IMac 15' Flat Pannel 700 MHz PowerPC G4 1GB SDRAM, Mac OS X (10.3.x), i love my little bubble computer Posted on Mar 25, 2008 9:41 AM Reply I have this question too ( 1 ) I have this question too Me too (1) Me too. In July the same year Apple added a 17” iMac G4 to the lineup featuring a 800MHz CPU and a GeForce MX4 rather than the GeForce MX2 in the 15” models. This 17” iMac G4 (M8812LL) is capable to run OS X and also able to boot into MacOS 9. However, in February 2003 Apple replaced the 17” iMac G4 / 800MHz with another 17” iMac G4 / 800MHz.
As you might know from my previous posts, I am looking for some vintage Macs. The iMac G4 was obviously on my list as was the PowerMac G4 Cube. The Cube is still eluding me, but an iMac G4 is quite easy to come by. Except when you look for a specific model like I do.
I assume it will take me quite a while to find a G4 Cube in excellent condition so I figured I grab an iMac G4 that is also capable of booting into Mac OS9, a task previously intended for the G4 Cube. Every iMac G4 can run Mac OS 9 in OS X’s Classic Environment. Basically Mac OS 9 gets loaded within OS X (up to and including OS X 10.4 “Tiger”) allowing you to run Mac OS 9 application within OS X, but some applications and especially games have problems with that approach. That’s why I wanted the real deal where the Mac boots Mac OS 9 rather than launching it within OS X. The first iMac G4 can do that, but I wanted one with a 17” display. Here things got a bit more tricky.
Apple introduced the iMac G4 in January 2002. Initially there were 2 models to choose from, both with 15” displays and the cheaper one with a 700MHz CPU while the more expensive one featured a 800MHz CPU and larger HDD. In July the same year Apple added a 17” iMac G4 to the lineup featuring a 800MHz CPU and a GeForce MX4 rather than the GeForce MX2 in the 15” models. This 17” iMac G4 (M8812LL) is capable to run OS X and also able to boot into MacOS 9.
However, in February 2003 Apple replaced the 17” iMac G4 / 800MHz with another 17” iMac G4 / 800MHz (M9105LL). On the hardware side it stayed pretty much the same, but this newer iMac G4/800 cannot boot into Mac OS 9 anymore. Looking for a used one more than a decade later makes it quite tiresome to find the right model when people usually announce their iMacs with CPU speed and display size only.
What Did I Get?
It took me a while to find “my” iMac G4 in a decent condition where the optical drive and the HDD work, the display arm is still firm, the display doesn’t have any scratches or bad pixels and the white of the body is still at least white-ish. I got mine dirt-cheap in a really decent condition. It came without anything except 2 installations disks (out of the 6 it originally came with) which were also really badly scratched and un-usuable in any of the drives I tried them with. Heck, it didn’t even come with a power cord. Thankfully the power cord is the same power cord that goes into the power supply of the old Mac mini so I used that one. Finding a power cord like this somewhere to buy is a lot more difficult that one might think, at least in Europe.
That’s what 80 Euros including shipping got me. Missing a keyboard and mouse is not a problem as any USB keyboard and mouse will do. Apple input devices from that era are usually very cheap, too – if you want to go for the original look.
I got the keyboard (Apple Pro Keyboard) and mouse (Apple Pro Mouse) for it on eBay as there are plenty to choose from. Just to make things a little harder, Apple decided to rename both the keyboard and the mouse some years later to Apple Keyboard and Apple Mouse loosing the “Pro” moniker. That being said, every USB keyboard or mouse will work if you don’t care about “original” condition. And unless you are anal about it, you really shouldn’t. While the keyboard is pretty nice to work with, the Apple Pro Mouse is just awful.
Yes, it’s an optical mouse and works quite well and accurate on all common surfaces, but the whole mouse is basically the mouse button. The lack of left and right mouse button is really unintuitive these days and what’s even worse is the is the absence of any scrolling input. Do yourself a favor and get its successor: Apple’s Might Mouse. While it might not be the best mouse around, it is still very usable from today’s point of view. That being said, don’t buy the wireless Might Mouse like I did. It is just too heavy for comfortable use. The wired model feels so much better and since the keyboard offers two USB ports, you can keep the amount of wires running across your desk at bay.
I also managed to find Apple Pro Speakers on eBay. Some of the more expensive iMac G4s came with those speakers that are pretty darn good for their size. They aren’t really necessary as the iMac G4 has built-in speakers, but due to the size restrains in its body they are mediocre at best. Not to mention the Pro Speakers have quite an unique look. However, you pay for the look with cash as they aren’t cheap these days and they come with a proprietary mini plug rather than the standard headphone jack.
What Do I Need?
