The device had a CRT monitor and was enclosed by a plastic and translucent case. It was refreshed with a sleeker design notable for its slot-loaded optical drive. The second installment of the Apple iMac family was the iMac G4. It was also the first major revision of the device since the original model. The look of the second model iMac was very different from the original model, as the egg shaped look was replaced with a hemispherical bottom that contained all the computer's components and a LCD screen. The two elements were connected through a free moving arm. The third and fourth generations of the Apple iMac (iMac G4 and Intel iMac respectively) placed all their components right behind the LCD screen, so the free moving arm was removed.
These two models are held by a rigid neck that can only tilt up or down. The current iMac model shares the looks of the previous one, but has all the front covered in a glass panel and it is based on anodized aluminum. It is also much thinner than the previous iMac and has a SDXC slot right under the Slot-Loading SuperDrive. On July 27, 2010, Apple upgraded its iMac desktop computer line to feature Intel's new Core processing units. The high and low end of the 21.5 inch model of the iMac, as well as the 27 inch low end model, feature Intel's Core i3, but can be upgradable to Core i5, while the high end 27 inch model currently hold a Quad-Core i5 and can be upgraded to Quad-Core i7. With this refreshing upgrade, Apple also modified the back of the device, so the black back was replaced by a seamless aluminum back.
Apple also did some tapering with the pedestal and modified the speakers to be clearer and louder and reproduce better bass. Most wonder what does the "i" in iMac stand for, and why don't call it just "Mac", or "Mac-Something". Apple stated that the "i" in "iMac" stands for "Internet", as it was very easy to set up a connection, but also represented the device's focus of being personal device, intended for the consumer market ("i" for "individual" ). Regarding the internet connection on the iMac, it only requires two steps. Apple launched a TV commercial presented by actor Jeff Goldblum in which the catch phrase was "There's no step 3!".