The Apple years while Steve Jobs was away
As one of the founders of Apple Computer Inc., Steve Jobs became synonymous with the brand. But his relationship with the company wasn't always so hallowed and harmonious. After internal disputes with Apple's board of directors in 1985, Jobs left the company to pursue other projects, including NeXT Inc. and Pixar. Although he'd piloted the Apple brand from the start, the company carried on without him until his return in 1997 during which time he rebooted the company and turned out "world-changing" products. Join us in the gallery below as we look at some of the hardware that Apple made while Jobs was away.
![Apple's first foray into portable computers wasn't as successful as it had hoped. The <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/22/mac-portable-gets-a-20th-anniversary-vivisection/">Macintosh Portable</a>, released in 1989, weighed 16 pounds and measured 4-inches thick, earning it the "luggable" nickname. Poor battery design and the lack of a backlit display (on the initial model, anyway) were also problematic. It <em>was</em> more compact than competitors like the Compaq Portable and Osborne 1 (although not the <a href="http://history-computer.com/ModernComputer/Personal/Grid.html">Grid Compass</a>), and marked the beginning of the company's foray into laptops.
<p>[Image: Telstar Logistics/Flickr]</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/n218ElLGehrYwdUC93qHUQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2MA--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/61PDl6GyPr5t45MtMB_9FQ--~B/aD04MDA7dz04MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/307/791/7/S3077917/slug/l/mac-portable-800-1.jpg)
![<p>As the Mac Portable was phased out in 1991, the Macintosh PowerBook 100 arrived to take its place. Co-designed by Sony, this 5-pound laptop was a leap forward in portability and reduced scale. Priced at nearly $2,500 at launch, it was half that of its predecessor, but was still a bit costly for a machine that only had a 16MHz processor, 2MB RAM, 20MB - 40MB hard drive and no built-in floppy drive. The PowerBook moniker stuck, though, and lived on until the MacBook arrived in 2006 to carry the torch.</p>
<p>[Image: microraptor/Flickr]</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/1hqtJTVZV3joicoccU51AQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTg4OA--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/dHikWq_QZFJySBalgpk.XQ--~B/aD03NDA7dz04MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/307/794/0/S3077940/slug/l/powerbook-100-800-1.jpg)
![<p>Apple pulled out the shrink ray for its PowerBook Duo line. Arriving in 1992 and running through '97, the various models weighed 4.1 pounds and had a footprint that matched a standard sheet of paper. While the tiny Duo had limited porting capabilities, it became a full-featured desktop PC when paired with a Duo Dock, which is how it earned its unique name.</p>
<p>[Image: <a class="new" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Photeka&action=edit&redlink=1" title="User:Photeka (page does not exist)">Photeka/Wikimedia</a>(PowerBook Duo); Apple (Illustration)]</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/jaUZ_56J8LMhf1BCmDq3dw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2MA--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/6oePqpsjVXmdm3Z4dhjQpA--~B/aD04MDA7dz04MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/308/317/2/S3083172/slug/l/apple-macintosh-powerbook-duo-2300c-800-3-1.jpg)
![<p>The <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/22/time-machines/">Newton MessagePad</a> has long been a hot topic amongst technology fans who are torn between loving and hating it. Born from Apple CEO John Sculley's 1987 "<a href="http://youtu.be/9bjve67p33E">knowledge navigator</a>" concept, this early PDA had a lot going for it and, like the Mac Portable, was a stepping stone for future products. Unfortunately, development delays, internal reorganization at the company and an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/18/business/doonesbury-and-apple-hatch-a-comic-surprise.html">initial failure</a> of the handwriting-recognition software kept it from securing a niche in the market.</p>
<p>[Image: br1dotcom/Flickr]</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Yhi5kF1_7weEO5BRUMArWA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2MA--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/IMpIMWGGNM6BdqO_7foRDQ--~B/aD04MDA7dz04MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/307/796/1/S3077961/slug/l/messagepad-800-1.jpg)
![<p>Like the PowerBook before it, the 1993 PowerCD was a co-designed project, this time <a href="http://www.head-fi.org/t/169148/fs-ft-philips-cdf-100-similar-to-apple-powercd">with Philips</a>. It was built as a standalone (and portable) CD player, which could also run CD-ROMs and photo discs, and connect to Macs, stereos and TVs. The device was discontinued after only a few years, but gave us a glimpse at Apple's future in the audio market.</p>
<p>[Image: MattsMacintosh/Flickr]</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/8g2g7kHyOKpdhXopTH_.Pw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTc0NQ--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/Pj8jkr.9KE.eaZ_V53jsgQ--~B/aD02MjE7dz04MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/307/799/3/S3077993/slug/l/powercd-800-1.jpg)
![<p>Nowadays, Apple is synonymous with mobile gaming. But back during the company's early days, it collaborated with Bandai to make a dedicated gaming console.</p>
<p>The Pippin software stemmed from the Macintosh platform and focused on CD-based multimedia and gaming, while retaining some PC capabilities. It was licensed to Bandai and released in 1996 in limited quantities with a high price tag compared to the competition. Price, confused branding and lack of software, however, conspired to make this a short-lived product.</p>
<p>[Image: <span class="mw-mmv-source-author"><span class="mw-mmv-author"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Evan-Amos" title="User:Evan-Amos">Evan-Amos</a></span>/Wikimedia]</span></p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/PcJwYOtluwKtW7dSwdLR4Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2MA--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/rr6szRwEccd04BvUfzlF3w--~B/aD04MDA7dz04MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/307/796/3/S3077963/slug/l/pippin-atmark-console-set-800-1.jpg)
![<p>In 1995, Apple brought out the big guns with its Power Macintosh 9500. This tower model was one of the most powerful Macs to date, and it was expandable. The CPU was connected through a daughtercard allowing for upgrades; there were six PCI slots available; and processor speeds ranged from 120 to 180MHz and higher. While it was an expensive product, the 9500's emphasis on high-end performance was especially attractive for graphic designers and musicians alike.</p>
<p>[Image: <a class="new" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Thomas_Kaiser&action=edit&redlink=1" title="User:Thomas Kaiser (page does not exist)">Thomas Kaiser/Wikimedia</a>]</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/D2cjW_nQgqojXRVHrvhlvA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2MA--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/1VSCTdEAcEmyovILM.JLaA--~B/aD03ODQ7dz03ODQ7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/307/803/8/S3078038/slug/l/powermac-9500-132-front-1.jpg)
![<p>Even though Apple's 20th anniversary was in 1996, it wasn't until '97 that the company released its Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh (TAM). This was a special edition desktop designed by the <a href="http://youtu.be/GIFdBp8rbtA">newly hired Jony Ive</a>, and it exhibited his knack for thinking "outside the box."</p>
<p>The TAM used an LCD display instead of a chunky CRT and borrowed from some of its Mac predecessors to include a TV tuner, front-loading CD player and integrated Bose sound system. The $7,499 price tag (lower than initially intended) reflected its special status, but its internals were similar to other Macs that cost far less. Like many other products in Jobs' absence, the TAM was a limited-run device and failed to catch on in the long term.</p>
<p>[Image: jamesfleeting/Flickr]</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/v6uZDXUdUO4A_ii.vxjdoQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2MA--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/hRtWeUafaKJ69zXzmhdD7Q--~B/aD04MDA7dz04MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/307/790/1/S3077901/slug/l/tam-800-1.jpg)
