The iMac G4 (nicknamed the iLamp) was a computer that was produced by Apple from the beginning of 2002 to mid 2004. It replaced the aging iMac G3. It had a 15-inch LCD which was mounted on an adjustable arm above a hemisphere containing a full-size, tray-loading optical drive and a fourth-generation CPU (the PPC 74xx-series). The iMac G5 replaced the iMac G4 in 2004.
The iMac G4 was incrementally upgraded. They were made available with 17-inch (43 cm) and then 20-inch (51 cm) widescreen LCDs over the following two years.
The iMac G4 was one of the biggest improvements and advancements in Apple Inc’s growing empire of Mac desktops. The computer was considered completely separate from the previous, half egg shaped G3 models. Some new features included a flat-panel LCD screen, with diagonal measurements up to 20 inches; tray loading DVD+CD drive; and many more features. Critics and consumers took to the new Mac style nicely, but many missed the slot loading drives that were available in earlier models. The floating monitor was easily adjustable, and stood at any angle around the dome-shaped bottom. Unlike previous iMac models, the iMac G4 came only in white, and was not translucent like the iMac G3s.
The Gateway Profile attempted to compete with the iMac G4 in the all-in-one LCD computer market. A reviewer noted that the Profile had better processing power, due to its Intel Pentium 4, whereas the iMac was hampered because its G4 chip lacked the 1MB L3 cache that the Intel chips had. The iMac had clear advantages in LCD screen quality (it uses a digital LCD as opposed to an analog LCD), aesthetics (particularly the flexible monitor arm), and multimedia. Ending up, the reviewer concluded that the iMac was good for introducing users to a Macintosh, but he noted that their (relatively) high prices were approaching that of laptops, which are actually portable and have higher resolution LCD screens. The Profile would also be undercut by numerous OEM offerings (including one from Gateway) that bundled an LCD screen with the box containing a Pentium 4.iMac versus Gateway Profile
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Here’s the actual item in my museum
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The iMac 15″ LCD basics:
Color: White | CPU: Intel | Form Factor: All-In-One | OS: Version 10.0: "Cheetah" | Purchased: eBay | Ram: 784 MB | Series: G4
