< nr. 75 >

iMac

by Jonathan Ive
Label: Apple

Year: 1998

The arrival of the desktop computer by Apple, the iMac, caused a revolution in the world of home computering, due to both its appearance and its functionality. The head of the design department at Apple, Jonathan Ive (also responsible for the design of the iPod), introduced this colourful all-in-one computer.

The iMac G3 incorporates both the monitor and the computer in one piece of equipment. The semi-transparent shell of the iMac was initialy only available in 'Bondi blue', named after Bondi-beach in Australia. Later, this was expanded to 13 different coloured casings. The iMac came with matching keyboard and 'hockey puck' mouse, with only one button. Remarkably, the iMac did not have a 3,5 inch diskette drive or reset-button. These were, according to Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive completely superfluous.

The second generation iMac (G4), started to look much more like the iMac we now know. A flat LCD-screen on top of a hemisphere. Apple utilised the flexibility of the machine and part of the sales chat was that the iMac was as flexible as a desklamp. The iMac was nicknamed iLamp and was only available in white.

Ive based the following generations on the G4. Only the hemispherical base is replaced with an aluminium one.