The iMac has been around for more than a quarter of a century. The first iMac burst onto the scene in 1998, and was a huge success, saving Apple’s bacon when things were looking bad. Like Dr. Who, the iMac has seen some significant changes over time, with each generation offering something different from the last.
Which raises the question: which is the best iMac of them all? It would be easy to simply say that it’s the M4 iMac, since it’s the most powerful model to date, but can you really say it’s had the same impact as the iconic iMac G3? You can’t rank the iMac generations without considering each design and the influence that each generation had.
This is how I feel they should be ranked, omitting the iMac Pro because if you’re Space Gray, then you’re not a real iMac at all.
9
Slimline Unibody iMac
I feel bad for the Slimline Unibody iMac, but one generation had to come last on this list. Unfortunately, this model fell foul of Apple’s continued desire to make every device it produces as thin as humanly possible. It’s a bit of a strange choice, however, for an all-in-one computer that you predominantly use face-on, meaning you can’t actually see how thick it is at all when you’re using it.
Whether or not it was necessary, the Slimline Unibody iMac certainly succeeded on the slimline remit, being just 5mm thick at some points. This came at a cost, however. The internal SuperDrive was removed, so if you wanted to use optical discs, you’d need to shell out for the external USB SuperDrive.
Another major issue was that, on the 21.5-inch models, upgrading the RAM was not an option. While it was physically possible, you needed to unglue the screen and take out the logic board to do so, something most iMac owners were unlikely to want to attempt. See Apple? Thinner doesn’t always equal better.
8
Polycarbonate Intel iMac
The Polycarbonate Intel iMac marked the first time that an iMac came with an Intel processor, replacing the PowerPC processors of the previous models. Apple would stick with Intel processors for the iMac all the way to 2021 when the first iMac with Apple silicon was released.
The new processors gave the Polycarbonate Intel iMac better performance than the iMac G5, but the design was essentially identical. There was no visual clue for visitors to indicate that your new iMac had Intel inside, and if you have to explain why your new computer is cool, it probably isn’t.
Another issue was that white polycarbonate tends to turn yellow after a while. While you can buy an Apple silicon iMac in yellow, it’s probably not a color you want in a computer that’s meant to be white.
7
iMac G5
In recent years, Apple has had a fixation with trying to make the operating systems look the same across all of its devices. For some time, macOS and iOS have been slowly morphing into one another, and there are rumors of a major redesign for iOS 19 that may bring the iPhone’s OS in line with the Apple Vision Pro’s visionOS. Because, of course, a lot of people have been asking why the UI on our iPhones doesn’t match that of the $3,500 augmented reality headset that almost all of us own.
With the Polycarbonate Intel iMac, Apple pulled a similar stunt by making the iMac look a little like its most popular product at the time: the iPod. The iMac G5 was released in 2004 when most iPods were still made with a white polycarbonate shell, and there’s definitely a resemblance.
The G5 arguably set the benchmark for the iMac, as although the color and materials have changed, it’s still fairly similar in design to the current iMac models, which isn’t something that could be said of the iMac G3 or iMac G4. All the components are hidden behind the display, which is supported on a curved aluminum stand that lasted through multiple generations and was clearly the inspiration for the more angular stand on the current iMacs.
6
Aluminum iMac
At first glance, the Aluminum iMac looks like the design that iMacs continued to use for more than a decade. However, it hadn’t quite evolved to its final form. While the front of the Aluminum iMac was made from, erm, aluminum, the back was made of black plastic.
While the back of your iMac may not always be visible, the black plastic looked far less premium than the sleek aluminum on the front. Unlike a DeLorean, the Aluminum iMac did not look better from behind. This model also had some issues with overheating, which could lead to pesky problems such as hard drive failure. So near, and yet so far.
5
Apple Silicon iMac
After years of iMacs running on Intel processors, Apple finally started to use processors of its own. The M1 iMac was released in 2021, and there was a lot to like about it. Apple’s M1 chip offered significant performance improvements over the previous Intel chips and also offered better energy efficiency.
The M1 iMac was also the first model that came in a range of colors since the original iMac G3, which is kind of insane considering how iconic the colorful iMac G3 was. Thankfully, you can now buy a purple iMac once more, even if Apple did chicken out of calling it Grape.
