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.
This 2-CD set from May 1999 is titled The Apple Sales and Marketing Resource Library, Provider Edition.
CD 1 contains: PowerSales May 1999 Apple Load Ad Slicks ColorSync White Paper Final Cut DataSheet & FAQ QuickTime 4.0 Data & Fact Sheet Mac OS X Server Data Sheet & FAQ Mac OS X Server Presentation Mac Products Guide 04.99 Mac OS Promos
CD 2 contains: Mac OS X Server Training
The CDs also include, “See insert for complete listing,” indicating that a CD insert was also printed, but it is not included in my collection.
This Macintosh Products Guide CD is from Fall 1999. The cardboard CD enclosure specifies that it includes, “A catalog of over 15,000 products for your Mac.”
The publisher of the CD is ADC (Apple Developer Connection) and the CD product number is L04745A.
Mac OS X Server 1.0 was released on March 16, 1999, and was based on a combination of NeXT technology and Mac OS 8. Although the appearance of the OS is based on the platinum appearance in Mac OS 8, the software is based on OPENSTEP (NeXTSTEP).
Interestingly, Mac OS X Server was released almost two years before the Mac OS X operating system public beta. I remember it being used in a computer lab at a middle school in the first district where I served as Tech Director. We were testing the new NetBoot server that purportedly allowed multiple computers to boot from a disk image over a local network. It did not work for our purposes.
This is the original Mac OS X Server box that sold at the time for $499.
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 1999 include:
Mac OS 8.6 Updater CD (1999)
Mac OS 8.6 (Version 8.6, 691-2312-A, 1999)
Mac OS 9 (Version 9.0, 691-2386-A, 1999)
Macintosh PowerBook G3 Series Software Install (SSW version 9.0, 691-2458-A, 1999)
iMac Software Install (SSW version 8.6, CD version 1.1, 691-2376-A, 1999)
iMac Software Restore (SSW version 8.6, CD version 1.1, 691-2375-A, 1999)
Software Bundle (600-7647-A, 1999)
iBook Software Install (SSW version 9.0, 691-2472-A, 1999)
Apple Network Assistant (Version 4.0., Z691-2474-A, 1999)
SoftRAID For Power Mac G4 and Macintosh Server G4 computers (1999, SSW version 9.0, CD version 2.2.1, 691-2534-A, 1999)
AppleCare Service Source For Power Macintosh computers before G3 (includes AppleCare License Booklet, November 691-2508-A, 1999)
Mac OS 9, Not for resale
A New Take on Digital Video (Final Cut Pro demo)
Apple shipped CD bundles in cardboard envelope packages in 1999. The envelope design shown here is orange with a white Apple logo.
My belief is that these two CD-ROMs are among the most rare items in my collection. I have been unable to find any information about these CDs through official or unofficial means since I acquired them in 1999.
While unpacking and setting up a large shipment of iMac computers for a school district (iMac G3 266Mhz models in “fruit” colors), these CD-ROMs were left in the trays of two different iMac computers.
Presumably, these were the CDs used on the assembly line to make last-minute changes to the Mac OS before shipment. Also likely, these CDs were probably never meant to leave the factory.
One CD is marked C 1.5 Rework CD 1/04/99 Rev. 4007 born on date 1/25/99. The other is marked Elroy Video Touchup CD 5/13/99 Rev. 2010 born on date 06/11/99.
Incidentally, “Elroy” is one of the codenames used for the original iMac—a likely reference to the character Elroy, the son on the cartoon “The Jetsons.”
The Macintosh Server G4/500 was designed similarly as its G3 blue and white predecessor, but used a translucent graphite and white case. Internally, it had a 500 MHz PowerPC 7400 G4 processor, 256 MB RAM (512 GB RAM maximum), an 18.0 GB (or 36.0 GB) hard drive, a 5X DVD-ROM drive, and a Rage 128 Pro graphics card. This server is identical to the Power Macintosh G4 series tower, but included faster hard drives, more RAM, and shipped with a server operating system. The two Apple server operating systems of the time included MacOS 8.6 with AppleShare IP 6.3.1 and MacOS X Server.
The front of the Macintosh Server G4 was translucent graphite (gray) with an underlying pinstripe pattern. The top included spaces for two optical drives. This example includes a DVD-ROM drive and no device in the lower available space. Below the optical drives was a speaker, the power button, and two additional smaller buttons—reset and “interrupt” buttons—both used to recover from system-level issues.
