Low End Mac Reader Specials
Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core 8GB kit $232 / 4GB kit $116 / 2GB kit $72. New Macbook 2GB DDR3-$65. HARD DRIVES available -- Free shipping / LIfetime warranty.
Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com
LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, MacBook Pros and more. Optical Drives for Apple iBooks, Powerbooks, MacBooks, MacBook Pros in Stock. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
OWC: Premium Memory for Mac without the Premium Price. DDR2 4GB from $47.99, DDR3 4GB for Unibody $79.99, Mac Pro 4GB $97.99. Expert Support, Free Installation Videos & Guides. www.MacSales.com
Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how
to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full
Tilt Poker Mac.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.
Digital Fossils
Perfect Timing: The iMac's Introduction in May 1998
- 2008.05.06 - Tip Jar
Popularity: ![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Bookmark in del.icio.us
Suggest to
Slashdot
In 1984, Apple Computer, a pioneer in the personal computer field, announced their biggest gamble to date. With small personal computers having reached landmark sales over the past few years, Apple debuted the Macintosh, a "computer for the rest of us".
Although the story is well known now, it's hard to overstate just how significant a break from the status quo that first Macintosh was.
Prior to that point, personal computers had been pretty much confined to business types, who needed them for work, and hobbyists. All commands had to be entered by typing arcane words of command next to a blinking cursor on a forbidding black background. If the program to do what you wanted didn't exist (which it probably didn't), you were stuck having to write one yourself in BASIC, the programming language of the day.

Macintosh knocked all that into a cocked hat. When you turned it on, it smiled at you. The ominous black screen with its blinking cursor was replaced by a simulated desktop, various tasks and programs were represented by icons, and to activate any one of them you simply guided a little arrow using a device called by the unthreatening term "mouse" to the icon of the program you wished to activate and clicked a button. It was so simple that anyone could use it - it truly was "a computer for the rest of us".
The only fly in the ointment was that "the rest of us" didn't need a computer. Beyond running a few business applications, playing games, and hobbyist-level tinkering, there just wasn't that much for a computer to do in the mid-80s, and the Macintosh wasn't the ideal tool in the marketplace for any of those tasks. IBM clones ran business software just fine, Commodores and Ataris had the game market sewed up, and the "sealed box" all-in-one nature of the Macintosh discouraged hobbyist tinkering. Given a choice between a computer priced like a good used car or a Rolodex for storing addresses and recipes, "the rest of us" stuck with pen and paper.
There's an old saying regarding technology that states that the railroad won't be invented until it's railroading time, and it clearly wasn't railroading time just yet.
Apple and its Macintosh spent the next decade wandering in the
wilderness. Aggressive marketing and its easy-to-use nature gave the
Mac market penetration in fields where the user-hostile command-line
interface of DOS machines made them unwelcome - desktop publishing,
graphic design, and education - but it wasn't enough to keep the
handwriting off the wall.
By the mid-90s, the future for an increasingly
rudderless Apple looked grim indeed. In the Summer of 1997, Wired
magazine's cover featured the iconic Apple logo surrounded by a crown
of thorns in a reference to the Sacred Heart over the single word:
"Pray."
In what was widely seen as a desperation play - a "Hail Mary" if you will - exiled Steve Jobs was brought back to provide direction to the fast-sinking Apple. Jobs quickly launched a palace coup and once again took control of his old brainchild. As events were about to prove, it was Railroading Time.
The Internet PC
The Internet had just taken off, and the buzzword of the day was the "Internet PC". Using the adaptability of the Wintel machine's open architecture and the faux-Macintosh friendliness of the latest version of Microsoft's Windows, makers like Compaq trotted out computers in the $1,000 price range designed to let grandpa and mom and Aunt Edna access the Internet. They were all obviously kludged together from parts-bin pieces: oppressive mare's nest tangles of cables and beige boxes and monitors and speakers and installation CDs and EULAs and legacy technology.
This was the moment Apple and Macintosh and Steve Jobs had been waiting for all those years: It was time for a "computer for the rest of us".
