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Think different. Poster (Bob Dylan, 24 x 36 inches, 1998)

“Think different” is 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 rolled out in its original concept as a TV commercial and in print/digital advertisements. The “Think different” slogan was also used as part of many TV commercials, print/digital ads, and on product packaging.

This advertising campaign was notable because its original concept did not include mention of 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 served as visuals to accompany the voiceover of the manifesto. Luminaries included Albert Einstein, Bob Dylan, Martin Luther King Jr., Thomas Edison, Muhammad Ali, Mahatma Gandhi, Amelia Earhart, Alfred Hitchcock, Jim Henson, Pablo Picasso, and others.

The print and digital ads also did not feature Apple devices, just a black-and-white photo, the multi-color Apple logo, and the words “Think different.” One of the creative team members 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.”

Author Maggie Macnab described the ideal of the “Think different” campaign well in her 2011 book Design by Nature: Using Universal Forms and Principles in Design. She said:

“By identifying Apple’s core philosophy with the rebels and geniuses that changed the world by ‘thinking differently,’ the campaign established Apple as the ideology of the future. Apple was perceived as saving the day by making technology accessible to anyone. This move repositioned it well above its competition and far beyond the status of ‘product’ by connecting the user into a world of possibility.”

In the United States, four sets of 24 x 36 inch “Think different” posters were released. Set 1 included: Amelia Earhart, Alfred Hitchcock, Pablo Picasso, Mahatma Gandhi, and Thomas Edison. Set 2 included Maria Callas, Martha Graham, Joan Baez, Ted Turner, and the Fourteenth Dalai Lama (not officially released due to licensing). Set 3 included, Miles Davis; Ansel Adams (landscape orientation); Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz (landscape orientation); and Bob Dylan (not officially released due to licensing). Paul Rand and Jimi Hendrix were part of Set 3, but not included in all sets that were shipped. Set 4 included Frank Sinatra, Richard Feynman, Jackie Robinson, and Cesar Chavez.

A Set 5 included film directors that was never officially released, including: Charlie Chaplin, Francis Ford Coppola, Orson Welles, Frank Capra, and John Huston.

In 2000 an Educator 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. This set includes: Albert Einstein; Amelia Earhart; Miles Davis; Jim Henson; Jane Goodall; Mahatma Gandhi; John Lennon and Yoko Ono; Cesar Chavez; James Watson; and Pablo Picasso.

I have collected many of Apple’s Think different posters, print ads, and other material.

This poster of Bob Dylan is considered rare. I ordered the first three sets of Think different posters directly from Apple in approximately 1999. The poster sets were essentially free, but Apple charged $8.00 for each set for postage. When my Set 3 arrived, it included only Miles Davis; Ansel Adams; and Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Apparently, earlier versions of the set included Bob Dylan, Paul Rand, and/or Jimi Hendrix.

At one time I read an account that the Bob Dylan photo Apple had used was not properly licensed, and although some Dylan posters had shipped, Apple stopped including them in the sets. I was lucky to find this poster on eBay for a reasonable price.

The poster is 24 x 36 inches and features a young Bob Dylan during a recording session wearing a harmonica in a holder. The text features the classic multi-color Apple logo and the words “Think different.” printed in the Apple Garamond font. Small text in the upper-right corner reads “©1998 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved.”

According to CNN and Getty Images, this photo of Bob Dylan was taken in November 1961 while Dylan was recording his first album for Columbia Studio in New York City. In other photos in the series, Dylan can be seen holding his acoustic Gibson guitar.

Sources: Wikipedia, Forbes, Peachpit, CNN, Getty Images

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The New iMac. Poster (24 x 36 inches, 2002)

In early January 2002, Apple introduced a major design update to the iconic original iMac design. Previously the iMac was an all-in-one CRT-based design available in translucent and transparent colors and designs. The new 2002 design remained an all-in-one computer, but used a half-sphere white base, a chrome adjustable arm, and a “floating” flat-panel display.

Apple described the design in a press release:

“Apple today unveiled the all-new iMac, redesigned from the ground up around a stunning 15-inch LCD flat screen that floats in mid-air—allowing users to effortlessly adjust its height or angle with just a touch.”

The 2002 iMac was available in 15- and 17-inch models. This 24 x 36 inch poster depicts the 15-inch iMac on a white background and adds a reflection under the base. The text is printed in Apple Garamond, “The new iMac. Macworld San Francisco 2002.” and is followed by a gray Apple logo.

Also notable, this iMac has a screen showing Mac OS X. The icons in the Dock include Finder, Mail, Microsoft Internet Explorer, iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, AppleWorks, Sherlock, QuickTime Player, System Preferences, and Trash. The inclusion of iMovie and iDVD underscored the addition of the SuperDrive “for playing and burning custom CDs and DVDs” as standard equipment on this iMac.

