Apple Collection

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Apple Store holiday guides collection (2007, 2010, 2012)

This collection includes Apple Store holiday guide brochures from three different years. Two items from 2007 include a gift guide and a brochure. A 2010 and 2012 gift guide are also included.

Apple Store 2007 Holiday Gift Guide (2007)

2007 was the first holiday season with the iPhone, and unsurprisingly, it is featured prominently. Upon opening, the copy reads “Were they really, really good this year?” under a photo of the original iPhone. Inside, an iPhone panel shows eight different accessories including the Apple Bluetooth Headset, an AirPort Extreme base station, an earphone, a cable, a charger, and device protection. The other panels include Mac and iPod along with 16 accessories and software ideas. Folded, this full-color gift guide measures 4.25 x 10 inches.

Let the holidays begin (2007)

Also for 2007, a slightly larger, bright red, two-panel brochure announces a “special one-day Apple shopping event” that occurs on Black Friday, but never mentions “Black Friday.” This brochure measures 4.25 x 10.5 inches.

Apple Store Gift Guide Holiday 2010

The Gift Guide for Holiday 2010 features a colorful arrangement of iPod nano devices (square with a color screen). When first opened, two iPod touch devices are shown with the iPod nano devices with the tag line “If it’s on their list, it’s in our store.” Inside, four panels feature gift categories including iPhone, iPad, Mac, and iPod—each with service, software, and accessory suggestions. This full color brochure measures 4.25 x 10 inches.

Apple Store Holiday Gift Guide (Japan, 2012)

Finally, this 2012 Gift Guide from Japan is bright red and features four iPad devices with red Smart Covers arranged to resemble ribbons wrapping a package with a tag that translates to “Gift Guide.” When opened, iPad and iPod devices are shown with text that translates to “A perfect gift is not limited to one.” Inside, each of four panels is dedicated to iPad, iPhone, iPod, and Mac. Several accessories and services are shown under each product as gift suggestions. This full color brochure measures 4.25 x 10 inches. This Gift Guide is written in Japanese.

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Apple Store Events guides collection (2003, 2004)

In the early 2000s, Apple Stores provided printed brochures to customers to announce their upcoming in-store events. Flagship Apple Stores, such as North Michigan Avenue (Chicago, IL) and Ginza (Tokyo, Japan), used full-color, fold-open designs that featured stunning photography and many events. Smaller stores, such as Woodfield (Schaumburg, IL), used a more basic design.

This collection of Apple Store Event Guides includes three stores from 2003 and 2004.

Apple Store North Michigan Avenue Events June 27–July 31, 2003

The flagship store Apple Store, North Michigan Avenue, then located at 679 North Michigan Avenue, promised “The ultimate Apple experience.” The cover of this brochure invited Apple Store visitors to “Celebrate the grand opening of the Apple Store, North Michigan Avenue, the most amazing Apple Store yet. Grand opening events include appearances by a guest musical artist, DJs, and performers, as well as presentations about digital photography, music, and so much more.”

Indeed, a series of “Made on a Mac” talks listed thirteen different speakers, including rock legends Cheap Trick. Each night also included “music demonstrations featuring a different musical guest.” The Music Nights included a performance and demo of the iPod and iTunes Music Store.

Folded, this brochure measures 4.25 x 8.5 inches.

Apple Store North Michigan Avenue Calendar of Events September 2003

The Apple Store North Michigan Avenue Calendar of Events for September 2003 included features in the Apple Studio Series offering in-depth, personalized instruction; offers on HP printers; a synopsis of Final Cut apps; descriptions of store services; and an extensive schedule of events in the Theater, Studio, and Genius Bar. The brochure includes a “More than a store” description:

“We’ve taken everything we learned from our other stores and designed the ultimate Apple Store especially for you. It’s filled with the full range of Apple products and accessories, including the entire iPod family, and a selection of digital cameras, camcorders, and other products. We offer more than 300 unique educational events every month, covering every aspect of the Mac. We even put in our first-ever Internet Café with 16 computers where you can check your email and experience the Mac at your own pace.”

Folded, this brochure measures 4.25 x 8.5 inches.

Apple Store Woodfield Calendar of Events: May/June 2003

This more subdued brochure folded sideways into four panels. The cover stated: “Join us for a variety of unique and educational presentations, demonstrations, and workshops throughout the year—all free of charge—and discover how to take full advantage of Mac products and solutions.” It also included a daily calendar of events and described Apple Presentations and Apple Workshops that were offered in the store. This brochure also described the now defunct “Mac Pac” service: “Mac Pac is a complete service solution that helps you get started on your Mac and keeps you going.”

