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Happy 20th Launch Anniversary, iMac

My first computer was a Sinclair ZX Spectrum back in the day. Since then I've had Apricot, Amiga, HP, DELL and various custom build windows and linux machines that I've put together myself.

Out of all of them, the best and the one that's lasted the longest is still my Mid-2011 iMac. Best desktop I've ever had. Reliable hardware and software and still nearly as fast as the day I bought it.

I'm currently looking to replace it and the only thing that has made it to the short list is another iMac. Quite a feat to stay relevant and competitive after 20 years.
 
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James Craner said:
View attachment 776065

Old(ish) and New(ish) iMac - 2003 iMac (17" 1.25GHz USB2 ) that i recently acquired and replaced the Hard Disk with an SSD, added a Airport Extreme card, added BlueTooth for the Magic Mouse and upgraded the RAM to 2GB. The iMac on the left is a 2016 5K iMac. I always loved the 'Globe' iMac and the 'Lick-able' Aqua UI.
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That’s a great set-up, complete with a fine LEGO model sitting in the middle. Have just “helped” a family member build the latest Millennium Falcon (all 7500 odd pieces of it), marveling at what LEGO has done recently with the Star Wars range, particularly the larger sets...
 
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Jsameds said:
We had one of the original Bondi Blue iMacs. I remember Jobs' line, something like 'Out of the box, booted up and on the internet in less than 10 minutes', which was unheard of at the time. A PC would take longer than that to get all the various bits and cables unpacked, never mind plugged in, booted up and configured - you were looking at around 40 minutes.

When we got it we timed it - 9 minutes something. Amazing machine, I think we've still got it somewhere. Probably still got SoundJam MP on it - the app that Apple bought out and turned into iTunes.

soundjam-mp-2081e71d-bc3a-4eb4-8e80-463493882f1-resize-750.jpeg
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SoundJam MP was a fantastic MP3 player. I purchased the full-featured version, and kept using it long after Apple bought the company and released iTunes.

Incidentally, SoundJam (July 13) and the original iMac (August 15) were both introduced in 1998. Two great innovations just a month apart.
 
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Dilster3k said:
Calling it now, either the September or likely the October Keynote will present a redesigned iMac. Likely slimmed down bezels and similar to the Thunderbolt Display's design. Otherwise the minor spec bump versions would've been released alongside the new MBP's.
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I’d love to believe you. Thin bezels look so sexy!! I just can’t see it happening this refresh. Maybe next one though. And the addition of Face ID would be an incredible addition!!
 
I remember being called home from my friend's house in Michigan by my parents to find out that my dad bought a turquoise iMac G3. My brothers and I were so pumped. My dad even bought more RAM for it, which was fun to watch him upgrade. I remember playing Nanosaur on it.

I understand evolution and improvement is the course of all technology, but the earlier Apple products had a real personal connection for me. The "magic" felt real and I fell in love with Apple then. But now, their new iPhone is just another iPhone. The new macs are just more iterations. I feel like the personality has really dropped off and they've reverted back to just machines again. Alas.
 
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mashdots said:
I remember being called home from my friend's house in Michigan by my parents to find out that my dad bought a turquoise iMac G3. My brothers and I were so pumped. My dad even bought more RAM for it, which was fun to watch him upgrade. I remember playing Nanosaur on it.

I understand evolution and improvement is the course of all technology, but the earlier Apple products had a real personal connection for me. The "magic" felt real and I fell in love with Apple then. But now, their new iPhone is just another iPhone. The new macs are just more iterations. I feel like the personality has really dropped off and they've reverted back to just machines again. Alas.
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I want to fee that spark again too, but realistically, where can they go with those products from here (aesthetically speaking). They’re so thin & minimal, I think we’re almost at the end of the line. The biggest gains are early in the product life cycle.
 
