IMac G3
Encyclopedia
The iMac G3 was the first model of the iMac
line of personal computers made by Apple Inc. (formerly Apple Computer, Inc.), and the originator of the Legacy-free PC
market category. Like the first Macs
, the iMac G3 is an all-in-one personal computer, encompassing both the monitor and the system unit in a single enclosure. Originally released in Bondi blue and later a range of other brightly colored, translucent plastic casings, the iMac shipped with a keyboard and mouse in matching tints.
reduced the company's large and confusing product lines immediately after becoming Apple's interim CEO in 1997; toward the end of the year, Apple trimmed its line of desktop Macs down to the beige Power Macintosh G3
series, which included the iMac's immediate predecessor, the G3 All-In-One, which featured nearly identical specifications and was sold only to the educational market. Having discontinued the consumer-targeted Performa
series, Apple needed a replacement for the Performa's price point. The company announced the iMac
on May 6, 1998 and began shipping the iMac G3 on August 15, 1998. The iMac was dramatically different from any previous mainstream computer. It was made of translucent "Bondi Blue"-colored plastic, and was egg-shaped around a 15-inch (38 cm) CRT
. There was a handle, and the computer interfaces were hidden behind a door that opened on the right-hand side of the machine. Dual headphone jacks in the front complemented the built-in stereo speakers. Jonathan Ive
, currently Vice President of Industrial Design at Apple, is credited with the industrial design.
The iMac was the first computer to exclusively offer USB
ports as standard, including the connector for its new keyboard and mouse, thus abandoning previous Macintosh peripheral connections, such as the ADB
, SCSI
and GeoPort
serial ports.
A radical step was to abandon the 3½-inch diskette drive (which had been present in every Mac since the first one in 1984). Apple argued that recordable CDs
, the Internet, and office networks were quickly making diskettes obsolete. Apple had initially announced the internal modem
in the iMac would operate at only 33.6 kbit/s rather than the new 56k speed, but was forced by consumer pressure to adopt the faster standard. Apple's omissions generated controversy. At the time of iMac's introduction, third-party manufacturers offered inexpensive external USB diskette drives, often in translucent blue plastic to match the iMac's enclosure.
The keyboard and mouse
were redesigned for the iMac with translucent plastics and a Bondi Blue trim (Apple USB Keyboard and Apple USB Mouse). The keyboard was smaller than Apple's previous keyboards, with white letters on black keys, both features that attracted debate. The mouse was mechanical, of a round, "hockey puck
" design which was instantly derided as being unnecessarily difficult for users with larger hands. Apple continued shipping the round mouse, adding a divot to the button in later versions so that users could distinguish proper orientation. Eventually, a new oblong optical mouse, known as the Apple Mouse
(formerly "Apple Pro Mouse"), replaced the round mouse across all of Apple's hardware offerings.
and Common Hardware Reference Platform
(CHRP). Although the promise of CHRP has never been fully realized, the work that Apple had done on CHRP significantly helped in the designing of the iMac. The original iMac had a 233 MHz PowerPC G3
(PowerPC 750) chip, with 512 KB
L2 cache
running at 116.6 MHz, which also ran in Apple's high-end Power Macintosh
line at the time, though at higher speeds, with more expensive models shipping with 1 MB
L2 cache. It sold for US$1,299, and had a 4 GB hard drive
, 32 MB RAM, 2 MB video RAM
, and shipped with Mac OS 8.1
, which was soon upgraded to Mac OS 8.5. Parts such as the front-mounted IrDA
port and the tray-loading CD-ROM
drive were borrowed from the Apple laptops. Although the iMac did not officially have an expansion slot
, the first versions had a slot dubbed the "mezzanine slot". It was only for internal use by Apple, although a few third-party expansion cards were released for it, such as a Voodoo II video card upgrade from 3dfx
and SCSI
/SCSI-TV tuner
cards (iProRAID and iProRAID TV) from the German company Formac. The mezzanine slot was removed from later iMacs, though according to an article in the German computer magazine c't
, the socket can be retrofitted on revision C iMacs. The hard drive in the iMac G3 was a Quantum
Fireball.
The iMac line was continually updated after initial release. Aside from increasing processor speed, video RAM, and hard-disk capacity, Apple replaced Bondi blue with new colors—initially in January 1999 with blueberry, strawberry, tangerine, grape, and lime ; later other colors, such as graphite, ruby, sage, snow, and indigo, "Blue Dalmatian
" and "Flower Power" patterns. A later hardware update created a sleeker design. This second-generation iMac featured a slot-loading optical drive, FireWire, "fanless" operation (through free convection cooling), and the option of AirPort
wireless networking. Apple continued to sell this line of iMacs until March 2003, mainly to customers who wanted the ability to run the older Mac OS 9 operating system.
