Unboxing the most interesting iMac ever made
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- In 2002 Apple released the G4 iMac, the 'sunflower'. This iconic design was incredibly short-lived, yet it was one of Apple's most innovative and iconic designs. Today we'll explore a pristine example of a 17 inch G4 iMac and see why Apple didn't keep this design going for longer.
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Should Apple bring back this iconic design?
I don't think so. it was built to go in place of a CRT on a desk, making its design not suitable for today. it also wouldn't work with larger displays (the biggest it shipped with is the smallest iMac display today). I think it's great to look back at, but it wouldn't work today. Edit: I finished watching the video and you basically made the points that I wrote here.
Heck yes! The flexible screen-adjustments is something I would LOVE to see in a new iMac. Add to that, the round foot is absolutely gorgeous.
Apple can simply slap this design on Mac mini and make it the best all in one in the world or they can make it replace the Mac Pro
Idea: take apart a broken iMac G4 and put a M1 Mac mini inside :) Great video!
They just have to combine the XDR display stand with a 27 inch M1 Pro iMac and we are back in business. The iMac could even rotate both vertically and horizontally .
I still have a15 and a17 inch sunflower iMac at my office. To me clearly the most beautiful and ergonomic Mac ever. The 20 inch model was just awesome
You're absolutely, 100%, right. Hasn't been topped.
hello there 👋
wow
Hello I’m a big fan
Yep
Mac address can comment?
Apple should reintroduce this as an “iMac SE” with a 20” monitor and M1 chip.
Add a white key wireless keyboard and white Magic Mouse, done.
I think it would fly off the shelves. I KNOW I’d get one.
iT WOULD BE MY DREAM
YES
OMFG YES
brilliant idea!
I have a fully functioning 20” G4 that is screaming for a MacMini M1 to be placed inside the dome. The only thing holding me back is the horrific wiring conversion for the display connector… and I’d sort of feel bad for getting the original G4 out of it. As it is it’s a lovely ornament, but I’d love to bring it into daily use.
This was my first Mac. I graduated college in 2009 and that was my present. It worked perfectly for what I needed, upgraded it the best I could and was fun to make the display dance. I gave it to my daughter to use as her first computer and she called it “The Dancing Computer” lol. She loved it like I did. I’d love if they brought this design back!
This form factor would work excellently with the M1 series of chips as well since this is not much larger than a Mac Mini for the base. Add on the 24" display from the M1 iMac and TaDa!
I've thought about doing this to mine.
The base would need to be bigger to balance out the display so it doesn't fall over and the arm needs to handle the weight
Unfortunately, in those recent dark years where macs lost their edge (2013 to 2020), and microsoft looked like the new apple in design and innovation. Microsoft took on this idea and made surface studio, which i feel is like the spiritual sucessor to the imac g4, maybe someone can make a hackintosh from that. And this way be the first mac desktop with a touch screen, which is something that to this day apple still doesn't offer.
The day apple introduced the first iphone with that multitouch screen, i imagined the day apple put that technology on the imac. If steve jobs whould have lived a little longer, maybe the surface concept have happened in the macintosh world first
Someone did a hackintosh from it
@@sergiocecilio5938 steve jobs famously said that macs shouldnt have touchscreens many times
What made Apple special in the early and mid-2000s was the whimsy in their software and the uniqueness in their hardware. Being different and special is what it took to draw you away from the ubiquitousness and affordability of the commonplace Windows PC. I feel that Apple has lost a lot of that, certainly in their software. The eye-candy of the iLife Suite and the color of OS X 10.6 is what drew me in and I just don't get that as much anymore. It is getting better, a bit, slowly, but overall Apple has become the thing they raillied against for so long, a huge mega-corp churning out cookie-cutter computers. The sunflower iMac is a perfect example of how to stand out in the industry and make people want a product beyond simply what it can do. Supercars are impractical but people dream of them because the represent some special and Apple used to feel that way as well, as shown by their success in the past twenty years anyway. I hope the whimsy and fun come back as the current products are excellent but feel like they work in a cubicle with a tie rather than in a t-shirt and jeans.
