Macworld - Thursday, August 15, 2019 at 11:27 AM
8 ways the iMac changed computing
Editor’s note: 21 years ago today, Apple officially released the iMac. To
commemorate the anniversary, we are reposting this article that originally
appeared on the iMac’s tenth anniversary on August 15, 2008.
The iMac made an instant impression when Apple first unveiled it in May
1998<http://www.macworld.com/article/133334/1998/05/original_imac.html>. But it
didn’t start to really shake things up unitl it began to ship—which happened on
August 15, 1998. Arguably the most influential desktop computer of the last
decade, the original iMac’s specifications seem quaint by today’s standards.
For $1,299, you came home with a 233MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 32MB of RAM, a
4GB hard drive, a 15-inch built-in monitor, and stereo speakers—all in an
amazingly stylish case.
The Bondi Blue wonder heralded the return of Steve Jobs as a visionary leader
for Apple, and it halted Apple’s mid-1990s financial freefall. Initially
marketed as an easy-to-use gateway to the internet, the iMac transcended that
simple role and redefined the desktop PC market—not to mention consumer
industrial design—forever.
[ Further reading: Learn more about macOS Catalina
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But have you ever wondered how? Here are eight ways the original iMac shook the
world.
The iMac killed beige
Before the iMac, personal computer enclosures were stuck in a design rut. Most
manufacturers produced beige or gray metal boxes, each designed as a merely
functional piece of equipment instead of an aesthetically pleasing creative
tool. The iMac’s design shattered the status quo with its preference for gentle
curves over harsh corners, and for vibrant color over dull neutrality. Apple
even coined a new term, “Bondi Blue”—a blue-green hue named after Australia’s
Bondi Beach shoreline—to describe the color of its new machine. Combined with
an ice-white pinstripe pattern, the color scheme create a stunning enclosure
theretofore unseen in the PC world. It made quite an impact on the public, but
that was only the beginning.
The original iMac, in all its Bondi blue glory
It hit us in the “i”
iThis, iThat—iPod, iPhone, iChat, iLife, iSight. Where did all those lowercase
iPrefixes come from. You can thank the iMac for starting this ubiquitous Apple
branding trend.
The “i” in “iMac” originally stood for “internet” (or alternately: “individual,
instruct, inform, or inspire,” according to Steve Jobs’ introductory 1998 iMac
slide show<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BHPtoTctDY>). The “i” prefix even
trickled out to non-Apple product names—mostly in the form of iPod accessories.
After the internet became ho-hum everyday news, Apple’s iPrefix shifted meaning
to serve puns like “iSight,” or to ambiguously imply the empowering
first-person pronoun “I,” as in “iChat.”
Catching the internet wave
Apple’s first marketing angle with the iMac relied heavily on the expanding
popularity of the internet in the mid-1990s. With the “i” in “iMac” being short
for “internet,” Apple billed the iMac as an easy way to get connected to the
global network (in just two steps, according to one Apple
advertisement<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHzM4avGrKI>). By focusing on the
iMac’s internet aptitude, Apple chose a unique way to differentiate its product
from other computers and to leapfrog to the top of the consumer PC heap. It
worked.
Introduced USB to the masses
The iMac’s sole reliance on the USB interface meant that Mac users had to throw
out all their old mice, keyboards, scanners, printers, and external drives. The
computer’s lack of SCSI ports particularly scared Mac pundits, who long relied
on SCSI for external storage. But at the same time, the iMac provided the first
kick start USB needed to really get off the ground. Thanks to the iMac, many
peripheral manufacturers launched their first-ever round of USB computer
accessories—it was no coincidence that most of them shipped in transparent
blue-green housing.
Killed the floppy drive
Apple launched the Sony 3.5-inch disk drive with the Macintosh in 1984—and 14
years later, the company killed it with the iMac, which had no floppy drive
whatsoever. The press greeted the decision to omit removable storage with
considerable skepticism. But the absence of a floppy drive was a bold
statement—Apple was declaring that from now on you will use the internet and
local networks to transfer your files. And Apple was right, even if the company
was slightly ahead of the curve. These days, computers lack a floppy drive, and
users barely miss it.
Set standards for industrial design
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but when George Foreman Grills
are following your lead, it’s time to change things up.
The next time you see a consumer thingmabob with a translucent plastic
case—especially those available in multiple candy colors—you can thank (or
curse) iMac chief designer Jonathan Ive. After the release of iMac,
multi-colored translucent plastic housing became such a common staple in the
consumer products industry that the iMac’s 1999 to 2000 Technicolor parade of
models almost became a parody of itself. Apple had to move on, dropping the
bright array of colors from the product line with the release of the flat-panel
iMac in 2002. Even then, other companies came along for the ride: most consumer
electronics devices now ship in brushed aluminum, frosty white, or glossy
black—the colors used in other iMac iterations.
Redeemed Steve Jobs
During a power struggle in 1985, Apple executives forced Steve Jobs to resign
from the company he co-founded. After Apple purchased NeXT in 1997, Jobs
returned to Apple and soon became “Interim CEO.” The world looked to him to
turn Apple around, and he delivered: after dumping unprofitable product lines
and streamlining the business in general, Apple was back in the black. But no
amount of fiddling with the budget could compare symbolically with the success
of the iMac—clearly Jobs’ baby—which served as a concrete reminder of his
uncanny ability to inspire those under him to create incredible products. The
iMac’s success meant Jobs’ success, and it inspired the Apple faithful to
follow him once more.
It saved Apple, too
Why is this man smiling? Because the iMac helped revive his company.
In 1996 to 1997, the media pronounced Apple all but dead. The company lost $878
million in 1997, but under the renewed guidance of Steve Jobs, it earned $414
million in 1998, its first profit in three years. Those results stemmed from
both reducing operating costs and from iMac sales. And yet the iMac meant more
than just financial returns: the symbolic impact of Apple once again having an
exciting, innovative product marked a victory in the hearts and the minds of
the public, and it proved that Apple still had the chops to stay in business.
Thanks to continued innovation in the iMac line and beyond, Apple is now more
profitable than ever, and will likely continue to be so. But even with the
iPhones, iPods, and iTunes dominating today’s news, we shouldn’t forget that
Apple’s 21st century success can be traced directly back to iMac’s launch a
decades ago.
This article was originally published on August 15, 2008.
https://www.macworld.com/article/1135017/imacanniversary.html#tk.rss_all
David Goldfield
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.info<http://WWW.DavidGoldfield.info>
