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iMac G4

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iMac G4
The iMac G4 with a 15" screen
iMac G4 with a 15" screen
ManufacturerApple Computer
Product familyiMac
TypeAll-in-one
Release dateJanuary 2002; 22 years ago (2002-01)
LifespanJanuary 2002-August 31, 2004 (2 years and 237 days)
Introductory priceUS$1,299 (equivalent to $2,200 in 2023) - US$1,799 (equivalent to $3,047 in 2023)[1]
DiscontinuedAugust 31, 2004 (2004-08-31)
PredecessoriMac G3
SuccessoriMac G5

The iMac G4 is an all-in-one personal computer designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple Computer from January 2002 to August 2004. It was announced at Macworld San Francisco in January 2002. It replaced the iMac G3 and was succeeded by the iMac G5.

The iMac G4 was the first iMac to have a liquid-crystal display built in, replacing the CRT display of previous iMacs.

Overview[edit]

15 inch, 17 inch, and 20 inch versions of the iMac G4.

The iMac G4 is an all-in-one personal computer with a flat Liquid-crystal display (LCD) mounted on an adjustable arm above a base, which contains the internals such as hard drive, optical drive, and motherboard. The arm allows the display to hold almost any angle around the dome-shaped bottom. The machine was sold with the ice-white Apple Pro Keyboard and Apple Pro Mouse, which were later redesigned and renamed the Apple Keyboard and Apple Mouse, respectively. Optional Apple Pro Speakers, which were better quality than the internal speakers, were also available. The Apple Pro Speakers used a unique adapter, designed to work only with a select few Apple Macintosh models.

Development[edit]

The iMac G3, first released in 1998, was a major success for Apple, shipping five million units by 2001. It helped reverse a dire financial picture for the company, marked the first major collaboration between returning CEO Steve Jobs and head of design Jony Ive, and was manufactured using new methodologies at Apple that would be applied to their future products.[2][3] After the iMac's initial release, Apple proceeded to revamp its product offerings for other consumer segments, including the Power Mac G3 and G4 and the iBook. Apple's industrial designers increasingly held more sway within the company, with the engineering department seeing significant turnover in the wake of the industrial design group's demands.[4] In 2001, the design team moved from a building across the road from Apple's main campus to a new space in the main headquarters, offering a larger space to generate ideas, prototype models, and showcase them to Jobs.[5]

Eighteen months after the iMac's release, Ive's team began considering a redesign that swapped the computer's bulky cathode-ray tube screen, around which the computer was designed, with a thin, flat Liquid-crystal display (LCD).[6] Ive produced a prototype that attached the computer components behind the screen, similar to his work on the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh.[7] The design came with drawbacks; the hard drive and optical drive would be less performant in a vertical orientation, and the added heat produced by the G4 processor would necessitate a fan that would be noisy positioned so close to the user. There would also be no easy way to tilt and swivel the display without moving the entire machine.[8] Jobs hated the design, which he felt lacked purity. "Why have this flat display if you're going to glom all this stuff on its back?" he asked. "We should let each element be true to itself."[9] When Ive visited Jobs' house to talk over the issue, Jobs suggested basing the computer on a sunflower, which were growing in his garden. The suggestion of a narrative in the design appealed to Ive, who began sketching out designs drawing on the sunflower shape.[10]{{efn|This is the most commonly given origin for the iMac G4's shape, but Leander Kahney reports another origin offered by an unnamed former executive. In this telling, Jony made two designs: one with the computer behind the screen, and one with a separate screen and base. Jobs chose the latter "goose neck" design because its anthropomorphic features made it, like the iMac G3 before it, friendly and approachable.[11] The machine took two years to develop.[8]

Ive and the design team first tried to attach the screen to the base with a series of vertebrae held together by spring-loaded cables. A clamp on the back of the screen applied tension to the cables and allowed the spine to loosen or stiffen. This design required two hands to grab the screen and release the clamp, and proved difficult for some users to adjust.[12] Ive solicited feedback from design consultancy firm IDEO, who recommended ditching the spine idea in favor of a more practical design with two rigid arms. Doug Satzger suggested that they did not need the amount of flexibility the two-arm design offered, and when Jobs also suggested the same the second arm was dropped. The final arm was made of stainless steel with an internal spring that balanced the screen while being free enough to be moved by the touch of a finger.[13] The designers added a clear plastic "halo" ringing the screen that offered space for adjustment without touching the display, and minimized the look of a thick bezel around the edges. The computer components of the machine were put in the weighted base, which borrowed work done for the ill-fated Power Mac G4 Cube to cool the machine by drawing air from the bottom and expelling it out the top.[14] The playful design suggested a sunflower or a Luxolamp. Jobs was so taken with the design that, in an uncommon move, he listed himself as the primary inventor on one of the design patents for the machine.[10] Whereas the iMac G3 had been made of translucent plastics in a variety of colors, the new iMac was mostly opaque white, following from decisions Jobs had made to make the iPod music player all white. Ive called the color "pure and quiet", and Jobs felt the color made consumer products feel more premium, rather than disposable.[15]

Release[edit]

The iMac G4 was unveiled at Macworld on January 7, 2002. Jobs declared the machine "the best thing I think we've ever done [...] it has a rare beauty and grace that is going to last the next decade." Ive surreptitiously walked the show floor to gauge the public's reaction.[16]

The iMac G4 originally included both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X, due to the machine being released in the year Mac OS 9 was discontinued. When running newer versions of Mac OS X (Tiger and Leopard), the iMac G4's GeForce4 MX GPU was not capable of Core Image rendering. This causes some minor graphical issues. One such issue would be the lack of the Dashboard ripple effect when a widget is introduced. Another would be an opaque menu bar in Mac OS X Leopard.