You really hit the nail with this comment.
This is one of my absolute favorite Apple products. My parents’ design studio had a bunch of the 20” ones, and they did NOT like to stand up. The 17” was probably the more reasonable choice.
I love this design. We still have a working one at work. It just sits there as decoration. It's beautiful
So do I
I never had one of these but I definitely remember what I felt when I saw it in a store as a kid. I think it might honestly be the reason I’m a Mac user today. It was just so much more exciting than any of the other computers. Everyone was making essentially the same thing and then there was this beauty. I loved the creativity. Really a shame they didn’t at least try to make another one like it.
One of the most beautiful consumer products ever made. Even after all this time one can't but help be wowed.
That iMac and the G4 Cube are the best looking computers Apple has come out with. They both still look great all these years later. In fact, I would love to see the Mac mini go back into the G4 Cube chassis.
Totally agree. Pretty sure they could figure out how to get the M1 inside the G4 and take care of the thermals too
In my opinion this is definitely one of the most unique and aesthetically appealing computers ever built. Still my favourite imac design. I wish it would make its way back in some form
Ahead of its time for sure. I remember these coming out and was just so fasinated with the style and looks!
the best design EVER
Hey Luke, it would be awesome if you did an M1 internal conversion like you did with the aluminum one you had before. I’m currently trying to convert my 17” g4 iMac to M1 Mac mini internals, while keeping the disc drive and exterior appearance intact. I’ve even seen someone upgrade the display panel as well, but that may be further down the line for me.
i was about to say this
this is on my to-do list for sure . i have one 17" with botched LCD so i may have to that macbook LCD conversion. i doubt the arm could hold more than a 17" display.
That tilting swiveling mechanism is a glorious piece of engineering and probably cost a fortune to manufacture. It's what got me into Macs, and it's probably what killed it.
Thanks for sharing dude! I love walking down memory lane with some of these iconic Mac designs! I'm glad I'm able to see the great systems Apple made during the early 2000s when I was too poor to afford them. Keep up the good work! And keep 'em coming!
Great video. I remember these machines very well. Love Luke's channel - just as likely to get a detailed review of the latest hardware as a look back at a long forgotten old school Apple product. And always presented in a fun, knowledgeable and enthusiastic way.
The reason, I suspect, that Apple discontinued this design, was that the articulated arm mechanism that allowed the screen to float tended to fail so that it would no longer allow the screen to stay where it was put. One would adjust the screen where one wanted it and it would immediately start to sag. Apparently, the only way to fix it was to replace the arm mechanism, and they all eventually failed in this manner.
Yes, the arm had a habit of failing. Plus it was an expensive component to manufacture (and replace). Too bad, since this is my favorite computer design of all time, with the best ergonomics too. I still have two of these in my collection, a 15" and a 20".
Yes that's a really good point. For iMac G4 owners that would be a major bummer having the mechanism fail. But it would be an even bigger problem for Apple.
@umkc73 Arm failure was a relatively common problem with these iMacs. That doesn't by any means suggest that most people had it, but nonetheless it was a real issue, and I've seen examples of this myself. However, for the record, both my G4 iMacs' arms are fine too.
I think mostly for the 20” model
I’ve not heard of this. The opposite actually
Props to this guy for blowing stupid amounts of money on old Macs just to keep us entertained.
This is my all time favorite design !! I really wish Apple would find a way to bring back that articulation for the monitor. Thanks for this video Luke 👍🏼
i miss the 2000s and early 2010s
Yes, me too. I am always telling others that, this was truly the "Golden Age" of Apple desktop computers (smile...smile).
