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iMac Turns 10

Posted by timothy on from the nifty-design dept.

UnknowingFool writes "Ten years ago, Apple announced the original iMac. In some ways it was Apple returning to its roots with an all-in-one design, but in other ways it was a departure from the normal. Certainly it didn't look like any other computer. Apple dropped SCSI, their proprietary connectors, and the floppy drive. Instead Apple used USB for all peripherals including the ergonomically uncomfortable hockey puck mouse. At the time, both the lack of a floppy and the inclusion of USB were much criticized. In hindsight, these moves are now considered forward thinking."

3 of 179 comments (clear)

  1. iFirst? by drummerboybac · · Score: 4, Informative

    iFirst?

  2. Re:It just worked by Phroggy · · Score: 4, Informative

    True, it used USB (like the PowerMac G3 before it), The Blue&White PowerMac G3 was released after the iMac, not before. The beige G3 did not have USB.

    People weren't criticizing USB on the iMac as a replacement for ADB; they were criticizing it as a replacement for serial and parallel. When the iMac was announced, there were no USB printers on the market. None. That would mean that if you bought an iMac, you couldn't print from it. And the only USB scanner most people had ever seen was this one.

    Of course, the release of the iMac created a huge market for USB peripherals; Epson was the first to step up to the plate and release a USB printer. It was translucent blue.
    --
    $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
    $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
  3. Re:So can we now be told... by mdarksbane · · Score: 3, Informative

    There was, I believe a SCSI adapter for it and a Voodoo2 video card. The voodoo2 was the best upgrade you could get for one of those at the time.

    I'm still not sure what it was supposed to be for, either.