GarageBand was released on January 6, 2004. GarageBand has always included an extensive collection of sounds (loops), software instruments, and amplifier effects. Later in 2004, Apple released this first add-on pack to GarageBand, Jam Pack.
This is the original retail box for the first GarageBand JamPack from 2004.
The box indicates that this Jam Pack adds more loops (over 2,000), additional realistic instruments (over 100), custom effects (over 100), and 15 new guitar amplifiers.
This Education Resource CD is dated Winter 2000. Its design features a rendition of the glossy 3D tabs on the apple.com website at the time. The toolbox image at the bottom of the CD matched the iTools design. iTools is a precursor to what has become Apple iCloud services.
MobileMe is the third in Apple’s iterations of online tools suites. This boxed version of MobileMe was available in 2010 and matched other Apple retail packaging of the time.
The history of Apple’s online services has included:
iTools (released 1-5-2000) with services including @mac.com email addresses (accessed through the Mail app), iCards free greeting card service, iReview web site reviews, HomePage free web page publishing, iDisk online data storage, and a KidSafe directory of child-friendly web sites.
.Mac (pronounced “dot Mac,” released 7-17-2002) with services including HomePage web hosting, iDisk online disk storage service, @mac.com email service (POP and IMAP), iCards online greeting cards, Backup personal backup (to iDisk, CD, or DVD), and McAfee Virex. Later enhancements included an online Mail interface, Back to My Mac remote desktop, Web Gallery, and the ability to add more online web storage and segment it according to purpose.
MobileMe (released 7-9-2008) had a difficult rollout where some users experienced instability over a period of several weeks. Steve Jobs later wrote, “it was a mistake to launch MobileMe at the same time as iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0 software, and the App Store.” Customers received a free 60-day extension of MobileMe services. Although .Mac removed some services, including iCards and some specific web services, greater iLife integration was added and primary services continued to be expanded and upgraded.
iCloud (beginning Fall 2011) was released with iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S. iCloud includes email, calendar, file across multiple devices, 5 GB of free cloud storage, and offers additional paid tiers for more storage.
For users like me who have been customers since the iTools era, all email domains remain available, including @mac.com, @me.com, and @icloud.com.
This MobileMe software box is from 2010 and features several services on the packaging: online syncing of email, calendar, and contacts; the Find My iPhone or iPad service; online photo and file storage; and an image depicting the ability of MobileMe to share files and information among iPhone, Mac/Windows, and iPad via “the Cloud.”
MobileMe is the third in Apple’s iterations of online tools suites. This boxed version of MobileMe was available in 2008 and matched other Apple retail packaging of the time.
The history of Apple’s online services has included:
iTools (released 1-5-2000) with services including @mac.com email addresses (accessed through the Mail app), iCards free greeting card service, iReview web site reviews, HomePage free web page publishing, iDisk online data storage, and a KidSafe directory of child-friendly web sites.
.Mac (pronounced “dot Mac,” released 7-17-2002) with services including HomePage web hosting, iDisk online disk storage service, @mac.com email service (POP and IMAP), iCards online greeting cards, Backup personal backup (to iDisk, CD, or DVD), and McAfee Virex. Later enhancements included an online Mail interface, Back to My Mac remote desktop, Web Gallery, and the ability to add more online web storage and segment it according to purpose.
MobileMe (released 7-9-2008) had a difficult rollout where some users experienced instability over a period of several weeks. Steve Jobs later wrote, “it was a mistake to launch MobileMe at the same time as iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0 software, and the App Store.” Customers received a free 60-day extension of MobileMe services. Although .Mac removed some services, including iCards and some specific web services, greater iLife integration was added and primary services continued to be expanded and upgraded.
iCloud (beginning Fall 2011) was released with iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S. iCloud includes email, calendar, file across multiple devices, 5 GB of free cloud storage, and offers additional paid tiers for more storage.