I remember when the 20" models came out. Apple used to have a big stand at the Mac Expo in London each year - they had a big line of them down one side of their demo stand and they made quite an impression. I thought a 20" LCD was incredible. The design of these G4s still holds up beautifully.
The problem is that it’s literally just a round Mac Mini with a monitor attached to the top. I would absolutely buy one if they reintroduce a similar design for their new M1 stuff.
Interestingly enough, even though it was discontinued well before 2007, it was featured many times in iCarly with a cool little round decoration on the monitor. I always thought that was pretty neat. While the colorful G3 is still my fave, the G4 is up there as a close second imo. The design is absolutely adorable.
I was just thinking about the “sunflower” iMac the other day. I had one for about a year at work. It was pretty great for adjusting and showing your screen to someone without them needing to stand behind you.
When I bought my first iMac, back in 2005, i wished it had inherited this design but, unfortunately, it was a slim rectangular white box on a aluminum stand. What seems ironic is that Apple, since then, never bothered to implement ergonomic features back into the iMac design…
It looks better than anything in the past or the present. Even OSX looks modern.
These retro unboxing’s are amazing
Happy memories. I had one of those. Thank you for reminding us!
I've had one of these since it was new. I think it's the best iMac design, and I've had them all. It's run perfectly 24x7 almost continuously since then. I use Final Cut Pro 4 to capture and edit old VHS tapes. It works better for that purpose than my 2019 Mac Mini. The only issue is that the screen arm doesn't always hold the screen up properly.
I wonder if you can tighten the arms on the back of the screen or put something in the hinge (e.g. tiny piece of rubber) to stop it from moving around so easily?
@@Epicgamer_Mac I looked, but I couldn't figure out how. There appear to be no user servicable parts in the arm. I read somewhere that you pretty much have to dissasemble the arm to tighten it.
I absolutely love all the vintage unboxings. Idk where you find all these things, but they're amazing.
I love that design. I’ve been kicking around the idea of getting one to swap the guts out with an M1 Mac Mini.
exactly my thought
It’s been done, but it’s definitely a passion project as you certainly are not saving any money or doing your eyes any favors with the screen resolution compared to any cheap high resolution screen available now.
Good project for fun and nostalgia though.
@@ghost-user559 Unless you replace the panel with a modern laptop panel.... I do have an original one of these (14 or 15", I don't remember) in storage somewhere.
@@myquealer True, but then you are essentially not using the original machine. Sort of a ship of Theseus analogy at that point, when you replace so much of the original you no longer are even working on the same device to begin with. Essentially it’s just a lightly modded case at that point not even a g4 iMac.
A question for future philosophers I am sure.
@@myquealer the panel for the 17” MacBook Pro fits this case. With a converter card it can be output to hdmi and connected to the Mini M1. I would love to see that done again
It's almost 2022 and I think this design is absolutely A M A Z I N G!!!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥😍😍😍😍😍
My model had those EXACT specs. I miss that computer so much. The swivel is probably the best piece of Apple engineering ever. It really makes the lame tilt of the current iMacs look pathetic.
And yes, the pro speakers by Harman Kardon were wonderful!
What happened to it? Did you sell it?
Pro speakers are insane even today.
As a kid born in 02 this was my dream computer as a kid , in our school there were only few macs and good students use to assist teachers in using it, I was privileged enough to use it for like 5 times and even dared to adjust it from neck, I wish they bring the sunflower design now being 19 years old I wish I find it somewhere on a reasonable price, will keep it in my reading room between yellow pages
Beautiful, and still my fave Mac. I've still got a fully functioning 20" and will keep that forever...
Me too ! I love it ! Use it all the time 🙂
Easily my favorite iMac design. Such a creative expression of display and computer. I always thought of it as a cousin to the Pixar desk lamp. Still beautiful to me today, but it was my first exposure to flat panel displays in an era of CRTs, and I was stunned.
When this came out it reminded me of the Pixar lamp. I thought it was super cute.
