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G3/G4 Q & A:
Design
All revisions of the iMac were designed entirely in-house by Apple's Industrial Design Group, led by Jonathan Ive, with strong influence from Steve Jobs himself. Apple posted an insightful interview with Ive that discusses some of the more challenging aspects of the original iMac design process [unfortunately no longer available online].
Why is the iMac "Bondi" blue (Rev. A & B)?
[01.05.1999 Update: Now that the iMac "266" has been officially released by Apple, the iMac comes in a choice of five colors, and not bondi blue. The original speculative answer remains below for "historical" reference.]
It could simply be that Steve Jobs walked into Apple one day after visiting the Australian "Bondi" beach and decided that he wanted an ocean blue-colored Mac, but more likely than not, the designers did their homework.
As reported by Dynamic Graphics Magazine and the Color Marketing Group, a not-for-profit association of color designers, two colors that audiences will be receptive toward in 1999 are "Clearwater" blue which is described as "a transitional color that takes us from turquoise and teal into a more water-inspired blue" and "Alexis" blue which is "a blue with a slight green cast -- picture the dark aqua color of a classic car." "Bondi" blue seems to fit nicely between these colors. Just a coincidence? You decide.
In the November 1998 issue of MacAddict there is a mini-interview with Johnathan Ive where he discusses the ongoing study of color at Apple along with the complexity of color and how it relates to texture, material, and other variables. It's a good read, so you might want to check it out.
One reader, Mike Cowan, referring to the "Bondi" blue color choice of the iMac said:
To me it seems as if the designers at Apple took the "surf" analogy of Internet browsing to a visual level. The Bondi blue design is the color of a surfing beach in Australia; a place where great world-class surfing is found. The ice white seems to be the color of sea foam. In other words, Apple built a computer that is a stylized representation of a beautiful ocean wave. Simply brilliant.
What colors are the revision "266" and "333" iMacs?
The iMac "266" and "333" iMacs were available in five colors: Strawberry (pinkish-red), Blueberry (aquamarine), Tangerine (orangish-yellow), Lime (bright green), and Grape (purple).
What colors are the "Kihei" iMacs?
The "Kihei" family of iMacs were available in six colors: Blueberry (aquamarine), Strawberry (pinkish-red), Tangerine (orangish-yellow), Lime (bright green), Grape (purple), and Graphite (gray), but not all models were available in all colors.
The iMac "350" was available only in blueberry, the iMac "DV" (400) was available in blueberry, strawberry, tangerine, lime, and grape, and the iMac SE (Special Edition) "DV" (400) was available simply in graphite.
What colors are the "Indigo" iMacs?
The "Indigo" iMac series were available in five colors: Indigo (dark blue), Ruby (candy apple red), Sage (gray-green), Graphite (gray), and Snow (white). Just like the previous "Kihei" series, not all models were available in all colors.
The iMac "350" (Indigo) was available only in indigo, the iMac DV "400" was available in indigo or ruby, the iMac DV+ "450" was available in indigo, ruby, and sage, and the iMac DV SE "500" was available in graphite and snow.
What colors are the "Flower Power" iMacs?
The iMac series announced on February 22, 2001, unofficially dubbed the "Flower Power" iMacs by EveryMac.com for the lack of a better term, were available in two colors and two patterns: Indigo (dark blue), Graphite (gray), Blue Dalmatian (royal blue with baby blue spots), and Flower Power (a multicolored, "1960's-era youth culture inspired" flower pattern).
The iMac "400" (Indigo) was available only in indigo, the iMac "500" (FP/BD) was available in indigo, "Blue Dalmatian", and "Flower Power", and the iMac SE "600" was available in graphite, "Blue Dalmatian", and "Flower Power".
What colors are the "Summer 2001" iMacs?
The iMac series announced on July 18, 2001, unofficially dubbed the "Summer 2001" iMacs by EveryMac.com, as this series only used colors that have been used before, were available in three colors: Indigo (dark blue), Graphite (gray), and Snow (white).
The iMac "500" (Indigo) was available in indigo and snow, and the iMac "600" (Graphite) and iMac SE "700" both were available in graphite and snow.
What colors are the "Flat-Panel" iMacs?
The iMac series, introduced on January 7, 2002 and discontinued July 1, 2004, unofficially dubbed the "Flat-Panel" iMacs by EveryMac.com, were available simply in white with chrome accents for the logo, the base, and the "neck" that supports the flat-panel display.
Will custom or different colors be available later?
[01.05.1999 Update: Now that the iMac "266" series has been officially released by Apple, the iMac comes in a choice of five colors, confirming that different colors are indeed available, but not custom ones. The speculative answer from 01.02.1999 remains below for "historical" reference.]
Although I am still skeptical regarding custom colors, it does seem more and more likely that Apple will introduce colors other than Bondi into the iMac line.