USB and FireWire support, and support for dial-up, Ethernet
, and wireless networking (via 802.11b and Bluetooth
) soon became standard across Apple's entire product line. In particular, the high-speed interface, FireWire, corrected the deficiencies of the earlier iMacs.
The iMac CRT model, now targeted at the education market, was renamed
the iMac G3, and kept in production alongside the iMac G4 successor until the eMac
was released.
As Apple continued to release new versions of its computers, the term iMac continued to be used to refer to machines in its consumer desktop line.
display with a 1024 x 768 resolution. Its input and output ports included two USB 1.1 ports, 56k Modem
, built-in 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet
and 4 Mbit/s infrared port (which was only included in Revision A models). It included built-in stereo speakers, microphone, audio line in, audio line out and two headphone ports near the right speaker. The iMac had a door covering the ports with a notch to manage cables and a finger hole for opening it. The iMac also included a puck-shaped Apple USB Mouse and a new compact Apple USB keyboard. It was originally only available in Bondi Blue, but this was discontinued in favor of new Strawberry, Blueberry, Lime, Grape, and Tangerine colors, which were introduced shortly after the iMac was released. The tray loading iMac was discontinued on October 5, 1999 when the new slot loading iMac G3 was introduced.
In popular culture
The iMac G3 was prominent in early 2000s pop culture. It was featured on many different TV shows, including Daria
, King of the Hill
, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
, George Lopez
, My Family, Malcolm in the Middle
, Queer as Folk, Lizzie McGuire
, The Simpsons
, My Wife and Kids
, American Dad!
, and Arthur
. iMacs were also featured in the films Zoolander
, Max Keeble's Big Move
, Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins
, and Freaky Friday
, the syndicated comic strip
FoxTrot, the flash series Homestar Runner
, and the site BrainPOP
.
Legal action
Apple protected the iMac design with legal action against computer makers who made imitations, such as eMachines
’ eOne
. Some manufacturers added translucent plastics to existing designs after the iMac, following the trend started in 1997 by Dyson. In 1999, Apple obtained the registered domain name
appleimac.com from Abdul Traya, after legal intervention. The website now automatically redirects to Apple Inc.'s website
External links
IMac
The iMac is a range of all-in-one Macintosh desktop computers built by Apple. It has been the primary part of Apple's consumer desktop offerings since its introduction in 1998, and has evolved through five distinct forms....
line of personal computers made by Apple Inc. (formerly Apple Computer, Inc.), and the originator of the Legacy-free PC
Legacy-free PC
A legacy-free PC is a type of personal computer that lacks a floppy drive, legacy ports, an ISA bus...
market category. Like the first Macs
Compact Macintosh
"Compact Macintosh" or "Classic Macintosh" are informal terms that refer to the direct descendants of the original Macintosh personal computer case design by Apple Computer, Inc. All of them are all-in-one desktop computer designs with the display integrated in the computer case, but not the...
, the iMac G3 is an all-in-one personal computer, encompassing both the monitor and the system unit in a single enclosure. Originally released in Bondi blue and later a range of other brightly colored, translucent plastic casings, the iMac shipped with a keyboard and mouse in matching tints.
History
Steve JobsSteve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
reduced the company's large and confusing product lines immediately after becoming Apple's interim CEO in 1997; toward the end of the year, Apple trimmed its line of desktop Macs down to the beige Power Macintosh G3
Power Macintosh G3
The Power Macintosh G3, commonly called "beige G3s" or "platinum G3s" for the color of their cases, was a series of personal computers designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. from November 1997 to January 1999...
series, which included the iMac's immediate predecessor, the G3 All-In-One, which featured nearly identical specifications and was sold only to the educational market. Having discontinued the consumer-targeted Performa
Macintosh Performa
The Macintosh Performa series was Apple Computer's consumer product family of Apple Macintosh personal computers sold through department stores and mass-market retailers from 1992 until 1997, when it was superseded by the Power Macintosh 5x00 series...
series, Apple needed a replacement for the Performa's price point. The company announced the iMac
IMac
The iMac is a range of all-in-one Macintosh desktop computers built by Apple. It has been the primary part of Apple's consumer desktop offerings since its introduction in 1998, and has evolved through five distinct forms....
