How the iMac, which sold 5 million units in 2 years and 8 months, saved Apple from bankruptcy
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Steve Jobs , co-founder of Apple who died in 2011, was once kicked out of the company he founded, Apple, and then returned to the company. The first iMac released after Jobs' return was a huge hit, selling 5 million units. Appleinider, a website that covers Apple-related news, explains how the iMac sold 5 million units in less than three years.
How Apple went from bust to five million colorful iMacs sold
https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/04/19/how-apple-went-from-bust-to-five-million-colorful-imacs-sold
The iMac, released in the US on August 15, 1998, and in Europe and Japan on August 29, was an 'all-in-one machine with a built-in display' that had previously been released as a Macintosh. It was a model that stood out from previous Apple products, with its rounded design, colorful skeleton body, and ease of use that even people who are not familiar with machines could easily set up. appleinsider highly praised the iMac, saying, 'The most important computer Apple ever made was the Apple II . The Macintosh was a world changer. But the best was the iMac.'
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You can see Jobs' presentation announcing the iMac in the following movie. Jobs introduced Apple's achievements and the already announced PowerBook G3 , and then introduced the concept and actual machine of the iMac from about 16 minutes in, saying that 'home desktop machines do not yet exist.' In addition, this iMac was the first Apple product to bear the 'i' before the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, and it is explained that it symbolizes 'internet,' 'individual,' 'instruct,' 'inform,' and 'inspire.'
Steve Jobs introduces the iMac - 1998 - YouTube
Jobs began his presentation by talking for about four minutes about Apple's performance and finances. He commented, 'It's been 10 months since Apple's new management team was hired. They're working so hard, you can see cars parked in our parking lots at night and on weekends. And I'm very pleased to tell you today that thanks to their hard work, Apple is back on track.'
Appleinsider points out that 'This first half of the speech gave Jobs the impression that Apple was on the brink of bankruptcy and was trying to embark on a completely new path,' and 'Jobs, as usual, praised the machine, charmingly and matter-of-factly saying that 'all computers should always be like this, but only Apple has managed to make them.''
In a television interview with Jobs on the eve of the iMac's release, Jobs was asked, 'Does Apple have enough iMacs ready to meet demand?' to which he replied, 'I don't know. We're making a lot of iMacs, but we'll find out tomorrow what the real demand is. Demand may well exceed supply.'
Steve Jobs TV interview about iMac launch (1998) - YouTube
Some analysts criticized the iMac for its avant-garde design and low price, which were far removed from conventional PCs. However, sales of the iMac were phenomenal when it was released, exceeding one million units in just one year. For example, it is said that one of the reasons for the rapid spread of USB is that the first iMac, which eliminated all terminals such as serial ports and SCSI and unified into USB only, was a huge hit, and many peripheral device manufacturers rushed to release USB-connected printers and keyboards.
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Ken Segall, who worked on promoting the iMac at an advertising agency, testified that 'just as iMac sales were approaching one million, Jobs tried to imitate Willy Wonka from 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.''
Jobs came up with the idea of preparing a single golden certificate with the words 'This is the 1 millionth iMac' written on it and enclosing it in the iMac box. The plan was that anyone who got the certificate would have their purchase price refunded and be invited to Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California, and have a tour of the Apple headquarters with their family. Jobs also wanted to greet guests dressed as Willy Wonka from 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.' However, this idea did not come to fruition because it got caught up in California's sweepstakes regulations.
by Mraz Center for the Performing Arts
On April 19, 2001, two years, eight months and four days after its release, iMac sales reached 5 million units. This means that one iMac was sold every 1.183 seconds. Thanks to the huge success of the iMac, Apple, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, was able to revive. When the 5 million units were reached, Apple quietly issued a press release. Jobs commented, 'Simply put, the iMac redefined consumer and educational computing, pioneering several industry firsts including USB, FireWire, desktop movies, wireless networking, quiet fanless operation and world-class design. We look forward to shipping our 10 millionth iMac in the coming years.'
Apple Ships 5 Millionth iMac - Apple
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2001/04/19Apple-Ships-5-Millionth-iMac/
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