I need to get more RAM for this iMac G4. It currently has 512MB and that isn’t enough for OS X Tiger. Yes, Tiger runs quite OK on those 512MB, but an application here and there and a couple of tabs in the browser and it begins to crawl. Unlike other Macs, upgrading to the maximum amount of supported memory on the iMac G4 is tricky. It has two memory slots and that’s where the fun begins. One of these slots is a standard notebook 144-pin SO-DIMM and takes a PC133 memory module with up to 512MB RAM. This memory slot is considered by Apple “user accessible” and you only need to unscrew 4 screws at the bottom of the base to get to it.
The other slot is a standard desktop one: 168-pin DIMM, again PC133 memory up to 512MB RAM. This one however is not easily accessible as it’s located in the upper part of the body and that means taking the entire iMac G4 apart to get to it.
I really don’t feel like taking the whole thing apart just now, so I plan to get a 512MB SO-DIMM and upgrade the memory to 768MB and see it that’s enough. I know Tiger runs really nicely on a PowerBook G4 (yes, I got myself one, but that’s a story for another post) with 1GB RAM, so I hope that 768MB RAM will be close to that experience.
What Do I Do With It?
Well, first I am going to reinstall OS X and then get Mac OS 9 on it. When I get my hands on OS X version before Tiger I plan to install those too to see how OS X evolved over time. Considering the availability and prices this might take a while though.
I expect to spend most of my time on this iMac G4 with Mac OS 9, old games and apps. I was very eager to see how useful a PowerPC Mac can still be these days (or not), but I will use the PowerBook G4 for that purpose.
Without tricks the last OS X that can be installed on this iMac G4 is OS X Tiger (10.4.11). With tricks you can install OS X Leopard (10.5.8) on it, but due to the slow CPU and the amount of RAM it’s not really a good idea. From my experience so far and from what I have been reading you want at least 1.5GB RAM for Leopard. You want 1GB RAM for Tiger and that’s the maximum these older iMacs G4 can be upgraded to (newer iMac G4 models are capable of being upgraded to 2GB RAM).
Bringing An Imac G4 Back To Life Imac G4 Specs
So I will leave PowerPC viability in 2013/2014 to the PowerBook G4 while focusing on the past and especially Mac OS 9 on this iMac G4. Expect some posts in a month or so on that subject – possibly even earlier since I just won an auction for a copy of Mac OS 9 Retail earlier today 🙂
PowerPC G-Series
Post-NeXT and the Second Jobs Dynasty
iMac – 1998
Whimsical and relatively cheap ($1299), the original iMac marked Apple’s new design direction and return to profitability in the Second Jobs Dynasty. Gone were “boring beige boxes” and legacy technologies like the floppy disk, ADB and SCSI; the iMac was a “New World” G3-based system and introduced USB to the Mac faithful. The iMac captured the spirit of the original compact Mac, was easy to use and distinctly different from anything else on the market – a once and soon-to-be-again Apple trait. The iMac’s importance to Apple earns this model an honorable inclusion in the VMM in spite of that unfortunate bondi blue color and the “puck mouse” debacle.
VMM TV :Say Hello to iMac
PowerMac G4 “Graphite” (AGP) – 1999
Combining iterations made since the beige G3 series, Apple finally hit a design and stylistic home run with the PowerMac G4 AGP-Graphics series. These “Graphite” models inherited the highly serviceable fold-down side design of the earlier G3 and G4 towers, had faster system and graphics buses, fit 4 internal hard drives, and sported a very elegant color scheme suitable for professional environments. The AGP line existed for several years in many different model configurations, eventually evolving into the QuickSilver case (but losing the CD eject button… sigh). Aftermarket G4 upgrade cards kept these models productive well past their normal retirement ages. VMM TV:PowerMac G4 “Weapon”
PowerMac G4 Cube – 2000
Steve Jobs loves cube shaped computers. He first designed one for NeXT, which was an aesthetic success but a commercial failure. His second attempt for Apple fared similarly, but has obtained collector status due to the beauty and novelty of the design. The Cube is 8″ tall and passively cooled for silent operation (fans are a longstanding peeve of Steve). However, its limited expansion capability and premium price led to slow sales as users felt bang for the buck was lacking. Apple finally got the small headless Mac tradeoff right a few years later with the mini, itself a third the size of the Cube with more power at a lower cost.
The VMM G4 Cube runs Mac OS X 10.4.11 and serves as the central file server for Oakbog and the Museum. Tiger is a good choice for this function since it’s version of AppleShare IP can communicate with all versions of Mac OS from System 7.5.3 through to the latest OS X release.
