Apple is now at the top of the world in 2023. Its influence in technology, design, media, and even some areas beyond surpasses that of nearly any other single organisation, and it has occasionally been regarded as the most valuable company in existence. But things weren’t always like that, and the first iMac, which was debuted 25 years ago, had a significant role in the company’s current position.
Well this makes us feel old at Fusion Creative. Having used the iMac since it’s inception in 1998, we have adopted every model ever since. Seen as the #1 tool for graphic design this remarkable machine changed how we looked and worked with computers for ever.
I can still clearly recall the moment I first saw what I thought was a piece of art, way before social media would present this to you, the iMac was picked up by every news platform around the world. It was a far cry from the dull, beige Macintosh computers that came before it and completely revolutionised the way we looked at computers.
The dawn of computer design at it’s best
This was the very dawn of what later became a tech obsession with Apple. Always looking for the next ground breaking product, update or snippet of teaser news that they would drip feed us, month by month. It was difficult to dispute that the iMac generated excitement in the graphic design industry and amongst graphic designers alike.
Here was something fresh, something different from everything else on the market, something that perfectly embodied the business’s recently adopted tagline, ‘Think Different’, which, despite only being in use for a short time, became its most famous catchphrase.
A dismissal of the personal computer industry as it appeared on the surface in the late 1990s, the original iMac was boldly colourful amid a sea of beige, avoided legacy connectors, and had an indisputably fun character. The iMac proved that computers didn’t need to be dull.
Despite being mocked for being a weak toy, the iMac’s impact on the sector was apparent.
Of course, there were a lot of changes over the years. Although there was a long journey through the land of monochromatic white and silver (except for a brief dalliance with black in the one-off iMac Pro), the current M1 iMac has finally brought the device back to its roots as a whimsical, colourful machine. The iMac design went from a colourful gumdrop-shaped desktop to a hovering flat screen, moving from plastic to polycarbonate to aluminium. (And it does make me smile that the product’s tech spec page shows blue as the standard colour.)
Similar to how the original USB ports gave way to a variety of options in the mid- to late 2000s (FireWire of various flavours, video out, and audio in), connectivity has more recently been reduced to the bare minimum, with only the most recent USB flavour available on entry-level devices. In some ways, the product has completed the circle and represents the most authentic expression of the iMac brand since the first model. The M1 iMac even has a starting price of £1299, which is exactly the same as that of its predecessor from 25 years ago.
What’s the next revolution in computers?
Nothing lasts forever, but despite the fact that Apple has constantly sold desktop Macs since the product line’s launch some forty years ago, they are still far from being obsolete. As long as that continues, I believe the iMac will endure, quietly reaping the rewards of the world it established.
Here at Fusion Creative, we will still be eagerly awaiting the next incarnation of iMac, whatever that may be so we can continue producing eye catching, beautiful designs for our clients in Redditch and Birmingham for years to come.
