Google’s 2001 retro-search tool has provided endless amusement over the past few weeks. None so much as the image at right, which is the “iPhone 2,” released by InfoTech in mid-1999 and reviewed on StreetTech by Gareth Branwyn.
And yes, it was a comical Internet landline phone, featuring full QWERTY keyboard. Like today’s iPhone 3G, it featured a touchscreen, Internet access, e-mail, and location-based services. Also like today’s iPhone 3G, it improved on significant shortcomings in its predecessor, by adding a better keyboard, higher data speed, and better speaker-phone sound quality.
And, eeriest of all, it had notable areas that needed improving. There was no “Forward” browser button, no “Find” function, and, hilariously, no Cut, Copy, or Paste features. In many ways, it’s exactly like today’s iPhone. Just, you know, totally janky.
Some things never change, apparently.
Thanks, Jwester!
Written by Pete Mortensen on October 7th, 2008 with no comments.
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This is the actual Mac plus that Scotty tried talking to in Star Trek IV, spotted and photographed by Marcin Wichary at the Star Trek: The Experience exhibition shortly before it closed last month.
Note how shiny and clean this particular Plus is. Bet it boots up shiny and clean, too. And if it has problems, it can run a Level One Diagnostic.
Now that the Experience has left the Las Vegas Hilton, it has no home of its own. Where is this Mac now? Probably packed away in a container somewhere. Possibly wrapped up in Spock’s Vulcan gown that it was once displayed alongside.
Annnyway: Borg teddy bears.
Photo used under Creative Commons license. Thanks to Marcin Wichary.
Written by Giles Turnbull on October 6th, 2008 with no comments.
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In honor of its 10th anniversary, Google has rolled back the clock as far as it can go — its January 2001 index. Though the company got rolling in fall 1998, this is the most materially complete version of the original Google that they have, and they’ve even included links to the Internet Archive to retrieve long-since dead web pages. An era before the iPod.
When you go looking for your humble Cult of Mac curators, however, it’s possible to discover a lot of proto-Cult of Mac content, most of which is extremely amusing. It’s like reading today’s Cult of Mac yesterday — but without the benefit of decent web design.
Why here’s Leander at Wired News, writing about the 2001 MacWorld keynote after years kicking around various tech publications and becoming a bicycle messenger: It’s a Mac, Mac, Mac, Macworld.
Or this riveting narrative of Apple’s decision to replace QuickDraw GX with Unicode!
This site even tells of a prehistoric July 15, 1996 MacWeek article in which Leander reports on shocking Mac sales slumps. Damn you, Windows 95!
Other than a bunch of articles from college, searching myself only yields my earliest ever Mac tip from a MacCentral round-up of Mac celebrities that included my report on Radiohead.
Turning back the dial on Craig, meanwhile, turned up the archive of his MacToolbox column “Revert to Saved,” including this scandalous rant that Macs crash occasionally!
Ed’s history includes postings on a now-defunct and not-even archived BeOS user message board called “BeSpecific.”
Giles pops up all over, but this interview about what it’s like to be a British journalist is probably the best.
Lonnie turns up this fascinating 1971 camp photo, which might or might not be him.
And Leigh might or might not be this yoga instructor/university department secretary.
It’s like looking into the old mirror. Fascinating.
Written by Pete Mortensen on October 1st, 2008 with no comments.
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By day, Damian Ward operates Macs for a printing company in darkest Buckinghamshire, a county just to the north west of London. He’s been doing this for 15 years or so.
By night, Damian hunts for batches of unwanted, unloved old Macs. He hunts down 512k machines, Classics, SEs and SE30s, and early iMacs. He takes them in — from colleagues, friends, Freecycle, eBay, junk sales, anywhere — and tinkers with them. He has quite an impressive collection.
“You bring them home and you think they’ll be beyond repair, and that you’ll only be able to use them for parts,” he says.
“Then you discover they’re working fine, and then you can’t get rid of them can you? You have to keep them.” That’s right. You have to.
So far, Damian’s got 30 machines in the house. Half of them are up in the attic, neatly arranged on shelves. Four or five of these are networked together. None of them are used for much; when Damian wants to work on a particular machine, he lugs it downstairs to the office. You know, where he keeps the other 15 or so computers. There’s more room down there.
Some of them get used for something. The odd games session, even some fiddling about with Quark Express 2.5. “It reminds me of the old days,” says Damian.
When he actually needs to get real stuff done, he has an Intel iMac, a black MacBook, and an iPhone. At work, he’s using a Mac Pro all day.
“I just like Macs,” he says simply. “I like their quirkiness. They’re so much more appealing than Windows machines, if you know what I mean.”
We know what you mean, Damian. We know exactly what you mean.
Spotted in the 68k Liberation Army Flickr pool. Thanks to Damian for his time, and for the pics.
Written by Giles Turnbull on September 18th, 2008 with no comments.
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Simon Royal asks: Are G3 Macs still viable work machines?.
His answer is a resounding affirmative, but then you’d expect that of an article at Low End Mac. Simon’s a writer, too, so his requirements for a work machine are pretty minimal: just a word processor, most of the time.
My oldest Mac is a 600MHz Dual USB G3 iBook, which copes bravely with Tiger. It does nothing other than play music streamed from elsewhere, and does that job just fine. The only problem is that getting it started up and playing takes a while:
- press on/off button
- (make cup of tea while it boots, connects to network, launches iTunes)
- tell iTunes to connect to shared music
- (make another cup of tea)
- select desired playlist
- (look out of the window wistfully)
- start playing music
Apart from that, it’s fine.
What’s the oldest Mac you’ve got that does a decent job of something or other?
Written by Giles Turnbull on September 12th, 2008 with no comments.
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