Ten years ago, on May 6,
1998, the announcement of the iMac hit the computing
world like a bombshell. As far from the cable-twined tangle of beige
boxes as you could imagine, its smooth-as-an-egg blue-and-white
all-in-one shape was compelling and futuristic. There was no tangle of
cables, and no muss or fuss to the setup: Plug the computer into the
wall, the keyboard into the computer, the mouse into the keyboard, and
the modem to your phone line, and off down the newfangled Information
Superhighway you zoomed.
The iMac almost overnight joined Volkswagen's New Beetle and the X-Files logo as one of the most iconic shapes of the end of the Millennium. People who had never before considered a computer, let alone a Macintosh, suddenly wanted one. More than one person remarked that it was the first computer they wanted to set up in their living room where it could be seen, not hidden away like a boring appliance.
At first there were howls of anguish and snorts of derision from all angles of the computing world. Howls of anguish from the longtime Macintosh faithful who complained that their investment in serial-port and ADB gizmos had been rendered useless by this new machine that abandoned a slew of such legacy technologies at a stroke. Snorts of derision from gamers and power users who mocked the new machine's lack of expandability and merely average spec sheet.
But they didn't matter; the iMac wasn't for them, it was for "the rest of us" - and the rest of us responded in numbers Apple hadn't seen in years.
Given
the timing of its introduction, by a company still teetering on the
brink from a Macintosh clone
licensing fiasco and a near-disastrous foray into the world of handheld PDAs, it is no
exaggeration to say that the introduction of the cheerfully colored
little egg-shaped computer was the day that saved Apple. Capitalizing
on its friendly plug-and-play nature, Apple introduced a new operating
system and then a
brilliant new substitute for the Walkman that would integrate
seamlessly with their happy little computer, providing a one-stop
solution for your music (and later, video) needs. Railroading time,
indeed.
Just over ten years after the famous "Sacred Heart" cover, Wired magazine again put the Apple logo front and center, this time in a stylish, DeathStar-looking black and surrounded by razor wire instead of a crown of thorns. Where before it had implored "Pray", now it praised "Evil/Genius".
If you needed additional proof that the iMac had saved Apple, you
need look no further.
If you find Tamara's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to her tip jar.
Recent Digital Fossils Columns
- Slot Loading iMacs: The SE/30 for a New Generation, 02.02. They're relatively small, pretty quiet, reliable, can run Tiger, and are very affordable nowadays.
- The Old Mac blues, 07.23. Intel Macs are tempting, but the Power Mac 7100 will be not one more iota obsolete tomorrow than it is today.
- Macs: Better by design, 07.11. From the beginning, Macs have stood apart from other computers with their attractive and intelligent design.
- Master of Orion on the Mac, 07.01. The DOS version of this vintage game broke with Pentium or Windows 95, but the Mac version still runs very nicely in the Classic Mac OS.
- More in the Digital Fossils index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Clamshell iBook G3/300 MHz, Sep. 1999 - innovative, rugged, heavy, clamshell laptop introduced AirPort and was a huge hit.
- Group of the Day: G-Books is for G3 PowerBooks and iBooks.
- July 3 in LEM history: 00: Best sounding games - 01: Bumper snickers - Overheated IBM leads to air cooled iMac - 03: Panther: Pull the plug on the beige G3 - 1.1 GHz PowerPC 750GX - 08: Mac Portable started a notebook revolution
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- iPhone 3GS Overheating, Battery Life App, 240 GB Upgrade for 5G iPod, Total Baby App, and More, iNews Review, 07.02. Also low cost international calls, U-verse remote DVR control, Sync Blocker USB-to-Dock cable, Rocket Taxi improved, and more.
- MacBooks Top Amazon Sales, EFI 1.7 Problems, Pros and Cons of Built-in Batteries, and More, The 'Book Review, 07.02. Also make a bootable SD Card, Leopard on a 9" Dell netbook, MacBook Pro and Air reviews, triple WiFi range, bargain 'Books from $179 to $2,300, and more.
- Apple Tops in Satisfaction Again, Slim Profits on Mac mini, Ultimate Photo Setup, and More, Mac News Review, 07.02. Also tips for cloning hard drives and moving files from old Macs, Clickfree Transformer turns USB drive into a backup drive, maximum Mac Pro RAM, and more.
- Refurb MacBook Pro Deal, Fastest Mac Browser, 256 MB Modules for WallStreet, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 07.01. Also more Safari 4 feedback, praise for Camino, MacBook cracks, looking for Craigslist software for Macs, and more.