The new iMacs aren’t bad computers, with the latest M4 model being a solid all-in-one. My biggest issue with the Apple Silicon iMacs is that there’s no 27-inch, 5K option available. If you’ve come from a 27-inch Retina 5K iMac, going back to a 24-inch, 4.5K display feels a lot like a downgrade. Still, you only need to throw another $1600 at your purchase to get a Studio Display, right?
4
Retina iMac
For me, this was the pinnacle of the Unibody iMac design, taking everything that was good about the Unibody iMac and throwing in a simply gorgeous 27-inch 5K display. I’ve been clinging on to my Late 2014 Retina 5K iMac because, despite its age, it’s still just stunning to look at. Unfortunately, it’s reached the end of its life, and there’s no current iMac that can match it.
You could buy the 2020 27-inch Retina 5K iMac at launch for as little as $1,800, meaning for just $200 more than the current price of the Studio Display, you got a beautiful 27-inch 5K display, and an actual computer thrown in. I will forever mourn its passing.
The only reason that this iMac isn’t higher on this list is because, while the stunning display made an already great iMac even better, it’s still essentially a Unibody iMac. In terms of design, there’s nothing really new.
3
iMac G4
I don’t really know how to feel about the iMac G4. Objectively, it’s an incredible piece of design. Rather than building the hardware into a CRT monitor as the iMac G3 had done, the iMac G4 introduced a flat-panel display.
Since there wasn’t room for the hardware in the display, it was placed into the base of the iMac G4. Just as it did with the Dynamic Island, Apple leaned into this solution and made the base, and adjustable screen, a major feature.
My problem is that I just don’t love how it looks. I can’t help but imagine it jumping up and down on top of the Pixar logo, and very few people would describe an angle-poise lamp as beautiful. It’s a better computer than the iMac G3, with an infinitely better mouse, but it just doesn’t have the same stunning looks that the first iMac did.
That said, the flat-panel display was the first hint of what the modern iMac would look like, and you could never describe the design as boring. Being able to spin the screen around and angle it however you want is also genuinely useful. It deserves its place in the top three, despite my reservations about how it looks.
2
Unibody iMac
You know you’ve got your design right when it doesn’t really change for long periods of time; just ask the paperclip. The first Unibody iMac appeared in 2009, and Apple was still producing iMacs with essentially the same design in 2020. It was only with the first Apple Silicon iMac in 2021 that Apple finally said goodbye to the classic look.
While it wasn’t true of some models, many Unibody iMacs had a user-accessible RAM compartment, making it simple to upgrade the RAM yourself. This is something that’s no longer possible with the unified memory in modern iMacs where the memory is integrated into the system-on-a-chip (SOC). You need to think carefully about how much RAM you’ll need these days because whatever RAM you get in your modern iMac, you’re stuck with.
It’s highly unlikely that any future iMac design will stand the test of time the way that the Unibody iMac did. I’m pretty sure that on my deathbed, if I’m asked to imagine an iMac (as is almost bound to happen, right?) it will be a Unibody iMac that I see in my mind’s eye.
1
iMac G3
If the Unibody iMac was so good, why isn’t it in the top spot? Well, as good as the Unibody iMac was, it simply never had the same impact as the iMac G3. For a start, without the iMac G3, we may never have had the iPod or the iPhone.
Apple was really struggling before the launch of the iMac G3, but its commercial success effectively saved the company from potential bankruptcy. And of course, Apple has never looked back, becoming one of the most valuable companies in the world.
The iMac G3 also completely broke the mold of what a computer could look like. In a world of boxy PCs that came in any color you wanted, as long as it was beige, the iMac G3 was a true breath of fresh air. Not only was it colorful, but it was genuinely beautiful, putting the uninspired designs of its competitors to shame.
The iMac G3 wasn’t the first all-in-one computer, but by fitting the hardware inside the stylish CRT monitor, Apple managed to make the beige boxes of its competitors seem redundant, with the iMac G3 working as if by magic without a separate box in sight. It made the all-in-one sexy at a time when PCs were anything but.
The iMac G3 was also the first consumer computer to feature solely USB ports. It wouldn’t be the last time that people were forced to use adapters to use their accessories with Apple products, but the decision helped usher in the adoption of USB as the industry standard for peripherals.
The iMac G3 was far from perfect; plastic components could become brittle over time, there were problems with the transformer that powered the display, and the less said about the mouse, the better. However, its stunning looks, its enormous influence, and its status as a cultural icon mean that the iMac G3 makes it to the very top of the pile.
Looking for more ranked lists to get mad at? Check out the best versions of Windows and our favorite 3D Mario titles.
