Tag: graphite

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Macintosh Server G4 (500 MHz, 1999)

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.

Source: Everymac

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Apple USB Keyboard (graphite, 1999)

The Apple USB Keyboard design was the first Apple keyboard available in translucent plastic and was released with the original iMac in matching Bondi blue. As the name implies, it connected to the computer using USB and included two additional USB ports on the right and left rear of the keyboard. This keyboard removed the “extended” keys, but retained the right-side numeric keypad. The Apple USB Keyboard includes a single support leg spanning the entire width of the keyboard to slightly elevate the back of the keyboard. This was the last Apple keyboard design to include a power button.

This example is graphite (translucent gray). In addition to graphite, this keyboard was also available in Bondi blue, strawberry, tangerine, lime, blueberry, and grape.

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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AirPort Base Station (original, 1999)

The original AirPort Base Station was released along with the original iBook (blueberry and tangerine) at the 1999 MacWorld conference and expo in New York City. An optional AirPort card was available for the iBook (a repackaged Lucent ORiNOCO Gold Card PC Card adapter) and this graphite AirPort Base Station provided one of the first consumer WiFi base stations that was relatively easy to set up and manage.

The original AirPort system including the AirPort card and AirPort Base Station allowed transfer rates up to 11 Megabits/second.

Soon after MacWorld, Apple began airing a TV commercial for the AirPort Base Station featuring a 1950s-style Sci-Fi soundtrack and the base station flying in like a flying saucer.

Sources: Wikipedia, Museums Victoria (Australia)

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USB Mouse (graphite, M4848, 1999)

The Apple USB Mouse was first released with the original iMac. The mouse was translucent white and accented in translucent Bondi blue, the same colors as the original iMac. The mouse was round and often referred to as the “hockey puck” mouse. Like previous Apple mouse designs, the USB mouse used a single button and a rubber ball for tracking. However, the rubber ball was two-toned to add design interest by capitalizing on the translucent case.

The mouse has been described as a rare design mistake for Apple because its round shape made it difficult to feel the top of the device, making tracking difficult. Soon after its release, Apple added a dimple in the graphite version of the mouse at the top above the button. The dimple is shown below next to an original Bondi blue USB Mouse.

The mouse also had a short cord. Although the cord worked well when plugged into the USB port on a matching iMac keyboard, the cord was too short to use (for right-handed users) with Mac laptops at the time since USB ports were located on the left side.

The graphite Apple USB mouse was included with a late-1999 Special Edition iMac SE model.

Source: Wikipedia.com

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iMac G3/500 DV SE (Summer 2000, graphite)

The iMac G3/500 DV Special Edition (Summer 2000) featured a 500 MHz PowerPC 750 (G3) processor, 128 MB of RAM, a 30.0 GB Ultra ATA hard drive, a slot loading 4X DVD-ROM drive, a Harmon-Kardon designed sound system, and two FireWire 400 ports. The screen was a 15-inch CRT display.

The iMac G3/500 DV Special Edition (Summer 2000) is similar to the iMac G3/450 DV+ (Summer 2000) released at the same time, but was offered in graphite and snow rather than indigo, ruby, and sage. It was referred to as a “Special Edition” model because it had a faster processor, twice the RAM, and a larger hard drive (30.0 GB instead of 20.0 GB).

This iMac model also replaced the Apple USB Keyboard and round Apple USB Mouse with the Apple Pro Keyboard and Mouse.

Source: EveryMac.com

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iBook G3/366 SE (graphite, 2000)

The iBook G3/366 Special Edition (SE) shares the same Apple model number as the original “clamshell” iBook, but has a few upgraded internal specifications. The iBook SE increased the processor power to 366 MHz and shipped with 64 MB of RAM and a 6.0 GB hard drive.

The SE was also offered in a more conservative case color that Apple referred to as “graphite and ice.”

Source: EveryMac.com