on May 6, 1998 and began shipping the iMac G3 on August 15, 1998. The iMac was dramatically different from any previous mainstream computer. It was made of translucent "Bondi Blue"-colored plastic, and was egg-shaped around a 15-inch (38 cm) CRT
Cathode ray tube
The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
. There was a handle, and the computer interfaces were hidden behind a door that opened on the right-hand side of the machine. Dual headphone jacks in the front complemented the built-in stereo speakers. Jonathan Ive
Jonathan Ive
Jonathan "Jony" Ive, CBE is an English designer and the Senior Vice President of Industrial Design at Apple Inc. He is the leading designer and conceptual mind behind the iMac, titanium and aluminum PowerBook G4, G4 Cube, MacBook, unibody MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.- Early...
, currently Vice President of Industrial Design at Apple, is credited with the industrial design.
Universal Serial Bus
USB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....
ports as standard, including the connector for its new keyboard and mouse, thus abandoning previous Macintosh peripheral connections, such as the ADB
Apple Desktop Bus
Apple Desktop Bus is an obsolete bit-serial computer bus connecting low-speed devices to computers. Used primarily on the Macintosh platform, ADB equipment is still available but not supported by most Apple hardware manufactured since 1999....
, SCSI
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
and GeoPort
GeoPort
GeoPort was a serial data system used on some models of the Apple Macintosh. GeoPort slightly modified the existing Mac serial port pins to allow the computer's internal sound hardware to emulate various devices such as modems and fax machines. GeoPort could be found on late-model m68k-based...
serial ports.
CD-R
A CD-R is a variation of the Compact Disc invented by Philips and Sony. CD-R is a Write Once Read Many optical medium, though the whole disk does not have to be entirely written in the same session....
, the Internet, and office networks were quickly making diskettes obsolete. Apple had initially announced the internal modem
Modem
A modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
in the iMac would operate at only 33.6 kbit/s rather than the new 56k speed, but was forced by consumer pressure to adopt the faster standard. Apple's omissions generated controversy. At the time of iMac's introduction, third-party manufacturers offered inexpensive external USB diskette drives, often in translucent blue plastic to match the iMac's enclosure.
The keyboard and mouse
Mouse (computing)
In computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
were redesigned for the iMac with translucent plastics and a Bondi Blue trim (Apple USB Keyboard and Apple USB Mouse). The keyboard was smaller than Apple's previous keyboards, with white letters on black keys, both features that attracted debate. The mouse was mechanical, of a round, "hockey puck
Hockey puck
A puck is a disk used in various games serving the same functions as a ball does in ball games. The best-known use of pucks is in ice hockey, a major international sport.- Etymology :The origin of the word "puck" is obscure...
" design which was instantly derided as being unnecessarily difficult for users with larger hands. Apple continued shipping the round mouse, adding a divot to the button in later versions so that users could distinguish proper orientation. Eventually, a new oblong optical mouse, known as the Apple Mouse
Apple Pro Mouse
The Apple Mouse was originally introduced at the July 2000 Macworld Conference & Expo in New York City. Apple Computer was one of the first companies to ship an optical mouse as the standard input device...
(formerly "Apple Pro Mouse"), replaced the round mouse across all of Apple's hardware offerings.
Technical
Internally, the iMac was a combination of the MacNC projectMacNC
The Mac NC, sometimes referred to as the Macintosh NC, was a network thin client that was expected to be released by Apple by April 1998. The device was widely promoted by then-Apple director Larry Ellison, apparently as part of his Oracle Network Computer initiative...
and Common Hardware Reference Platform
Common Hardware Reference Platform
Common Hardware Reference Platform was a standard system architecture for PowerPC based computer systems published jointly by IBM and Apple in 1995. Like its predecessor PReP, it was conceptualized as a design to allow various operating systems to run on an industry standard hardware platform,...
(CHRP). Although the promise of CHRP has never been fully realized, the work that Apple had done on CHRP significantly helped in the designing of the iMac. The original iMac had a 233 MHz PowerPC G3
PowerPC G3
The PowerPC 7xx is a family of third generation 32-bit PowerPC microprocessors designed and manufactured by IBM and Motorola . This family is called the PowerPC G3 by its well-known customer Apple Computer...
