Talk:IMac G3

Choose Images for the Article
I noticed that recently there have been changes to the images used in the article. Some new photos have been uploaded and have been used to replace some of the old images by a well meaning editor. However, some of these images are (in my opinion) of poor quality. They show the computer at limited angles, in poor lighting, and with defects on the unit (missing optical drive, discolored stand, etc) and do not represent the product accurately. They also replaced photos which were of higher quality and were already adequate for the article.

I feel it might be important to talk about this, and discuss a tactic in how to source good photographs that do justice to this beautiful series of computers. It is important to make sure that new photos are being added to improve the article, and not replaced just for the sake of it. --Melonbob (talk) 04:51, 1 April 2017 (UTC)


 * Hi. If you're willing to give me photography tips, I can take better photos. I am also looking for help with getting the card reader properly fitted on my iMac G3. --True Tech Talk Time (talk) 01:16, 4 April 2017 (UTC)

Combined CPU/monitor
''At the time, Apple was unique in producing all-in-one desktop computers, in which the CPU and the monitor are contained in one enclosure. Many other PC manufacturers have tried to imitate this; most have met with little success.''

It's true that Apple seem to be unique in making computers with combined monitors, but it's a myth that this was new with the iMac - there were plenty of Macs years before then which followed this design.


 * Its certainly not true if one is not referring to a specific time (in which case the reference to earlier Macs is hard to understand). See for example Commodore PET for a much earlier example that predates even the first Mac.  Arguably this differs in that the keyboard is also included.  If including the CPU and monitor but not the keyboard is unique to Macs, then the article should say that.  I don't know if that is the case.  —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Special:Contributions/ (talk)


 * That Commodore PET may technically be "all-in-one" but it looks like a computer with a separate monitor stuck on top. The iMac G3 has the CPU behind the screen, so essentially all you see is the monitor and a slot.  The monitor has no silhouette of its own (like the G4 iMac and the Commodore PET) and it doesn't give an appearance of two freestanding devices that have been glued together after the fact.  The G3 iMac is seamlessly all-in-one.  Perhaps the word seamless could be combined with all-in-one to clarify the novelty of the design (yes, even compared against the Macintosh) of this personal computer.Gotmywaderson (talk) 19:48, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Also it's not clear what the last sentence means - was there something wrong with their results, or was it just that all-in-one designs weren't popular with PC users? Mdwh 23:14, 25 March 2007 (UTC)


 * No comments, I'm removing the latter sentence as it's unclear and unsourced, and I've rewritten the first sentence to make it clear that the iMac wasn't the first Apple computer to be in this style. Mdwh 20:09, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

Sorry, i removed this one from the category:Industrial design examples


 * Restored. See discussion in Talk:iMac G4

It should also be mentioned that Ubuntu offered special designed CD to boot and install Ubuntu on iMac G3 PowerPC. Latest official release Ubuntu 09.04. It is still possible to download latest Ubuntu 10.04 for iMac G3 from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ports/releases/10.04/release/ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 120.28.243.153 (talk) 04:01, 7 July 2010 (UTC)

Article Structure / Introduction
This article seems to have an overly long and in-depth introduction, probably as a result of it being largely extracted from the iMac article. It would undoubtedly benefit from a restructure and a shorter, more relevant introduction. For example (just a rough draft, not even fact checked),

''The iMac G3 is an all-in-one personal computer, encompassing both the monitor and the CPU in a single enclosure. Originally released in striking bondi blue and later a range of brightly coloured, translucent plastic, casings shipped with a keyboard and mouse in matching tints, with later revisions shipping with Pro peripherals. Released in various revisions over it 6 year production run the iMac G3 was the fist personal computer produced by Apple to carry the iMac brand name, representative of its purpose as a Macintosh for the internet, or the internet Macintosh.''
 * done. --Jerome Potts 18:20, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for including the information in this page. I got a few of my questions answered. However I need to point out some things: - Please give references and links to the original articles. For example I have a Bonzi Blue iMac which is 350 MHZ and the article says it is blueberry and it seems factually wrong to me. - Secondly for the same machine it says 512 KB RAM is supported and 1GB is unsupported. Maybe you could hyperlink the word unsupported and explain a bit on what it means and why. Or leave a stub at least for possible enrichment by an insider? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.76.35.196 (talk) 02:19, 22 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I'd post this on your talk page, but I'm not sure you'd see it. Are you sure you're not confusing Blueberry with Indigo?  Bondi Blue is kind of a turquoise color, but Blueberry is still rather light compared to Indigo.  I'm considering buying a 350MHz slot-loading iMac G3 that the seller claims is Bondi Blue, but according to all the specs I've seen they weren't available in that color.  Could be wrong though, and if it turns out to be Bondi I'll certainly make mention of it here. 72.236.218.36 (talk) 20:34, 29 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Well, I got the iMac and sure enough, it's Bondi Blue. It matches my b&w G3, and the case on those was also Bondi Blue with white.  Come to think of it, I seem to recall from old catalogs that even after the newer colors were introduced (at least the first five), you could also choose Bondi Blue.  Don't know why sites like LowEndMac.com and EveryMac.com don't acknowledge this, but it does seem that slot-loading iMac G3s were also available in Bondi Blue. 24.254.9.5 (talk) 06:47, 4 September 2008 (UTC)

