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Gallery: iMac G4 Transformed Into Desk Lamp

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Sold between 2002 and 2004, the iMac G4 is long outdated, but MacRumors forum member Hughmac has given the arm-mounted computer a second life by cleverly transforming his into a desk lamp.

Hugh says he started by gutting the inside of the iMac's base, removing all components. Next, he removed the display and cut the back side of it into a flower shape, making sure to keep the Apple logo intact. Last, he connected a ceiling light to the top of the arm, ran wiring through the base, and added a power switch.

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All in all, this is a brilliant do-it-yourself project that takes recycling to a whole new level. More photos can be found in the MacRumors forums.

Article Link: Gallery: iMac G4 Transformed Into Desk Lamp
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/02/02/imac-g4-lamp/
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I still use several of these units for our intranet security system cameras recording motion and emailing and ftp recording on the CommuniGate server running on them any motion which I can review later when I get home and connect to the intranet and check with my email client.
Great little work horses. They've been running for years. Only a little maintenance needed like installing larger hard drives and reapplying heat sync grease every couple of years.
Looking for more online for free.
 
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Apple does this kind of computer better than anyone...this, the G4 Cube, even the trash can Mac Pro all were unique in form when created and still functioned well. And, Apple actually produces and sells these, instead of the other computer manufacturers that just produce boring hardware iteration after iteration, with a little glitz sometimes but nothing like this.

Apple hasn't made a machine like this in a while now...the new Mac Pro comes close but it's a bit too industrial. I wonder how much of that is the influence of Ive...he has a very minimalist style now which is a bit limiting in the designs. Now that he's gone, they really need to make a crazy special edition to let the designers stretch their legs a bit and see what they can come up with for a new Apple design language for the next decade.
 
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i completely forgot about this imac... never really liked the looks of it. apparently only sold for 2 years too.
 
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Awesome! I wonder if it’s possible to make the Superdrive‘s tray come out and install a Qi charging base for your phone on it..! :cool:
 
JosephAW said:
I still use several of these units for our intranet security system cameras recording motion and emailing and ftp recording on the CommuniGate server running on them any motion which I can review later when I get home and connect to the intranet and check with my email client.
Great little work horses. They've been running for years. Only a little maintenance needed like installing larger hard drives and reapplying heat sync grease every couple of years.
Looking for more online for free.
Click to expand...
Something infinitely more satisfying about repurposing iconic Macs giving them a meaningful and useful second life like here, rather than simply butchering them to make a frankly stupid and ugly “accessory” like this ceiling lamp.
 
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I love recycling and the idea of reusing, But this is a big nope. They made an ugly computer into an uglier lamp. Major respect to their ability to refurbish and complete a project, I wouldn’t be able to get a 1/10 of what they did completed however, Just not sure it was worth the effort.
 
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Brilliant! Now if you could just turn the base into a small mini fridge for one or two beers. Then you could say, let me show you something, pull your friend to it and get out two beers.
 
Ah, the computer that lead me to buy my first Mac. I did an REU back in 2003 where my assigned work machine was a 15" G4 iMac. I fell in love with the machine. Before the next semester I made the pilgrimage to the Apple Store and picked up a first gen 12" G4 PowerBook. In addition to OS X, it was the little things that made the difference to me, like the pulsating power light that gave the machines a 'heartbeat' when asleep, the magnetically controlled screen latch on the PowerBook, the led battery indicator, the coin slot battery lock, the ability to control the Mac with an IR remote, the relative ease of swapping batteries, RAM, storage, and ease of installation for an AirPort card.

Those machines came from an era where Apple was still having fun with the little things in life. I think part of the reason that Apple gets so much grief over their designs these days is because they have abandoned those fun little quirks with each iteration, and haven't done enough to separate themselves after the rest of the industry started following Apple's design cues. I would love to see some of those old quirks come back, laptops with external battery indicators, heartbeats, iMacs with the option to raise, lower, tilt, and swivel the display. Bring back the fun!
 
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Big deal. Wake me up when he turns a Mac into a hover car. It’s 2020. Who’s impressed by a lamp in 2020?
 
I resonate with this post. I’m 36. I remember seeing an iMac G4 when I was probably around 18 years old at a local college bookstore. My first Mac was the also the 12” PowerBook G4. It seemed like light years ahead of the windows desktop I had. The look of the software, the space themed screensaver images, the battery opener latch, the pulsing light, etc. Everything you said. I remember going to Compusa later to buy the Airpot card to install in it. The Brenthaven case it went in and the 3rd gen iPod that came with it as part of Apple’s student deal (when Apple gave very good student discounts). AppleWorks :)

Maybe I’m getting old. Maybe it was just a new time and a new phase and Apple’s ’glory days’ coninceded with me becoming an adult... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

but whatever the draw was, truly innovation or just me simply being nostalgia, I sure do miss the old apple.


meson said:
Ah, the computer that lead me to buy my first Mac. I did an REU back in 2003 where my assigned work machine was a 15" G4 iMac. I fell in love with the machine. Before the next semester I made the pilgrimage to the Apple Store and picked up a first gen 12" G4 PowerBook. In addition to OS X, it was the little things that made the difference to me, like the pulsating power light that gave the machines a 'heartbeat' when asleep, the magnetically controlled screen latch on the PowerBook, the led battery indicator, the coin slot battery lock, the ability to control the Mac with an IR remote, the relative ease of swapping batteries, RAM, storage, and ease of installation for an AirPort card.

Those machines came from an era where Apple was still having fun with the little things in life. I think part of the reason that Apple gets so much grief over their designs these days is because they have abandoned those fun little quirks with each iteration, and haven't done enough to separate themselves after the rest of the industry started following Apple's design cues. I would love to see some of those old quirks come back, laptops with external battery indicators, heartbeats, iMacs with the option to raise, lower, tilt, and swivel the display. Bring back the fun!
Click to expand...
 
I have one of these on a shelf...
Just wondering if it is large enough to fit the innards of a 2018 Mac mini inside, and add a VESA mount to the arm for a 27 inch display :cool:
 
Beautiful. Hands down my favorite computer of all time. I still have 3 - a 20”, a 17”, and another 17” that I broke while updating some parts. I should do something like this with the broken one.
 
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