Folded, this brochure measures 4.25 x 8.75 inches.

Apple Store Ginza Calendar of Events June 2004

The Apple Store Ginza in Tokyo is another flagship Apple Store. This brochure was similar to the North Michigan Avenue brochure and offered its own unique “More than a store” statement:

“The Apple Store, Ginza, brings one of America’s most exciting new shopping experiences to Tokyo. Here you will find four full floors dedicated to Apple’s legendary products, including our full line of computers, the entire iPod family, and the iSight web camera, as well as digital cameras and camcorders that work perfectly with a Mac. You’re invited to check your email and try out iChat AV at the Internet Cafe. Attend a free Mac workshop in our state-of-the art theater. Or get advice at our Genius Bar. As your neighbor, Apple is honored to have you as our guest.”

The back of the brochure highlighted each of the store’s 5 floors:
1F: Home, Pro
2F: Genius Bar, Movies, Music, Photo
3F: Theater
4F: Accessories, Software, Kids, Internet Café
5F: Studio Training Center

Folded, this brochure measures 4.25 x 8.5 inches.

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1998: The Year of Thinking Different. book (1998)

With a foreword by Steve Jobs, the book “1998: The Year of Thinking Different.” features the Think different manifesto and two-page layouts of many of the Apple Geniuses (cultural icons) featured in the Think different series.

The book begins with the Think different “manifesto:”

Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They’re not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them,
glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They push the human race forward.
While some may see them as the crazy ones,
we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world, are the ones who do.
Think different.

The book includes the following Apple Geniuses:

Albert Einstein
Mahatma Gandhi
Pablo Picasso
Alfred Hitchcock
Rosa Parks
Bob Dylan
Buzz Aldrin
Muhammad Ali
Thomas Edison
Martha Graham
Jim Henson
Maria Callas
Dalai Lama
Amelia Earhart
Ansel Adams
Joan Baez
Paul Rand
Miles Davis
Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz
John Lennon & Yoko Ono

The final page of the book states, “This is a limited-edition publication to commemorate the first year of the ‘Think different’ series. It is not for sale or resale, and is only available to employees/affiliates of Apple Computer, Inc.”

The book is paperback, measures 11 x 14 inches, and is printed in black and white.

Source: Apple (this book)

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(Hint: It’s a computer.) magazine insert (2000)

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, part of Apple’s print advertising included magazine inserts. Some inserts were “mini-magazines” within magazines and others, like this example, was a fold-out poster. These inserts were glued with a pliable rubber cement that could be easily removed.

This example is an advertisement for the Power Mac G4 Cube. As the ad unfolds (literally), the cover shows a photo of the G4 Cube with the caption “(Hint: It’s a computer.).” The first unfold (2-up) reveals, “Actually, it’s a supercomputer” with five short paragraphs touting the Cube’s size and power. The second unfold (4-up) has the headline “So much technology. So little space.” and shows connections, features, and peripherals available for use with the Cube. Fully unfolded (8-up), a poster is revealed that declares, “Presenting the Power Mac G4 Cube. Actual size. Think different.” The back of the fully folded insert is another view of the G4 Cube with three available displays and the headline “A marvel of engineering. And economics.”

Folded, the size of the insert is 7.3125 x 10.125 inches. Fully unfolded (into 8 panels) the size is 29.25 x 20.25 inches.

I also have a poster version (rolled in a tube) of the fully unfolded image used in this ad (at 24 x 36 inches).

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iLife ’09 box (2009)

iLife is a suite of software by Apple that has included the apps iMovie, iDVD, iTunes, iPhoto, GarageBand, and iWeb.

iMovie began as a free app released in October 1999 along with the iMac DV as an easy-to-use video editing app.

iDVD was announced in January 2001 and released with the Power Mac G4 that included a SuperDrive that could read and write CDs and DVDs. iDVD introduced a way for users to design customized DVDs with menus, graphics, photo slideshows, and movies that could be played on standard DVD players.

iTunes was originally released in January 2001 as a media player and organizer for the Mac.

iPhoto was released January 7, 2002, as a way to import and organize photos and perform basic photo editing.

GarageBand was released in 2004 as an easy way for beginner and advanced musicians to create and edit music.

Finally, iWeb was introduced in January 2006 as an app to create and maintain websites without having to know or write HTML or other coding languages.