It was originally known as the New iMac, while the existing iMac G3 continued to be sold for several months. During this time, Apple had all but eliminated CRT displays from its product line. However, the LCD iMacs were unable to match the low price point of the iMac G3, largely due to the higher cost of the LCD technology at the time. The iMac G3 was obsolete by this point, but low-cost machines were particularly important for the education market. Because of this affordability issue, Apple created the eMac in April 2002 and ended production of the iMac G3. The iMac G4 was then marketed as the "iMac" until its discontinuation, then was retroactively labeled iMac G4 to distinguish itself from the succeeding iMac G5 in August 2004.

Apple advertised the iMac G4 as having the adjustability of a desk lamp. One of the advertisements for the machine featured it sitting in a store window "reacting" to every move made by a passer-by on the street. At the end, when the man sticks out his tongue, the iMac responds by opening its optical drive.[17]

The Gateway Profile was one of the few Wintel competitors to the iMac G4 in the all-in-one LCD computer market. A reviewer noted that the Profile had better processing power, due to its Intel Pentium 4, whereas the iMac was hampered because its G4 chip lacked the 1 MB L2 cache found on the higher-end Power Mac. The iMac had clear advantages in LCD screen quality (it uses a digital LCD as opposed to an analog LCD), ergonomics (particularly the flexible monitor arm), and multimedia. The reviewer concluded that the iMac worked well as an introduction to the Macintosh ecosystem, but noted that their relatively high prices were approaching that of laptops, which were portable and had higher resolution LCD screens.[18]

Reception and legacy[edit]

The iMac G4 was positively received.

The iMac G4 helped rehabilitate Apple's public image after the failure of the G4 Cube,[16] and proved that Apple's success with the iMac G3 was not a fluke.[19]

The iMac has been called one of the best computers Apple has made.[19][20] Despite the positive reviews, the design language would not last three years. The design was challenged by larger displays, and the G4 processor's successor, the G5, ran much hotter and needed more cooling. The iMac G5 would feature the "computer on the back of the screen" design Jobs previously derided, and proved to be the template later models would reflect. [20]

Specifications[edit]

Model Flat Panel[21] Mac OS X Only Flat Panel 1.0 GHz Flat Panel[22] Flat Panel USB 2.0
Timetable Released January 2002[23] August 2002[24] February 4, 2003[25] September 8, 2003[25] November 18, 2003[25]
Discontinued February 4, 2003[25] September 8, 2003[25] July 1, 2004[25]
Model Model number M6498 (EMC 1873) M6498 (EMC 1936) M6498 (EMC N/A) M6498 (EMC 1956) M6498 (EMC 1990) M6498 (EMC 1991) A1065 (EMC 1992)
Model Identifier PowerMac4,2 PowerMac4,5 PowerMac4,2 PowerMac6,1 PowerMac6,3
Apple Order No. M8672 M7677 M8535 M8812 M9105 M8935 M9285 M9168 M9290
Display 15" TFT LCD 1024×768 17" TFT Widescreen LCD 1440×900 15" TFT LCD 1024×768 17" TFT Widescreen LCD 1440×900 15" TFT LCD 1024×768 17" TFT Widescreen LCD 1440×900 20" TFT Widescreen LCD 1680 x 1050
Performance Processor PowerPC 7450 (G4) PowerPC 7445 (G4)
Clock speed 700 MHz 800 MHz 1.0 GHz 1.25 GHz
Cache 64 KB L1, 256 KB L2 (1:1)
Front Side Bus 100 MHz 133 MHz 167 MHz
Memory 128 MB of PC133 SDRAM 256 MB of PC133 SDRAM 128 or 256 MB of PC133 SDRAM 256 MB of PC133 SDRAM 256 MB of PC2100 (266 MHz) DDR SDRAM 256 MB of PC2700 (333 MHz) DDR SDRAM
Expandable up to 1 GB via one factory installed memory module in a 168-pin DIMM slot and one 144-pin user-accessible SO-DIMM slot. Expandable up to 2 GB via one factory installed memory module in a 184-pin DIMM slot and one 200-pin user-accessible SO-DIMM slot. (officially only 1 GB is supported)
Graphics Nvidia GeForce 2 MX
32 MB of DDR SDRAM[26] 		Nvidia GeForce 4 MX
32 MB of DDR SDRAM[26] 		Nvidia GeForce 2 MX
32 MB of DDR SDRAM 		Nvidia GeForce 4 MX
64 MB of DDR SDRAM 		Nvidia GeForce 4 MX
32 MB of DDR SDRAM[26] 		Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
64 MB of DDR SDRAM
Storage Hard drive 40 GB, 60 GB, 80 GB
Optical drive 32x CD-R and 10x CD-RW write CD-RW Drive 8x DVD and 32x CD read Combo drive 6x DVD and 24x CD read; 2x DVD-R, 8x CD-R, and 4x CD-RW write SuperDrive 32x Combo drive 4x SuperDrive 32x Combo drive 4x SuperDrive
Connectivity Network 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Ethernet
56k V.90 modem
Optional 11 Mbit/s AirPort 802.11b 		10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Ethernet
56k V.92 modem
Optional 11 Mbit/s AirPort 802.11b 		10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Ethernet
56k V.92 modem
Optional Bluetooth 1.1
Optional 54 Mbit/s AirPort Extreme 802.11b/g
Peripherals 3x USB 1.1
2x FireWire 400
Built-in microphone
Audio out
Apple Pro Speakers mini-jack 		3x USB 2.0
2x FireWire 400
Built-in microphone
Audio out
Apple Pro Speakers mini-jack
Video out Mini-VGA
Maximum Operating System Mac OS X 10.4.11 "Tiger" and Mac OS 9.2.2 Mac OS X 10.4.11 "Tiger" or Mac OS 9.2.2 (With a patched image only[27]) Mac OS X 10.5.8 "Leopard", or Mac OS X 10.4.11 "Tiger" with Mac OS 9.2.2 (Classic Mode only) Mac OS X 10.5.8 "Leopard" if 512 MB RAM installed, Otherwise Mac OS X 10.4.11 "Tiger"
Weight 21.3 lb. / 9.7 kg 22.8 lb. / 10.4 kg 21.3 lbs. / 9.7 kg 22.8 lbs. / 10.4 kg 21.3 lb. / 9.7 kg 22.8 lb. / 10.4 kg 40.1 lb. / 18.2 kg

