Tag: 1990

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NeXTstation (1990)

Shortly after Steve Jobs was ousted from Apple in 1985, he founded the company NExT, Inc. With headquarters in Redwood City, California, NeXT created computer workstations and software that was originally intended for education markets. Notably, a NeXT computer was used by Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau at CERN to develop the world’s first web server and web browser on the then-new World Wide Web. When NeXT was purchased by Apple in 1996 its core technologies were later used in future Apple products, including as a foundation for Mac OS X.

During its 11 years, NExT only developed a few hardware products, including the NExT Computer (later renamed the NExTcube), the Next Workstation, and several peripheral devices including the following:

  • NeXT Color Printer
  • NeXT External CD-ROM Drive
  • NeXT Keyboard
  • NeXT Laser Printer
  • NeXT MegaPixel Display
  • NeXT MegaPixel Color Display
  • NeXT Mouse
  • NeXTdimension color board

Sources report that NeXT only sold a total of 50,000 units among all its products combined. Thus, working NeXT computers are considered somewhat rare.

NEXT software began with its operating system, NeXTSTEP. The website 512 Pixels compared the operating system to the Macintosh OS of the time: “NeXTStep looked like the future. It had full-color icons and modern typography and included technologies like protected memory and multitasking.” The user interface also included the Dock, allowed unused applications to be hidden while still running, included smooth scrolling, drag-and-drop functionality, full audio support, and more. NeXT also developed WebObjects, a “set of tools for making huge, complex web sites.”

The story of the distinctive NeXT logo is intriguing. Steve Jobs asked well known designer Paul Rand to create options for him. Rand reportedly told Jobs “no,” and said “I will solve your problem for you and you will pay me.” Rand presented Jobs with a 20-page book that detailed the logo (tilted at 28º), branding, and the new stylized spelling, “NeXT.”

The first NeXT computer (using the cube design) was released in 1990 for $9,999 (equivalent to over $23,000 adjusted for inflation). A second generation of NeXT computers were released later that year that included a revised original cube design, renamed the NeXTcube, and the NeXTstation, a version of this computer.

The NeXTstation was nicknamed the “slab.” It was created as a lower-cost alternative to the original NeXTcube and sold at the time for about half the price at $4,995. Several versions were produced:

  • NeXTstation (25 MHz)
  • NeXTstation Turbo (33 MHz)
  • NeXTstation Color (25 MHz)
  • NeXTstation Turbo Color (33 MHz)

This NeXTstation is the 25 MHz version, and it shipped with a NeXT MegaPixel Display 17-inch monitor that has with built-in speakers. It also has its own custom keyboard and mouse designs.

The processor is a Motorola 68040 (at 25 MHz or 33 MHz in the Turbo model) and included 8 MB RAM (Turbo and color versions could handle up to 128 MB). This NeXTstation has 256 KB VRAM and can display 4 colors—black, white, and two shades of gray. While the computer fully supports audio, the speaker is built into the monitor.

Input and output ports include the following:

  • Floppy internal connector
  • SCSI internal connector
  • SCSI-2 external connector (MD50)
  • DSP port (DA-15)
  • NeXTstation/Turbo: MegaPixel Display port (DB-19)
  • Proprietary NeXT Laser Printer port (DE-9)
  • Two RS-423 serial ports (Mini-DIN 8)
  • 10BASE-T and 10BASE-2 Ethernet
  • 3.5-inch 2.88 MB floppy disk drive

The NeXTstation’s internal storage originally used a hard drive available in capacities of 105 MB, 250 MB, 340 MB, 400 MB, and could support up to 4 GB. However, the operating system cannot use partitions larger than 4 GB. This NeXTstation’s mechanical hard drive has been replaced by a rig that allows an SD card to run the operating system.

The custom NeXTstation keyboard matches the color of the computer and has 85 full-stroke mechanical keys. The custom mouse is also color-matched, has 2 buttons, and uses opto-mechanical tracking.

The NeXTstation measures 39.8 cm wide, by 36.5 cm deep, and 6.4cm tall. It weighs 13 pounds.

Sources: Wikipedia (NeXTstation, company); Internet Archive (Rand); Fandom (products); Kevin Ford (WebObjects/software)

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The Visual Almanac: An Interactive Multimedia Kit (January 1990)

The Visual Almanac is the earliest Apple Education multimedia product in my collection. According to the kit’s Laser Disc, pictured on the Domesday86 website:

“The Visual Almanac is composed of 3 parts: the Visual Almanac Videodisc, the Visual Almanac software, and the Visual Almanac Companion (a book). This two-sided videodisc contains an Introduction, over 7000 images and 2 channels of sound organized into 12 collections. It is designed to be used under control of a Macintosh computer.”