I am skeptical primarily because the "custom case color" rumor springs to life anytime Apple releases a Mac that breaks the traditional beige color scheme. Remember the rumor about a custom-colored MacTV? Custom-colored Newtons? Custom-colored eMates? How about a custom-colored PowerBook G3? This time, the "custom colors rumor" sprang up because of Rich's Custom iMac page, which was intended as a joke, but his custom-coloring was so well done, that it made people think about the possibility.
In August 1998, MacCentral's Don Crabb speculated on this rumor saying that Apple will have other color schemes for the corporate market and potentially for the higher-education market as well. This does seem like a possibility. The question is how many orders would it take for custom colors? If a university requests 50,000 green and yellow iMacs, it would certainly be profitable; but what about a request for 10,000 or 5,000? What about 500 or 50?
[01.05.1999 Update: Custom colors no longer seem particularly likely given the color range already available.]
MacOS Rumors and AppleInsider continued the drive towards iMacs of a different color. AppleInsider quoted alleged advertising sources regarding a future ad campaign with multicolored iMacs and hardware vendors waiting for "iMac Color Swatches" so that peripherals can match. At least one iMac accessories vendor, Uchishiba Seiskusho, has released Bondi blue, amber, and red iMac-styled speakers. Why the amber and red ones? Is it a sign of things to come?
[01.05.1999 Update: Amber is now referred to as "Tangerine" and red is referred to as "Strawberry", confirming the purpose of the additional colors.]
Also, according to Apple's Support Document #30654, which answers the question "Is it True that iMac Will be Available in Numerous Colors?" with:
We've noticed that there are a few sites out on the web that have decked out iMac in a wide array of colors. While Apple is intrigued by their flights of fancy and may consider offering an iMac of a different color at some time in the future, for now at least, we'll be keeping the color scheme for iMac simple: "Ice" and "Bondi Blue."
The fact that Apple is addressing the question at all, and keeping the possibility open, shows that Apple may offer an iMac of at least one other color.
As previously mentioned in this FAQ, the iMac is designed to be as low-cost as possible and having individual people be able to customize the color would make the production cost much more expensive. It also would force Apple to make some predictions on demand for certain colors. Support Document #30654 confirms that doing so would make it more difficult to keep the price competitive, perhaps hinting that other colors would be offered at a slight premium over the Bondi version.
[01.05.1999 Update: The multicolored iMacs were actually cheaper, but that is welcomed.]
Other rumors included that the strawberry iMac (pinkish-red) will be replaced by a "cherry" iMac (darker red) and that the tangerine iMac (orangish-yellow) will be replaced by a "banana" iMac (yellow), but there is no confirmation at this time.
[07.20.2000 Update: With the "indigo" series of iMacs, Apple discontinued all of the "fruit colors" and introduced several new colors, including "ruby", a dark "candy apple" red.]
[03.03.2001 Update: Interestingly, rumor sites completely missed the addition of patterns to the iMac series, perhaps because "Blue Dalmatian" and "Flower Power" both are rather curious creations.]
[01.07.2002 Update: The "Flat-Panel" iMacs were introduced simply in an ultramodern white and chrome. Now that all of Apple's product lines are offered in simple shades of white and gray, it will be interesting to see how Apple's industrial design progesses in the future. It's anyone's guess, but it looks like Apple has reached a post-multicolored phase.]
Is the iMac the first translucent Apple hardware?
No. Apple sold a translucent clear Newton, and the frequently forgotten eMate is also partially translucent. The iMac is the first completely translucent desktop Macintosh.
One reader, Philip Machanick, mentioned that in addition to the translucent Newton and eMate, the button used to unlatch the Power Macintosh 8600, 9600, and G3 tower cases is a translucent aqua color. So perhaps Apple's Design Group wanted to create translucent cases before the iMac but their creativity was stifled.
[03.20.2002 Update: The "Flat-Panel" iMacs introduced on January 7, 2002 (and discontinued July 1, 2004) are not as translucent, and are instead offered in an ultramodern white case with chrome accents.]
Will future Mac hardware be translucent?
[01.05.1999 Update: Now that the second Power Macintosh G3 series has been officially released by Apple, it has been confirmed that future Apple hardware will be translucent, most likely at least for the next few years. However, Apple decided to do away with the color of the original Apple Studio Display, and go with blue and white, just like the original iMac, at least initially. The original answer remains below for "historical" reference.]
Most likely. Since Apple's most recent monitor, the Apple Studio Display, is a translucent bluish-purple color, wouldn't it make sense to have some translucent computers to go with it? The display looks amusing on top of a "traditional" desktop Mac. In a mini-interview with MacAddict, Johnathan Ive confirmed that we can look at the "mouse, keyboard and Apple Studio Display" and make some educated guesses. Intrigued?
[03.20.2002 Update: With the introduction of the "Flat-Panel" iMacs on January 7, 2002 (subsequently discontinued July 1, 2004), Apple no longer offers systems with the degree of "translucence" that they once did, and instead offers systems in shades of white and gray. It will be interesting to see what Apple systems look like two years from now.]
Heard some juicy rumors? Please share them with other users in the forums!
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