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TUAW 1986
Luxo Jr. gets Academy Award nominationEven though Steve Jobs is no longer with Apple, we're still interested in what he's doing. You'll remember that he bought a computer graphics company from director George Lucas last year (for a rumored $10 million), which he named "Pixar."We don't know how many units of the $135,000 Pixar Image Computer they've sold, but Pixar animator John Lasseter has put it to good use. The short film he produced, "Luxo, Jr." has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Animated Short Film category. Good luck, Pixar!Lisa gets the axeAfter several revisions and price cuts, the Lisa has been officially discontinued by Apple Computer. When it was released three years ago with an astounding price tag of $9,995 (Heck, the Tandy 600 is only $1599!) we were blown away. Not only by the cost, but by the machine itself. The mouse, the icons on the screen, that awesome trash can!Sales have declined over the past 12 months, and even a re-branding as the Macintosh XL last January didn't help. The Macintosh has been selling like hotcakes since its introduction two years ago, even though it lacks many of the Lisa's features, like protected memory, expansion slots and support for an impressive 2 megabytes of RAM.Goodbye, Lisa! We'll remember you.The AppleColor RGB Monitor is totally awesome at $499There are now several monitors available from Apple, and the granddaddy of them all is the AppleColor RGB Monitor at $499. This 12" analog monitor was designed for the Apple IIgs, and supports a resolution of 640x480 (Nice!). Those of you with a Macintosh II can also use this monitor, provided that you have the Apple High Resolution Display Video Card. The Apple Monochrome Monitor was introduced earlier this year for $129. The Macintosh Plus rocksFinally, we've got to talk about the Macintosh Plus. With a 8MHz Motorola 68000 processor and 1 megabyte of RAM (expandable to 4 megabytes), we're excited about this machine. Of course, the big news is the SCSI (or "Small Computer System Interface") peripheral bus and the new 3.5 inch double-sided 800 KB floppy drive.The SCSI port will allow for a nice collection of new ad-ons, like hard disks and tape drives. Of course, the double-sided floppies have twice the storage capacity as their predecessors while the drive itself is backwards compatible with older disks. Customers will find the software programs MacPaint and MacWrite bundled with their Macintosh Plus, which is great! You can pick up your very own for $2,599.
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.
WWNC '09 official announcements and the 2010 bug
Each year, a crew of Newton users, developers and devotees gathers to celebrate the little green device, discuss projects, share resources and generally have fun. As a Newton owner myself, I've wanted to attend one of these for years.This summer's event features sessions by Grant Hutchinson, Ryan Vetter and (tentatively) Paul Guyot, who will discuss NPDS, modern uses of the Newton and the Einstein Project, respectively. You can get a full list of presentation topics here.One topic that I'm sure will be on everyone's mind is the 2010 bug. Briefly, the Newton's clock has a 17-year life, which was born in 1993 and ends in 2010. January 5, 2010 to be exact. Some users have reported erratic behavior when they've tried to schedule calendar events after that date, sometimes requiring a hard reset to escape. This seems to be limited to Newton OS 2.1 devices only.Eckhart Köppen is working on a fix, but it won't be easy, as a system patch will be required. Former Newton team engineer John Arkley had this to say in 1999:"...Building and testing a System Update is complex and expensive process and no single engineer could do it. The Newton OS only supports ONE system patch, so ALL the existing 'fixes' and any new ones have to be combined together to combined to create the 'next' System Update."Still, Eckhart feels it can be done. From what I know of him through the NewtonTalk mailing list, I'm inclined to believe him. In the meantime, check out the "Ramp Up Clip" to get yourself in the mood. WWNC '09 will take place from July 31st - August 2nd in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
On this day in 1985...
