iMac Turns 10

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."

Comments

I can remember

[jayhawk88]

Working at CompUSSR right about the time the iMac's were starting to become available. Maybe it was the second model that came in your choice of "flavors"? Don't recall exactly. What I do remember is that in the Wichita, KS store you could get pretty much any color you wanted, except the purple ones. The purple they used was almost an exact match for K-State purple, and people were buying them as soon as they hit the sales floor. That's when I knew computers had changed.

Re:I can remember

[Phroggy]

I spent a couple days as an Apple representative in Circuit City, making sure their sales guys knew what iMacs could do. In addition to Apple's demo software, I brought in a copy of Unreal Tournament and an Ethernet crossover cable. Of course you can't really play UT without a two-button mouse, and iMacs at that time were shipping with hockey pucks, so I asked the sales guys if there was a PC with an extra USB mouse we could borrow.

They had no idea that an HP USB mouse could be plugged into a Mac.

They had also never heard of Unreal Tournament before, although a very attractive girl from the appliances department wandered over and mentioned that she had seen her boyfriend playing it at home. I was shocked that none of the computer salesmen were aware of such a popular game. It was definitely an eye-opening experience.

This is why Apple now has their own retail stores.

So can we now be told...

[wandazulu]

...what the purpose of that "mezzanine" bus was for? As I recall the original iMac had this expansion bus that was called the "mezzanine" that apparently disappeared in subsequent models, never to be seen again.

I also seem to recall somebody actually released a product or something that used it, though I can't remember anything about it.

Re:Hmm...

[MojoStan]

I would say that iPod/iTunes actually saved Apple

No, Apple was already back on its feet financially by the time the iPod shipped.

But Apple got "back on its feet financially" largely because of cost cuts and downsizing (started by Amelio), not from increased revenues. If I remember correctly, the revenues didn't really start "rolling in" until the iPod became a cultural phenomenom.

I remember Steve Jobs's first use (I'm pretty sure) of his "One Last Thing" catchphrase at Macworld 1998 to announce Apple's first quartly profit in ages. However, revenues were down half a billion dollars from the same quarter the previous year ($1.6 billion down from $2.1 billion).

Three years later, quarterly revenues would be down to about $1 billion and Apple would be losing money again. Apple had a net loss for the year 2001 and a net operating loss in 2003. Revenues/profits bounced back, then took off in 2004 and 2005. Note that iTunes Music Store and iTunes for Windows were launched/released during 2003. In January 2007, even with increased Mac sales, 48% of revenues were from iPod sales.

A nice page with Apple's income data over the last ten years: AAPL - Apple, Inc. Stock Report | Financial Statements

I'm not sure if the iPod "saved" Apple, but I don't for sure if Apple could have continued with Mac sales being their primary revenue source (without the iPod halo effect and a smaller share of the market).