Also: the speakers still look good nearly two decades later, IMO.
(Later: YES! YOU MENTIONED THE PIXAR LAMP!)
This iMac is actually the inspiration where the Pixar lamp came from!
I miss this innovation 😢
The base of that thing just looks hilarious
Well, back in the day it looked a lot better than my all tan ... Apple All-in-One 5500 desktop (smile...smile).
📌 Apple should design a new version of this rotating the screen to vertical and we can watch vertical videos on a bigger scale like the “portal plus from Facebook” (but much better)
That is the most beautiful machine ever made. I still have mine in near mint condition and it's probably my most prized possession (as far as gadgets go).
Now we need to see a video of you making this one into an m1 fan made mac g4 🥰
I am no Apple fanboy, but the lampstand is design genius even now. I am still intending to put an M1 Mac Mini inside a 20" G4
I have never owned an iMac with the new design but I have used one. I hate the design where the base is just a piece of metal. To me, it looks flimsy (I know that it probably won't fall over though).
The iMac G4 in the video I have always admired the design. I haven't even seen one of these in person though. The G4 was probably released well before I was born.
I use an M1 Mac mini as my first Mac, too disappointed with the design of the newer iMacs.
Agreed - the iMac G4 is the best all-in-one design Apple has ever produced. I have a fully operational 15" model. It's not a lot of use these days but I switch it on every now and then just to hear the start-up "bong" from those Pro speakers. Glorious!
I always wanted that one after having the G3 one for several years. Never got one because my G3 lasted so long! When it finally died, I got the 2009 20" Mac. After that I transitioned to laptops. Your video brought back fond memories of that era of Mac.
I've always loved this design.
When people talk about smushing together an iPad and a HomePod this is what I think of. A modern version of this would be outstanding.
I been a mac user for 30 years and this is the best design ever, I saw this at a Frys. Up close and in person and I loved this I wish I had this, the iMac later on is and was ok... I still have a 2009 iMac!
This thing is so cool! Thanks for covering it, Luke!
They had these in the Mac labs when I was in college and man I'd love a modern version with an M chip
This is a bloody brilliant clip. Thank you for the memories and your insights. I'm sure Apple watches your channel. May they learn much from it. BTW, I understand the screen also rotates to full portrait mode. Fantastic.
Totally agree! I ran into a 20” about 2 years ago and added airport, usb bluetooth, larger hard drive, totalled up the ram and i now have an amazing music center. Not much other uses but a beautiful piece it is. Great channel, btw.
We had this in my childhood!!! I ALWAYS thought the design of this imac was the BEST!! This video was sooo nostalgic for me!!! ❤❤❤ used to watch my dad play solitare on here all the time.
What a thing of beauty, design and functionality all rolled up into one.
Omg that brought back so many memories Luke! This exact iMac was my first new apple computer as a teenager! I was attending computer lessons when I was 13 years old and my first experience with an apple computer was an apple Lisa. Then my teachers brought to the school an iMac G3 that they weren’t using anymore and I was immediately in love with it that I bought it off of them. I was hooked immediately with apple and when this iMac was announced I knew I had to have it so I was working an entire summer to gather money and buy it! I kept this iMac for 10 years and I even brought it with me from Greece to London when I went to university until I sold it eventually to buy a MacBook Pro. Such nice memories…
These were my first modern Apple device when I wen't off to college. I remember typing up many papers on these in the school library and being impressed not only with the tech functionality but also how functional it was physically. The display adjustability was great and something I still wish was common for public computers.
I've got the first 15" flat panel iMac (Jan 2002), completely refurbished it, maxed out the RAM and added an SSD. It's the last iMac that runs OS9 natively (rock solid, thank you OS9 lives) so i must now keep it forever since it's so adorable. And yes it has the speakers.
What I love the most is not the Apple iMac evolvement, it is the speaker changing their speech in its iconic contradiction. For what it is worth, I have a great love at it when I hear the then and now speech quote here by Luke.
