iMac
iMac
Apple's primary desktop computer. The iMac is an "all-in-one" that houses the computer and drives within the flat panel monitor case. With up to 64GB of RAM and 3TB of storage, iMacs are available with 21.5" 2K or 4K screens and a 27" 5K screen. Since their debut in 1998, iMacs have become the primary Mac desktop computer. In 2017, Apple debuted the high-end Pro model (see iMac Pro).Apple also makes two computers with separate monitors: a mini desktop (see Mac mini) and workstation (see Mac Pro).
A Thousand Times More RAM
The first iMac came with 32MB RAM, a 4GB hard disk, CD-ROM drive and dial-up modem. Only the RAM was upgradable. Sixteen years later, the 2014 iMac with Retina 5K display was configurable with up to a thousand times more RAM and 700 times more storage than the first iMac. It was also the first desktop computer with a 5K monitor. See Macintosh, iBook, MacBook and eMac.
First iMac - What, No Floppy Disk? |
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In 1998, iMacs caused a stir as the first personal computer without a floppy. Debuting as a low-priced Internet machine ("i" in iMac), it was all contained in the CRT cabinet, harking back to the single-cabinet Mac of 1984. Also avant garde, USB replaced the serial and Apple ports (see Apple Desktop Bus). Available in 13 colors, more than five million CRT models were sold before Apple switched to LCDs in 2001. Like all Macs of the time, iMacs used PowerPC chips (see Mactel). See Macintosh. |
They Got Thinner |
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When LCD screens became affordable, the iMac shrunk considerably. Still running in 2014, this 2003 model had eight times the memory and 20 times the hard disk space of the first iMac. |
Then Razor Thin |
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In late 2012, ultra-thin (at the edge) iMacs were introduced, and just as the first iMacs eliminated the floppy, the 2012 models dropped the CD/DVD drive. |