TwentiethAnniversaryMac
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Blast from the past: Jony Ive stars in 1997 Apple video sans white backdrop
OS X Daily uncovered an old clip of Jony Ive crooning about the 20th Anniversary Mac. The 20th Anniversary Mac was a limited edition Mac released in 1997 to celebrate Apple's 20th birthday. The short promo should look very familiar as it has the same talking-head style seen in current product videos. The only thing missing is a "y" on the end of Ive's first name and Apple's patented white background.
Get your rare Twentieth Anniversary Mac on eBay
Want a piece of Apple history? Bring your wallet and your cut-throat bidding skills and head on over to eBay, where there's an untouched, unopened Twentieth Anniversary Mac up for grabs. This wasn't celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Mac; rather, the TAM was created as an homage to the 20th birthday of Apple in 1996. The special-edition Mac didn't actually make it to market until 1997 due to the fact that Apple seemed to have overlooked the impending celebration in 1996. At the time it started selling, the Twentieth Anniversary Mac sold for US$7,499. What did you get for your money? A PowerPC 603e CPU running at 250 MHz, 32 MiB of RAM, a 12.1" active matrix display with a best resolution of 800 x 600 pixels, a CD-ROM drive, a floppy drive and a 2 GB hard disk drive. Those were pretty low specs even for the time, but the cool factor of the TAM was enhanced by the incredible design. Made in a metallic green / gold color, the TAM featured one of the first desktop LCD displays, leather palm rests on the keyboard, a built-in TV / FM tuner and remote, and it even had a custom-designed Bose sound system. Only 12,000 of these wonders were built, and of the manufactured TAMs, 399 of them were kept for spare parts. Both Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were given TAMs, as well as a group of Apple Australia executives. While TAMs in good condition usually go for about $1,000, the bidding price as of the time this post was written was $1,205 -- probably due to the publicity that the auction of this rare Mac has received. Although the eBay listing shows this as being "unopened," there are photos of the inside of the box. We have video of Jony Ive (noted as Jon Ive in the video!) describing his design on the next page. Enjoy -- and then go make your bid for this rare piece of Apple history. (Photo from the All About Apple Official Website, licensed under Creative Commons) [via Electronista]
Remembering the TAM
Our friend Hadley Stern at Apple Matters reminds us that that on this day in 1997 the Twentieth Anniversary Mac (or TAM) was offered for sale to a mystified public. Originally slated to sell for about U.S. $9,000 it was reduced at introduction to U.S. $7499.00. It was delivered and set up by a concierge, and at the time it was pretty radical, at least in looks. It was a thin, upright design, with an 800x600 LCD screen, a TV Tuner, and a Bose Audio system with a sub-woofer and power supply that sat under your desk.Only 12,000 were made, but many remained unsold. The price soon dropped to $3500.00 and in March of 1998 it was closed out at $1999.00. That outraged original owners, and Apple responded by giving them a new Apple laptop.I was able to grab one of the TAMs at $1600.00 and at that price I thought at least it would make a nice music system and second computer. Unfortunately, the system developed a nasty audio buzz. I wasn't alone, and many of the units had to be returned for a fix.Performance specs weren't too great. It was limited to 128 MB of RAM. Most of the internals were similar to the components of the then current PowerMac 5500 and 6500, although the TAM had a custom motherboard. I added a processor upgrade sold by Newer Technology, which kicked the speed from 250 to 400 MHz. That helped, but the upgrade required a new back for the TAM that didn't enhance the slim profile. Of course the TAM was a statement computer, not a howling fast desktop. Here is a link to the specs. Although Steve Jobs was said to have hated the TAM (he was in exile from Apple at the time) you can see some of the early evolution of the iMac in the design.There are still quite a few of the TAMs out in the world, and there are some web sites dedicated to keeping the flame alive. You can't run OS X on them, so you had to max out at OS 8 or 9.Jerry Seinfeld had one, and it could be seen on the set of his TV show in the final season. I parted with mine long ago, but it was always a good conversation piece when people dropped by, and the 90's ultra-modern design doesn't look out of place at all today.Thanks to Apple Matters for reminding us about the TAM.
Found footage: 20th Anniversary Mac intro video
Earlier this week, we pointed out an unboxing video of a pristine 20th Anniversary Mac. Of course, they're underpowered by today's standards, but many Apple collectors love them. To find one still sealed in its original factory box is a rare indeed.During the video, we got a look at the obnoxious introductory QuickTime that shipped with these things, which begins, "There are some things in life which capture one's soul." Capture my soul? You mean the TAM is a ghost trap? Check out the fancy CG graphics, self-important narration and the glinting TAM itself. Many thanks to propstoyou22 for sending us the video.
Rig of the Day: TAM
Oh, how I want one of these. The TAM was created in 1997 to celebrate Apple's 20th anniversary, and today it stands as a desirable collectible for Mac addicts and tech geeks in general. They aren't the most powerful machines in the world (a 250 MHz 603e processor just screams inside that grey shell), but it sure would look cool in the living room."TAM" posted by soyburger.If you'd like to see your own rig featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool. We select one image to highlight each day, and crown a Rig of the Week on Sundays.
Remembering Apple's 20th Anniversary Mac
Tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of Apple's existence. Since I haven't seen a whole lot of rumors or speculation as to what awe-inspiring products Apple might launch (if any) in celebration, I thought it might be a good time to reflect on TAM, Apple's Twentieth Anniversary Mac, of which only 12,000 were made. As a nice tech-related reality check: these 250 MHz powerhouses were introduced in 1997 for a whopping $7,499.I'm not trying to waste my time on a prediction or stir up commotion. I simply thought it would be neat to reflect on how Apple celebrated their last decade's anniversary. Check out more details, specs and reminiscience of the TAM over at LowEndMac.
Rig of the Day: Great vintage collection
Check this out. Flickr user Henri has got a great set of vintage Apple products in his snapshot. Note the (blueberry?) iMac, the Powerbook, Newton Message Pad, the Apple PowerCD with remote (wow), eMate, Color Classic and a Twentieth Anniversary Mac. I must confess, I had never seen an Apple PowerCD before, and had to write to Henri for an explanation. "MacCollection" posted by Henri Smeets.If you'd like to see your own rig featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool. We'll select an image every day to highlight.