For users like me who have been customers since the iTools era, all email domains remain available, including @mac.com, @me.com, and @icloud.com.
This MobileMe software box is from 2008 and features several services on the packaging: online syncing of email, calendar, and contacts; online Photo gallery; online storage; and an image depicting the ability of MobileMe to share files and information among a Mac, iPhone, iPod touch, and Windows via “the Cloud.”
.Mac (pronounced “dot Mac”) is the second in Apple’s iterations of online tools suites. This boxed version of .Mac was available in 2006 and matched other Apple retail packaging of the time.
The history of Apple’s online services has included:
iTools (released 1-5-2000) with services including @mac.com email addresses (accessed through the Mail app), iCards free greeting card service, iReview web site reviews, HomePage free web page publishing, iDisk online data storage, and a KidSafe directory of child-friendly web sites.
.Mac (released 7-17-2002) with services including HomePage web hosting, iDisk online disk storage service, @mac.com email service (POP and IMAP), iCards online greeting cards, Backup personal backup (to iDisk, CD, or DVD), and McAfee Virex. Later enhancements included an online Mail interface, Back to My Mac remote desktop, Web Gallery, and the ability to add more online web storage and segment it according to purpose.
MobileMe (released 7-9-2008) had a difficult rollout where some users experienced instability over a period of several weeks. Steve Jobs later wrote, “it was a mistake to launch MobileMe at the same time as iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0 software, and the App Store.” Customers received a free 60-day extension of MobileMe services. Although .Mac removed some services, including iCards and some specific web services, greater iLife integration was added and primary services continued to be expanded and upgraded.
iCloud (beginning Fall 2011) was released with iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S. iCloud includes email, calendar, file across multiple devices, 5 GB of free cloud storage, and offers additional paid tiers for more storage.
For users like me who have been customers since the iTools era, all email domains remain available, including @mac.com, @me.com, and @icloud.com.
This .Mac software box is from 2006 and features four services on the packaging, including iWeb, iPhoto, online file sharing, and the online Backup service.
In early days of personal computers, a series of “Works” applications were released with a few ideas in common. Software packages such as Microsoft Works, AppleWorks GS (for the Apple II GS), and ClarisWorks, all contained a package of simplified applications sold as a set and usually were accessed through a launcher application. For example, when launching AppleWorks, a user would launch the application and decide if they wanted to create a word processing file, a spreadsheet, a drawing document, or a database by clicking the appropriate icon.
ClarisWorks has a complicated history. In general, it began as AppleWorks (with earlier versions under different names), switched to ClarisWorks, switched back to AppleWorks, and was replaced by iWork.
This CD is an installer for ClarisWorks 4.0. Although undated, its version number places it in 1996.
A fascinating history of ClarisWorks/AppleWorks is available from Bob Hearn on a page published by MIT. I wholeheartedly agree with the author who writes, “RIP ClarisWorks, ‘the best-loved application for the Mac,’ 1991–2007.”
Interestingly, this history is somewhat preserved by Apple’s iWork concept. Currently, Apple’s three productivity apps—Keynote, Pages, and Numbers—are referred to collectively as iWork. Although the apps are separate, their user interfaces and behaviors make the apps function very much as a set. This may also be the reason so many users incorrectly refer to iWork as “iWorks.”
Although the Mac has always been touted as the computer platform that’s easy to use, At Ease was Apple’s even more simplified version of an operating environment for users. At Ease removed the Desktop and Finder environment and replaced it with an all-graphical interface with two tabs and large icons.
At Ease used two Panels (tabs) as the primary interface. A brown tab displayed Applications, and a blue tab displayed a user’s documents. All Applications and Documents were shown as icons on a grid.
Although the early Macintosh in System 7 and before did not support multiple users, At Ease added the ability for multiple users to use the same computer and protect their files from other users. At Ease also allowed those files to be shared among users at that computer.
