"Although officially produced in celebration of Apple's 20th birthday, the 20th Anniversary Mac was released close to a year after the fact, in late Spring, 1997. And a truly unique Mac it was. The Motherboard was similar to that of the PowerMac 5500, and it was based on the same 603e processor, running at 250 MHz. The real innovation of the 20th Anniversary Mac was its unique shape, and advanced sound and video features. It came with an integrated TV/FM Radio System, an S-Video Input, and a custom sound system designed by Bose, with integrated stereo speakers, and a separate sub-woofer (it also included a 33.6Kbps GeoPort modem). The Twentieth Anniversary Mac was a limited edition, and sold for nearly $10,000. Its price was cut to as low as $1,999 and it was discontinued in March 1998."
(picture credits: Apple Computer)This byte of Apple's history from Wired's,
"30 Years of Apple Products."
NEWTON MESSAGE PAD 2000
"Announced in March 1997, the Newton Message Pad 2000 was an impressive upgrade to the Newton platform. Based on a 162 MHz StrongARM 110 processor, the NMP 2000 was almost 10 times faster than its predecessor, and had twice as much RAM (5 MB). It included a slightly larger screen, with twice as many pixels as the NMP 130, which was capable of 16-level grayscale. The NMP 2000 also featured a new InterConnect port for many different types of OS connections, included support for 2 PCMCIA cards, sold for $799 and was discontinued in February 1998."
(picture credits: EveryMac.com)This byte of Apple's history from Wired's,
"30 Years of Apple Products."
POWERBOOK 3400
"When it was announced in February 1997, The PowerBook 3400 was the fastest portable computer in the world. After several years of PowerBook trouble, Apple hoped to revitalize its portable market share with this new PCI-based model. Its drive bay was compatible with the older 5300 model, and it was the first PowerBook to utilize the 1 MB IrDA Infra-red standard. The 3400 ranged from $4,500 for 180 MHz and no CD-ROM to $6,500 for 240 MHz, fully loaded. (The 240 MHz model was announced at the same time as the slower models, but shipped several months later.)"
(picture credits: John Greenleigh/Flipside Studios)This byte of Apple's history from Wired's,
"30 Years of Apple Products."
Um... well, as you may know I heart to
stumble upon things on the net whenever possible. Each time I click that little
stumble icon, I never know what I'm going to get. It's kinda like a slot machine -- sometimes you' get lucky and sometimes you're unlucky. Well, I'm not sure what category
dojo's loituma falls under, but how do I remain unaffected by this happy-go-lucky anime girl swinging a leek (?) and singing her heart out on a neverending loop? Weird, indeed, but strangely catchy. It's the feel good singing anime flash film of the year! (...and
what is she singing about? Leeks? Cooking with leeks? Shopping for leeks? God, I'm just
dying to know!)
Hey, do you know who is a really, really great illustrator?
Penelope. And, do you know who just happens to be the creator of
Illustration Friday? Yep. Penelope.
POWER MACINTOSH 8600
"Although announced in February 1997, it was not until June that the 8600 actually shipped in bulk. It came in the same innovative case design as the 9600, and ran on a 200 MHz 604e. It included an internal Zip drive (a Power Mac first). It also included video input and output. The 8600 used the Nitro motherboard, as did its predecessor, the 8500. The 8600 initially sold for $2,700. In August, Apple announced "speed bumped" versions of the 8600 with a 250 or 300 MHz "Mach 5" 604e. Like its predecessor, the 8600/300 did not ship for several months after it was announced due to supply problems. The 8600 was discontinued in early 1998." (picture credits: Apple Computer)
POWER MACINTOSH 9600
"The flagship of what might be termed the third wave of Power Macs, the 9600 was announced in February 1997. It was packaged in an eye-pleasing new tower design, built to make its insides more easily accessible. It ran on 233, 200 or dual 200 MHz 604e's. Although it looked different on the outside, the motherboard was basically the same design as that of the 9500. The 9600 was originally priced at $4,700 for the dual 200 MHz configuration, $4,200 for the single 233 MHz, and $3,700 for the single 200 MHz. In August, the 9600 was "speed bumped" with either a 300 or 350 MHz "Mach 5" chip, a new high speed variant on the 604e. The 350 MHz version barely shipped before Apple took it off the market, partially because of the small supply of 350 MHz chips, but mostly because their upcoming PPC 750-based "Gossomer" Macs (the PowerMac G3) would eclipse it both in performance and price." (picture credits: John Greenleigh/Flipside Studios)
This byte of Apple's history from Wired's
"30 Years of Apple Products."
Imagine my pleasant surprise when I
stumbled upon Feel Good Anyway's interactive
Alice flash short, created to promote a Scholastic pop-up book, Alice In Wonderland by J. Otto Seibold
(Olive The Other Reindeer). What a hip, super-cute way to promote a kid's book! Quite the visual treat.
POWERBOOK 1400c/cs
"Announced in October 1996, The PowerBook 1400 was a partial answer to a number of questions about recent PowerBooks. Powered by the same 117 MHz 603e as the 5300, The 1400 was the first PowerBook to include an internal CD-ROM drive (6X). The bay for the sleep-swappable drive could also accommodate a variety of other storage options, including MO and zip drives. The RAM came in stackable modules (another PowerBook first) allowing for up to 64 MB of RAM. The 1400 also included an Internal expansion slot for video-out or Ethernet cards, and two PC Card slots that could accommodate two Type II PC Cards or one Type III PC Card. Faster models with a small L2 cache and an 8x CD-ROM drive were also released. The 1400 was discontinued early in 1998."
(picture credits: Apple Computer)This byte of Apple's history from Wired's,
"30 Years of Apple Products."
POWERBOOK 540c
"Introduced in May 1994, the PowerBook 540c was similar to the 540, but included a 16-bit, active-matrix color screen. The 540c was priced at $4,840." (photo credit: Apple Computer)
POWERBOOK 550c
"Introduced a year after the 540c and released only in Japan, the 550c increased the screen size to 10.4 inches and added an integrated FPU (that is, it replaced the 68LC040 of the 540c with a full 68040 processor). It also came in a slick black case." (photo credit: Apple Computer)
This byte of Apple's history from Wired's, "30 Years of Apple Products."