Today in Apple history: Apple introduces its biggest iMac G4 yet

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Apple's 20-inch iMac G4 in all its glory.
Apple's 20-inch iMac G4 in all its glory.
Photo: Wikipedia CC

November 18: Today in Apple history: Apple introduces 20-inch iMac G4, the biggest iMac yet November 18, 2003: Apple debuts its 20-inch iMac G4, the company’s biggest flat-panel all-in-one computer ever.

The introduction makes an already superb Mac even better. Somehow, though, the additional screen real estate makes the new Mac weigh twice as much as the 17-inch model.

20-inch iMac G4: Bigger, better

The iMac G4 first shipped in early 2002, making the 20-incher a relatively late addition to the product line. (Apple discontinued the G4 lineup the following August.) Because of this, the main difference between the 20-inch model and its predecessors was the screen size rather than fundamental hardware changes.

That massive LCD screen proved a joy to behold. It offered an impressive 1680-by-1050-pixel resolution. The 20-inch flat-panel once again confirmed Apple as the company for video editors and graphics professionals.

The iMac G4 also boasted two FireWire 400 ports and three high-speed USB 2.0 ports. It supported 54Mbps AirPort Extreme 802.11g wireless networking and optional built-in Bluetooth for wireless connectivity. It retailed for $2,199.

The changing face of iMacs

No other Apple product has changed as much, and certainly not as quickly, as the iMac. The first-generation iPhone looks bulkier and smaller than this year’s models, but it’s still obviously part of the same family.

Look at the bulbous, colorful iMac G3, on the other hand, and compare it with today’s ultra-thin, aluminum-and-glass M3 iMac. You would be hard-pressed to see any similarity beyond the big Apple logo.

At the risk of getting pretentious about it, the iMac G4 was a transition piece. It moved Apple away from the eye-catching, cutesy design that characterized the iMac G3 and the iBook and toward Apple’s now-longstanding love of austere minimalism.

iMac G4 design: Apple’s hippie roots

Apple's three sizes of iMac G4
Apple’s three sizes of iMac G4.
Photo: Apple

The iMac G4 design also nodded to Apple’s nature-inspired hippie roots. Like the geodesic dome of Buckminster Fuller, the “back to nature” Whole Earth Catalog that Steve Jobs spoke about in his famous Stanford commencement address, or even the organic-sounding “Apple” name itself, the G4 borrowed from the natural world with its sunflower-inspired design.

In his Steve Jobs biography, Walter Isaacson tells the story of how Jobs and Apple design chief Jony Ive struggled to come up with a new design for their next-gen iMac. The pair wound up in Jobs’ garden, where they came up with the idea of a computer with a movable head that users could angle like a sunflower reaching for the sun.

They achieved the design using a cantilevered, fully posable metal arm that supported the screen. Contrary to some fears at the time, the arm did it without risking the whole thing falling over.

iMac G4: A personal favorite

Ultimately, the iMac G4 was a spectacular piece of kit. I remember being blown away by the unusual-looking computer when I saw it for the first time. Once again, Apple chose the perfect time to jump on a new technology, just as it became market-ready.

The 20-inch iMac G4 was particularly special, even if the aforementioned weight gain came with some disadvantages. As last-gasp upgrades go, this was a great machine.

Did you own an iMac G4? What is your favorite iMac model in history? Leave your comments below.

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