Sure, the Mac made a big splash back in January of 1984, but that didn't make it a popular desktop computer for the enterprise. Most companies looked at the Mac the same way they do now; as an overpriced toy that wasn't compatible with the IBM PCs of the day.What started sneaking Macs into corporations wasn't the color Mac II or the original Microsoft Excel. No, it was the Apple LaserWriter, which was introduced on March 3, 1985 at the everyday low price of $6,995. For the first time, companies and individuals could get high-quality black and white printouts of their documents from a fast, 300 dpi printer. The LaserWriter also introduced Adobe Postscript to a wider audience, as it was embedded in the raster image processor for the printer. The LaserWriter was the first printer to feature the AppleTalk Personal Network, so the expensive 8 page per minute printer could be shared with a workgroup.When you use your little sub-$100 black and white laser printer today, remember those hardy pioneers of the Mac world who sacrificed their wallets to eventually bring you low-cost laser printing.Thanks to Hadley for the tip![via Apple Matters]
"Chief Scientist" is an apt title for Woz
Apple co-founder, Segway polo player, date to the stars and über-nerd Steve Wozniak has accepted a position at Fusion-io. Specifically, he'll be the company's Chief Scientist.Fusion-io uses densely-packed clusters of flash memory chips in servers to enable them to find data very quickly. Woz has been serving on the board at Fusion-io, and recently asked for a larger role. "In this case, I like the people and the product, and said I would like some greater involvement," he told The New York Times. This will be Steve's first full-time job since he shut down Wheels of Zeus in 2006.Good luck, Steve! We're looking forward to seeing what's next.[Via Ars]
30 years of Apple in three minutes
Megan's great roundup of Apple history from the other day wasn't enough nostalgia for you? It should have been -- wow there was a lot of old Apple stuff in there. But just in case your itch for the days of Apple yore isn't yet scratched, here's a great little video compilation of every Apple product from the last thirty years, squished into three minutes and set to Fiona Apple's cover of "Across the Universe."The IIe! The PowerCD! The QuickTake! And even those early notebooks, which look so blocky today, were impressive in their time. Unfortunately, this video won't tell you much about what these products all were, but just the sight of some of these old units is enough to make the memories come flooding back for us old Apple fans. The iPhone and the iPod are so much hipper, it seems, compared to the units of Apple's past -- you think we'll ever look back with such nostalgia on the first touchscreens we got? A product like the Newton was so charming because it was so quirky, but the iPhone is sleek, popular, and impressive. Do you think future generations will look back at today's Apple products with the same fondness?Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
2009 World Wide Newton Conference announced
It's almost time for the annual tech event we all know and love. Not Macworld Expo, the World Wide Newton Conference! Started in 2004, the WWNC is a gathering of the most vocal and prolific members of the Newton Community. Projects that have come out of the WWNC include Einstein, a Newton OS emulator for Linux-based PDAs, and Newton WaveLAN drivers. For now, the website has launched and a call for participants has been issued. If you're interested in attending or presenting, you can contact the folks in charge at the official website. WWNC '09 will take place from July 31st - August 2nd in Vancouver, BC, Canada. If you attend, please let us know. Have fun!
Found footage: Remembering Lisa
Alfred DiBlasi is at it again. A few months ago, he impressed us with the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh he found on ebay. What's impressive about that? It was still factory sealed. Never opened, never booted, never used. That's the kind of find that makes my beige, vintage heart flutter.This time around, he's playing with a vintage Lisa in an exhaustive demonstration video. Before booting it up, he takes it apart and discusses the innards, piece by piece.Next is the money shot as the computer boots up, and Alfred moves through the UI. It's a pretty cool demonstration of a nice piece of Apple history.Thanks for sharing, Alfred. What's next?
Flickr Find: Mac OS 10.0 UI
Reader and Flickr user ismh has posted a series of screenshots of Mac OS 10.0 to our Flickr pool. It was just seven years ago -- March of 2001 -- that Mac OS 10.0 was released to the waiting masses. I distinctly remember driving to my local authorized retailer to buy a copy, and then quickly rushing home to install it on my 333mhz G3 iMac.What I apparently fogot was how different the UI was. Remember the pinstripes? How about Sherlock? And don't miss the list of supported hardware, including the iBook, the PowerBook G3, The Power Macintosh G3 and the good 'ol Power Mac G4.I also remember slower-than-molasses performance and aqua lozenge buttons everywhere. Oh, Mac OS X. How you've changed.
