From what we can gather, even Apple purist
Jeremy Mehrle doesn't own one of these ultra-rare set-top-boxes, and if you think you're the only Apple fanboy out there eying this one seriously, we fear you'll be sorely mistaken. This prototype Interactive Television Box was crafted in or around 1994 and was designed to deliver content to one's TV by connecting to a central server and downloading content. Thus, the unit itself doesn't boot into anything nor does it feature an internal hard drive. Still, DIYers and
collectors alike will have a hard time passing up the opportunity of snagging this piece and turning it into a makeshift iTunes server, but given the remarkably low $249.99 buy-it-now price, we'd say that window of opportunity may not be open for long. Oh, and
Apple TV -- you ain't got nothin' on this in terms of desirability. Sorry, bub.
[Thanks, Marc]
posted Jan 23rd 2009 11:07PM
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So it doesn't boot anything? Did apple never write the software for set-top operation for it? I've seen one of these in person but am always amazed at how early this concept emerged.
Says it was designed to be used with a server, likely (for the time) it has just enough firmware to get network access to it's server.
actually i have two of these and it's been hmm about a decade since i messed around with it. i've booted them up using scsi drives and i think os 7.5 but never figured out how to get video. of course i don't have a SCART connector which may be the key
maybe engadget can buy it and have a battle royale with clak, ieye, and paul. Flashpoint can participate if he wants, I think he kind of moved on.
That idea is... GENIUS!
Melee weapons are a must. Candlestick holders and pool cues are perfect.
that would be good, but mr. professional would think it was "fugly"
I tried to write a note on my Newton to buy it, but it thought I wrote "dinner action telincision rox." Maybe next time.
Clearly you've never used a Newton.
yet another failed attempt at being funny over the internet...
I like how it's a 1994 prototype, but in the detailed photos there's a chip that says 1995 :)
"...Prototypes of the unit were tested in parts of the United States and Europe from 1994 to 1995..."
from the wiki page which would explain the 1995 date
But will it blend?
Guess there not all that rare. Ebay has 10 of these going for $50 each (Item # 350080799159).
seriously? this has been on eBay forever. I was actually going to buy one and make it a hackintosh with an atom board.
Wait, let me get my wallet. NOT.
I bought one of these a long long time ago and then resold it on ebay. I'm thinking these might be the same ones.
Isn't this auction "illegal?" One of the pictures in the auction clearly indicates, "THIS DEVICE HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION. THIS DEVICE IS NOT, AND MAY NOT BE, OFFERED FOR SALE OR LEASE, OR SOLD OR LEASED UNTIL THE APPROVAL OF THE FCC HAS BEEN OBTAINED." Also, nowhere in the auction description does it say the owner obtained permission from the FCC?
Obviously, you're bidding on an empty box to be shipped to you. If the device should just so happen to fall into it prior to it being mailed, that would be an unfortunate accident. Unfortunate, indeed.
The guy selling it is in Canada. The FCC doesn't control the world...yet...
The short answer to this question is: no, this statement was required to protect Apple from FCC fines by clearly indicating that the appliance in question was not offered for sale [by the manufacturer] and was distributed as a test prototype only.
I owned a MacintoshTV! Talk about lousy resolutions...
On a more technical note, a friend of mine was the head engineer for BT's interactive TV project at the time this was developed, and told me that this was the best box he had ever seen, and that was 8 years after the fact and dozens of competitors later. And this guy was no fanboi. To bad it didn't get a positive reception from the sat/cable industry, we might have had something great for video years ago.
Really? Nothing now can compete with this thing? I doubt that.
He said 8 years after, not today.
Actually, when it comes to interactive TV, you'd be surprised at the weakness of the set top boxes. For a long time the most popular cable set top box from Motorola had 2 MB RAM and a 68030 chip. Better boxes weren't economical for the cable companies since they gave them away and had to subsidize them. I have been out of the industry for awhile, but I wouldn't be surprised if the current generation is not much more impressive than the Apple box. Notice how slow Tivo series 1 & 2 boxes can be on upgrading season passes and other database tasks. Low RAM, slow processors. Don't have a Series 3, but I am sure those issues are only incrementally improved.
Peter,
Clearly you're not familiar with the miserably lousy offerings companies like Comcast are selling us. It's not hard to imagine better tech coming out of 1995. But note he said "8 years after", implying that it was surpassed in the 2003 timeframe.
So that's what the 'i' stands for.
I wrote code for this in 1996. It ran a version of System 6 and was (iirc) a 68LC040 processor.
lol someone bought the 249 one.
Even though there was the 49.99 ones.
I bet someones kicking themselves now.
I dont really see this as news, as these things have been floating around for a very long time.
Wow, Apple were 10 years too early with this :P
Cool piece of history :)
I wonder how long it will be before the people that purchase these get up at arms and start a class action suit against Apple for this unit not working? I mean, if they can get 25 bucks for scratching their crap up, Im sure somehow, some asshat will find a way to sue becuase this unit doesnt have a hard drive.
And if you think, because it says there is no hard drive in these ahead of time, that it would make this scenario less likely to happen; keep in mind, if they can get 25 bucks cause of minute scratches in the plastic of their idop's... then anything is possible.
I actually have one of these too...I put it on eBay years back but no one wanted it!
Yea, it doesn't boot or do anything. Maybe the "on" light comes on but thats about it. Would be a lot cooler if it did something.
I have one. I got is for 49.00. I also have an Apple Pippin Game console.
This is not exciting, nor is it rare or amazingly collectible. I had one that I bought on eBay, and eventually resold the same way. Here's the web page I put up about it:
It's just a 68K Mac in an interesting box, really.
I had a set top box that delivered content through a satellite network in 1988, why is Apple's so cutting edge ? Do you really think a settop box from 1994 will be able to playback media from iTunes ? It contains no software and would need to be gutted, or you could just buy a black low profile pc case and put an apple sticker on it.
This was far from genius this was one of the stupid ideas post & pre - Jobs Apple came up with, Amstrad and Motorola would making settop boxes at the time this was deisnged to compete.
If this had ever went into production Steve Jobs woould have canceled it on return to Apple, it has no relationship with Apple TV and iTunes whatsoever.
Oops, bad URL: http://www.larwe.com/museum/apple4120.html
This product is being sold for "collecting" not being sold as a product too use, and when that label is there, thats what Apple meant. so yes if you plan on using it for it's original purpose it's illegal, if you aren't....you can probably get away with it
Interactive Television Box
more info (pdf)
Setting up and using the equipment
The set-top box for interactive services
http://www.applefritter.com/prototypes/tvbox/index.html
i have two of them
my apple collection
http://homepage.mac.com/lefevere/FileSharing1.html
Er... I think this concept was born when all the legendary visionaries we've come to know were not at Apple, no?
Looks a lot like a modern Video on Demand implementation. The hardware in the box doesn't actually process the video, all it does is handle the menus and such on the screen, and communicate with a server at the headend which pumps out video on a designated channel. The box has a tuner that tunes to the channel on which the server is broadcasting and video is passed through to the TV. This thing doesn't have the horsepower or the video hardware to be capable of streaming video over ethernet like a modern media center device even if you could get it to work.
It would be a cool case to hack with a modern micro motherboard running some sort of media center software, but not for 250 bucks.
I'm in L.A. and I'll sell mine for $50.