[alextgordon]

That's a little uncharitable. The original iMacs were ridiculously successful, you couldn't turn on the TV without seeing one.

[pavlov]

Sure. But by 2001, the 15" CRT form factor was getting stale. Apple tried to refresh the design with patterns named "Flower Power" and "Blue Dalmatian":

http://apple-history.com/imac_cdrw

These got, um, mixed reviews, and didn't sell well. (Even the famous taste of Jobs+Ive failed sometimes...)