These Rare iMacs Literally Broke The Mold With Their 'Groovy' Nostalgic Designs

In the early 2000s, few tech outfits were quite as dedicated to pushing the boundaries of innovation in the personal computer realm as Apple. Even fewer companies were dedicated to innovating with such flair, as Steve Jobs and the Apple design team were almost notoriously focused on releasing computers and devices that were as practical in use as they were appealing to look at. And when it comes to that latter category, few of Apple's products were quite as eye-catching as the legendary Apple iMac G3.

The then-recently returned Steve Jobs debuted the iMac in 1998, with the tech-loving masses enjoying its rounded edges and candy-colored outer shells, as much as they did the computer's all-in-one design. One could argue that this device, perhaps more than any in the greater Apple lineup, helped to inspire the brand's fanatical "Cult of Mac" following. During the iMac's 5-year production run, Jobs and legendary designer Jony Ive would cement the computer's legacy by outfitting it in some truly outlandish colorways.

But during the 2001 MacWorld Tokyo presentation, the iMac got, arguably, its trippiest upgrade ever when Jobs debuted the "Flower Power" iMac. The device was essentially a G3 build donned in a fully psychedelic shell, a look unlike any iMac that had ever come before, or even since. Moments after debuting Flower Power, Jobs displayed another psychedelic treat in the spotted "Blue Dalmatian" iMac, which was every bit as unique both in its look, and its creation.  

It was hardly surprising that Apple went a little wacky with the iMac G3 — even as serious as Steve Jobs was about the devices bearing the brand's iconic logo, he always seemed just as focused on ensuring those devices were as fun and engaging for users as they were functional. Nothing screams "fun" in the PC realm like a computer seemingly spawned from a psychedelic fever dream out of the 1960s Haight-Ashbury scene.

As these psychedelic offerings were making their debut at the heyday of the modern Apple design movement, creating the Flower Power and Blue Dalmatian iMac G3s, naturally, became an intricate design project in and of itself. At first glance, it might appear that the trippy shells were merely the product of some slick decal or some simple coloring in the plastic, but that was not the case. As Jobs himself detailed during the MacWorld Tokyo presentation, his design team actually spent upwards of 18-months developing a process in which the patterns were molded directly into the plastic. While one might reasonably question the allocation of resources that no doubt went into their making, few could argue the trippy, limited edition G3's didn't make a statement.

While the computers still have their detractors, the psychedelic confections have become relatively sought after in the vintage Mac aftermarket, and these days the outlandish iMacs, despite having hardware that's decades out of date, can still sell from anywhere between $600 and $800 based on their condition and, of course, the strength of your combined Summer of Love and early-2000s Mac nostalgia.