Apple iMac G3 (Mid 1999)

Apple · iMac

iMac G3 (Mid 1999)

Released April 1999

A colourful all-in-one PowerPC desktop with a built-in CRT and USB peripherals.

Model history · 4 models, 1998–1999
  1. 1998iMac G3 (1998)Compare
  2. 1998iMac G3 (Revision B)Compare
  3. 1999iMac G3 (Early 1999)Compare
  4. 1999iMac G3 (Mid 1999)
Type
All-in-one
Processor
PowerPC G3 333 MHz (iMac)
Memory
32 MB – 128 MB
Storage
6 GB
Screen
15″
Weight
–

Performance

Processor
PowerPC G3 333 MHz (iMac)
CPU cores
1
Graphics
ATI RAGE Pro Turbo (6 MB)
Memory
32 MB or 128 MB
Storage
6 GB
CPU
333 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; The exact Macworld review and EveryMac specification identify 6 MB for this revision.
Memory type
32 MB SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots. Current retained maker sheet gives a 128 MB maximum; older Apple developer history and contemporary Macworld review 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 does not publish a weight in the retained sheet; height 15.8, width 15.2 and depth 17.6 inches. No converted or sibling metric values are added.
In the box
Mac OS 8.5.1. Conservative April 1999 sale month follows Golem’s contemporary report quoting immediate shipping; retained maker introduction date and database day disagree.

Configurations

ProcessorMemoryStorageStorage typeGraphics
PowerPC G3 333 MHz (iMac)32 MB6 GBHard driveATI RAGE Pro Turbo (6 MB)
PowerPC G3 333 MHz (iMac)128 MB6 GBHard driveATI RAGE Pro Turbo (6 MB)

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Built-in display and speakers
  • USB peripheral connections
  • Wired Ethernet connection

Cons

  • Single-core processor
  • CRT has 13.8-inch viewable area
  • Limited internal expansion

Closest rivals

Model
TypeProcessorMemoryStorageScreenWeightReleased
All-in-onePowerPC G3 266 MHz (iMac)32 MB – 128 MB6 GB15″–Jan 1999
All-in-onePowerPC G3 233 MHz (iMac)32 MB – 128 MB4 GB15″–Aug 1998
All-in-onePowerPC G3 233 MHz (iMac)32 MB – 256 MB4 GB15″–Oct 1998

Previous model: iMac G3 (Early 1999). Newer model: iMac G3 (Slot Loading, 1999).

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-gb/112286
  2. golem.de/9904/3067.html
  3. leopard-adc.pepas.com/documentation/Hardware/Developer_Notes/Macintosh_CPUs-G3/…
  4. everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac_333.html
  5. macworld.com/article/159286/reviewsimac.html

Photo: Low-resolution 174 × 168 px Apple-credited five-colour tray-loading family image hosted by EveryMac; group pose rather than one colour, white background retained.

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