How Much Did the First iMac Cost in 1998?
By the Price Time Machine team · Updated
The original iMac price was $1,299 when Apple’s first iMac went on sale on August 15, 1998. Apple had unveiled it three months earlier, on May 6, 1998. Adjusted for inflation, $1,299 is about $2,679 in September 2026 money, roughly 2.1 times the original price.
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iMac G3 at a glance
- US launch price
- $1,299
- In today’s money
- ≈ $2,679August 1998 to September 2026 (CPI-U, BLS)
- US release date
- August 15, 1998
- Where it was designed
- Cupertino, United StatesDesigned by Apple in Cupertino, California.
- Category
- Gaming & tech
- Price source
- en.wikipedia.org
Today’s price is the US launch price adjusted for US inflation with the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, comparing the launch month with the latest published month. It updates automatically as new figures come out.
Steve Jobs and the $1,299 computer
Apple’s chief executive at the time, Steve Jobs, announced the iMac on May 6, 1998. CNN reported his claim that “This $1,299 product is faster than the fastest Pentium II you can buy.” The computer used a 233 MHz G3 processor, a 15-inch screen and a 33.6 kilobit modem, and it came with Intuit’s Quicken 98 Deluxe.
Its look was as important as its speed. The case was translucent and somewhat egg-shaped, which was a startling contrast with the beige boxes then on sale. Jobs said Apple had been working hard on fashion, which he called very important in the consumer market.
The original iMac price in today’s money
Inflation means a dollar buys less today than it did in 1998. Using the US Consumer Price Index, the original iMac price of $1,299 works out at about $2,679 in September 2026 money, around 2.1 times the original figure. That is what the same amount of spending power would cost now, not what a iMac sells for second-hand.
What was inside
- Processor: 233 MHz PowerPC G3
- Memory: 32 MB of RAM
- Storage: 4 GB hard drive
- Screen: 15-inch built-in display, with stereo speakers
- Connections: USB as its only interface. It had no floppy drive and no SCSI ports
Why no floppy disk mattered
Leaving out the floppy drive was controversial in 1998, when most people still carried files on disks. Apple was betting that USB devices, networks and the internet would replace them. The iMac’s name carried the same message: the “i” stood for internet, and the machine was built to get online easily.
Did the iMac save Apple?
Macworld calls it arguably the most influential desktop computer of the decade and says it did not shake things up until it began to ship. Apple earned $414 million in 1998, its first profit in three years, a result Macworld attributes to cost cutting and iMac sales.
Frequently asked questions
How much did the first iMac cost?
The first iMac cost $1,299 when it went on sale in the United States on August 15, 1998.
How much is $1,299 from 1998 worth today?
Adjusted for US inflation, the original iMac price is about $2,679 in September 2026 money.
When did Apple announce the iMac?
Steve Jobs announced it on May 6, 1998, and it began shipping on August 15, 1998.
Did the first iMac have a floppy drive?
No. It had USB ports and no floppy disk drive.
Want to compare the original iMac price with similar launches? See what the Apple Macintosh, the Apple II, the iPod and the Apple Newton cost, read our price history guides, browse more famous launch prices, or play the iMac question in Price Time Machine.
Sources
Launch prices and dates are checked against the sources below. Today’s price is calculated from official US inflation data and updates automatically when new figures are published.
- Newspaper report: CNN Money, “Apple unveils iMac” (May 6, 1998)
- Magazine report: Macworld, iMac anniversary
- Wikipedia: IMac G3
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)