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BODYBUILDERPAUL said:
Not 128GB MacRumours - wasn't it 10GB? I had one for my degree and that damn hard drive failed half way through my dissertation!!!!! Cost £200 in 2003 to replace the drive.
The plastic case of the iMac was very prone to cracking.

Very innovative design at the time - kind of really ugly but cute. Now the Emac was the ugliest thing ever wasn't it.
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The eMac was my entry point to the Apple & Mac ecosystem back in November 2005. Having got *very* tired of doing the IT day job at home to keep my home built, XP sporting PC running every evening, I was in the process of digitising my 1500+ CDs. Windows Media player was utterly awful. between constantly having to fix XP, Office etc I tried out iTunes for WIndows. Seemed to have a UI designed by a human being for other human beings, with a rather nifty search function.

Having been impressed with iTunes I checked out an eMac G4 the local PC World had on display. Looked like the UI sanity that was evident in itunes was all over OS X itself. And the eMac G4 hardware was a definite step up in terms of finish and aesthetics over my beige, multi component PC horror at home.

Took a week to noodle on the matter, then bought the eMac G4, a boxed copy of Panther and some memory for it. To say that I loved both the eMac and OSX Panther would be an understatement. The eMac went to my parents when I upgraded to the iMac G5 and Panther still holds a special place in my heart for the fact it was SO much better than XP SP1, and for the promo with ‘Omar at the Grove Apple Store’ and a pre-mega stardom level of fame JJ Abrams.


The eMac G4 may not have been the design revolution of either the iMac G3 or G4 but so help me, I absolutely adored mine.
 
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happy anakinadversity Tim Jobs, now how do we environmental get rid of the over bloated machines?
I guess we never covered that issue in our featured story of the iMac G3 20 years ago.
5_imac-tearsheet-MBJ_d1450.jpg
 
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Relentless Power said:
Computers are ignored? How so? Then what was the debut of the iMac Pro and 2018 MacBook Pro then in under the last year?
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Well I assume you know that Mac mini and Mac Pro are in a desolate state, MacBook Air and MacBook as well nothing to call home about. iMac Pro isn‘t a product for everyone nor is the MacBook Pro at those prices.

I would love if Apple could come back to those 4 quadrants Jobs introduced. In particular a 15“ MacBook that is affordable but has a larger screen. If you ain‘t a power user you are out of luck right now or bite the bullet and spend the $$$ for performance that isn‘t needed.
 
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loby said:
Why? It’s a good design. Maybe thinner bezels, but still a good design as is.
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It's pretty old. I was in Costco the other day and saw a white AIO and for a minute thought that Apple had released a new iMac. It was an HP AIO, and is/was pretty sleek.

The iMac line is looking, well, dated.
 
The iMac hasn’t really changed in style which my i7 2011 model will testify. The only way to tell is to note the absence of features from their forebears. We should celebrate that Apple hasn’t completely neglected the iMac and still supports it. Which is just as well because I couldn’t afford a new one. Keep going buddy!
 
The article states that the first iMac came equipped with 120GB of storage. I am not sure how old the author is, but I suspect that “GB” should have been a “MB.”
 
I was a fan of AIO computers during the 8 and 16 bit era, when they weren't outdated as fast as today and time passed slowly due to the young age. Later I was surprised by the level of success Apple had (and still have) with this concept of poor upgradeability/maintenance that renders the whole thing useless as soon as one component breaks.
 
JetLaw said:
The article states that the first iMac came equipped with 120GB of storage. I am not sure how old the author is, but I suspect that “GB” should have been a “MB.”
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i think a "plenty" 6GB were shipped with every iMac.
we marveled at powering on the iMac for the first time, and within 15, minutes be online!
PC could not do that back then.
 
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green86 said:
No SCSI! No ADB! No expansion slots! No floppy!

USB isn't mature enough to really solely on it!

Steve Jobs wouldn’t have ever allowed this!


Oh wait...
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But it did come with not one, but TWO headphone jacks...
 
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