The iMac G4 is the kind of evolutionary design compromise few company’s besides Apple would be willing to risk. After the failure of the G4 Cube, which suffered from a high price point, and internal components that did not perform well when mounted vertically, Apple needed to move in a new direction. Most computer companies knowing the technology required for an uncompromised product was still years away would have licked their wounds after the Cube and retreated back to a more conventional design. Not Apple, the iMac G4 is a perfect example of a design compromise that lives past its limitations and succeeds by making a memorable statement.

The iMac G4’s compromise comes from the fact that flat panel display needs to be mounted vertically, and internal components like hard drives and optical drives perform best when mounted horizontally. Combining the components into a single horizontal enclosure would make viewing the integrated display ergonomically impossible. Combining the components into a single vertical enclosure did not offer reliable performance at the time of the iMac G4’s release. Most computer companies continue to solve this problem by separating the two groups of components, and connecting them with unsightly cables. They cite upgradability as their motivating reason for keeping things modular. Apple instead solved the problem of an all-in-one personal computer by connecting the two halves with an innovative counter balanced neck that increases the iMac G4’s value by allowing its users to effortlessly adjust the display’s viewing angle.

My love for the iMac G4 started when I was a Mac Genius working at one of Apple’s retail stores. It is one thing to admire the iMac G4 from the outside, and another to observe the little internal design nuances that make the iMac G4 special.

• The 17lbs. of pressure Torx screws used to secure the iMac’s base, and connect both sections of the main logic board’s modular heat dispersion system.
• The split circular internal power supply that was designed to fit snugly inside the iMac’s spherical base, and around a Mac Genius’ neck during repairs.
• Five thin white plastic straws that concealed the cables coming down from the iMac’s neck. (One of which was actually hollow, used only to preserve the five spoke wheel design of the iMac’s cooling vent.)
• The white sticker that covered the iMac’s hard drive, preventing a user from looking down through the iMac’s cooling fan and seeing an unsightly manufacturing label.

I definitely like the 15 inch model best. It was the most proportional, and easiest to get the display apart. (It had the most screws and the least plastic snaps.) The 20 inch model is my least favorite model. Its disproportionately large display combined with its weighted base make it unwieldy to repair. Apple had to provide special Styrofoam cradles to lay the iMac G4 down in while Mac Genius worked on them. By the time the 20 inch model was released it was clear iMac G4 design had reached the end of its usefulness, and a new all-in-one design would soon take its place.