Types of iMac

To talk about Apple is undoubtedly to talk about the iMac, computers that made history thanks to their advances and innovation. And they not only made history, but today they remain a benchmark when it comes to computing. The iMac is one of the most desired machines in the world by those looking for something that offers good performance, ease of use and quality worth highlighting. Let's take a look at some history about this computer, which today is quite different from how it was when it was born.

We have already talked to you before about the types of MacBook, and today we will bring you up to date on the types of iMac (and iMac Pro) that have followed one another up to today and what is coming in the next generation, of iMac or its "successors".

The first iMacs and their striking colors

The first iMac appeared on the market in 1998, almost at the dawn of the new century. One of its most attractive features was its appearance, with different colors to choose from. The most popular was the transparent navy blue, which was later replaced by a new range of colors.

The screen was very similar to a CRT television, and it came to have a 700 MHz processor, a 128 GB hard drive and 1 GB of RAM. Quite a milestone for that time. Today you can find some working models, which are genuine collector's items.

The screens flatten out

The next generation of iMac stood out for its design and for having a flat screen, whose base, which served as a stand, hid the CPU. Just two years later this stand gave way to a support that is still used today, and the whole computer was placed behind the screen, giving the impression that this is the only thing we have on the desk. Apple has always differentiated itself from the rest of the manufacturers by doing away with the tower and including all the hardware in a compact machine, except for the keyboard and the mouse.

The iMac Core Duo

The arrival of Intel processors to the iMac marked a new milestone in history. By 2006, they incorporated dual cores, capable of reaching 2.33 GHz. In addition, the screens were up to 24 inches in size, ideal for developers and graphic workers.

The second generation of these iMacs came with lightweight materials such as aluminum. The screens continued to become flatter, which, combined with the power of the graphics cards, would further improve image quality.

By 2008, the iMac had 4 GB of RAM and each processing core could reach 3.6 GHz of power.

The Core iX arrive

From 2012 onwards we enter what we can define as the current iMac, with i3, i5 and i7 processors. Hard drives increase their capacity and RAM becomes much more powerful. In fact, these computers can still be found on the second-hand market at high prices, since despite their age they continue to offer performance on par with much more modern machines.

In addition to these improvements, others such as the retina display and a rather interesting aesthetic renewal make the current iMacs high-power computers. Some models have 8 GB of RAM as standard, latest-generation processors and hard drives of at least 1 TB. In addition, they are the thinnest ever manufactured to date, and incorporate the most advanced ports, such as USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt.
Another striking detail is that the iMac no longer has an optical drive. Just as they did with the floppy disk, Apple has eliminated the CD and DVD reader. A new trend that some are starting to imitate, as they have done over the years.

The iMac of the future

Predicting what the iMac will look like in a few years is somewhat risky. Especially considering that technology advances at a dizzying pace and that Apple is filing patent applications such as Liquidmetal, a material exclusive to the brand. There is also talk of even thinner, more flexible and lighter screens, although in the case of desktop machines it does not seem to be a priority, unlike laptops and tablets.

Some suggest that, like the MacBook, the iMac could be replaced by an iPad in a few years. Obviously it would be a much more powerful machine than the ones we know today, with a screen size of between 21 and 24 inches that would have a direct connection with the keyboard and the mouse, but that could also be used without peripherals as it would be touch-enabled. It is early to know, so all this is really going quite far.

In any case, second-hand Apple machines will continue to be highly valued because their performance is well above some computers sold new today, and not just mid-range ones. Their processors, RAM capacity and storage mean that whoever buys an iMac can enjoy it for a long time as if it were the first day.
What types of iMac do you think there will be in a few years? How would you like your new computer to be in the future?

::: UPDATE :::

The new iMacs already feature ninth-generation Intel processors and Vega graphics; according to Apple it can improve performance by up to 240%, and for people who work with graphically demanding programs the arrival of Radeon Pro Vega can increase graphic performance by up to 80%.

The design remains the same, they have not yet decided to offer a redesign, just like the HDD hard drives and non-Retina screens, which are still available without upgrade.