(PowerPC 750) chip, with 512 KB
Kilobyte
The kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
L2 cache
CPU cache
A CPU cache is a cache used by the central processing unit of a computer to reduce the average time to access memory. The cache is a smaller, faster memory which stores copies of the data from the most frequently used main memory locations...
running at 116.6 MHz, which also ran in Apple's high-end Power Macintosh
Power Macintosh
Power Macintosh, later Power Mac, was a line of Apple Macintosh workstation-class personal computers based on various models of PowerPC microprocessors that were developed, marketed, and supported by Apple Inc. from March 1994 until August 2006. The first models were the Power Macintosh 6100,...
line at the time, though at higher speeds, with more expensive models shipping with 1 MB
Megabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
L2 cache. It sold for US$1,299, and had a 4 GB hard drive
Hard disk
A hard disk drive is a non-volatile, random access digital magnetic data storage device. It features rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within a protective enclosure. Data is magnetically read from and written to the platter by read/write heads that float on a film of air above the...
, 32 MB RAM, 2 MB video RAM
Dynamic random access memory
Dynamic random-access memory is a type of random-access memory that stores each bit of data in a separate capacitor within an integrated circuit. The capacitor can be either charged or discharged; these two states are taken to represent the two values of a bit, conventionally called 0 and 1...
, and shipped with Mac OS 8.1
Mac OS 8
Mac OS 8 is an operating system that was released by Apple Computer on July 26, 1997. It represented the largest overhaul of the Mac OS since the release of System 7, some six years previously. It puts more emphasis on color than previous operating systems...
, which was soon upgraded to Mac OS 8.5. Parts such as the front-mounted IrDA
Infrared Data Association
The Infrared Data Association defines physical specifications communications protocol standards for the short-range exchange of data over infrared light, for uses such as personal area networks ....
port and the tray-loading CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
drive were borrowed from the Apple laptops. Although the iMac did not officially have an expansion slot
Expansion card
The expansion card in computing is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an expansion slot of a computer motherboard or backplane to add functionality to a computer system via the expansion bus.One edge of the expansion card holds the contacts that fit exactly into the slot...
, the first versions had a slot dubbed the "mezzanine slot". It was only for internal use by Apple, although a few third-party expansion cards were released for it, such as a Voodoo II video card upgrade from 3dfx
3dfx
3dfx Interactive was a company that specialized in the manufacturing of 3D graphics processing units and, later, graphics cards. It was a pioneer in the field for several years in the late 1990s until 2000 when it underwent one of the most high-profile demises in the history of the PC industry...
and SCSI
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
/SCSI-TV tuner
TV tuner card
A TV tuner card is a kind of television tuner that allows television signals to be received by a computer. Most TV tuners also function as video capture cards, allowing them to record television programs onto a hard disk much like the Tivo digital video recorder does.-Variants: The interfaces for...
cards (iProRAID and iProRAID TV) from the German company Formac. The mezzanine slot was removed from later iMacs, though according to an article in the German computer magazine c't
C't
c't – Magazin für Computertechnik is a German computer magazine, published by the Heinz Heise publishing house. Originally a special section of the electronics magazine elrad, the magazine has been published monthly since December 1983 and biweekly since October 1997...
, the socket can be retrofitted on revision C iMacs. The hard drive in the iMac G3 was a Quantum
Quantum Corp.
Quantum Corporation is a manufacturer of tape drive, tape automation, data deduplication storage products and scalable file storage software, based in San Jose, California...
Fireball.
Updates
Dalmatian (dog)
The Dalmatian is a breed of dog whose roots are often said to trace back to Dalmatia, a region of Croatia where the first illustrations of the dog have been found. The Dalmatian is noted for its unique black- or brown-spotted coat and was mainly used as a carriage dog in its early days...
" and "Flower Power" patterns. A later hardware update created a sleeker design. This second-generation iMac featured a slot-loading optical drive, FireWire, "fanless" operation (through free convection cooling), and the option of AirPort
AirPort
AirPort and AirPort Extreme are local area wireless networking products from Apple Inc. based on the IEEE 802.11 standard ....
wireless networking. Apple continued to sell this line of iMacs until March 2003, mainly to customers who wanted the ability to run the older Mac OS 9 operating system.
USB and FireWire support, and support for dial-up, Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
, and wireless networking (via 802.11b and Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
) soon became standard across Apple's entire product line. In particular, the high-speed interface, FireWire, corrected the deficiencies of the earlier iMacs.
The iMac CRT model, now targeted at the education market, was renamed
Retronym
A retronym is a type of neologism that provides a new name for an object or concept to differentiate the original form or version of it from a more recent form or version. The original name is most often augmented with an adjective to account for later developments of the object or concept itself...
the iMac G3, and kept in production alongside the iMac G4 successor until the eMac
EMac
The eMac, short for education Mac, was a Macintosh desktop computer made by Apple Inc. It was originally aimed at the education market, but was later made available as a cheaper mass market alternative to Apple's second-generation LCD display iMac....
was released.
