Apple iMac 24″ (M1) vs Apple iMac G3 (Early 1999)

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iMac 24″ (M1) compared with iMac G3 (Early 1999)

	AppleiMac 24″ (M1)	AppleiMac G3 (Early 1999)
Overview
Released
Released	May 2021	January 1999
Performance
Processor
Processor	Apple M1	PowerPC G3 266 MHz (iMac)
CPU cores
CPU cores	8	1
Graphics
Graphics	7-core GPU or 8-core GPU	ATI RAGE Pro Turbo (6 MB)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB (better)	32 MB or 128 MB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 2 TB (better)	6 GB
CPU
CPU	8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores	266 MHz PowerPC G3 with 66 MHz system bus and 512 KB backside L2 cache. Generic clock-only record does not infer a silicon supplier.
GPU
GPU	7-core GPU in the two-port model; 8-core GPU in the four-port model	ATI RAGE Pro Turbo with 6 MB video memory. The retained maker resolution table includes a conflicting 2 MB column; Apple’s January 1999 release explicitly states 6 MB.
Memory type
Memory type	–	32 MB SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots. Current retained maker sheet gives a 128 MB maximum; older Apple developer history and Italian launch release give 256 MB. The conservative configurations retain the current maker maximum.
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	–
Storage type
Storage type	SSD; two-port model configurable to 512 GB or 1 TB, four-port model to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB	6 GB ATA hard drive and tray-loading 24x CD-ROM.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	24″	15″
Resolution
Resolution	4480 × 2520 (better)	1024 × 768
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	–
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	60 Hz	75 Hz (better)
Brightness
Brightness	500 nits	–
Display type
Display type	4.5K Retina display; actual diagonal 23.5 inches; IPS panel and 60 Hz refresh rate confirmed by Notebookcheck	Nominal 15-inch CRT with 13.8-inch viewable diagonal; not a fixed-native-resolution LCD.
Pixel density
Pixel density	218 ppi	–
Display features
Display features	1 billion colours; wide colour (P3); True Tone; anti-reflective coating	1024 × 768 at 75 Hz, 800 × 600 at 95 Hz and 640 × 480 at 117 Hz (EveryMac exact-model specification).
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB4, headphone jack	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, 2 × headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	–	0.1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 1	–
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6	–
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	–
Camera
Camera	1080p FaceTime HD	–
Back ports
Back ports	Two-port model: two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4 up to 40 Gb/s, and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; optional Gigabit Ethernet. Four-port model adds two USB 3 ports up to 10 Gb/s and includes Gigabit Ethernet. Both have a 3.5 mm headphone jack.	Two USB ports on the computer, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem, audio line-in/out and two front headphone jacks. No FireWire, external VGA output or AirPort option. The infrared port and mezzanine slot from earlier revisions are absent (EveryMac).
External displays
External displays	One external display up to 6K 60 Hz, alongside the built-in display at full resolution	–
Camera
Camera	1080p FaceTime HD camera; advanced image signal processor with computational video	–
Speakers
Speakers	High-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo sound; spatial audio with Dolby Atmos	Built-in stereo speakers with SRS processing and microphone.
Microphones
Microphones	Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming; Hey Siri	–
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard; keyboard has Touch ID on the four-port model and optionally on the two-port model; Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad available instead	Apple USB Keyboard and round Apple USB Mouse; Blueberry, Grape, Tangerine, Lime and Strawberry case colours.
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	4.46 kg	–
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	547 × 147 × 461 mm	–
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	–	Maker retained sheet gives weight 40 pounds; height 15.8, width 15.2 and depth 17.6 inches. No converted or sibling metric values are added.
Power supply
Power supply	143 W external power adapter with magnetic connection; Gigabit Ethernet built into the adapter where fitted	–
Noise
Noise	7 dBA sound pressure at idle and during Apple's wireless web test (operator position)	–
Materials
Materials	Recyclable, low-carbon aluminium enclosure	–
Colours
Colours	Two-port model: Blue, Green, Pink, Silver. Four-port model also comes in Yellow, Orange and Purple.	–
In the box
In the box	iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, 143 W power adapter, 2 m power lead, USB-C to Lightning cable	Launch Mac OS 8.5; retained sheet lists 8.5.1. Apple’s Italian release confirms availability in January 1999; an exact worldwide first-sale day is unestablished.