November 18, 2003: Apple debuts a new iMac G4 sporting a 20-inch screen, 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.
iMac G4 with 20-inch screen: Bigger, better
The iMac G4 first shipped in early 2002, making the model with the 20-inch screen 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.
Aside from the 20-inch screen, the updated 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.
On the other hand, compare the bulbous, colorful original iMac with today’s ultra-thin, aluminum-and-glass M4 iMac. You would be hard-pressed to see any similarity beyond the big Apple logo.
At the risk of sounding pretentious, the iMac G4 served as a transition piece. It moved Apple away from the eye-catching, cutesy look that characterized the colorful iMac G3 (and the similarly designed iBook laptop) toward Apple’s now-longstanding love of austere minimalism.
iMac G4 with 20-inch screen was a nod to Apple’s hippie roots
Photo: Apple
The iMac G4 design also nodded to Apple’s nature-inspired hippie roots. Like Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome, the “back to nature” Whole Earth Catalog that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs spoke about in his famous Stanford University commencement address, or even the organic-sounding “Apple” name itself, the iMac 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 look 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 first saw it. Once again, Apple chose the perfect time to jump on a new technology — in this case, flat-panel displays — just as it became market-ready.
The iMac G4 with a 20-inch screen proved 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.