As Apple continued to release new versions of its computers, the term iMac continued to be used to refer to machines in its consumer desktop line.
iMac (tray-loading)
The tray-loading iMac G3 featured a 15" CRTCathode ray tube
The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
display with a 1024 x 768 resolution. Its input and output ports included two USB 1.1 ports, 56k Modem
Modem
A modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
, built-in 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
and 4 Mbit/s infrared port (which was only included in Revision A models). It included built-in stereo speakers, microphone, audio line in, audio line out and two headphone ports near the right speaker. The iMac had a door covering the ports with a notch to manage cables and a finger hole for opening it. The iMac also included a puck-shaped Apple USB Mouse and a new compact Apple USB keyboard. It was originally only available in Bondi Blue, but this was discontinued in favor of new Strawberry, Blueberry, Lime, Grape, and Tangerine colors, which were introduced shortly after the iMac was released. The tray loading iMac was discontinued on October 5, 1999 when the new slot loading iMac G3 was introduced.
- August 15, 1998 — iMac 233 MHz (Revision A) (M6709LL/A). 233 MHz processor. ATI Rage IIc graphics with 2 MB SGRAM. Available in Bondi Blue only, reset hole on side panel. One of only two iMac models to include an IrDAIRDAIRDA may refer to:* Infrared Data Association, in information and communications technology , a standard for communication between devices over short distances using infrared signals...
port. - October 17, 1998 — iMac 233 MHz (Revision B) (M6709LL/B). Minor update featuring new Mac OS 8.5, ATI Rage Pro Graphics with 6 MB of SGRAM. Last hardware revision to include the IrDA port and internal mezzanine slot.
- January 5, 1999 — iMac 266 MHz (Revision C, "Five Flavors") (M7389LL/A, M7345LL/A, M7392LL/A, M7390LL/A, M7391LL/A). 266 MHz processor. IrDA port and mezzanine slot removed. ATI Rage Pro Turbo graphics with 6 MB SGRAM. Available in Strawberry (pink), Blueberry (blue), Lime (light green), Grape (purple), and Tangerine (orange). Price reduced by US$100.
- April 14, 1999 — iMac 333 MHz (Revision D). 333 MHz processor. Updated mouse with indentation on the button. Last iMac to run Mac OS 8Mac OS 8Mac OS 8 is an operating system that was released by Apple Computer on July 26, 1997. It represented the largest overhaul of the Mac OS since the release of System 7, some six years previously. It puts more emphasis on color than previous operating systems...
.
| Model | iMac http://support.apple.com/kb/SP136 | iMac (Revision B) http://support.apple.com/kb/SP136 | iMac (266 MHz)http://support.apple.com/kb/SP137 | iMac (333 MHz)http://support.apple.com/kb/SP131 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codename | "Columbus, Elroy, Tailgate, C1" | "Life Savers" | ||
| Display Display device A display device is an output device for presentation of information in visual or tactile form... |
15-inch (13.8-inch viewable) shadow-mask CRT screen with 1024 x 768 pixel resolution (via internal DB-15 connector) | |||
| Graphics Computer graphics Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware.... |
ATI Rage IIc graphics processor with 2 MB of SGRAM memory Expandable to 6MB of SGRAM memory |
ATI Rage Pro graphics processor with 6 MB of SGRAM memory | ||
| Hard drive ATA-3 5400 rpm |
4GB Gigabyte The gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is... Up to 128 GB Hard Drive Supported |
6GB Gigabyte The gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is... Up to 128 GB Hard Drive Supported |
||
| Processor Central processing unit The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in... |
233 MHz PowerPC G3 (750) | 266 MHz PowerPC G3 (750) | 333 MHz PowerPC G3 (750) | |
| Cache Cache In computer engineering, a cache is a component that transparently stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster. The data that is stored within a cache might be values that have been computed earlier or duplicates of original values that are stored elsewhere... |
64KB of L1 Cache and 512KB of L2 Backside Cache (1:2) | |||