The back of the tower included all ports: two FireWire (400) ports, one ethernet port, two USB ports, and stacked 3.5 mm microphone (audio-in) and audio-out jacks. A space for a modem port is included, but unused in this example. Four slots were also available. This model includes slot 1 with a standard VGA port and a DVI port; slot 2 with a high-speed SCSI (LVD/SE) port; while slots 3 and 4 are unused.
The right side of the tower included a latch with a circular rubberized grip that allowed the entire side of the tower to be opened on a hinge, revealing and providing relatively easy access to all internal components. Plug-in slots (such as video, memory, and wireless) were attached to the hinged side, while components such as drives and fans remained attached to the internal metal frame of the tower.
This Macintosh Server G4 includes three internal hard drives.
The Power Macintosh G3 was the first new tower desktop to be released after the original iMac in 1998. The iMac at the time was originally released in “Bondi” blue—a translucent blue-green hue reminiscent of the waters off Bondi beach in Australia—that was replaced in 1999 with a brighter translucent set of colors including a shade of blue called “blueberry.” The Power Macintosh G3 was closer in color to the blueberry iMac, but it was not an exact match.
The Power Macintosh G3 was known as the “blue and white” tower. The tower used a translucent white outer case on both sides and featured both a glossy, translucent blue Apple logo and the characters G3 boldy printed under the frosted white translucent plastic to achieve a blurred, shadowy effect.
The front of the Power Macintosh G3 was translucent blue with an underlying pinstripe pattern. The top of the front included spaces for two optical drives. This example includes a CD-ROM and a Zip drive (from the company Iomega). Below the media drives was a speaker, the power button, and two additional smaller buttons—reset and “interrupt” buttons—both used to recover from system-level issues.
The back of the tower included ports, including two FireWire (400) ports, one ADB port, one ethernet port, two USB ports, and side-by-side 3.5 mm microphone (audio-in) and audio-out ports. A space for a modem port is included, but unused in this example. Four slots were also available. This model includes slot 1 with a standard VGA port, slot 2 with AV ports including a DB-15 (“Mac Video”) port, two S-video, and one yellow video-in RCA port. Slots 3 and 4 are unused.
The port choices represent an interesting mix of legacy and brand new technology. While the desktop was the first to include FireWire 400 ports, it also included the then-new USB standard, but curiously included one then-outdated ADB port. The slots below show a similar mix of old and new: VGA and the old-style “Mac Video” DB-15 port. Thus, while the iMac was only looking forward, this tower allowed old and new peripherals to be used.
The right side of the tower included a latch with a circular rubberized grip that allowed the entire side of the tower to be opened on a hinge, revealing and providing relatively easy access to all internal components. Plug-in slots (such as video and memory) were attached to the hinged side, while components such as drives and fans remained attached to the internal metal frame of the tower.
Internally, this Power Macintosh G3 uses a 300 MHz PowerPC 750 G3 processor, 64 MB of RAM, a 6 GB hard drive, a 32X CD-ROM drive, and an ATI Rage graphics card. The hard drive was a faster, server-grade Ultra ATA/33 model when iMac computers of the time included IDE/ATA hard drives.
A highly specious rumor of the time noted that the design of this tower included a Disney reference. When viewed sideways, a Mickey Mouse ears shape can be seen in the negative space between the “bite” in the Apple logo and the inside of the Helvetica Bold “3” in the “G3” logo on the sides of this tower. The conspiracy theory speculated that Disney was contemplating the purchase of Apple.
I used versions of this blue and white tower in two of my educational technology leadership positions. In both cases, I used this tower to create videos and other multimedia using early versions of iMovie and other multimedia creation software.
This vertical strip of five translucent-style Apple logos features the five “fruit colors” of the 1999 iMac G3 computers: lime, tangerine, grape, blueberry, and strawberry. The set measures 21.7×5.1 cm (8.125 x 2 inches), and each sticker is a circle measuring 38 mm (1.5 inches) in diameter.
This Macintosh PowerBook G3 Series Weight-Saving Device (model 825-4548-A) is the exact size of the battery inside a Macintosh PowerBook G3 Series laptop (333 MHz to 500 MHz “Lombard” and “Pismo” models with bronze keyboards). These PowerBook laptops had two bays, each capable of supporting a device module (i.e., floppy drive, CD-ROM drive) or a battery.
To make the laptop lighter, the device modules and/or batteries could be removed and replaced with this Macintosh PowerBook G3 Series Weight-Saving Device. One was included with each Macintosh PowerBook G3 Series laptop. According to the technical information, the laptop could weight nearly 8 pounds:
“Macintosh PowerBook G3 Series with a 14.1-inch display, battery, internal modem, and CD-ROM expansion bay module: 3.54 kg (7.8 lb.)”