Mystery Apple box
TUAW reader Gabriel Moore runs an Apple Certified Sales and Service store called Computer Evolution in Davenport, IA. He sent us a short note and link to a MobileMe Web Gallery with several pictures of a strange, Apple-labeled wooden box (picture above).Gabriel writes "One of our customers noticed that we have a small collection of Old Macs in my service department and thought That he would give me something to add to the collection... Problem is I have no idea what it is or why it has the Apple name. Is this an after market fan boy box or a real product from Apple Computer? Any help from the readers or you would be awesome."It looks like the 1980's Apple logotype, but I don't remember seeing a box like this anywhere. It's small enough that it could only contain something like an Apple IIc. Do any of you wonderful TUAW readers know what this box was used for? Let us know by leaving a comment below.Thanks to Gabriel for today's stumper!
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.
The 10th anniversary of the Newton's death
It was ten years ago today, February 27, 1998, that the Apple Newton was officially killed. During the five years that the Newt was in production it garnered nearly as many detractors as admirers, was the butt of jokes and set the ground work for Palm, Handspring and the like.There's still an active community of Newton users out there, and they've made some incredible accomplishments in those ten years, like: iTunes synchronization Web server Native sync with Mac OS X Blogging software WiFi support Phone It beat the Windows UMPC in CNet's head-to-head battle, and there's even been a successful port of the Newton OS to other handheld devices. The Newt is gone, but not really. Long live the green PDA!
A nice collection of Apple print ads
Here's a great collection of Apple print ads from the past twenty years.What I've found interesting is that trademark aspects of today's Apple machines can be found in these old designs, like fan-free heat dissipation, the tendency to shrink things and ads that show disembodied hands holding their hardware.While you're there, check out this great 39-page advertisement for the Macintosh. Talk about hype.My favorite campaign is the Think Different series of TV spots and posters. What's yours?[Via Coudal Partners]
MacHeads: The movie
Perhaps you've seen the documentary Trekkies. Hosted by the late Tasha Yar (curse you, Armus!), it profiles several of the show's most zealous fans and by that I mean people with serious mental disorders. Did you see what they did to that poor truck? None of us would get so carried away with our Apple fandom.Just a minute. Before you set your phasers to Smug, check out the trailer for MacHeads: The Movie. It feels like a cross between Trekkies and Leander Kahney's The Cult of Mac. Several users proclaim their love, including the guy with the tattoos and the girl who states in no uncertain terms that she has never slept with a Windows user. A few Mac celebs appear as well, including the man who isn't America's least-beloved technology pundit. The movie looks awesome, and we can't wait to see it. Not that we're obsessed or anything.[Via JSTAMANT.com]
The Ghost of Macworld Past
We had fun talking about our favorite moments from Macworld keynotes during last night's talkcast. From the Big Brother moment in Boston to Steve dropping the S-Bomb in 1997 (twice!). Today, we've compiled the best videos we could find into a single post. Behold the Ghost of Macworld Past, and enjoy the nostalgia. Steve announces Apple's partnership with Microsoft, Bill Gates appears. Observe how hesitant Steve is to begin this segment of the keynote and the stunned crowd's reaction. Do you think it was a coincidence that Bill's appearance on the big screen was so similar to the 1984 ad? Don't bet on it. The introduction of the iMac. This is my favorite Macworld memory, as it's the moment that "saved" Apple. That round, plastic design became iconic, and you know the rest. Noah Wyle appears as Steve Jobs. Fresh from playing Steve in The Pirates of Silicon Valley, Noah took a break from the ER set to briefly play Steve on stage at the start of the scheduled keynote. Watch Steve chastise him for not opening a bottle of water before beginning to speak. The introduction of the iBook. Remember "iMac to go?" Oh, how I wanted one of these. Steve introduces Mac OS X. I didn't see the public beta of Mac OS X, so I was floored by this presentation. I bought 10.0 the day is was made available. Here are four more great moments from Apple history. While they weren't filmed at Macworld, they still have a place in our retrospective. Mac OS 9's funeral (WWDC 2002). So long, extension conflicts, system freezes and Platinum Sounds. We'll miss you. Kind of. Steve plays the 1984 ad in public for the first time. I think this is his best speech ever. The insane crowd reaction gives me goosebumps. The introduction of the iPod (Special media event). I clearly remember thinking, "An Mp3 player? We're supposed to be all excited over an Mp3 player?!?" What do I know? The introduction of the Macintosh (Shareholder's meeting). Another great moment. Watch the crowd lose their collective minds when the tiny Mac "talks." Hey Steve, nice bow tie.
