An all-in-one computer manufactured by the company Apple Computers. In its own way, the legendary model, which was destined to play one of the key roles in the history of the company's revival, becoming the foundation for success Apple in the home computer sector.
In 1998, freshly returned to Apple Steve Jobs presented to the public something very unusual - a monoblock computer, made in a very extravagant design, relatively inexpensive, but containing many interesting innovations. The most unusual in the novelty was its color - a choice of several colors was offered, which clearly went beyond the then accepted framework in the computer world. The "pot-bellied" novelty was positioned as an ideal solution for surfing the Internet. It was based on the PowerPC G3 processor, equipped with a 15-inch CRT monitor. Speakers, modem, optical drive - everything was built in. The user had only to connect the keyboard, mouse and the computer was ready to work. By the way, the mouse that comes with it is remembered as the most uncomfortable in history. Apple. The round colored “washer”, although it stood out among other mice, was clearly not suitable for long work.
There is a theory that the concept iMac was developed by Gil Amelio and thoroughly modified by Jobs. Some Internet sites talk about this, the popular book "iСon" hints at this. Be that as it may, the concept turned out to be very successful.
The letter "i" in the name does not mean at all Internet, as many believe, but hints at the personality of the device - from the English word "individual". In the future, a whole scattering of devices will appear, the names of which include this solution - iPod, iPad, iPhone. Parallel to desktop iMac its portable version is being created - a laptop iBook.
The audience reacted to the novelty in different ways. Who counted iMac a toy, someone, on the contrary, was delighted. Everyone was somewhat surprised by the rejection of the usual ports for connecting peripherals, in favor of the latest USB.
By the time of the appearance iMac on sale, the company finalized it, correcting some imperfections and slightly improving the configuration. Designer Jonathan Ive (later he designed a lot of other things for Apple, becoming the company's vice president of design) proved his genius. Unusual computers went like hot cakes. It turned out that the original design is ideal for any room. iMac really liked by consumers. The revival has begun Apple.
In the next generation iMac, introduced in 2002, already used LCD monitors with a diagonal of 17 to 20 inches and PowerPC G4 processors. This device had an even more unusual design, popularly christened "Jobs light bulb". However, it's too unusual. In the third (2004) generation iMac he was refused.
After the company's transition to processors Intel, iMac retained its name (same iBook are now called macbook) and the concept. This is still a monoblock for home and office use, a non-professional computer with an attractive design and good performance. Screen diagonals have already reached 27 inches, the case has become aluminum (2007). Story iMac continues.
