I have a 2000 Apple iMac DV with original packaging - will it grow in value if I keep it? DAN HATFIELD replies

I have an Apple iMac computer that I bought in 2000. It also comes with a printer. It's all in working order.

Is it worth much - and would it be better to hold onto it as a future collectible? Mike, via email.

Dan Hatfield, This is Money resident expert valuer, replies: Launched in an optimistic decade - the time of Britney Spears, TV show Big Brother, and collective relief that the world didn't end with a Millennium bug - it's a piece of modern-day nostalgia.

In the decade previous, technology leapt - and it gave us some iconic pieces of tech, including the first version of your computer, the iMac G3 in 1998.

It had me thinking about how staggeringly far we've come since the turn of the millennium, with modern computers now being around 1,000 times more powerful than yours - and that's no exaggeration.

It's quite amazing, really, we often think of the year 2000 as 'not that long ago', and yet a quarter of a century has passed so in tech terms it's been light years.

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For most of human history, progress moved at a snail's pace, measured in lifetimes, not years.

Stone tools lasted millennia, the wheel took centuries to catch on, and writing systems evolved over generations. Advancement was historically, glacial.

Then came the 20th century, a time of electricity, flight, nuclear energy, and the birth of computing.

We didn't just pick up speed, we hit warp drive.

We are living through a technological revolution so vast it makes the Industrial Revolution look quaint.

Computers are now shaping how we live, think, communicate and even what it means to be human. And machines like your iMac? They're part of that story. Small in size, maybe but part of a seismic societal shift.

Now, let's talk about the brand who created your item, Apple. Founded in 1976 in a California garage by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, the company had its ups and downs.

By the mid 90s, Apple was struggling. They had unfocused product lines and a dwindling market share.

Then in 1997, Steve Jobs returned to the company he'd been ousted from 12 years earlier. His comeback was nothing short of legendary.

He cut the clutter, refocused the brand, and in 1998 launched the iMac G3, a computer that threw out the beige box and ushered in a new age of cool, colourful, consumer-friendly tech.

This wasn't just about performance it was about personality. Technology was no longer just practical, it was aspirational.

Apple wasn't just making computers but was reshaping our relationship with them.

Your model, although from the year 2000, is part of that very lineage.

The iMac DV (short for Digital Video) was launched at the very dawn of the new millennium, arriving in late 1999.

It built on the success of the earlier iMac G3 but added FireWire ports and better performance for users wanting to dive into digital video editing, something previously reserved for professionals. This machine helped to put creativity into the hands of the everyday user.

Now, I'm not going to get too technical, the history of tech is about as far as a self-proclaimed luddite can stretch.

But what I do know is that the iMac DV was a huge success, paving the way for Apple's meteoric rise - and when I say meteoric, I mean it.

As of 2025, Apple is one of the most valuable companies on the planet, with a market capitalisation of over £3trillion.

Now, I might be rubbish with tech, but I'm decent with money, and even I can't wrap my head around how many zeroes that involves!

Today, nostalgia for the iMac is strong. It's the grandparent of over 2billion Apple devices currently in use.

Apple isn't just a tech company but moreover a cultural phenomenon and early machines like yours, from its comeback years, are increasingly collectable.

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The original Bondi Blue iMac G3s are especially sought after, fetching £300 to £500, depending on colour and condition.

You're quid's in If you've got the original box and accessories as this all adds to the value.

While yours isn't the first iMac, it's the DV version that soon followed which is still a lovely bit of Apple history.

Most people through the packaging and manuals as soon as the computer hits their desk, so it's great that you still have these as this further adds value.

What could also add value is the colour of yours as the sage green model is particularly desirable within the collector community.

Given its excellent condition, I'd expect you to fetch around £300. If you were to sell it online, you'd likely see offers beginning around £200 but don't be tempted to bite too early, definitely hold out for an offer that starts with a 3, not a 2.

Given how many of these machines were mass produced, I think the price is pretty impressive.

But, as technology continues to evolve at breakneck speed and nostalgia for the early days of computing becomes more historic, I wouldn't be surprised if these iMacs start fetching close to £1,000 in the next 15 to 20 years.

So, there you have it, a little machine with a big legacy. A computer that once whirred to life in Y2K, and now sits as a cherished time capsule of a simpler digital age.

And if that doesn't make you want to dance to a bit of NSYNC and fire up MSN Messenger, I don't know what will.