Desktop computer · 1998
iMac G3
An all-in-one computer in translucent colored plastic that dropped the floppy drive and Apple's older ports in favor of USB. Between 1998 and 2001 it was offered in thirteen finishes.
- Introduced
- January 1999
- Revisions
- Rev. C, Rev. D, Slot loading
Finishes
Hardware revisions
15 August 1998
Rev. A
233 MHz PowerPC G3, 32 MB of RAM, 4 GB hard drive, ATI Rage IIc graphics and a tray-loading CD-ROM drive. Bondi Blue only.
M4984
October 1998
Rev. B
Graphics upgraded to ATI Rage Pro Turbo with 6 MB of video memory; shipped with Mac OS 8.5.
M4984
January 1999
Rev. C
266 MHz processor and a 6 GB hard drive. Bondi Blue was replaced by five colors; the mezzanine expansion slot was removed.
M4984
April 1999
Rev. D
Processor raised to 333 MHz.
M4984
October 1999
Slot loading
Redesigned internals with a slot-loading optical drive and convection cooling in place of a fan. Sold as the iMac, iMac DV and iMac DV Special Edition; the DV models added FireWire.
M5521
July 2000
Summer 2000
Range refreshed in Indigo, Ruby, Sage, Graphite and Snow.
M5521
February 2001
Early 2001
Added the patterned Blue Dalmatian and Flower Power finishes.
M5521
July 2001
Summer 2001
Final revision of the design.
M5521
Specifications
Record
- Manufacturer
- Apple
- Family
- iMac
- Category
- Desktop computer
- Generation
- First-generation iMac
- Announced
- 6 May 1998
- Release
- 15 August 1998 — United States
- Discontinued
- March 2003
- Model numbers
- M4984, M5521
Processor
- CPU
- PowerPC 750 (G3)
- Clock speed
- 233 MHz (Rev. A–B)
- 266 MHz (Rev. C)
- 333 MHz (Rev. D)
- 350 MHz and faster (slot-loading models)
Display
- Type
- Built-in 15-inch CRT
Memory and storage
- RAM (Rev. A)
- 32 MB
- Hard drive (Rev. A)
- 4 GB
- Optical drive
- CD-ROM, tray-loading (Rev. A–D)
- Slot-loading CD-ROM or DVD-ROM (slot-loading models)
- Floppy drive
- None
Graphics
- GPU
- ATI Rage IIc (Rev. A)
- ATI Rage Pro Turbo (Rev. B–D)
Connectivity
- Peripheral ports
- Two USB ports
- Networking
- 10/100 Ethernet
- 56k modem
- FireWire
- iMac DV and later models
- Legacy ports
- None — no ADB, SCSI or serial ports
Physical
- Dimensions
- Not yet documented
- Weight
- Not yet documented
Software
- At launch
- Mac OS 8.1
History
6 May 1998
Introduced by Steve Jobs at a price of US$1,299. The “i” was presented as standing for internet, individual, instruct, inform and inspire.
Designed by Apple's industrial design group led by Jony Ive.
Leaving out the floppy drive and Apple's legacy ports pushed buyers toward USB peripherals, many of which were then made in matching translucent plastics.
January 1999
Bondi Blue gave way to five colors at once — Blueberry, Strawberry, Tangerine, Grape and Lime.
January 2002
The flat-panel iMac G4 replaced it at the top of the line; the G3 stayed on sale, largely to schools, into 2003.
Lineage
The iMac familyAbout this entry
Which finishes were offered with each revision is still being verified against Apple's original product listings.
Sources: Apple, iMac product specifications (1998–2001).