What to do with 4,000 Newton modems
When the cat's away, the mice will play.The cat being Steve Jobs (absent from Apple in 1996) and the mice a team of Newton developers who found themselves alone with 4,000 modems and a video camera. As you've undoubtedly surmised, they created an impressive domino-type arrangement of the modems in the halls of Apple.The video is longer than it needs to be, so skip ahead a bit. While you're at it, dig the 90's fashion statements. Flock Of Seagulls Nirvana concert, anyone?[Via Macenstein]
Blast from the Past: Original Macintosh manual
Here's a nice find. Peter Merholz recently got ahold of an original Mac User Manual from 1984 and has posted a bunch of pics along with commentary. The most interesting thing, of course, is seeing them trying to explain basic computing GUI concepts like click-and-drag and scrolling that we take so much for granted. Like Peter, I love the helpful simile that the "Finder is like a central hallway in the Macintosh house." You know, just looking at the thing makes me want a Mac classic! [via Digg]
30 significant Apple products
Everyone loves a good list. The folks at Macworld have identified 30 significant Apple products. The top five contain no surprises, of course: The Mac 128k, the iMac, the iPod, the Apple II and the iTunes Store. There are some unexpected choices as well, like item number 18: The Apple logo sticker. Before you scoff, consider that people are willing to buy these things from Ebay and Red Light Runner. When I bought my car three years ago, I brought a white sticker with me so I could affix it to the window before I even drove the car home. But that's me.Also on the list are the ill-fated Cube and Newton, the 20th Anniversary Mac and the great Hypercard. Check it out.
Top 10 Apple flops
Every one loves a good list post, and this one is certainly entertaining. Newlaunches.com has compiled their list of Top Ten Apple Products which Flopped. There are some gems in the list, including a couple of products I hadn't even heard of. Here they are: Apple Cyberdog, which was an internet suite for the Mac OS back in 1996. I hadn't heard of this until now. Taligent, an Apple and IBM collaborative OS EWorld. Ah, now here's one I remember! An AOL-like online experience for Mac users in 1994, EWorld only lasted two years (but it was fun!). Pippin. The Pippin was a game console that I've never had the chance to play with. Too bad. The 20th Anniversary Mac. Waaay overpriced but super-cool to look at, the "TAM" as it's called is sought after by certain nerdy collectors...like me. Motorola ROKR. Let's just move on. Macintosh TV. Let's just move on. Macintosh Portable. The $6500 "portable" Mac was about the size and weight of a baby dolphin. The rest should be self explanatory. Apple Lisa. As the first personal computer to have a GUI and a mouse, it was a trailblazer. At a cost of $9,995US (that's $21,500US in Feb. 2007 dollars, Newlaunches points out), it didn't sell very well. The Newton. Yes, yes, we all knew that the poor, maligned Newt would top the list. However, I love mine, so there. Any surprises? Glaring omissions? Let us know.
Found Footage: Epic Empire's 3 part Apple mini documentary
Epic Empire is producing a 3 part documentary about Apple Computer. The first part (which is embedded in this post, or which can be seen here) details the rise of Apple Computer and the trouble the company faced with the introduction of the IBM PC.This film looks well done (though I can't explain the musical choices) and I can't wait for the rest of it.Thanks, Lonely Star.
