it was struggling with what I needed it to do and I had to replace it. BUT the late 2012 model I got to replace it is still going amazingly strong. I've got no need to replace it now that my workflow no longer involves video editing. Plus I can't justify spending 2.5k+ on a desktop computer anymore.

 

[oldhifi]

Apple at it's best..

 

[fhopper]

And that was the end of upgradable Macs. I was the Product Manager For Newer Technology, we went from a very successful company buying thousands of chips from IBM and Motorola then it was over. The Jobs lock down.

 

[mikecorp]

Apple should add some colour to their lineup 3 colours are so boring......... There should be all rainbow colours to keep the .... happy.

 

[fhopper]

I miss Steve sooooooo much!

If you ever met him you would know he does not care and does not miss you.

 

[BornAgainApple]

The iPhone was my halo Apple product, but it wasn't until I bought my 2009 13" MBP that I was hooked. It still works great after all these years. Thank you Steve for bringing the Mac back to relevance. They say once you go Mac, you never go back. I'm just hoping this MBP lasts until Apple pulls their collective head out and makes upgradeable Macs again.

 

[Yvan256]

Really? I'm trolling? I think the million negative comments that inevitably pop up every time macrumors tries to post a positive article are more akin to trolling. This is a site for Apple fans, not Apple bashers.

People seem to be forgetting there's two Apple fans camps:

• Consumers. Those who mainly use iPhones and iPads and accessories like the Apple watch, AirPods and HomePod.
• Users. Those of us who need Macs. The only alternatives are Windows and Linux. Most of us want to keep on using Macs but Apple has been neglecting some Macs for years and introduced pointless engineering like the iMac Pro and ever-thinner laptops that nobody asked for since the introduction of the MacBook Air a decade ago. Now we get laptops with badly designed keyboard keys that lack any travel and that are prone to fail. Touch bars that nobody asked for replacing physical keys and further increasing the price of Macs. At this point, some of us are just hoping Apple will open-source macOS or at least start selling it to other companies. The profits percentage from Macs is now so small that it would not matter much, unlike in the past where Mac clones almost killed Apple.

There's also people who keep mentionning Apple's bank account. As a user, why should I care that Apple is the biggest company on the planet if they stop making the things I need?

And then there's the "vote with your wallet" comments. How are we supposed to vote with our wallet if we need to use macOS? We're tied to Apple and they're neglecting the Macs.

That's why you keep reading negative comments about Apple. Us users are being neglected so that consumers can get shiny new toys every year.

 

[kazmac]

Going on 19 years of iMacs here. Bought my first in 1999. Lampshade is still my favorite. But I was happily surprised at how long my 2010 21.5" held out. I am hoping it is still ticking almost 8 years on (gave to a former coworker in 2017).

Not sure what Mac desktop will be my next machine (I'll need something with more horse power), but until then may this 2013 27" (iMac #5) continue to hold out. All I really want now though, is dependable software and hardware from Apple.

 

[hipnetic]

My first Apple device was a 2009 iPhone 3GS. My first Apple computer was a 2011 13" MacBook Air.

But the first computer I was *passionate* about was my 1985 Commodore Amiga 1000. The first handheld device I was passionate about was my 1997 USRobotics PalmPilot Professional. And the first smartphone I was passionate about was my 2002 Handspring Treo 300.

Compared to the Macintosh, the Amiga was a superior piece of kit, but the parent company and ecosystem was lacking, so they're gone while Apple still stands.

 

[Tech198]

Plastic....

We've come a long way.. Even the old commercials were simple.... That's about as basic you can get.

 

[69650]

It’s a shame he didn’t mark the occasion by announcing any new Macs or even some updates. Cook is clearly not interested in the Mac.

 

[Colonel Blimp]

…by the mid-1990s. Apple was hundreds of millions of dollars in debt…

What? Where in the world did you ever get that idea, Joe?