Photo placement
When you load this page you see no photos. A photo of the G3 needs to be put right at the very top JayKeaton 08:52, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

I agree. Since the iMac G3 is most notable for its design (it is part of the industrial design category), so I feel that it is fitting for the picture to appear at the top of the page. Besides, most articles focusing on one product (when a picture of a product is available) place the picture near the top of the article. Mandanthe1 16:21, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

Promotional iMacs?
I know that, in the late '90s, Apple partnered with other companies and gave specially designed iMacs (usually limited edition) away as promotions. One I specifically remember was a promotion for Digimon: The Movie. They gave away a total of 8 iMacs Bondie Blue color with Digimon logos added to the case. Just thought it might be important to point out. Mandanthe1 16:26, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

Version 0.7 nomination
This article was nominated to be included in the Version 0.7 static release. It satisfies the criteria for inclusion based on importance, but it is lacking a lot of detail on the impact of the iMac on Apple, which is one of the primary reasons for inclusion given in the nomination. I'll revisit this in a while, and I'll decide whether to pass or fail the article's nomination at the time, but any improvements (including removing the remaining fact statements) in the meantime would be greatly appreciated. Tito xd (?!? - cool stuff) 04:03, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

CPU change
When did the iMac switch from having the CPU on a SODIMM to having it soldered to the motherboard? That change made CPU upgrades very expensive, as one had to either find a compatible mainboard with a faster CPU, or send it away to have the CPU desoldered and a new one soldered on- at a cost of several hundred dollars. For the SODIMM CPUs, companies offered advanced exchange where you could order an upgraded SODIMM then send back the original. Some gave the buyer a period of time to send their old module back, others required an up-front deposit, refunded when they received the original module. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bizzybody (talk • contribs) 06:09, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

What's a "Bondi?"
The term "Bondi Blue" is used in this article, but nowhere does it describe what a "bondi" is, or why it was named this. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 151.207.242.4 (talk) 16:19, 16 February 2012 (UTC)


 * It's a famous beach in Australia. Notice the color of the water. - Pro hib it O ni o ns (T) 09:47, 28 September 2012 (UTC)

discepancy over IrDA functionality
I recently obtained a Revision B tray-loading iMac G3, so I figured I would look around Wikipedia for some information, maybe some kind of technical trivia (a lot of technical trivia can be encyclopedic in nature) on getting it booted.

I ran across this obvious contradiction in the Models section (boldness added to both quotes for clarity):

4Mbit/s infrared port (which was only included in Revision A models)

Followed by:


 * August 15, 1998 — iMac 233MHz (Revision A) (M6709LL/A). 233MHz processor. ATI Rage IIc graphics with 2MB SGRAM. Available in Bondi Blue only, reset hole on side panel. One of only two iMac models to include an IrDA port.
 * October 17, 1998 — iMac 233MHz (Revision B) (M6709LL/B). Minor update featuring new Mac OS 8.5, ATI Rage Pro Graphics with 6MB of SGRAM. Last hardware revision to include the IrDA port and internal mezzanine slot.

Obviously the article conflicts itself.

Useless note: While I am well aware of Wikipedia's policy on original research (no original research), my iMac is a Revision B and has the IrDA port.

Segin (talk) 07:51, 1 August 2009 (UTC)

External links modified
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Screen resolution
What is the screen resolution on these things? Cause it would be useful in the specifications section NintendoTTTEfan2005 (talk) 13:03, 28 April 2023 (UTC)


 * I was just about to make the same exact comment. Definitely needs to be added. MisterZed (talk) 02:07, 9 September 2023 (UTC)

Tense and other edits
Smuckola I suppose first you could explain what "procedural" mistake I'm making, secondly you could explain what "illogical and false tense" issues are presented? I'm trying to avoid what your edits have introduced, which is lines like Whereas the original iMac models focus on Internet connectivity, the new iMac line adds the emerging digital video (DV) market that make no sense mixing tenses back and forth. Moreover, I at least attempted to thread the needle with changes I thought were improvements; wholesale reversion is certainly not collegial, especially since you never attempted to discuss your changes except through angry messages in edit summaries. Driveby edits should have more consideration. Der Wohltemperierte Fuchs talk 19:21, 12 February 2024 (UTC)