| Front Side Bus Front side bus A front-side bus is a computer communication interface often used in computers during the 1990s and 2000s.It typically carries data between the central processing unit and a memory controller hub, known as the northbridge.... |
66 MHz | |||
| Memory Two slots for PC100 PC100 PC100 is a standard for internal removable computer random access memory, defined by the JEDEC. PC100 refers to Synchronous DRAM operating at a clock frequency of 100 MHz, on a 64-bit-wide bus, at a voltage of 3.3 V. PC100 is available in 168-pin DIMM and 144-pin SO-DIMM form factors... SDRAM SDRAM Synchronous dynamic random access memory is dynamic random access memory that is synchronized with the system bus. Classic DRAM has an asynchronous interface, which means that it responds as quickly as possible to changes in control inputs... (SO-DIMM) |
32MB Expandable to 384MB (128MB supported by Apple) |
32MB Expandable to 512MB (256MB supported by Apple) |
||
| Modem Modem A modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data... |
Integrated 56k | |||
| Optical drive | 24X tray-loading CD-ROM drive | |||
| Minimum operating system Operating system An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system... required |
Mac OS Mac OS Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface... 8.1 or 8.5 |
Mac OS Mac OS Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface... 8.5.1 |
||
| Maximum Operating System | Mac OS X 10.3.9 “Panther” and Mac OS 9.2.2 Unofficially, can run Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger” and Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" with XPostFacto XPostFacto XPostFacto is an open source utility that enables the installation of PowerPC versions of Mac OS X up to Mac OS 10.4 , and Darwin on some PowerPC-based Apple Macintosh systems that are not officially supported for them by Apple.... and a G4 Upgrade |
|||
| Colors | Bondi Blue | Blueberry, Grape, Strawberry, Tangerine, and Lime | ||
| Weight | 38.1 pounds Pound (mass) The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement... (17.2 kilograms) |
|||
| Dimensions | 15.8 x 15.2 x 17.6 inches / 401 x 386 x 447 mm | |||
iMac (slot-loading)
- October 5, 1999—iMac/iMac DV/iMac DV SE. First revision with FireWire support, except 350 MHz Blueberry model. 350 or 400 MHz processor, slot-loading optical drive, same colors as rev C/D iMac, plus Special Edition in graphite color. Used ATI Rage 128 VR Graphics with 8 MB of VRAM. Included internal slot for 802.11b AirPort card (AirPort card adapter required).
- July 19, 2000—iMac/iMac DV/iMac DV+/iMac DV SE. DV+ and DV SE models upgrade slot-loading CD-ROMCD-ROMA CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
to slot-loading DVD-ROM drive. 350, 400, 450 or 500 MHz processor, colors graphite (grey), ruby (red), snow (white), indigo (dark blue) and sage (green). Graphics updated to Rage 128 Pro, but still with 8 MB SGRAM. 350 MHz model (Indigo) lacked AirPort card slot and still lacked FireWire support. - February 22, 2001 — (patterns). 400, 500 (PPC750CXe), or 600 (PPC750CXe)MHz processor. Available in Indigo, Graphite, and "Blue Dalmatian" or "Flower Power" patterns. DVD-ROM drive discontinued in favor of slot-loading CD-RWCD-RWA CD-RW is a rewritable optical disc. It was introduced in 1997, and was known as "CD-Writable" during development. It was preceded by the CD-MO, which was never commercially released....
drive (low-end Indigo model has CD-ROM). 750CXe models features a new "Pangea" motherboard with a 16MB ATI Rage 128 Ultra graphics chip. - July 18, 2001 — (summer 2001). 500, 600, or 700 MHz (PPC750CXe) processor. Replaces Apple USB MouseApple USB MouseThe Apple USB Mouse, commonly called "Hockey puck" , is a mouse released by Apple Inc. with the iMac G3 in 1998 and included with all successive desktop Macs for the next 2 years. It was the first commercially released Apple mouse to use the USB connection format and not the Apple Desktop Bus...
by Apple Pro MouseApple Pro MouseThe Apple Mouse was originally introduced at the July 2000 Macworld Conference & Expo in New York City. Apple Computer was one of the first companies to ship an optical mouse as the standard input device...
and USB Keyboard by Pro Keyboard, respectively. Available in indigo, graphite, and snow. 700 MHz model discontinued in January 2002 after G4 iMacs were introduced. 500 and 600 MHz models discontinued March 2003.
