When you look back at the list of the best Macs of all time, the 1998 iMac G3 gets a lot of praise for putting Apple back on the map, and rightly so. But there’s another Mac from that era that often goes unnoticed, and today it celebrates its 25th anniversary.
That Apple computer is the Power Mac G3 450 Blue and White edition. While the colorful iMac G3 ushered in a new era for Apple by building its reputation as a forward-thinking company that made fun, innovative computers, the Power Mac G3 Blue and White cemented that idea, proving that Apple was back in a big way.
What was all the fuss about? Well, let’s start with its exterior appearance. The clue is in the name: While previous Power Mac models (and virtually every PC on the market) used a boring beige tower aesthetic, the Power Mac G3 borrowed from the iMac and mixed things up with a blue-and-white design, which was immediately recognizable. It was creative, distinctive, and desirable, something not normally associated with computers in those days, especially professional machines.
Interestingly, the Blue and White 450 model was not the original revision of the Power Mac G3. The Power Mac G3 was initially released in 1997 with the soft beige look that Apple had been struggling to sell for years. However, after the bright blue iMac G3 launch in 1998, Apple knew it could never go back to the old way of doing things. And thus the Power Mac G3 Blue and White was born in January 1999. Six months later the 450 model arrived and the internal power it brought with it.
This computer wasn’t just about external appearance: it also had a ton of brilliant features on the inside.
For one, it came with a nifty hinged panel that allowed you to open the side of the computer by simply lifting a latch. The motherboard was attached to the side panel, which meant you could lay it flat and access all the components without needing to reach inside the computer. You could even open the Power Mac while it was running, all without problems. It was a user-friendly way of thinking that was almost completely absent from the competition, something Apple has continued to explore with the latest Mac Pro design.
The 450 version of the Power Mac G3 was also a significant improvement over its 1997 predecessor in terms of components. It had faster chips offering clock speeds of up to 450 Mhz (hence the name), faster memory, and a faster motherboard, proving that an attractive design didn’t have to mean sacrificing performance. Notably, the Blue and White edition was also the first Mac to ship with FireWire. This featured transfer speeds of 400 Mbps, which at the time was a super fast connection to connect your peripherals.
Ultimately, the Power Mac G3 Blue and White edition proved that high-powered computers didn’t have to be boring and staid. They could have a splash of color and a splash of personality, include nifty features to make your life easier, and still offer excellent performance. In a world full of beige boxes, what better way to stand out?
While Apple’s Mac desktop computers have been geared more toward the professional audience, the colorful approach is still alive and well in the current line of iMacs. The Power Mac G3 was a computer from a different era, but it will always have a prominent place in computing history.
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