I had one and loved it.... nice video.. gave me lots of memories..
I’ll never forget when I was doing work experience at a graphic design office as a teenager, and seeing that they had these computers. I thought they were literally the coolest thing ever, and I really wish I had been allowed use one!
I have always been in love with the Sunflower. It is so beautiful and I wish it could be reimagined in the future with a new seriously powerful Mac. Have it include the speakers as well. Its so graceful, beautiful, functional and be soooo powerful in so many ways. It was a work of art.
I had one, a little newer than your example. It was an amazing feat of engineering. When you moved the display it seemed to have no friction at all, but when you let go it stayed in place with absolutely no rebound or sag. I never saw any support arm on any machine with that high of tolerances. The performance was pretty good for it's day, but not truly amazing. The software was very good, and made up for the processor being a little slower than some of it's PC competitors. It was a joy to use, and the speakers were exceptionally good for their small size. Mine got damaged by an enthusiastic grandson and finally I got rid of it, and I still regret it occasionally. I may look for a replacement.
Its very nostalgic to me this is 20 years old, I can remember 1st Feb 2003, was a big gig for our band that day i remember so well, it feels like yesterday and this mac was manufactured a few days earlier. Really does not feel like over 20 years. Its crazy
I'm 56 and I was born on Commodore 64 and DOS, then moved on Windows, then Linux, then Windows again and then, in 2002, this 15" iMac was my very first Mac ever! Loved the design and loved the brand new OSX! Amazing machine and amazing new Operating System made this iMac the best iMac! In 2002 I left Italy for Australia where, in 2003, I bought the 17" ones. The best iMac EVER! Fullstop! I've worked for many years on it making video production and the design was just mind blowing, and it still is...
I think that the 20" one, though, wasn't as good as the screen was too bulky and wobbling...
But, damn me, when I left Australia in 2011 I sold it... Damn.. I should have kept it, even if now it would not be so usable as computer, but its design, man, it is still so amazing! It would be e great piece of interior design!
It truly is a beauty! Would have loved to hear a demo of the speakers. Keep the great info flowing.🙏🏻
I keep one 15 in in my living room and one in my work office. It never feels like old tech. Just something I wish I could run as fast as my m1. I don’t use them, they are just for show. But I’ll get around to putting an add in one some day.
I had one in our kitchen growing up. You couldn't get me out of the kitchen. Lol. Love being online using the g4. I still consider it the cutest thing on earth. Its huggable.
Luke you’ve just taken me back home! I went from a G-3 to THIS baby… and it was the doorway into the 21st Century… “ The Gooseneck” ( never heard “ sunflower”) Great Great job explaining why this machine is STILL great ! Thank you!
Bought mine in oktober 2002. Have another one from march 2003. Best design ever.
I still use my 17 inch iMac G4 frequently. Lots of fun old games and tinkering to do. Wild how long lasting and durable these things are!
I agree with you Luke. It is definitely one of the best designs that Apple has ever released. I love all the angles you could place the monitor at and the round base. Such a beautiful design!
I'm glad to have the opportunity to see this iMac at school in our design computer lab in 2005. (*See, not touch) Our school only had one of these because of our budget. I have not seen one in person since. it was a privilege to see it, and an envy to watch whom ever was allowed to use it. The rest of us just had to deal with working on CRTs and old IBM keyboards attached to HP CPUs.
The original 15" model was my first Apple computer ever in 2001. I have had many Macs since then, but this one will always be my favorite.
I bought one on vacation and had to take it apart to fit it inside my luggage to get home. Turned out that the luggage handlers didn’t treat it well 😭
I still have one of those, 15".
Network is not working, but it still boots up and looks amazing.
It is a keeper.
Completely agree. Got one of these myself to go with my bondi blue G3 iMac and blueberry iBook. Love it!