The original version of iLife was released in 2003 and cost $49. It included iPhoto 2, iTunes 3, iMovie 3, and iDVD 3.

iLife ’04 (2004) cost $49 and included iPhoto 4, iTunes 4.2, iMovie 4, iDVD 4, and GarageBand 1.

iLife ’05 (2005) cost $79 and included iPhoto 5, iTunes 4.7.1, iMovie HD 5, iDVD 5, and GarageBand 2.

iLife ’06 (2006) cost $79 and included iPhoto 6, iTunes 6.0.2, iMovie HD 6, iDVD 6, GarageBand 3, and added iWeb 1.

iLife ’08 (2008) cost $79 and included iPhoto 7.0, iTunes 7.3, iMovie 7.0 (HD 6), iDVD 7.0, GarageBand 4.0, and iWeb 2.0.

iLife ’09 (2009) cost $79 and included iPhoto 8.0, iMovie 8.0, iDVD 7.0.3, GarageBand 5.0, and iWeb 3.0. iTunes was removed from iLife ‘09.

iLife ’11 (Late 2010) dropped to $49 and included iPhoto 9.0, iMovie 9.0, iDVD 7.1, GarageBand 6.0, and iWeb 3.0.2. In January 2011 a version of iLife ’11 became available on the Mac App Store at $15 per app featuring iPhoto 9.1, iMovie 9.0.9, and GarageBand 6.0.5. iLife ‘11 on the Mac App Store dropped both iDVD and iWeb.

iLife ’13 (2013) was free to previous iLife users and included iPhoto 9.5, iMovie 10.0, and GarageBand 10.0.

This is the retail packaging for iLife ’09. The box features a stylized version of the word “iLife” in the Apple Myriad font where each letter represents a feature of the iLife apps: “i” uses film and a lens to represent iMovie, “L” uses the bulletin board design of the iWeb icon, the second “i” uses music notes on staves to represent GarageBand, “f” uses a generic background pattern, and “e” features a sunset similar to the iPhoto icon. The back of the box shows the four iLife apps with three or four bullets each that highlight each app’s features.

Source: Wikipedia (iLife, iTunes)

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TBWA Chiat/Day magazine spread set (1999–2000)

This set includes five magazine spreads printed on 18 x 14.1875 paper and laminated. Each magazine spread is labeled at bottom-center with “TBWA CHIAT/DAY INC. LA” (Apple’s ad agency at the time) and a code number. The spreads feature slot-loading iMac computers and one features the tangerine iBook.

Q200-99-P2618AO features the tangerine iBook with the tagline “iMac to go.” (1999)

Q200-99-3172A features the lime slot-loading iMac with the tagline “And the award for Best Home Movie goes to…” (1999)

Q200-99-3502A features the grape slot-loading iMac with the tagline “Baywatch Baby” (2000)

Q200-99-P3739A features the tangerine slot-loading iMac with the tagline “Rock‘n Roll Machine” (2000)

Q200-99-P3740A features the lime slot-loading iMac with the tagline “Leapin’ Lizards.” (2000)

The iBook magazine spread introduces the iBook laptop and touts its built-in 56K modem as “the world’s easiest path to the Internet.”

All iMac magazine spreads feature slot-loading iMac models and DV camcorders with “Desktop Video” or “Desktop Movies.” Apple mentions the iMovie app in three of the four ads, but the main purpose of the ads is to show the ease of using the iMac to create videos, a relatively cumbersome task before Apple introduced FireWire and iMovie.

Unfortunately, I have no idea where I acquired these magazine spreads. I’m not now—nor have ever been—in the publishing, printing, or advertising business. If anyone has additional history on these, I’d appreciate it!

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The Apple Store Holiday 2004 catalog (2004)

I remember picking up this catalog at an Apple Store in 2004. It is large for a catalog at 11 x 17 inches and is printed on heavy matte paper. Each spread features “lifestyle” photos of people using then-current Apple products in everyday settings. Each product is then described in detail including features, uses, and available peripherals. Full-page “case studies” from regular people using the products in real life are also included.

The first product featured is iPod. The 2004 models included iPod with scroll wheel (with a monochrome display), iPod Photo (color display), and iPod mini (monochrome display and available in four colors).

The next spread highlights the iMac G5. These were Apple’s second flat-panel iMac models that were available with 17 or 20-inch “widescreen flat panel” displays. The iLife apps are mentioned here in holiday contexts.

Apple “notebooks” are shown next, including the white 12 and 14-inch iBook models and the 12, 15, and 17-inch PowerBook G4 models. The AirPort Express is mentioned as a solution for streaming music and wireless printing in the home.

The last 2-page spread includes “A day in the life of a Genius,” and highlights in-store workshops and presentations.

The back page shows a map of the United States and the locations of all Apple Stores worldwide. Six happy Apple customers are also featured with their Apple Store purchases across the US.

