1977
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The Apple II, as described by Steve Wozniak
Ask the average geek to describe the Apple II and you'll probably hear something about its legacy or software. Ask Steve Wozniak circa 1977, on the other hand, and he'll write you a technical tome -- or at least he did for Byte magazine. Way back when the classic computer was fresh, a young Woz penned an extremely detailed "system description" for the rig, pouring over specifics on the II's graphical capabilities, memory, peripherals, programming language and more. Perhaps in (slightly late) honor of the machine's 35th anniversary, Information Week has seen fit to reprint the extensive examination for your reading pleasure -- assuming you're up to wading through the technical nitty gritty. No? Well, Woz does have a few nuggets of wisdom for the layman. "To me," he says, "a personal computer should be small, reliable, convenient to use and inexpensive." No arguments here, Steve. Read the man's words for yourself at the source link below.
Apple II turns 35, doesn't bother with midlife crisis
It was 35 years ago today that two Steves and a handful of employees introduced the world to a game-changer: the Apple II. Easily recognizable today as one of history's first truly accessible personal computers, it's a bit odd to think that the iconic rig was almost overlooked at its debut at the 1977 West Coast Computer Faire. Even so, the beige box weaseled its way into our homes and schools. $1300 bought the most basic model of the machine that taught a generation of children the dangers of fording a river, rocking a paltry 4KB of RAM and a 1MHz processor. Despite its age, the old Apple II is doing its best to keep up with the times -- making music, going to concerts and even trying out those hip Bluetooth protocols its grand kids are always talking about. Feeling nostalgic? Check out Time's in-depth tribute to the Apple II's history, influence and legacy at the source link below.
Modern technology sent through time vortex, redesigned for 1977
A brilliant homage to today's gadgets and yesterday's penchant for Sepia tones, graphic designer Alex Varanese has reimagined four modern-day gadgets and created a series of print ads for his ALT/1977 collection: Pocket Hi-Fi, LapTron 64, MobileVoxx, and Microcade 3000. We're smitten, but of course we'd be irresponsible not to point out the paradox here: should Varanese ever accomplish his mission of traveling back in time with modern gear, it'll expedite technology advancement up to the point where he originally left and create a recursion of infinite improvements... oh, just quit thinking and enjoy the pretty pictures already!
