The design process - CRT to LCD
"When flat-screen displays became commercially viable, he decided it was time to replace the iMac, the translucent consumer desktop computer that looked as if it were from a Jetsons cartoon. Ive came up with a model that was somewhat conventional, with the guts of the computer attached to the back of the flat screen. Jobs didn’t like it. As he often did, both at Pixar and at Apple, he slammed on the brakes to rethink things. There was something about the design that lacked purity, he felt. “Why have this flat display if you’re going to glom all this stuff on its back?” he asked Ive. “We should let each element be true to itself.” From the Steve Jobs biography
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The DesignThe iMac G4 was very well designed, inside and out. Of course, the main design feature was the awesome chrome neck, meaning that you can move the iMac's screen in almost any direction you want... The neck also doesn't wear out over time... my 2002 iMac G4 still works perfectly!
Another cool feature was the acrylic transparent frame around the screen, taking cues from the then current Acrylic Apple displays. The white plastic has a soft feel and is finished in a matte effect. The optical drive was a departure from prior Apple designs - the iMac G3 had slot load drives since 1999, so the tray load drive on the iMac G4 was unusual. Some put it down to cost - the iMac G4 was already much more expensive than the G3 (with the LCD and expensive neck) so they had to change the drive. Instead of ignoring it, Apple made it seem as if that was a good choice for the machine, giving it character in the iMac G4 adverts. |
"The new iMac’s display literally glides through the air — allowing you to effortlessly adjust its height or angle with a touch of your finger." |