Tag: 3.5 inch

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Apple Educator Advantage CD booklet (1995)

Based upon my own recollection, Apple offered a program called the “Apple Educator Advantage” to educators around 1993–2004. I personally participated in the program between 1999–2003. I first recall the program as a low-interest buying program for teachers and school staff that was set up through a school district’s administration center and offered to school staff. Educators were able to make purchases at the same discounted pricing offered to school districts and then pay over time.

The Apple Educator Advantage program was started at a time before Apple Stores existed, before online purchasing was commonplace, and continued to be offered a few years after Apple Stores began opening around the United States.

This CD booklet was likely offered to school staff who participated in the Apple Educator Advantage program. This booklet is made from frosted vinyl and measures 7.5 x 9.25 inches. The front and back flap have internal pockets that hold paperwork such as software licenses, and the two inside pages can hold 2 CDs each.

This CD booklet contains the following software:

  • ClassMaster 2.0 (TECHBYTE Internation, 3.5-inch disk)
  • Apple Teacher Productivity (CD, 1994)
  • Claris Organizer (CD, 1995)
  • SuperPrint (1991)
  • Smithsonian’s America (1994)

Source: Apple

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eWorld 3.5-inch disk (1995)

eWorld was a relatively short-lived online service operated by Apple from June 1994—March 1996. eWorld’s services included email, news, a bulletin board system, and access to Apple software. According to the website, Remember eWorld, “eWorld competed directly against AOL, CompuServe, and MSN, and finally lost this competition.”

The service was available for Apple IIGS, Macintosh, and offered limited support for the Newton. Although AOL (America Online) was, by far, the most popular service of the time, Cult of Mac author Rob LeFebvre wrote fondly about eWorld, remembering, “When eWorld went online…the combination of real time chat and a distinct graphical style really made it stand out.”

Several historical references to eWorld noted its relatively high price. A Business Insider article reported that eWorld cost “$8.95 per month, which included two hours of evening or weekend use, with each additional hour costing $4.95.”

This 3.5-inch disk contains the software (Version 1.1) that allowed a Macintosh to access eWorld. According to TechNotif, “Users accessed eWorld through Apple’s custom client software and connected by way of a dial-up modem. Once you connected, the eWorld software displayed a playfully illustrated aerial view of a small city.”

Sources: Wikipedia, Remember eWorld, Cult of Mac, Business Insider, TechNotif

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ClarisWorks 4.0 for Macintosh (6 3.5-inch disks, 1996)

In early days of personal computers, a series of “Works” applications were released with a few traits 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 were usually 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 set of six 3.5-inch floppy disks contain an installer for ClarisWorks 4.0.

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.”

This set of disks was among the final 3.5-inch floppy disks produced by Apple since in 1998 Apple released the iMac and officially stopped including floppy drives in their products. My collection also includes a ClarisWorks 4.0 CD installer, also from 1996.

Sources: Wikipedia (AppleWorks, floppy disk), Macintosh Garden, MIT