This design/computer belongs in an art museum. Iconic.
The nostalgia! We had like four of these G4s and four G5s in our middle school library for our multi media class. It was my first experience with OS X and iMovie. This and the polycarb macbooks are my favorite Apple designs ever.
I agree with you Luke, it’s a great design. But I was hoping to hear the Pro speakers in action - I’ve always wondered what they sounded like!
I had one of these. the hinge is like butter. I love em
Hello from Ireland. This brought me back to Apple. I loved it. Had the pro speakers as well. Sound was amazing. Also got my first iPod. (We had an Apple IIe when I was growing up). Loved it. Small screen meant I moved on - so fickle. Would love to see it come back - no idea how they could though. Love the nostalgia…..
adjustable screen was the best design ever for a computer. I wish I had it today!
omg i still have these, it was given by my grandma(very young at the time) but sadly overtime the prospeakers diaphragm broke but the G4 still works, it was soo cool back then thinking i got a mac in my teens and here in cebu philippines.
Always liked how the display was so versatile. Never cared for the base, would look better as a sleek box. Nice video, thanks!
Would you believe I just found one, lying in front of a house in a little street I almost never go through close to my place, waiting to be removed by the garbage service amongst other stuffs. I was looking at it, almost in tears, when the owners came out and said: "you can pick anything you like". "This iMac G4 is a collectible item and it's very emotional to me.", I said. I remember I so much wanted one at the time but it was way too expensive. "You can have it. It still works". And indeed, except from the original box, it is complete, including the very good little speakers, and in a very good state, barely yellowish. I brought it home, plugged it in, and it started! Everything works! I still have a MacOS 10.4 Tiger DVD installer for it. That's my Christmas gift! I remembered your video about it, so here I am. What a day!
I love that design. Would be wonderful in my kitchen or any room. Great video!
this was an awesome video Luke, more of this Mac throwback kinda things please! featuring Jobs' keynote and arguments also makes this even more enjoyable
This was an ingenius design. Frankly, the single handed BEST design ever created for a computer. The engineering involved in this was state of the art. I'm blown away that people throw these away or sell them for $50.
I had a 15" version of this and it was lovely. I gave it to a friend who, regrettably, left it behind when he moved house a few years later. I wish I'd still got it now. Definitely agree it's one of Apple's best ever designs.
Had one of these back in the day. It was truely the nicest Mac desktop ever. Remarkably ergonomic and also looked great in a room.
I had a 20" as my freelance workhorse for many years. Just loved the swivel screen, because I could move from kitchen tto living room and sill watch vids etc as I wandered around. It's still boxed and collecting dust in the loft cuz I hate the thought of letting it go.
I love that iMac! Your videos are amazing! Keep it up!
I have a 2002 15” iMac and love it. I only use it occasionally to play my music collection in my computer room. It has those same speakers which sound quite good for a desktop computer.
@LukeMiani, I think you're 100% right on this design. The ability to adjust the height, swivel left or right is a major plus. As a long time user of Apple, I've noticed that they'll create something fantastic , be it hardware design or software features, only to get rid of it for no apparent reason or to be so focused on the "future" . I saw a similar model at the thrift store the other day. I thought about buying it, but I have so many old Mac laying around and how would I repurpose it to be functional in 2022. Anyway, keep up the good work. Good video!
I think it’s beautiful Luke! What a design! The problem came with larger screens and needing to make a smaller footprint. The peoples obsession and fascinated with space saving flatscreens was something this design could not ultimately compete with. The base simply took up too much space and would only get bigger with larger screens. They should have kept a desk mounted arm as an option to the stand.
I still have mine in the garage. Loved it. I remember calling it "Humpty Dumpty with a sail."I still use the keyboard and mouse if I have Bluetooth issues and need to recover my iMac.
Years ahead of its time. Would love to see an updated version.
We used these for art class in high school. Loved this design so much in the early 2000s