The iMac's all-in-one design in bright colors was launched in August 1998, 25 years ago last August. It was based around a cathode-ray tube display; the G3 processor, components, and connectivity were all included in a single enclosure. Apple's head of design Jony Ive and his team developed a teardrop-shaped, translucent plastic case that was a radical departure from the look of the company's previous computers.

It must have been the first Apple product to be granted a design patent in Hong Kong, because to this day, every time I look for new design patents in their data base, the first design patent to pop-up is that for the original iMac. Apple was granted this design back on November 6, 1998 for a "Computer Enclosure," a few months after its release. Considering it's never been made public before, I thought it was time to bring it to light.

Our cover photo with the lates Steve Jobs was derived from Apple's video tribute to Steve Jobs October 5, 2012.

The Hong Kong Patent Office now lists this as being "Expired." If true, it Expired on November 6, 2023 according to the documentation.

Unlike "patent applications" that provide the public with an abstract, summary and details of an invention, design patents published around the world are limited to only providing the public with design patent figures. No additional specifics of the design are made available.

Other Apple design patents published this week included one for iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 and another Apple Vision Pro design for a different version of the Cushion for its Light Seal.