Although this poster (and the iMac itself) used the Apple Garamond font, later versions of this iMac design would switch to the Apple Myriad font.

Source: Apple

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Introducing Power Mac G4 Cube. Actual Size. Poster (36 x 24 inches, 2000)

The Power Mac G4 Cube was introduced in 2000 as a small desktop computer in an 8 x 8 x 8 inch form factor (actual measurements including the base were 7.7 x 7.7 x 9.8 inches). The computer ran silently without an internal fan and featured a sound system by Harman Kardon. The G4 Cube was announced on July 19, 2000, at Macworld Expo. It was the last topic introduced by Steve Jobs as “one more thing” at the end of Keynote.

This 36 x 24 inch poster (in landscape orientation) was printed to commemorate the release of the G4 Cube and to depict its exact size. The G4 Cube is shown along with its newly designed keyboard and mouse, each in a crystal clear case with black keys on the keyboard and a black accent in the mouse, and the included clear spherical speakers. Also shown is the then-new 15-inch Apple Studio Display (its design matched the 22-inch Apple Cinema Display that was released at the same time).

The poster is on a white background with a photograph of the devices. The text, “Introducing Power Mac G4 Cube. Actual Size.” is printed in the Apple Garamond font and includes the tagline “Think different.” along with a graphite Apple logo. Text printed along the lower-left side (also in Apple Garamond) reads, “© 2000 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Power Mac and ‘Think different’ are trademarks of Apple computer, Inc. L05449A.”

Sources: Wikipedia, Apple

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iMac unplugged. Poster (blueberry, 24 x 36 inches, 1999)

Apple announced the iBook laptop in 1999 as a successor to the popular original iMac desktop computer. The iMac had been released in a translucent Bondi blue color and the iBook followed suit being available first in blueberry (aqua blue) and tangerine (orange). The design of the iBook was arguably as “shocking” as the original iMac. The iBook not only came in colors, but also featured a curved clamshell design with a built-in handle.

The iMac was among the first computers released that was not only made for “surfing the Internet,” but was also relatively easy to set it up and get online. This was not the case with most computers at the time. The iBook extended this ease of Internet connection by adding a built-in wireless card—named “AirPort”—and an accompanying AirPort Base Station. While these technologies were not new, they were among the first to be easy to set up and configure.

A print ad version of this idea featured an iBook with the words: “Introducing iBook: Up to six hours of battery life. Pentium-crushing G3 processor. Out of the box and onto the Internet in 10 minutes—no desk required. www.apple.com.”

The poster measures 24 x 36 inches and is printed on glossy paper. The design features a blueberry iBook with text below in the Apple Garamond font that reads, “iMac unplugged.” At bottom center is a translucent blueberry Apple logo and the words “Think different.” This poster includes no date or other information.

Source: Macworld (Vintage Apple)

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Hell froze over. Poster (24 x 36 inches, 2003)

This poster was made available after the Apple event in 2003 when Steve Jobs announced that iTunes would be be available for Windows, making the iPod and iTunes Music Store available to 97% more computer users. As Steve Jobs stood on the stage and made the announcement, the Keynote slide read, “Hell froze over.”

The behind-the-scenes decision was, apparently, a controversial one. Author Max Chafkin wrote that Apple’s Jon Rubinstein said:

“We argued with Steve a bunch [about putting iTunes on Windows], and he said no. Finally, Phil Schiller and I said ‘we’re going to do it.’ And Steve said… ‘do whatever you want. You’re responsible.’ And he stormed out of the room” [expletive removed].

This seemingly innocuous decision may have been the specific catalyst for Windows and other users to get their hands on Apple products—both hardware and software—for the first time. This also may have led to what was later called “ the halo effect” where new Apple users saw how well one product worked, such as the iPod, and it led them to purchase a second product, such as a Mac. Four years after this decision, the iPhone followed, and then the iPad, and Apple eventually became the world’s first trillion-dollar-valued company.

The poster measures 24 x 36 inches and is printed on heavy stock. Just below center in bold Apple Myriad font, the poster reads “Hell froze over.” Below, in smaller gray type, it reads, “Introducing iTunes for Windows. The best Windows app ever written.” At bottom center in the same gray color, there is an Apple logo and the date “October 16, 2003,” the release date of iTunes for Windows. In small type in the lower-right corner running vertically, a text line reads, “©2003 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries.”

Source: LinkedIn

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1984 2004 Poster (24 x 36 inches, 2004)

In 1984 Apple premiered the iconic television commercial, directed by Ridley Scott, to introduce the original Macintosh computer. The commercial was televised to a national audience one time on January 22, 1984, during Super Bowl XVIII.

