Turning old Apple tech into home furnishings

As we prepare for an exciting new range of MacBbooks to be announced later tonight, it only seems appropriate to spare a thought for Apple’s cutting-edge designs of yesteryear. While many old iMacs have no doubt found their way into landfills, or are left gathering dust in garages around the world, Jake Harms has other ideas. He converts old Apple technology into stylish furnishings.[gallery:1]

He’s not sure whether or not to describe himself as “an artist, computer nerd, inventor, entrepreneur or just a weirdo,” but he’s certainly found a market for his strange creations. A carpenter and wedding photographer during the week, Harms made his first iMac G3 into a fish tank back in 2008. “I made one, then a buddy wanted one. He said, ‘You could probably make those and sell them,’” Harms told Cult of Mac. Launching a website, he sold out his batch of 50 aquariums within a year, with orders of the $349 product coming from around the world.[gallery:3]

The iMac G3 is becoming harder to find now, leading Harms on to other Apple tech. The next burst of inspiration came from the G4 iMacs, where he discovered the base was the ideal shape for a lampshade. The finished lamp retails for $399, and features working USB ports so that modern Apple products can still be charged, before they become tomorrow’s design inspiration.[gallery:4]

The cheapest item on the website at $29 is the eClock – a timepiece made from the eMac disc-drive tray cover. Unfortunately, this was all that was salvageable from the eMacs that local schools passed on to Harms, as their monitors weren’t a useful shape for housing fish tanks.[gallery:5]

As iMac G3s are increasingly hard to source, he may not be making too many more of his fish tanks, but this isn’t the end of the road. His next plan is to convert the flat-screen G5 into an ant farm, so watch this space, insect fans.[gallery:10]

You can buy all three products directly from Jake Harms – or buy DIY kits to modify your old Apple tech yourself.