Timeline of iMac models[edit]

Timeline of iMac and eMac models (sorted by screen sizes)
Mac StudioApple WatchiPadiPhoneMacBookMac MiniPower Mac G5iPodPower Mac G4 CubeiBookPower Macintosh G3iMac (Apple silicon)iMac (Apple silicon)iMac ProiMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac G5iMac G5iMac G4iMac G3#2nd generation: Slot-loadingiMac G4eMaciMac G4iMac G3
See also: List of Mac models

Footnotes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ https://www.macworld.com/article/218460/the-exceptional-imac-g4-ten-years-later.html#:~:text=At%20launch%20in%20January%202002,end%20model%20for%20%241799%20that
  2. ^ Gallagher, William (April 19, 2020). "How Apple Went from Bust to Five Million Colorful iMac Sold". Apple Insider. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  3. ^ Kahney 2013, p. 141.
  4. ^ Kahney 2013, p. 149.
  5. ^ Kahney 2013, pp. 159–171.
  6. ^ Kahney 2013, p. 187.
  7. ^ Isaacson 2013, p. 445.
  8. ^ a b "Apple Takes a Bold New Byte at iMac". The Independent. January 20, 2002. Retrieved June 19, 2024 – via The New Zealand Herald.
  9. ^ Kahney 2013, pp. 187–188.
  10. ^ a b Isaacson 2013, p. 446.
  11. ^ Kahney 2013, pp. 188.
  12. ^ Kahney 2013, pp. 188–189.
  13. ^ Kahney 2013, p. 189.
  14. ^ Kahney 2013, p. 190.
  15. ^ Isaacson 2013, pp. 390–391.
  16. ^ a b Kahney 2013, p. 191.
  17. ^ iMac G4 TV commercial from 2001 on YouTube
  18. ^ "Review: Gateway Profile 4 vs. Apple iMac". November 12, 2002. Archived from the original on October 25, 2008. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
  19. ^ a b https://www.macworld.com/article/563365/imac-g4-design-memory-ergonomics.html
  20. ^ a b https://sixcolors.com/post/2020/10/20-macs-for-2020-9-imac-g4/
  21. ^ "Apple Unveils the New iMac". January 7, 2002. Archived from the original on May 15, 2007. Retrieved February 26, 2007.
  22. ^ "Apple Announces Faster iMacs". September 8, 2003. Archived from the original on November 16, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
  23. ^ "Apple Unveils the New iMac" (Press release). Apple Inc. January 7, 2002.
  24. ^ "Apple Unveils 17-inch Flat Screen iMac" (Press release). Apple Inc. July 17, 2002.
  25. ^ a b c d e f "Mac Systems > Apple > iMac". EveryMac.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  26. ^ a b c "iMac (USB 2.0) – Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on November 28, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  27. ^ "Mac OS 9.2.2 for Previously Unsupported G4s (G4s that shipped OS X Boot Only)".

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]

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