Built around the PowerPC G4 series of microprocessors, the Power Mac G4 was marketed by Apple as the first "personal supercomputers",[1] reaching speeds of 4 to 20 gigaFLOPS.

These machines featured a colorful design with curved handles for portability and a motherboard mounted on the side of computer for ease of access.

[7] Apple originally planned to ship the 500 MHz configuration in October 1999, but they were forced to postpone this because of poor yield of the CPUs.

[8] The early 400 MHz (later 350 MHz) PCI-based version used a motherboard identical to the one used in Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) computers including the use of Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) processors sockets[9] (minus the ADB port), in a "graphite" colored case and with the new Motorola PowerPC 7400 (G4) CPU.

The higher-speed models, code name "Sawtooth", used a greatly modified motherboard design with AGP 2x graphics (replacing the 66 MHz PCI slot).

A new line with a revamped motherboard but retaining the familiar "Graphite" case debuted on January 9, 2001, known officially as the Power Mac G4 (Digital Audio).

Motorola had added a seventh pipeline stage in the new PowerPC G4 design to achieve faster clock frequencies.

The 733 MHz model was the first Macintosh to include a built-in DVD-R or Apple-branded SuperDrive, the rest of the line became the first Macs to ship with CD-RW drives.

At Macworld Expo New York on July 18, 2001, a new line debuted featuring a cosmetically redesigned case known as QuickSilver, and various upgrades to the specifications.

Designer Doug Satzger recalled Steve Jobs was adamant that the issue be fixed before it shipped, despite pushback.

[5] Ive wanted special polished stainless steel screws in the handle of the case, which Jon Rubinstein vetoed as too expensive and delaying.

Another generation of Apple Power Mac G4s, officially named "Mirrored Drive Doors" (MDD), was introduced on August 13, 2002, featuring both a new Xserve-derived DDR motherboard architecture and a new case design.

Between that, its low price-tag, and the delayed availability of Power Mac G5s, it proved a strong seller, albeit for a relatively short time.

Production stopped on June 27, 2004, and the remaining inventory was liquidated, its discontinuation ending the 20-year legacy of Classic Mac OS support.