The commercial is described in detail on Wikipedia. Here is shorter version of the plot:

In a gray dystopian setting, a line of people march in unison. Full-color shots are cut in showing a female runner wearing a white tank top with a Picasso-like drawing of the Macintosh computer. She carries a large brass-headed hammer. A Big-Brother-like figure speaks on a view screen while police officers in riot gear chase the runner. The runner hurls the hammer at the screen, and in an exlosion of light and smoke, the screen is destroyed, leaving the audience in shock. A voiceover, accompanied by scrolling black text reads, “On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like 1984.” The screen fades to black, and the classic multi-color Apple logo appears.

In 2004 Apple re-released this commercial at the San Francisco Macworld event. The 2004 version was identical to the original, except an iPod was digitally added to the runner’s waist, and she wore Apple white wired headphones.

This poster was given to attendees of the San Francisco Macworld Expo and depicts a grainy screen capture of the runner just before she throws the hammer at the screen. The poster measures 24 x 36 inches and is printed on heavy stock. In the lower-right corner in the Apple Myriad font, the poster reads “1984 [Apple logo] 2004” in white. In small type in the lower-left corner, the line reads, “© 2004 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved.”

I was visiting the Apple Campus in Cupertino shortly after Macworld in 2004, and Apple was giving these away in the Apple Company Store.

Source: Wikipedia

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iPhone SE (original, Space Gray, 2016)

The original iPhone SE (Special Edition) was released along with the larger iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. Many users preferred the smaller size of this phone and its flat sides that used the same design as the iPhone 5s.

The original iPhone SE’s exterior differed from the iPhone 5s in its finishes, including four colors, and matte (instead of shiny) edges. Colors for the iPhone SE included Silver (white glass front and a silver aluminum sides and back with a white top and bottom detail); Space Gray (black glass front and a gunmetal gray aluminum sides and back with a black top and bottom detail); Gold (white glass front and a gold aluminum sides and back with a white top and bottom detail); and Rose Gold (white glass front and a pink-tinted gold aluminum sides and back with a white top and bottom detail).

The original iPhone SE used a 4-inch Retina display (1136×640 at 326 ppi). Its two cameras included a rear 12-megapixel iSight camera with a True Tone flash and a front 1.2-megapixel 720p FaceTime camera.

A Touch ID fingerprint sensor was embedded in the Home button of the iPhone SE. It used Apple’s A9 processor and was available with 16, 32, 64, or 128 GB storage. Wireless connections included 4G/LTE, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, and NFC (Apple Pay). Wired connections included a headphone jack and a Lightning connector.

The iPhone SE would become the first iPhone name to be later reused (in April 2020) in a completely different design.

Source: EveryMac

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Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock (2015)

The Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock was a 4.1-inch diameter, 0.5-inch thick charging pad for the Apple Watch that used the same inductive charging connector that shipped with the Apple Watch. The white base of the dock had a microfiber, padded texture. The polished-chrome charging disc was mounted on a hinge that could pivot from a flat position to a 45-degree angle.

According to Apple:

“With the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock, you can charge your Apple Watch in a flat position with its band open, or on its side. When docked on its side, your watch automatically goes into Nightstand mode, so you can also use it as your alarm clock. The Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock uses the same inductive charging connector that comes with Apple Watch. It charges all Apple Watch models and sizes. And it connects via the Lightning to USB Cable and Apple 5W USB Power Adapter.”

The Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock has also shipped with Apple Watch Edition models and has been available since 2015 with a Lightning connector built into the base. As of 2020 it still shipped with a Lightning-to-USB (USB-A) cable.

This example is the standalone product with the original packaging.

Source: Apple

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Lightning to USB Cable (1 m, 2015)

Apple has sold and included their Lightning to USB Cable in various formats and packaging options over the years. This version of the product and packaging is part number ZM826-0420-B. Apple specifies that the Lightning to USB Cable is “Compatible with all models with a Lightning connector.”

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iPhone Lightning Dock (Space Gray, 2015)

The iPhone Lightning Dock was a minimalist charging dock with a heavy base, protruding angled Lightning connector, and two ports on the back, including a Lightning port for charging and an audio jack to allow music to be played on a speaker or headphones while the iPhone charged.

The iPhone Lightning Dock was available in several colors, including white, black, silver, space gray, rose gold, gold, and “new” gold (to match an updated gold iPhone color). This example is space gray.

Apple described the Dock:

“You can use it to charge and sync any iPhone that has a Lightning connector. Your iPhone sits upright in the dock as it syncs or charges, so it’s ideal for a desk or countertop. Even when your iPhone is in an Apple-designed case, it’s easy to dock. And you can unlock iPhone or use Touch ID without having to remove it from the dock.”

Although this Dock will also charge an iPad, its size and weight make it too unstable for everyday use. However, I sometimes use this Dock to photograph iPad devices in my collection since its minimal design and slight angle works well as a temporary display base.

Source: Apple