| Model | iMac (Slot Loading) http://support.apple.com/kb/SP121 | iMac (Summer 2000) http://support.apple.com/kb/SP64 | iMac (Early 2001) http://support.apple.com/kb/SP112 | iMac (Summer 2001) http://support.apple.com/kb/SP109 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codename | "Kihei, P7" | N/A | N/A | "Kiva" |
| Display Display device A display device is an output device for presentation of information in visual or tactile form... |
15-inch (13.8-inch viewable) shadow-mask CRT screen with 1024 x 768 pixel resolution (plus VGA port for video mirroring) | |||
| Graphics Computer graphics Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware.... |
ATI Rage 128 VR graphics processor (AGP 2X) with 8 MB of memory | ATI Rage 128 Pro graphics processor (AGP 2X) with 8 MB of memory | ATI Rage 128 Pro graphics processor (AGP 2X) with 8 MB of memory or ATI Rage 128 Ultra (AGP 2X) with 16MB of memory | ATI Rage 128 Ultra graphics processor (AGP 2X) with 16MB of memory |
| Hard drive Ultra-ATA 5400 rpm |
6GB Gigabyte The gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is... , 10GB or 13GB Up to 128 GB Hard Drive Supported |
7 GB, 10GB, 20 GB or 30GB Up to 128 GB Hard Drive Supported |
10GB, 20GB or 30GB Up to 128 GB Hard Drive Supported |
20GB, 40GB or 60GB Up to 128 GB Hard Drive Supported |
| Processor Central processing unit The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in... |
350 MHz or 400 MHz PowerPC G3 (750) | 350 MHz, 400 MHz, 450 MHz or 500 MHz PowerPC G3 (750) | 400 MHz PowerPC G3 (750), 500 MHz or 600 MHz PowerPC G3 (750CX) | 500 MHz PowerPC G3 (755), 600 or 700 MHz PowerPC G3 (750CXe) |
| Cache Cache In computer engineering, a cache is a component that transparently stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster. The data that is stored within a cache might be values that have been computed earlier or duplicates of original values that are stored elsewhere... |
64KB of L1 Cache and 512KB of L2 Backside Cache (2:5) | 64KB of L1 Cache. 512KB of L2 Backside Cache (2:5) or 256KB of L2 Cache (1:1) | 64KB of L1 Cache and 256KB of L2 Cache (1:1) | |
| Front Side Bus Front side bus A front-side bus is a computer communication interface often used in computers during the 1990s and 2000s.It typically carries data between the central processing unit and a memory controller hub, known as the northbridge.... |
100 MHz | |||
| Memory Two slots for PC100 PC100 PC100 is a standard for internal removable computer random access memory, defined by the JEDEC. PC100 refers to Synchronous DRAM operating at a clock frequency of 100 MHz, on a 64-bit-wide bus, at a voltage of 3.3 V. PC100 is available in 168-pin DIMM and 144-pin SO-DIMM form factors... SDRAM SDRAM Synchronous dynamic random access memory is dynamic random access memory that is synchronized with the system bus. Classic DRAM has an asynchronous interface, which means that it responds as quickly as possible to changes in control inputs... |
64MB or 128MB Expandable to 1 GB (512MB supported by Apple) |
64MB or 128MB Expandable to 1 GB |
64MB, 128MB or 256MB Expandable to 1 GB |
|
| AirPort AirPort AirPort and AirPort Extreme are local area wireless networking products from Apple Inc. based on the IEEE 802.11 standard .... |
Optional AirPort 802.11b card (adapter required) | |||
| Modem Modem A modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data... |
Integrated 56k | |||
| Optical drive | 24x slot-loading CD-ROM drive or 4x slot-loading DVD-ROM drive | 24x slot-loading CD-ROM drive or 8x CD-R and 4x CD-RW recording and 32x CD Read slot-loading CD-RW drive 4x slot-load DVD-ROM drive supported |
||
| Minimum operating system Operating system An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system... required |
Mac OS Mac OS Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface... 8.6 |
Mac OS 9.0.4 | Mac OS 9.1 | Mac OS 9.1 and Mac OS X Mac OS X Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems... 10.0.4 |
| Maximum Operating System | Mac OS X 10.3.9 “Panther” and Mac OS 9.2.2 on 350Mhz Blueberry model. Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" on 350 MHz Strawberry, Lime, Tangerine, Grape and Graphite models and 400Mhz. Unofficially, 350Mhz Blueberry model can run Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger” |
Mac OS X 10.3.9 “Panther” and Mac OS 9.2.2 on 350Mhz Indigo model. Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" and Mac OS 9.2.2 on 350 MHz Ruby, Sage, Snow and Graphite models, 400Mhz, 450Mhz, 500Mhz. Unofficially, 350 MHz can run Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger” |
Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger” and Mac OS 9.2.2 | |
| Colors | Blueberry, Grape, Strawberry, Tangerine, Lime, and Graphite | Indigo, Ruby, Sage, Snow, and Graphite | Indigo, Graphite, Blue Dalmatian, and Flower Power | Indigo, Graphite, and Snow |
| Weight | 34.7 pounds Pound (mass) The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement... (15.7 kilograms) |
|||
| Dimensions | 15.0 x 15.0 x 17.1 inches / 381 x 381 x 435 mm | |||
In popular culture
The iMac G3 was prominent in early 2000s pop culture. It was featured on many different TV shows, including Daria
Daria
Daria is an American animated television series produced by Paramount Television, and created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn for MTV. The series focuses on Daria Morgendorffer, a smart, acerbic, and somewhat misanthropic teenage girl who observes the world around her...
