It seems hard to believe that it was 20 years ago when Steve Jobs introduced the world to iMac. For me, that first iMac computer changed the history of what Apple was to become—one of the most significant, most innovative companies in ever.
The original iMac popularized technologies like USB in computers, and help end others like the floppy drive. I remember being so happy to see Apple go back to its all-in-one roots with the iMac, but they did so much more than copy an old idea.
Apple reinvented what it meant to have a computer. It wasn’t a beige box you hid under your desk; it was an atheistically pleasing piece of your home or workplace that people were eager to show off. That philosophy has been with iMac for the last 20 years.
Of course, technology has changed a lot since that first iMac, but the principles of design and functionality have remained, especially for that line of computers. Every iteration and significant design change brought its moments, but all were well received.
I remember when Jobs introduced the “Lamp” iMac in 2002. He showed a picture of the original iMac and said they wanted to make it thinner, but it wasn’t possible to just cut the back off the iMac and have it just be a screen. Of course, years later, that’s precisely what happened. That is the iMac we have today.
People have asked me over the years what is my favorite iMac. I have to say its the original because I believe it saved the company. That gave Apple the room to invent iPod, iPhone, MacBook and all of the other products. Without iMac, Apple would not be the company it is today.
Tim Cook tweeted this morning:
20 years ago today, Steve introduced the world to iMac. It set Apple on a new course and forever changed the way people look at computers. pic.twitter.com/GbKno7YBHl
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) May 6, 2018
– Saved the company
– Changed the way we think about personal technology with the iPhone being the clearest expression of that
– Created a platform for media consumption
– Was an “internet” first computer
– Put design and users front and center in computing products
– My kids grew up tech native because of the iMac and the products that followed
– Rekindled the Apple tribe
– Was pure marketing genius
I’ve never had an iMac, was a MacBook Pro sorta guy throughout the entire iMac evolution although I did a lot of ripping, mixing, and burning during that time. However, I have an iMac Pro now and it’s a fantastic computer. I’m hooked. Only took me 20 years!
Never really thought about how impactful the original iMac was. It was definitely a significant game changer in retrospect.
It gradually shifted focus away from the modular Macs over the years.
Modern iMacs are now our main machines, yet I’m still very curious what Apple is going to do with the new Mac Pro! Just how are they going to “best” the iMac Pro?
My favorite iMac was the first one because it was so beautiful, and it was just so exciting and different. It’s hard for people who weren’t there to get it. But the future was looking so grim. PCs were boring commodity machines, and Windows was such a pain. But it felt like Macs might not have a future either. The cold calculating part of the brain said, “Don’t get a Mac” to too many people. Then the iMac came out. And a different part of the brain woke up in people, saying “stop neglecting me”. It did so much to stop the exodus of users. (Though it took the iPod to really start pulling in new ones, I think). And seriously, the Bondi blue is my favorite to this day. I never got rid of that machine. It doesn’t work any more. But damn, it’s pretty.
Apple has always had all-in-1s though. I don’t think they ever really lost the focus. It’s just that before the iMac they were all pretty boring and beige.
20th anniversary edition at WWDC?
C’mon!
“Just how are they going to “best” the iMac Pro?”
Dual processor support. Support for whatever GPU meets your needs this year without having to buy a whole new computer when a new GPU comes out. Support for two high end GPUs. Support for swapping out the monitor separately from the main computer.
Setting aside religious arguments over whether a non-upgradable machine is acceptable for the pro market, those are the main things the cheese grater Mac Pros had which the Imac Pro does not have (most of them are also things which the trash can MP does not have). If Apple doesn’t hit those items with the upcoming newer MP, then they will not be satisfying the segment of the pro market which has been most disgruntled with the trash can mac pro.
Great assessment! Thanks!