- Amazon.com v. Interstate Sales Tax: Everyone Loses, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 07.01. Amazon.com is standing up to states that are trying to have it collect sales tax on interstate commerce, which most see as a violation of federal law.
- Introduction to Autofs in Mac OS X, Keith Winston, Linux to Mac, 07.01. "Autofs is often used in enterprise environments to set up network-based home directories and other network mounts for users at login."
- Optimized Software Builds Bring Out the Best in Your Mac, Dan Knight, Online Tech Journal, 06.30. Applications compiled for your Mac's CPU can load more quickly and run faster than ones compiled for universal use.
- Checking Out Safari 4 on an Old PowerBook, Charles W. Moore, 'Book Value, 06.30. Safari 4 is the fastest it's ever been, but it's not without some frustrating drawbacks.
- Intel's Promise Fulfilled: More Processing Power per Processor Cycle, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 06.30. Apple promised improved CPU efficiencies when it announced the move to Intel in 2005. Three years of MacBooks show the progress.
- Is Steve Jobs' Health Essential to Apple's Future?, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 06.30. Steve Jobs' health is an important thing, but Apple has demonstrated that it can be profitable without him.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best Mac Pro Deals, 07.02. Used 3 GHz 4-core, $2,000; 3.2 8-core, $2,900; refurb 2.8 8-core, $2,399; new 2.66 4-core, $2,290 a/r; 2.26 8-core, $3,070 a/r; 2.66, $4,499; more.
- Best Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' Deals, 07.02. Full version DVD, $140; 5 user family pack, $370; 10-user Server, $299.
- Best 17" PowerBook G4 Deals, 07.02. Used 17" 1 GHz PowerBook, $689; 1.67 GHz, $749; hi-res, $1,029.
- Best Xserve Deals, 07.02. Used 2 GHz single G5, $800; dual, $1,000; refurb 2.8 GHz 4-core Xeon, $2,100; new 2.26 4-core Nehalem, $2,888; 8-core, $3,449; 2.66, $4,799; 2.93, $5,999.
- Best iPod touch Deals, 07.01. Refurb 2G/8 GB, $179; 16 GB, $259; iG/32 GB, $279; new 2G/8 GB, $215; 1G 16 GB, $210; 2G, $275; 2G/32 GB, $369. Prices include shipping.
- Best 13" MacBook & MacBook Pro Deals, 07.01. Used 1.83 GHz, $595; 2.0, $629; new 2.0, $889; 2.13, $925 after rebate; refurb 2.0 Unibody, $949; 2.4, $1,099; new 2.26 MBP, $1,119 a/r; more.
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 07.01. Used 867 MHz Combo, $400; 1.33 GHz, $448; 1.5 GHz, $599; 1 GHz SuperDrive, $509; 1.33 GHz, $599; 1.5 GHz SD, $679.
- Best Apple TV Deals, 07.01. Refurb 40 GB Apple TV, $199; new, $220; refurb 160 GB, $279; new, $320. Prices include ground shipping.
- Best G4 iBook Deals, 06.29. Used 12" 800 MHz Combo, $290; 1 GHz CD, $299; Combo, $370; 1.33 GHz, $428; 14" 1 GHz Combo, $399; 1.2, $465; 1.42 GHz, $500.
- Best Power Mac G3 and PCI Video Card Deals, 06.29. Used beige 300 MHz, $25; G4/366, $39; blue & white 350, $80; 400, $90; 450, $105; PCI video cards from $15; shipping additional.
- Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals, 06.29. Mac OS X 10.0, $30; 10.1, $20; 10.2, $60; 10.3, $50; 10.3 Server, unlimited users, $130.
- Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, 06.29. Close-out 500 GB Time Capsule, $199; 1 TB, $350; AirPort Extreme Base Station, $130; refurb AirPort Express, $85.
- More deals in our archive.
About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts
Navigation
Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Video Cards
Email Lists
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System
6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
Mac FAQ
Abandonware
Petition
Mac vs. PC Info
Affiliates
The Apple
Store
Mac
Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
ExperCom
Crucial
Memory
batteries.com
Have a question?
Ask an expert!
Advertise
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
Mac FAQ
Abandonware
Petition
Mac vs. PC Info
Mac Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com
Ask an expert!
