Mac · The Beige Era · 1997
Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh
A $7,499 statement piece with a slim LCD, Bose sound and a separate bass unit, delivered by a tuxedoed concierge. It flopped and was fire-saled — but foreshadowed the iMac G4.
Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh: key facts
When was the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh released?
The Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh was released in March 1997. Apple discontinued it in March 1998.
How much did the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh cost?
The Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh launched at $7,499 in 1997 — about $14,923 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What are the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh’s specs?
The Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh used a PowerPC 603e running at 250 MHz, with 32 MB of memory and 2.0 GB of storage. It ran System 7.6.1.
Why does the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh matter?
A flat-panel all-in-one years before the iMac — Apple’s luxury concept car.
Full specifications
| CPU | PowerPC 603e · 250 MHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 1 |
| Memory (RAM) | 32 MB (up to 128 MB) |
| Storage | 2.0 GB |
| Display | 12.1" active-matrix LCD, 800×600 |
| GPU | ATI 3D Rage II |
| Ports | SCSI, ADB, S-video, TV/FM tuner |
| Weight | 9.5 kg |
| Dimensions | Vertical flat-panel all-in-one |
| Operating system | System 7.6.1 |
| Released | March 1997 |
| Discontinued | March 1998 |
| Launch price | $7,499 |
How the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 512× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 250 MHz, the clock is roughly 13× slower than a single performance core of a 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro — and that is before counting cores, width and IPC.
All of this storage holds about 500 modern phone photos.
Launched at $7,499 in 1997 — about $14,923 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Cross-architecture speed figures are clock-only and approximate; inflation figures use US CPI.
Did you know?
Early buyers were promised in-person setup by someone in a tuxedo.
Related Mac models
Open the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-06-25