The evolution of the iMac has had a profound impact on the desktop computer market both in terms of performance and design standards. While the desktop computer market has faced challenges from mobile devices, the iMac continues to hold value in the shrinking personal computer space. Over its lifespan, the iMac has undergone several design changes while driving Apple's growth and diversification, and its success may have contributed to the decline of the desktop computer industry.

1. The evolution of the iMac has had a profound impact on the desk top computer market, both as a
performance standard, and an design standard. However even though the marketplace for such
computers has been challenged by the development of new mobile computing devises, the iMac still
holds value in the ever shrinking market of personal computers.
- Hardware progression through the evolution compared to other computers
- Design Form alterations
- Relation of different imac versions with effects on Apple stock
- Number of People buying iMacs compared to the rest of the computer industry (total number of
computers sold)
-
Thesis:
Supporting
Points:
- Hardware progression through the evolution compared to other computers
+ Charts, and graphs/data form (charts to provide basis, graphs/ data forms to compare )
- Design Form alterations
+ Info-grams, pictures
- Relation of different imac versions with effects on Apple stock
+ graphs/diagramming
- Number of People buying iMacs compared to the rest of the computer industry (total number of
computers sold)
+ Info grams
Methodology
The evolution of the iMac has had a profound impact on the computer market, especially on the growth
of Apple as a company that allowed them to diversify their product line.The growth in Apple spurred on
by the evolution of the iMac may also have been the beginning of the decline for the desktop computer
industry.
Conclusion
This project isn’t anywhere near completed. The goal of this post was to give a general outline of the
way the project is going to go. Each of the eight design changes the iMac has gone through in its exis-
tence will have a page that is dedicated to the history, design and technical workings of the computer.
(example of a page is the third spread of the iMac G3).The pages will provide a base of factual elements
that later will be provide the basis for the graphical representation that will visually explain the project.
Graphical elements such as info-grams, data form, data graphs, diagrams, and spark-lines. The goal for
the graphical elements is more of a comparison between the different variations of the iMac and the
before and after of its release on technological market place (apple stock etc.)

3. iMacThe evolution of the iMac has had a profound impact on the desk
top computer market, both as a performance standard, and an design
standard. However even though the marketplace for such computers
has been challenged by the development of new mobile computing
devises, the iMac still holds value in the ever shrinking market of
personal computers.

4. Design Evolution of the iMac
The iMac was first introduced on May 6, 1998. The radical egg shaped all in one computer was the first legacy-free
personal computer ( a computer that doesn’t have a floppy disk reader ), and the first iMac to have a USB connec-
tion devises, something that every Mac product has had since the first iMac. Over the 15 year life span of the iMac
there has been 6 unique forms. The iMac G3, the first produced iMac, was an all in one desktop computer that had
a translucent egg shape covering the internal workings of the computer. In 2002 the first main redesign of the iMac
was released. The design had a hemispherical bottom housing the computer’s workings with a freely floating LCD

5. screen connected by a movable arm. The fourth and fifth major revisions came with the G5 iMac, and Intel iMac.
The computer components were located directly behind the screen of the computer, making it a true all in one
computer with a slim profile. Further development of this configuration made up the fifth major revision, where the
computer’s materials changed to anodized aluminum and glass scree. Today the sixth major revision of the Apple
iMac pushes the configuration to new limits. The design takes the basic slim configuration of the previous versions
and reduces the profile even more, to only 5.5mm at the edges of the computer.

6. Model iMac iMac (Revision B) iMac (266 MHz) iMac (333 MHz)
Price base price for the original iMac G3 was $1,299.00
Color Bondi Blue Blueberry, Grape, Strawberry, Tangerine, and Lime
Processor 233 MHz Power PC G3 (750) 266 MHz Power PC G3 (750) 333 MHz Power PC G3 (750)
Hard Drive 4 GB 6GB
ATA-3 5400 rpm (Up to 128 GB supported) (Up to 128 GB supported)
Memory 32MB 32 MB
2 PC100 slots (Expandable to 128MB) (Expandable to 256MB) - Note Memory cards plug right into the‘Daughter Card”onto the Mother Board
Display 15-inch (13.8-inches viewable) shadow-mask CRT screen with 1024x768 pixel resolution
Graphics ATI llc graphics processor ATI Rage pro Graphics processor with 6MB of SGRAM memory
with 2 MB of SGRAM mem.
Optical Drive 24x tray-loading CD-ROM drive
Dimensions 15.8 x 15.2 x 17.6 inches
Weight 38.1 pounds
Units Sold 6.4 million
Apple Stock Price when introduced (May 6th 1998): $7.00 (Vol 42.88m)
Apple Stock Price when production stopped (October 5th 1999) : $18.641 (Vol 161.99m)

7. 1998
iMac G3
The iMac G3 was the first computer in the per-
sonal computer in the iMac line up. The G3 was
the first apple product that had USB connec-
tions as standard, and the first computer ever
to be Legacy-Free (had no floppy disk drive).
The radical translucent “egg” shape design was
the culmination of work from Jonathan Ive.
The new computer was the answer to the tum-
bling sales of Apple Computers in the 1990s’.
Before the release of the iMac the company’s
large and confusing computer line -up had
slowed the companies ability to gain custom-
ers. When Steve Jobs became Apple’s CEO in
1997 the line up failed to produce a Performa
(Apple Computers Personal Computer line up).
Within a year the company had released the
iMac and begun a new product line up. Soon
the iMac would become the primary force for
growth in the company, and laid a fundamental
foundation for other products to follow. The “i”
in iMac had become a branding name. Original-
ly meaning“Internet”the letter became known
for personal and revolutionary device (“i” for
individuality and innovation). Soon the letter
would become a branding mark for other prod-
ucts in the Apple lineup.

8. iMacThe evolution of the iMac has had a profound impact on the computer
market, especially on the growth of Apple as a company that allowed
them to diversify their product line. The growth in Apple spurred on
by the evolution of the iMac may also have been the beginning of the
decline for the desktop computer industry.