6th May 1998
Apple announces the iMac

The iMac is a range of all-in-one Macintosh desktop computers designed and built by Apple. The first iMac model was the iMac G3, announced on 6th May 1998 and released on 15th August 1998.

Aimed at the low-end consumer market and designed with the internet in mind, the iMac was positioned by Apple as the most original new computer since the original Mac in 1984, and came in a stylish new case design, with translucent "Bondi Blue" plastics.

The iMac has evolved through several distinct forms:

• The iMac G3 was egg-shaped with a CRT monitor enclosed by colored, translucent plastic.
• The iMac G4 had a hemispherical base containing all the main components and an LCD monitor on a moving arm.
• The iMac G5 integrated all the components behind the display, which tilted on a metal base.
• Later iMac models follow the same form of integrating all components in the display, but use a variety of different sizes and materials, such as anodized aluminum.

The iMac received a favourable reception from both critics and consumers, and has been credited with reviving Apple's fortunes, which had been struggling in the early 1990s.

Related information:

• Centre for Computing History: Steve Jobs
• AppleInsider: On May 6, 1998 the iMac changed Apple — and the entire world

Image:

• Apple iMac G3, Bondi Blue.
  Credit: The Centre for Computing History, item CH496.