Home Desktops Apple iMac G3 (Early 1999) Apple · iMac
Released January 1999
A colourful all-in-one PowerPC desktop with a built-in CRT and USB peripherals.
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Type All-in-one
Processor PowerPC G3 266 MHz (iMac)
Memory 32 MB – 128 MB
Storage 6 GB
Screen 15″
Weight –
Processor PowerPC G3 266 MHz (iMac)
CPU cores 1
Graphics ATI RAGE Pro Turbo (6 MB)
Memory 32 MB or 128 MB
Storage 6 GB
CPU 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 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 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.
Storage type 6 GB ATA hard drive and tray-loading 24x CD-ROM. Display
Screen size 15″
Resolution 1024 × 768
Refresh rate 75 Hz
Display type Nominal 15-inch CRT with 13.8-inch viewable diagonal; not a fixed-native-resolution LCD.
Display features 1024 × 768 at 75 Hz, 800 × 600 at 95 Hz and 640 × 480 at 117 Hz (EveryMac exact-model specification). Connections
Ports 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, 2 × headphone jack
Ethernet 0.1 Gb/s
Back ports 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).
Speakers Built-in stereo speakers with SRS processing and microphone.
Keyboard and mouse Apple USB Keyboard and round Apple USB Mouse; Blueberry, Grape, Tangerine, Lime and Strawberry case colours. Design and power
Type All-in-one
Operating system macOS
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.
In the box 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. Configurations Processor Memory Storage Storage type Graphics PowerPC G3 266 MHz (iMac) 32 MB 6 GB Hard drive ATI RAGE Pro Turbo (6 MB) PowerPC G3 266 MHz (iMac) 128 MB 6 GB Hard drive ATI RAGE Pro Turbo (6 MB)
Pros and cons Pros + Built-in display and speakers+ USB peripheral connections+ Wired Ethernet connectionCons − Single-core processor− CRT has 13.8-inch viewable area− Limited internal expansionPrevious model: iMac G3 (Revision B) . Newer model: iMac G3 (Mid 1999) .