VMM Blog:Vintage Mac Museum Workhorse – PowerMac G4 Cube
iMac DV and the OS X Evolution
New products often take a generaton or two to work out the bugs, and the iMac was no exception. With the introduction of the DV series of slot loading iMacs (G3 400MHz and faster) Apple finally offered useable processing power at a low price – down to $799 at one point. It also came in a mature and refined case with much less garish colors – Flower Power & Dalmation notwithstanding. FireWire ports for DV video production, DVD/CD-RW drives, and the same fanless design as the G4 Cube rounded out the experience. The iMac DV is an excellent Mac OS 9 machine, and with some extra added RAM makes an adequate (if pokey) Mac OS X system.
iMac DV systems play a special role in the Museum showcasing the evolution of Mac OS X: Sage, Ruby and Indigo units are loaded with Mac OS X 10.0.4 (Cheetah), 10.1.5 (Puma) and 10.2.8 (Jaguar) respectively.
iMac G4 – 2002
Flat Out Cool! That’s how Time magazine described the iMac G4 when it was introduced. A radical departure from previous designs, Apple (and specifically designer John Ive) were hitting on all cylinders. The R2-D2’esque “iLamp” had FireWire, USB, and a 15″, 17″ or 20″ screen that floated lightly on a lamp-like swing arm for easy positioning. The design did have some limitations – its difficult to open for servicing and the eyeball speakers add an extra item to your desktop – but in this writer’s opinion it’s one of Apple’s most elegant designs ever.
At the VMM a 17″ iMac G4 runs Tiger with Mac OS 9 in “Classic” mode, to allow Filemaker Pro v4 software to print to an old CD printer via a USB-to-Serial-Port adapter. Who says 10 year old peripherals can’t still be useful?
VMM TV :iMac G4 “Window”
PowerMac G4 MDD “Wind Tunnel” – 2002
An evolutionary model, the PowerMac G4 MDD (Mirrored Drive Doors) featured dual processors in a sturdy redesigned tower that now offered two 5.25″ front drive bays, 3 IDE buses and and 4 internal hard disks. The excellent fold-down side design was retained, and even the notoriously sluggish Mac OS X felt snappy on these systems. Cooling was beginning to become an issue with faster CPU speeds, and some configurations had problems with very loud fans. The press quickly adopted the moniker “wind tunnel” and the nickname stuck. Fixes in subsequent OS releases largely resolved the problem. This is the last series of PowerMacs which can be dual-booted into Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X; newer models are OS X only.
VMM Blog:Reinstalling Mac OS 9 on a PowerMac G4 MDD
iMac G5 – 2004
Sensing a slowdown in iMac G4 sales, and addressing some of that model’s design flaws, the iMac G5 came in 17″ and 20″ models with very good cost/performance ratios. Apple trumpeted the easy to service features for adding RAM and swapping hard drives, and many people just looked at the screen and asked where’s the computer? Oddly, the second iteration of the iMac G5 was less user-serviceable than the first; in hindsight it’s likely they were prepping the case for the upcoming (but as-yet-unannounced) Intel CPU change. Front Row media center software debuted on this model, complete with an IR remote control reminiscent of the MacTV.
Unfortunately as they age the iMac G5 has had problems with overheating and bad capacitors, and this model has not weathered the test of time well. Still, if Apple had made this iMac in black I would have purchased one immediately…
Mac mini G4 – 2005
Finally achieving commercial success with a cube-like system on the third attempt, the Mac mini was Apple’s minimalist answer to everybody who always pestered them for a $500 Mac. Sold CPU only (bring-your-own keyboard, mouse and monitor), the mini’s small size and decent performance made it a practical desktop system, living room media center or a cheap headless server. It was also popular among car stereo designers – the case fits nicely into a car radio dashboard slot!
Despite an unnecessarily hard to open case the mini was quite popular, and the form factor has survived the transition into the Intel CPU lineup. The VMM mini runs Leopard, the final release of Mac OS X that supports PowerPC Macs.VMM TV:Switch (Ellen Feis)
Xserve G4/G5, Mac OS X Server – 2002
Apple had offered server configurations of their systems in the past, but they were basically souped-up versions of existing towers with AppleShare Server and additional software installed. The Xserve represented a completely new form factor designed specifically to be a rack-mount unit and work well in corporate server environments. The stylish enclosure supported up to 4 internal drives (G4 models), dual ethernet connectors, remotely controllable status lights (on the front and back panels) and 64-bit multiprocessor support (G5 models). They retained compatibility for existing 32-bit Mac software, had external Apple hardware RAID expansion options, and came in primary server and cluster node configurations. Mac OS X Server software supported many functions for email, FTP, web hosting and mixed Mac-Windows file sharing environments.
The G5 Xserve was replaced by the Intel-based Xeon model in 2006, using the same form factor. Definitely a well-thought out and sturdy design. VMM Blog: The PowerPC Bows Out
Bringing An Imac G4 Back To Life Imac G4 Unlocked
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