Hosting and bandwidth provided by MacHost.
Q&A:
Power
Mac G4 Q&A:
Design, Config, & Purchasing
Who designed the Power Macintosh
G4 series?
All models in the Power Macintosh G4 series use the same basic case as the Blue and White Power Macintosh G3 series which was designed entirely in-house by Apple's Industrial Design Group, led by Jonathan Ive. Since it is known that Steve Jobs himself had a strong influence on the design of the iMac, he most likely influenced the design of other recent hardware as well.
If you are interested in industrial design, you might like to purchase AppleDesign: The Work of the Apple Industrial Design Group (now out of print). This book has hundreds of full color photographs of prototype Apple products that were never released and is a great look into the evolution of Apple's style.
Will other colors be available later?
It seems highly likely that Apple will later offer future tower systems in different styles than the current models. However, it seems that since announcing the original iMac on May 6, 1998, Apple's design department went through a phase in which each new system was more brightly colored than the previous models before coming full-circle and releasing case designs that are simple, sleek and available only in shades of white, gray, and silver.
The second major series of Power Macintosh G4 models feature a silver and ice color scheme revision dubbed "Quicksilver" and the final "Mirrored Drive Doors" models, as the name implies, also features a silver and ice color scheme, but adds two "mirrored finish" external drive bays and decorative indentions on the front reminiscent of the "Ventiports" on a 1949 Buick Roadmaster. It seems like Apple will likely continue in this general direction, but is difficult to predict the future of Apple's dynamic and constantly changing design. What would you like to see for the next Apple case design? Talk about it in the forums.
[08.11.2003 Update: The Power Macintosh G5, announced on June 23, 2003, continues the further "simplification" of Apple's design, with an extrememly minimalist postmodern design that vaguely resembles a cheese grater.]
What monitors are color-compatible with the Power Macintosh G4 series?
Apple originally released four color-compatible monitors for the Power Macintosh G4 series. These included a 17" Apple Studio Display with a CRT display, a 21" Apple Studio Display with a CRT display, a 15" Apple Studio Display with an LCD flat-panel display, and the Apple Cinema Display, which has a 22" letterbox-style LCD flat-panel display.
On July 19, 2000, in conjunction with the dual-processor Power Macintosh G4 models, Apple re-introduced three of the four displays with the new ADC (Apple Display Connector), which carries analog and digital video signals, USB data, and power in the same cable. The line-up housed in "crystal clear" enclosures, included a 17" Apple Studio Display with a CRT display, a 15" Apple Studio Display with an LCD flat-panel display, and the Apple Cinema Display, which has a 22" letterbox-style LCD flat-panel display. On May 21, 2001, Apple discontinued the CRT-based 17" Apple Studio Display and introduced a LCD-based 17" Apple Studio Display. On March 21, 2002, Apple added the Apple Cinema HD Display to the lineup, which has a 23" letterbox-style LCD flat-panel display with 1920x1200 native resolution.
On January 28, 2003, coordinated with the release of the second, and final, series of "Mirrored Drive Doors" models, Apple introduced a 20" Apple Cinema Display, discontinued the 15" Apple Studio Display and 22" Apple Cinema Display, and dropped the price on both the 17" Apple Cinema Display and the 23" Apple Cinema HD Display.
These displays are compatible with all Power Macintosh G4 systems released after July 19, 2000, including the "Quicksilver" and "Mirrored Drive Doors" models.
Where can I buy a Power Macintosh G4?
Although they have been discontinued, some resellers specializing in used systems may have Power Macintosh G4 systems available at discount prices. If you want to purchase a refurbished or used system, check out site sponsor PowerMax for a good selection and eBay for direct person-to-person sales.
What are the default configurations?
The default configurations are too numerous to list in this Q & A, but you can see the default configurations, along with options for custom configurations and pricing information, on the applicable specifications page for the Power Macintosh G4 model that you are interested in.
Were custom configurations available?
Yes. Custom configurations of the Power Macintosh G4 series were available direct from Apple, and from Apple Authorized Resellers. To see what custom configuration options were available, please refer to the specifications page for the Power Macintosh G4 model that you are interested in.
Were server configurations available?
Yes. Server configurations of the Power Macintosh G4 series were available from the Apple Store. For complete stats, configurations, and pricing information, please refer to the Macintosh Server G4 section of EveryMac.com. If you are interested in purchasing a rackmount server, you may also wish to consider the Xserve.
What was the target audience for the Power Macintosh G4?
The Power Macintosh G4 series was in a long line of Power Macs targeted towards "power users" who need maximum performance and reasonable expandability at a reasonable cost. The original Power Macintosh G4 broke new ground by being the first Macintosh, and the first personal computer, ever to reach a gigaflop (one billion floating point calculations a second), a measurement of speed previously reserved for expensive supercomputers. The fastest system in the now discontinued Power Macintosh G4 series, the Power Macintosh G4/1.42 DP MDD, which features dual 1.42 GHz PowerPC 7455 (G4) processors, delivers a peak performance of 21 gigaflops (21 billion floating point calculations a second).
Is the Power Macintosh G4 right for my needs?
[08.11.2003 Update: Now that the Power Macintosh G4 series has been discontinued, this answer is no longer particularly relevant. Nevertheless, the original answer remains below for "historical" reference.]
Of course only you can determine if a model from the Power Macintosh G4 series is the right Mac for you, but you should evaluate the pros and cons of the Power Macintosh G4 series to see if your needs are met.
Pros:
Relatively simple
and easy-to-use, setup, and get online.
Early adopter of USB and FireWire technologies (now
industry-standards, FireWire "800" after January
28, 2003).
Early adopter of AirPort wireless technology
(AirPort Extreme after January 28, 2003).
Early adopter of Bluetooth 1.1 wireless technology
(option available after January 28, 2003).
Fast processor(s) and excellent graphics
performance.
Choice of color-compatible, high-resolution, and
multiple displays.
Attractive, easy-to-open case.
DVD standard (optional before December 2, 1999, on
higher-end configs. after January 9, 2001, all
configs. after August 13, 2002).
CD-RW standard (after January 9, 2001).
SuperDrive standard - DVD-R/CD-RW (higher-end
configurations after January 9, 2001).
Reasonably expandable.
Relatively inexpensive.
Cons:
Expansion
somewhat limited by three PCI slots (four slots
after January 9, 2001).
No external SCSI, ADB, or serial support.
New RAM, incompatible with older Macs.
Small keyboard and mouse (before July 19,
2000).
Relatively expensive.
If expandability and screen size are not top priorities, you may also want to look into purchasing an iMac.
Where can I find additional information on the Power Macintosh G4?
In addition to this Q & A and specifications provided by EveryMac.com, and Apple's own site, MacInTouch has an in-depth Special Report, and the always excellent AccelerateYourMac has a section dedicated to the G4.
Power Mac G4 Main | Power Mac G4 Q & A (Main) | Previous Q & A Section
Home: Q & A: Apple: Power Mac G4 Q & A: Design, Config, & Purchasing
EveryMac.com is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind whatsoever. EveryMac.com, and the author thereof, shall not be held responsible or liable, under any circumstances, for any damages resulting from the use or inability to use the information within. For complete disclaimer and copyright information please read and understand the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy before using EveryMac.com. Use of any content or images without expressed permission is not allowed, although links to any page are welcomed and appreciated.