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The original "soccer ball" iMac.The first Mac with a G4 processor debuted in the summer of 1999, and had a top processor speed of 500 MHz. However, problems plagued early models. The top-end model was ratcheted down to 450 MHz, and each of the other speeds 400 MHz and 450 MHz were also bumped down by 50 MHz. The last Mac with a G4 processor was manufactured in mid-2004. By that late date, most serious users had moved on to the G5, which was based on a far more robust processor. -
The Quicksilver Mac, aka The Silver Bullet.The G4 processor, coupled with a newly designed motherboard, gave an enormous performance boost over previous models. It also featured additional memory (RAM) capacity, another perk that endeared it to artsy types. Additionally, Apple increased the number of slots in the back to four (from two), allowing users to further configure their Macs with sound cards, high-end video cards, or extra monitor ports. -
The PowerBook G4.Creative types, including graphic artists, videographers and musicians preferred the G4, like most Apple computers. The new processor helped ensure that this core group of users would have a powerful new tool at their disposal. -
The infamous Mac Cube.The initial version was the Graphite tower PowerMac G4, which retained the same iconic look of the turquoise G3 model. A later desktop model, a silver-toned machine was introduced as well. Besides the desktop G4 line, Apple also introduced a series of PowerBook G4 models. These included most notably the aptly named PowerBook G4. The original "soccer ball" iMacs featured a G4 processor, as did ill-fated Mac Cube. -
By June 2004, the G4 became a legacy model.While the G4 line of Macs was a quantum leap in the world of computing, those that are still in service have been left in the dust by newer, faster and sleeker models. While older computers still have a place in this world, these models are starting to hit the end of their useful life, and have been relegated to data entry and word processing stations, not as the powerful graphics workstations that they enjoyed the first half of the first decade of the millennium.