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Think different. educator poster set (11 x 17 inches, 2000)

“Think different” was the slogan used by Apple in advertising 1997–2002, and is still used in some circumstances as of 2021. The “Think different” concept was created by advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day while working with Apple and Steve Jobs. “Think different” was used in its original concept in a TV commercial and in print/digital advertisements, and the “Think different” slogan was used as part of many TV commercials, print/digital ads, and on product packaging.

This advertising campaign was notable in that its original concept did not feature any Apple products. The original version began with a “manifesto” that began famously with “Here’s to the crazy ones.”

Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They’re not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them,
glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They push the human race forward.
While some may see them as the crazy ones,
we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world, are the ones who do.
Think different.

During the commercial, voiced by Richard Dreyfuss, black-and-white footage of iconic personalities (Apple referred to them later as “Apple Geniuses”) served as visuals to accompany the voiceover of the manifesto. Personalities included Albert Einstein, Bob Dylan, Martin Luther King Jr., Thomas Edison, Muhammad Ali, Ted Turner, Mahatma Gandhi, Amelia Earhart, Alfred Hitchcock, Martha Graham, Jim Henson, Pablo Picasso, and others.

The print and digital ads also did not feature Apple devices, just the Apple logo and the words “Think different.” One of the creative team who worked on the campaign described the print concept: “The rainbow-colored logo served as stark contrast to the black and white photography, and, to me, it seemed to make the ‘Think Different’ statement all the more bold.”

In 2000 this Think different poster set was provided to school leaders. The posters were 11 x 17 inches and arrived in a white box printed with the “Here’s to the crazy ones” manifesto. Each box contained three packs of posters sealed in plastic of 10 posters each.

I have two of these education sets. The one pictured was shipped directly to a high school principal. One set has been removed from its shrink wrap, and two sets are still unopened. I have a second compete set still in shrink wrap and has no shipping label.

The set also includes three 8.5 x 11 sheets inside. One is a letter from Apple, and the other two sheets include a “key” naming each Think different portrait with an adjective and mini-biography of each person’s life. The set contains the following “Apple Geniuses:”

Albert Einstein: “Questioner”
Cesar Chavez: “Laborer”
Jane Goodall: “Observer”
Pablo Picasso: “Creator”
Amelia Earhart: “Aviator”
Miles Davis: “Improviser”
Jim Henson: “Muppeteer”
John Lennon & Yoko Ono: “Dreamers”
Dr. James Watson: “Code cracker”
Mahatma Gandhi: “Leader”

Sources: Wikipedia, Forbes, Apple (documentation included in this set)

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Yum. poster (iMac packaging version, 1999)

This poster was included in the package of all new iMac computers in 1999. After the success of the original iMac that was available in one color, Bondi blue (named for the color of the water at the beach in Australia of the same name), the second iteration of the iMac was available in five colors: blueberry, grape, tangerine, lime, and strawberry.

This poster shows all five iMac colors in a circle. The tagline is simply, “Yum.” to reference the fruit-inspired color names. (I use the term “fruit-inspired” because the shade of blue bears no resemblance to the color of a blueberry, and the dark-pink hue used matches no strawberry I’ve ever seen.) At bottom-center, the tagline “Think different.” is included along with the Apple logo.

This version of this poster is folded (to fit in the iMac box) and is 30 x 24 inches unfolded. I have another version of this poster that is rolled in a poster tube, and a rectangular button with the same design.

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Apple Watch Solo Loop (44mm, Size 12, White, 2020)

The Solo Loop Apple Watch band was released in 2020 along with the Apple Watch Series 6. The packaging describes this product as a “Silicone Fitted Band.” According to Apple’s website:

“Made from liquid silicone rubber, the Solo Loop features a unique, stretchable design with no clasps, buckles, or overlapping parts that’s ultracomfortable to wear and easy to slip on and off your wrist. Each band is specially treated with UV to give the band a silky, smooth finish. It’s also swim proof and sweat proof so it can go just about anywhere you want to wear it.”

This band is White, and was also available at release in Pink Citrus, Deep Navy, Cypress Green, Ginger, Black, and (PRODUCT)RED. It was available in 40mm and 44mm widths, and was among the first Apple Watch bands to be sold in specific wrist sizes. The 40mm Solo Loop was sold in wrist sizes 1–9 and the 44mm Solo Loop was sold in wrist sizes 4–12.

According to Apple’s website, “This band comes in custom sizes because it’s designed for an ultracomfortable fit. An accurate measurement will help you get the size that’s right for you.” The website allowed buyers to download a PDF and cut out a “tool” that wrapped around the wrist to designate the band size needed.

This snug-fitting design allowed the Apple Watch Series 6 sensors to retain constant and consistent skin contact, allowing accurate blood oxygen and heart rate measurements to be maintained.

Source: Apple