Tag: 1991

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KAATN ’91 paperweight (1991)

This glass paperweight measures 3.75 inches in diameter and is 5/8 inches thick. It features a smooth scalloped edge and is etched with an Apple logo and the characters, “KAATN ’91.”

This item was acquired from a person I believe to be a former Apple sales representative. Although I was unable to get specific information about this item, research indicates that this paperweight was possibly a memento after some version of executive coaching by consultant Alan Weiss who runs Summit Consulting Group, Inc. Weiss is author of “500 articles and 60 books, including his best-seller, Million Dollar Consulting.” 

This training is still apparently offered by Summit Consulting Group as of 2021. Although Apple is not listed as a client, other well-known clients and the content of the coaching seems to match Apple’s culture in the early 1990s. Weiss describes this coaching as a “very intensive development experience combining my executive coaching models with entrepreneurial and solo practitioner needs: Supercharged Coaching.” 

Weiss notes that he has “kiddingly dubbed” his Supercharged Coaching methodology “KAATN” or “kick ass and take names,” the cryptic abbreviation on this paperweight. 

If this information can be substantiated or disproven by anyone with historic context, I’d appreciate it.

Sources: Alan Weiss (About, KAATN)

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Apple Color Graphics Sampler CD (1991)

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.

Source: MacWorld

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Apple Keyboard II (1991)

The Apple Keyboard II was first released in 1990 with the Macintosh Classic and LC. This keyboard included flip-down feet in the back to increase the angle of the keyboard for more comfortable typing. This keyboard used the ADB (Apple Desktop Bus) connector.

While this keyboard used the same color of Platinum gray as Macintosh computers at the time, it was also included with the Macintosh TV in all black (using the same model number).

As of 2020 Apple has released approximately 20 external keyboard designs. In general, Apple Macintosh keyboards are different from standard keyboards because they include a Command key (⌘) for shortcuts; an Option key (⌥) for entering diacritical marks and special characters; and a Help or fn (function) key. Earlier Apple keyboards also included a power key (◁), while newer keyboards include eject (⏏).

Source: Wikipedia

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PowerBook 140 (1991)

The PowerBook 140 was released along with the PowerBook 100, 140, and 170—three new Macintosh laptop models that were mobile in addition to being portable. The lineup replaced the Macintosh Portable, a very bulky device that weighed in at 16 pounds and was 4 inches thick.

The PowerBook 140 featured a 16 MHz 68030 processor, 2 MB or 4 MB of RAM, a 20 MB or a 40 MB hard drive, and an internal 1.44 MB floppy drive. The screen measured 9.8 inches in a monochrome passive-matrix display.

Unlike Macintosh computers at the time that were controlled by a mouse, the built-in input device on the PowerBook 100-family laptops was a trackball with an upper and lower button. Each button had the same function and two were provided for the benefit of ergonomics for the user to select which to use. 

The introductory price for this laptop was $3,199.

Source: EveryMac.com