February 22, 2001: The iMac Particular Version, sporting customized Flower Energy and Blue Dalmatian designs, places a wacky face on the pc that saved Apple’s bacon on the flip of the century.
A far cry from the super-serious, aluminum-heavy industrial design that can come to outline Apple in coming years, these colorfully patterned iMacs are among the most irreverent computer systems Cupertino ever dreamed up. (C’mon, when was an actual Dalmatian blue?)
Beneath the consciously cheesy exteriors, a reasonably darn nice iMac G3 hums alongside.
Flower Energy and Blue Dalmatian iMacs
The Flower Energy and Blue Dalmatian iMacs marked the end result of an ultra-colorful vary that began with the unique Bondi Blue iMac G3. The lineup additionally included Blueberry, Strawberry, Lime, Tangerine, Grape, Graphite, Indigo, Ruby, Sage and Snow choices.
At a time when typical PCs got here in ugly beige or grey chassis, the colourful iMac vary proved revolutionary. It tapped into the identical spirit of individualism that made “Suppose Totally different” work as a catchphrase. The concept was that anybody may select a Mac that finest represented their character.
Goofy advertising? Certain. An excellent transfer? Positively.
Flower Energy iMac: A nod to Apple’s previous
In some methods, the hippie-patterned iMacs served as a enjoyable nod to Apple’s previous. Additionally they match completely with popular culture on the time: The Nineties and early 2000s brimmed with nostalgia for the ’60s.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs at all times described himself, precisely or not, as closely impressed by ’60s counterculture. Nonetheless, it may be exhausting to think about him planting a Flower Energy Mac in his workplace.
Common Mac followers reacted about how you’d count on. Not everybody was a fan of the brand new computer systems, however that wasn’t the purpose. With an inexpensive $1,199 to $1,499 price ticket and first rate midlevel specs (500 or 600 MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 64MB or 128MB of RAM, 256KB Stage 2 cache, CD-RW drive and 15-inch monitor), these Macs positively appealed to the lots.
Not everybody needed a wacky patterned Mac, however some folks cherished them.
iMac G3: A game-changer
As I’ve written earlier than in “At the moment in Apple historical past,” the iMac G3 was a game-changer for Apple. In reality, you may make the argument that it’s the second-most-important product Apple ever made, after the breakthrough Apple II in 1977.
The primary actual collaboration between Jobs and Apple design guru Jony Ive, the G3 grew to become a large business hit at a time when Apple actually wanted one. Had the iMac G3 sunk like a stone, there may by no means have been an iPod, iPhone, iPad or any of the opposite breakthrough Apple merchandise that adopted over the following decade.
The Flower Energy and Blue Dalmatian iMacs finally didn’t dangle round lengthy. Apple discontinued them in July, making approach for the iMac G4 — a private favourite of mine — which shipped in 2002.
What was your favourite shade (or sample) iMac G3? Did you personal one again within the day? Depart your feedback under.