At Ease was controlled by the Administrator or Owner of the computer who set which Applications could be accessed by users. User security was accomplished through passwords set by the Administrator/Owner for each user.
At Ease was used extensively in the schools where I worked in the early- to mid-1990s. This example is a shrink-wrapped, never-opened At Ease box from 1992. The box also contains a Mouse Practice mouse skills tutorial application.
AppleShare 3 is an early implementation of a networking system by Apple that connected several network services in one package. This version, AppleShare 3.0, predates the Internet and serves primarily as a file sharing system and print server. AppleShare ran on a Macintosh Plus, Macintosh SE, or Macintosh Classic with 4 MB of RAM, and also on a Power Macintosh.
Low End Mac compiled information about AppleShare and published the following features:
requires System 7.0 or later
runs on 68000 or later with at least 4 MB RAM
For file services, Low End Mac reports that AppleShare 3 allows up to:
120 connected users (v. 10 for file sharing)
346 unique files open at one time
50 shared volumes (vs. 10 for file sharing)
8,192 users and groups (vs. 100 for file sharing)
65,536 files per volume (limited by HFS file system)
4 GB volume size (System 7.0 through 7.1 are limited to 2 GB)
2 GB file size (requires AppleShare Workstation 3.5 or later on clients)
File sharing in AppleShare 3 was accomplished through AFP, Apple Filing Protocol (AFP), a proprietary network protocol that offered file services for the classic Mac OS.
This boxed version of AppleShare 3 is from 1992 and includes the original manuals and floppy disks required to install AppleShare on a Macintosh of the time.
My collection of Apple CD and DVD media includes operating systems, applications, software collections that shipped with devices, promotional media, diagnostic tools, and educational content. In general, Apple-branded CD or DVD examples in original packaging have been presented separately, while single discs or collections of discs are presented chronologically.
Apple CDs from 1996 include:
Macintosh System 7.5 Update 2.0 For system software versions 7.5, 7.5.1, and 7.5.2 (U95073-052B, 1996)
Apple LaserWriter CD-ROM Version 1.0 For Mac OS and Windows (CD Version 1.0, 691-1229-A, 1996)
Apple Color Printing CD (1996)
Apple Macintosh CD, Power Macintosh 5260/100 (SSW Version 7.5.3, CD Version 1.0, 691-0992-A, 1996)
Macintosh PowerBook 1400 series (SSW Version 7.5.3, CD Version 1.0, 691-0954-A, 1996)
Apple Macintosh CD, Macintosh PowerBook System Software for PowerBook 5300/2300/190 computers and PowerPC hardware upgrades (SSW Version 7.5.2, CD Version 1.2.1, 691-0911-A, 1996)
Apple Internet Connection Kit (Version 1.1.5, 691-1096-A, 1996)
Apple Network Administrator Toolkit (U96073-026A, 1996)
In 1996 Macintosh computer system software was able to fit on a single CD. Apple used a standard white CD envelope with a white cloth-like back and a clear plastic front for system CDs. When multiple CDs were required, each CD shipped in a separate standard envelope.
Back in 1991, working with color on a computer—even a Mac—was apparently a novel activity. So novel that Apple released this Apple Color Graphics Sampler CD to showcase the benefits of color. Although basic color had been displaying on Apple screens since the Apple II in 1977, it took until 1991 for color to become a feature that regular people could produce and control in documents.
The CD is “designed to help you easily see the benefits of using color on the Apple™ Macintosh™ computer. We’ve provided the sampler so you can quickly see color performance—right after you pull your Macintosh monitor out of the box.”
Among other assets, the CD contains two image folders, 24-bit and 8-bit, and demos of applications including MacDraw Pro, Pixelpaint Pro, MacroMind Director, and Photoshop 1.0. It also has screensavers Dark Side of the Mac, Flowfazer, and Moire 3.02.
Incidentally, this is the earliest Apple-branded CD-ROM in my collection.
