Apple Ships 5 Millionth iMac!

by , 2:10 PM EDT, April 19th, 2001

Apple has issued a very interesting press release announcing that the company has now shipped the 5 millionth iMac since the computers went into production in 1998. The announcement comes just one day after Apple held a press conference announcing their 2nd fiscal quarter results. There was no mention of this feat in that press conference. The press release, including the fluff quotes we normally remove:

Apple® today announced that it has shipped its five millionth iMac(TM) computer. The iMac's winning combination of performance, simplicity and affordability has made it one of the most popular computers in homes, schools and business. The iMac's award-winning design has set design trends around the world, inspiring products far outside the computer industry.

"Simply put, the iMac has redefined the consumer and education computer, ushering in several industry firsts including USB, FireWire, desktop movies, wireless networking, quiet fan-less operation and world-class design," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "I look forward to shipping our ten millionth iMac in a few years."

iMac offers a great all-in-one design that is fun and easy to use. Packed with innovation, iMac was the first desktop to give customers their choice of translucent colors and stunning patterns with which to personalize their home or workspace. iMac was one of the first computers to include USB and FireWire® ports for easy and fast connections to a wide range of peripherals, and built-in support for wireless networking. iMac was also the first consumer desktop to provide revolutionary fan-less operation, resulting in a significant reduction of ambient noise.

Delivering exciting solutions to customers in the home and classroom, the iMac's easy set up enables even novice users to get on the Internet within 10 minutes of first lifting it out of the box. Evolved to enhance today's digital lifestyle, Apple's latest line of iMacs offer CD-RW drives and revolutionary applications such as iTunes, Apple's amazing "jukebox" software; and iMovie(TM) 2, the world's most popular, easy-to-use consumer digital video editing software. With prices starting as low as $899 suggested retail, iMac continues to be an incredible value and Apple's most affordable computer.

Congratulations to Apple! May they ship another 25 million iMacs in the near future. :-)

The Mac Observer Spin:

It is somewhat curious that this fact was not mentioned in yesterday's press conference or in Steve Jobs' CNBC interview. It was either a calculated to extend their momentum, or an afterthought. Please note we don't think it was an afterthought. Apple's iMac has been constantly declared a failure, a fad, a short term fashion, and just about every other name in the book. Despite decreasing sales of the model, it has proven to be a big hit even two and half years after its introduction.

Note to all PC pundits ready to proclaim Apple's death anew, it ain't gonna happn', and let there be no mistake that this press release is a none-too-subtle reminder of that fact. Picture it as a big middle finger extended in the face of Apple's long running critics and doubters.

Where were we? Ah yes. We hope that Apple has a nice redesign of the iMac in the works to renew the popularity of the computer. With the first iMac models having shipped two years and eight months ago, it is time for many iMac owners to succumb to the upgrade cycle. A nice shiny new 17" or flat panel iMac is just the ticket. The cycle makes sense in terms of the industry.

Lastly, note the effort that Apple is making to attribute some of the success of the iMac to iTunes and iMovie. No doubt this is true. Just as their claims that they helped popularize USB. In fact, the press release understates that point as Apple can largely take claim for truly bringing USB to the Mac and PC world. Not bad for a fad.

Apple