iMac G4 identifies as 6.3

[Eugen Mezei]

My recently aquired 15" 1 GHz iMac G4 FP USB2.0 identifies himself as PowerMac 6,3 but any document I found online says it should bew 6,1. All other parameters are as documented and the iMac works as it should, I am just curious about this "anomaly".

 

[eyoungren]

My recently aquired 15" 1 GHz iMac G4 FP USB2.0 identifies himself as PowerMac 6,3 but any document I found online says it should bew 6,1. All other parameters are as documented and the iMac works as it should, I am just curious about this "anomaly".

Maybe an overlap in production with the 1.25Ghz models?

chipmunk.nl says your model was introduced in 2003 but your serial says your Mac was made in 2004.

Model introduced: 2003
Serial number: W840214YQB3
Number of lookups done last 30 days: 2
You will be limited to 10 lookups per 30 days.

Nice Name:
Machine Model: PowerMac6,3
Please visit our facebook page
Family name: vraag
Model Number: M9285
Group1: iMac
Group2: G4
Generation:
CPU speed: 1.0GHz
Screen size: 15 inch
Screen resolution: 1024x768 pixels
Colour: White
Production week : -02- (January)
Production year : -2004-
Production number: 1324 (within this week)
Model introduced: -2003-
Memory - number of slots: 2
Memory - RAM type: Please tell us what type of RAM this machine takes. You can find this in the System Profile under Memory (Type & Speed).
Factory: W8 (Shanghai China)

 

[DeltaMac]

Your serial number checks out for a 15-inch iMac G4.
If your graphics chip is a GeForce4 MX 32MB, then that would match up, too
If you have a GeForce FX 5200 with 64MB of VRAM, then I would suspect that your original logic board was swapped out, and one for a larger display was installed.
If everything else is OK, then eyoungren is likely correct about model lapover - maybe all iMac G4s had the same model identifier by the end of production.

 

[Eugen Mezei]

Forgot to mention that it runs 10.5.8.
Could 10.4 identify it differently?

If your graphics chip is a GeForce4 MX 32MB, then that would match up, too.
If you have a GeForce FX 5200 with 64MB of VRAM, then I would suspect that your original logic board was swapped out, and one for a larger display was installed.

It has the GeForce4 MX with 32 MB.

Maybe an overlap in production with the 1.25Ghz models?

Who knows? I bought it from the fleamarket, unfortunately without any peripherials. But on the HDD I found what seems the photo archive of the last owner. Some of the photos show what seem to be family members in front of the iMac. An Aluminium keyboard is attached. Were the last models delivered with this one instead of the Crystal White?

 

[eyoungren]

Forgot to mention that it runs 10.5.8.
Could 10.4 identify it differently?

No.

That information is read from a chip on the logicboard. There is a particular process in the creation of a Mac where that information gets programmed on to that chip. My speculation is that your Mac could have been created around the same time Apple was rolling out the 1.25Ghz iMac models and that particular model number could have been programmed by mistake.

There are one or two people in the forums here who happen to have a G4 with a blank entry for a serial number and the particular app that allows for the programming of the ROM chip that holds this information. So that's how I am aware that this is how it's done.

Who knows? I bought it from the fleamarket, unfortunately without any peripherials. But on the HDD I found what seems the photo archive of the last owner. Some of the photos show what seem to be family members in front of the iMac. An Aluminium keyboard is attached. Were the last models delivered with this one instead of the Crystal White?

The aluminum keyboards did not come out until a couple years past 2004, so no. The iMac would have come with one of the white keyboards. They probably (or someone) replaced it with the aluminum keyboard at some point.

However, that has no bearing on the anamoly.

 

[California]

No.

That information is read from a chip on the logicboard. There is a particular process in the creation of a Mac where that information gets programmed on to that chip. My speculation is that your Mac could have been created around the same time Apple was rolling out the 1.25Ghz iMac models and that particular model number could have been programmed by mistake.

There are one or two people in the forums here who happen to have a G4 with a blank entry for a serial number and the particular app that allows for the programming of the ROM chip that holds this information. So that's how I am aware that this is how it's done.


The aluminum keyboards did not come out until a couple years past 2004, so no. The iMac would have come with one of the white keyboards. They probably (or someone) replaced it with the aluminum keyboard at some point.

However, that has no bearing on the anamoly.

My Powerbooks all read "Powermac" as well. Can't remember the numerical part of it.

 

[MagicBoy]

My Powerbooks all read "Powermac" as well. Can't remember the numerical part of it.

My TiBook is PowerBook 3,3.

Certain that PB G3s and all iBooks were PowerBook x,y as well.

 

[LightBulbFun]

interesting your iMac could be some sort of prototype (they do pop up from time to time, I saw a prototype PCIE G5 on ebay for $99 once but it was very beat up)

 

[flyrod]

I've noticed the apple cube shows up different ways too.

 

[Eugen Mezei]

Looking in the PDF manual I recently downloaded from Apple I see a detachable power cord. Mine has a fixed cord.

 

[DeltaMac]

It's not a permanently installed cord. The collar on the connector might it appear to be permanently attached, but it is not.
I call that type of cord a "mickey mouse" cord.

(or, some previous owner decided to glue the cord in place. I hope not... )

 

[MacCubed]

My TiBook is PowerBook 3,3.

Certain that PB G3s and all iBooks were PowerBook x,y as well.

The Lombard was the first to introduce the model identifier system, the Lombard was the 1,1 and the Wallstreet(which came before) didn't have an identifier.