the greatest vintage apple-collection

Lampshade

When Steve Jobs began personalizing his hardware with the letter "i" in 1998—iMac, iBook, and later iPod, iPhone and iPad—it was clear: Apple was opening a new chapter. The first colorful iMac left no one indifferent. It was sexy, colored and comparatively affordable—a computer that no longer needed to be hidden away but could stand out in the room.

My children had iMacs in various colors. These machines are still running today and show no signs of weakness. A design for eternity—robust, durable, and timeless. Apple impressively demonstrated that good design doesn't have to be short-lived.

But in 2002, Apple raised the bar even higher. The iMac G4 remains, for me, the pinnacle of Apple design. The iconic "lampshade" with its floating 15", 17", or 20" active-matrix display was not only technically impressive but also aesthetically unique. No other desktop Mac before or since has been so consistently designed.

These machines are all still running today. No manufacturing defects, no design flaws. Consequently, there are now numerous conversion projects where the iMac G4 is being used with modern technology. I myself own two 20" iMac G4s – one of which runs absolutely reliably today with a modern M-series processor.

My second iMac G4 with original G4 hardware is also in daily use, including with an old iTunes that is still surprisingly usable. The 20" iMac G4 is one of the most valuable Macs in my collection.

And indeed: A 20" iMac G4 is practically priceless – not because of the price, but because of its availability. In the last 15 years, I have seen exactly two for sale in Switzerland. I bought both.