In 2023, Apple is sitting on top of the world. Considered at times the most valuable company in the world, its influence in technology and media—and even in some areas beyond it—surpasses almost any other single corporation. But that wasn’t always the case, and much of the company’s current position can be attributed to a product released 25 years ago: the original iMac.
I distinctly remember the first time I saw a picture of this machine: sitting in my school library, just a few days before graduation, I was leafing through my copy of this very publication (in classic deadwood format), devouring the cover story about this strange new computer that , which no one knew about at the time, set Apple’s course for years to come.
As an avid Apple fan during the darkest period of the 1990s, it was hard for me to deny that the iMac caused a stir. It was something new, something different from everything else on the market, something that perfectly illustrated the company’s then-newly adopted slogan, which, although only used for a few years, became its most iconic motto: Think Different.
Adding some color
On the face of it, the original iMac was a refutation of the personal computer market as it was in the late 1990s: uncompromisingly colorful in a sea of beige, discarding outdated connectors, and with an undeniably playful spirit. iMac made a statement that computers don’t have to be boring.
Foundry
In this, it was much like the announcement of the original Macintosh in 1984, up until its unveiling on May 6, 1998 by recently returned Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
Despite the iMac being ridiculed for being a low-powered toy, the iMac’s impact on the industry has been undeniable. When I entered college that fall, I didn’t have to look far to find a freshman with one of any number of new PCs that included little colorful plastic accent pieces – almost always blue.
Similarly, the iMac ushered in the era of USB, a new protocol that was just taking hold at the time. Apple’s aging serial ports and Apple Desktop Bus ports have been replaced by this odd new rectangular connector that will become as ubiquitous as a standard power outlet over the next two decades. And while the iMac may not have been as successful on its own, there’s no doubt that it sped up the process, transforming the PC industry in the process.
What’s happening
While the evolution of the computer market over the past decade has shifted decisively in favor of laptops, the iMac has remained Apple’s standard bearer in many ways. It is the only Mac model name that has remained unchanged since the company’s rebirth under Jobs, and while it itself has changed in the meantime, the core identity of the product as a powerful yet easy-to-use all-in-one desktop has remained unchanged.
Outwardly, of course, there were plenty of changes. The iMac has gone from a colorful jelly bean desktop to a hovering flat screen, going from plastic to polycarbonate and aluminum, and while it’s been a long journey through the land of monochromatic white and silver (except for a brief flirtation with black in one… from the iMac Pro) – The current iMac M1 has finally returned the device to its roots – a quirky, flamboyant machine. (And I actually smile when I see that the default color pictured on the product specs page is, yes, blue.)
Similarly, while those original USB ports gave way to a plethora of different options in the mid to late 2000s (FireWire of various kinds, video out, audio in), more recently connectivity has also been reduced to the bare necessities, with only the latest USB variant on basic models. The product has, in a sense, come full circle, the purest expression of the iMac identity since that original version. Heck, the M1 iMac even starts at $1,299 — exactly the same price as its predecessor a quarter of a century ago.
With the M1 iMac, Apple has brought back color choices.
Apple
iMac will last forever?
But in a world where most people prefer laptops to desktops and many others rely on mobile devices like tablets or smartphones, where is the future of the venerable iMac?
For example, I’m not ready to consider it yet; the fact that iMac survived not only a major operating system change, but also two Changes in the architecture of the processor clearly indicate that it will survive in the long run.
Will a future tech product like a headset knock the iMac off its pedestal? Maybe. Nothing, after all, lasts forever. But Apple has consistently offered desktop Macs since the product line debuted nearly forty years ago, and while they may be less common than they once were, they’re hardly antiques. As long as this continues, I foresee the iMac staying around, quietly enjoying the fruits of the world it has restored.