If I recall correctly, according to Apple's financial statements to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Apple in 1997 had no long-term debt, and over one billion US dollars in cash on hand.

(It's true that Steve Jobs later said that Apple was 90 days away from folding when he took over, but losing money is not the same thing as being in debt, as long as you still have your own money to lose.)

 

[341328]

That mouse was rubbish. USB and other features were great.

 

[nylonsteel]

never had the pleasure of owning one

 

[MacATDBB]

While the original 1998 hardware was pretty cool (if not great with OS8/9), it was the 2002 iMac design that i really liked and probably miss most. Kinda wish Apple had stuck with that theme a bit longer.

 

[Rogifan]

Are you referring to the iMac or the iPhone X

What’s gimmicky about the iPhone X? I don’t miss Touch ID one bit and the notch I hardly ever notice. Probably because other than video I’m rarely using my phone in landscape mode.

 

[Defthand]

The problem is, most critics here don’t even know Apple’s (Jobs) vision/DNA. They are all more like Wozniak, the geek that wanted geeky stuff and tinker around. Jobs is not that. Proof is the Macintosh, tightly sealed, and not designed for user accessible innards. Steve Jobs changed the screws on the iPhone into penta-lobe screws to discourage disassemble. That’s Apple DNA, and it is consistent even today under Cook.

Actually, the main attraction of Apple's products is that they circumvented any requirement to understand how computers work, including the OS. Creatives wanted a simple and reliable plug-n-play solution that would let them focus on their software tools. Windows users had to know some basic DOS, fathom complex installers, and depend on freelance support techs to config networks or troubleshoot routine problems.

The critics who lament the lack of customization are those who require Mac Pro type solutions for their trade.

 

[Glockworkorange]

I wonder how Steve would feel about the continuing decay of the Mac lineup.

I'm disappointed in the slide of the Mac. Would Steve have been? I don't know. He was all in on iPad. All in. The tablet was his baby. Watch his 2010 and 2011 iPad keynotes and it's pretty clear he felt these devices were the next evolution in computers for the everyman. Certainly not the case for me, but I think he would continue to push that envelope.
[doublepost=1525656539][/doublepost]

What’s gimmicky about the iPhone X? I don’t miss Touch ID one bit and the notch I hardly ever notice. Probably because other than video I’m rarely using my phone in landscape mode.

You are braver than I. I have an 8 Plus and you will have to pry TouchID from my cold, dead hands.

 

[Lozza013]

When I was 12 years old, our old Dell Desktop's motherboard had packed up after 6 years back in 2008. We brought our first iMac in March 2008, we haven't looked back since.

 

[Glockworkorange]

When I was 12 years old, our old Dell Desktop's motherboard had packed up after 6 years back in 2008. We brought our first iMac in March 2008, we haven't looked back since.

That's amazing. You weren't even born when Appetite for Destruction was released. Man I feel old.

 

[Lozza013]

That's amazing. You weren't even born when Appetite for Destruction was released. Man I feel old.

I know, funny thing I got into GNR after hearing Paradise City on Burnout Paradise and that's 10 years old as well.

 

[Glockworkorange]

It’s a shame he didn’t mark the occasion by announcing any new Macs or even some updates. Cook is clearly not interested in the Mac.

They will release new Macs in a month at WWDC.
[doublepost=1525657371][/doublepost]

I know, funny thing I got into GNR after hearing Paradise City on Burnout Paradise and that's 10 years old as well.

I was 12 when that album came out. Now get off my lawn!

 

[DotCom2]

If you ever met him you would know he does not care and does not miss you.

You are soooooo adorable.

 

[Glockworkorange]

Plastic....

We've come a long way.. Even the old commercials were simple.... That's about as basic you can get.

Back when Jeff Goldblum was sort of a star.

 

[fathergll]

I wonder if there will be a redesigned iMac this year. The current iMac slim unibody design is 5 years old and the aluminum design is over 10 years old now. It's long overdue for a redesign in Apple years and its the 20th anniversary.