The printed materials include a guide (First Steps in the Visual Almanac) and a spiral-bound book. Media includes three 3.5-inch disks: HyperCard 1.2.2; Visual Almanac Home (home HyperCard stack; Collections Directory (pre-made collections), and a CD-ROM. The kit also includes a cable.

The cable is described as a “LaserDisc Player Serial Lead,” designed to “connect a Pioneer player (with a 15 pin D-Sub connector) to the Apple Macintosh mini-DIN serial port.”

The box containing all the items in the kit measures 12.75 inches square and is 1.5 inches deep. The accompanying spiral-bound book is titled The Visual Almanac: An Interactive Multimedia Kit Companion, measures 11 x 8.5 inches, and contains 216 pages, printed in full color.

The Preface of the book contains a welcome message that states the resource’s intent:

“Welcome to The Visual Almanac! We designed the The Visual Almanac to give everyone a glimpse of potential computer-centered futures and have tried to show how current multimedia technologies might be used to do something new. We tried to make something that could be used now, but would also provoke the development of methodologies, technologies and pedagogies for the future. It is an interactive multimedia kit aimed at children and all their teachers—in schools, in homes and in various public environments—as well as business people, researchers and developers who make educational and other materials for our youth.”

Although the full package is dated January 1990, the accompanying CD-ROM is dated 1989 and the CD (as well as the Laser Disc) specifies that it was “Produced by the Apple Multimedia Lab.”

The box in my collection is missing the accompanying 2-sided LaserDisc that contains the primary content in 78 “collections” for the kit:

Side A Collections
Animals and Plants
Earth View
Everyday Physics
Solar System
Sounds Side A

Side B Collections
American History
Around the World
History of Daily Life
Everyday Objects
Historical Portraits
Sounds Side B
Studies in Time

Special thanks to the Domesday86 website for providing an excellent, detailed entry about this kit that allowed me to better describe this early educational multimedia example.

Source: Apple, Domesday86

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RCA Stereo to 3.5mm Microphone Input Adapter (c. 1990)

This Apple-branded adapter allowed a powered microphone with RCA inputs (red and white plugs) to be plugged into a Macintosh with a 3.5mm microphone jack.

The adapter features an Apple logo (on the RCA plug end) and Apple’s microphone icon (used in the 1990s) on the 3.5mm plug. The adapter is made in the platinum color used by Apple throughout the 1990s until the release of the iMac in 1998.

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Lanyard (black, red, white logotype, c. 1990)

This lanyard is black with a red wooden bead accent. Its style appears to place it in the 1990s. This lanyard was acquired from the estate of a former Apple Education employee and was likely used in the 1990s at education events.

The cord of the lanyard features a white Apple logotype in Apple Garamond, Apple’s corporate font used between 1984 and 2003. The manufacturer is shown on a white tag printed with he name KOOCHY gear.

I have found similarly designed items by this manufacturer on eBay branded with other company logos. Although the company is no longer active, it now appears to be associated with the company PROMOVISION, specializing in custom lanyards.

I also have a similar version of this lanyard in my collection without the manufacturer tag.

Source: PROMOVISION

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Central Operations Executive Briefing Center Black Leather Portfolio (c. 1990)

This black leather portfolio was made by the company Hazel CID (America’s Case Maker). The corners of the portfolio are made from gold-colored metal, and the lower-right corner of the cover is embossed with an Apple logo and then words “Central Operations Executive Briefing Center.”

Apple’s “Central Operations Executive Briefing Center” was located in Chicago. It is now located in a different building in Chicago and is known as the Chicago Executive Briefing Center.

The interior of the portfolio includes a vinyl pocket on the left side and a slot on the right side to hold a pad of paper. The center of the portfolio includes a cutout tab to hold a pen.

The portfolio measures __x__.

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Gray Linen Portfolio with Multicolor Apple Logo (c. 1990)

This gray portfolio features a textured linen outer finish with a multicolor embroidery Apple logo on the upper-left front cover. The outer edges are stitched.

The inside of the portfolio is made from gray vinyl. The left side has a gray vinyl pocket, and the right side has a slot to hold a pad of paper. The left side also includes a curved slot to hold a business card vertically.

The left-bottom-center of the interior has a black tag with the words DART Manufacturing Co. Made In U.S.A. According to my research, DART merged with Senator USA in 2007. Both companies made promotional items and Senator is still in operation.

The portfolio measures 12.5 x 9.375 inches.