, King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, commonly called Ned's Declassified for short, is an American live-action situation comedy on Nickelodeon that debuted in the channel's Sunday night TEENick scheduling block on September 12, 2004. The series' actual pilot episode aired on September 7, 2003...
, George Lopez
George Lopez (TV series)
"The George Lopez Show" redirects here. For the late-night program hosted by the same comedian, see Lopez Tonight.George Lopez is an American sitcom starring comedian George Lopez...
, My Family, Malcolm in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes...
, Queer as Folk, Lizzie McGuire
Lizzie McGuire
Lizzie McGuire is an American teen sitcom which premiered on the Disney Channel on January 12, 2001 and ended February 14, 2004. A total of 65 episodes were produced and aired. Its target demographic was preteens and adolescents...
, The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, My Wife and Kids
My Wife and Kids
My Wife and Kids is an American television family sitcom that ran on ABC from March 28, 2001 until May 17, 2005. Produced by Touchstone Television , it starred Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell-Martin, and centers on the character of Michael Kyle, a loving husband and modern-day patriarch who rules...
, American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
, and Arthur
Arthur (TV series)
Arthur is an American/Canadian animated educational television series for children, created by Cookie Jar Group and WGBH for the Public Broadcasting Service...
. iMacs were also featured in the films Zoolander
Zoolander
Zoolander is a 2001 American satirical comedy film directed by and starring Ben Stiller. The film contains elements from a pair of short films directed by Russell Bates and written by Drake Sather and Stiller for the VH1 Fashion Awards television specials in 1996 and 1997. The short films and the...
, Max Keeble's Big Move
Max Keeble's Big Move
Max Keeble's Big Move is a 2001 Disney live-action teen comedy film directed by Tim Hill, written by David L. Watts, James Greer, Jonathan Bernstein, and Mark Blackwell, and starring Alex D. Linz as the title character. The film is set in University Place, Washington. It was released in North...
, Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins
Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins
Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins is the prequel of Scooby-Doo that was first aired on September 13, 2009, the fortieth anniversary of Scooby-Doo...
, and Freaky Friday
Freaky Friday (2003 film)
Freaky Friday is a 2003 film based on the novel of the same name by Mary Rodgers. It stars Lindsay Lohan as Anna Coleman and Jamie Lee Curtis as her mother. In the film their bodies are switched due to an enchanted Chinese fortune cookie...
, the syndicated comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
FoxTrot, the flash series Homestar Runner
Homestar Runner
Homestar Runner is a Flash animated Internet cartoon. It mixes surreal humor with references to retro pop culture, notably video games, classic television, and popular music.The cartoons are nominally centered on the title character, Homestar Runner...
, and the site BrainPOP
BrainPOP
BrainPOP is a group of educational websites with hundreds of short animated movies for students in grades K-12 covering the subjects of science, social studies, English, mathematics, arts and music, and health and technology. BrainPOP is used in more than 25% of U.S. schools and also offers...
.
Legal action
Apple protected the iMac design with legal action against computer makers who made imitations, such as eMachines
EMachines
eMachines is a brand of entry level PCs, based in Irvine, California. eMachines employed about 135 employees and sold between 1 to 2 million computers each year before its purchase on January 30, 2004, by rival Gateway Computers...
’ eOne
EOne
The eOne was an all-in-one desktop computer produced by eMachines in 1999 that bore a clear resemblance to the design of Apple's iMac. It targeted buyers who liked the iMac style but wanted to use the Microsoft Windows operating system....
. Some manufacturers added translucent plastics to existing designs after the iMac, following the trend started in 1997 by Dyson. In 1999, Apple obtained the registered domain name
Domain name
A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....
appleimac.com from Abdul Traya, after legal intervention. The website now automatically redirects to Apple Inc.'s website
External links