February 22, 2001: Sporting a wild design that would make a hippie happy, the special edition iMac puts a crazy face on the colorful computer that saved Apple’s bacon at the turn of the century. iMac Flower Power and iMac Blue Dalmatian evoke tie-dyed shirts and other unconventional imagery from the 1960s.
A far cry from the super-serious, heavy-aluminum industrial design that would define Apple for years to come, these color-patterned iMacs stand out as some of the most respectful computers Cupertino has ever dreamed up. (Come on, when was the true Dalmatian blue?)
Beneath the crazy-looking exterior, hums a damn fine iMac G3.
Flower Power and blue Dalmatian iMacs
The Flower Power and Blue Dalmatian iMac marked the culmination of the ultra-color line that began with the original Bondi Blue iMac in 1998. The line also included Blueberry, Strawberry, Lime, Tangerine, Grape, Graphite, Indigo, Ruby, Sage and Snow options.
At a time when typical computers came in ugly beige or gray chassis, the colorful iMac line proved to be revolutionary. He tapped into the same spirit of individualism that made “Think Different” work as a slogan for Apple. The goal was for everyone to be able to choose the Mac that best represents their personality.
Goofy marketing? Clearly. A stroke of genius? Definitely.
Flower Power iMac: A nod to Apple’s past
In some ways, the hippie-themed iMacs served as a fun nod to Apple’s past. They also fit in perfectly with the pop culture of the time: the 1990s and the beginning of the 21st century are full of nostalgia for the 60s.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has always described himself, accurately or not, as heavily inspired by the counterculture of the 1960s. Still, it might be hard to imagine him planting a Flower Power iMac in his office. Or a Blue Dalmatian iMac for that matter.
Regular Mac fans responded as you’d expect. Not everyone was a fan of the new computers, but that wasn’t the point. With an affordable price tag of $1,199 to $1,499 and decent mid-range specs (PowerPC G3 500 or 600 MHz processor, 64 MB or 128 MB RAM, 256 KB Level 2 cache, CD-RW drive, and 15-inch monitor), these Macs definitely appealed to the masses.
Not everyone wanted a Mac with a crazy pattern – but some people loved them!
iMac G3: A Game Changer
As I wrote in “Today in Apple History”, the iMac G3 was a game changer for Apple. In fact, you could argue that it’s the second most important product Apple has ever produced, after the groundbreaking Apple II computer in 1977.
The first real collaboration between Jobs and Apple design guru Jony Ive, the G3 became a massive commercial hit at a time when Apple really needed it. If the iMac had sunk like a stone, there might never have been an iPod, iPhone, iPad, or any of the other breakthrough Apple products that followed in the next decade.
The Flower Power and Blue Dalmatian iMacs didn’t last long after all. Apple discontinued them in July, making way for the iMac G4—my personal favorite—which shipped in 2002.
What was your favorite iMac G3 color (or pattern)? Did you have a day like that? Leave your comments below.
