Powered Speaker with Apple Distinguished Educator logo (orange, c. 2011)

This unique item appears to be a bright orange zippered accessory case with a silver carabiner attached, but when opened it reveals a battery-powered portable speaker and a pocket for a music-playing device such as an iPod or iPhone.

The speaker is powered by 2 AAA batteries and has an ON/OFF switch. A wire with a standard stereo headphone plug extends from the speaker to connect to a device.

The case is bright orange and is printed with the Apple Distinguished Educator logo in white in the Apple Myriad font. Apple Myriad was Apple’s corporate font used approximately between 2003–2017.

Apple describes Apple Distinguished Educators as “the educators who are looking to change the world. They are active leaders from around the world helping other educators rethink what’s possible with iPad and Mac to make learning deeply personal for every student.”

I became an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) in 2007. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the event where these speakers were offered, but an ADE friend of mine gave me this speaker for my collection.

Source: Apple (ADE), Wikipedia

MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015)

The 13-inch MacBook Air, Early-2015 model, used the 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 and was also available with a 2.2GHz dual-core Intel Core i7. It shipped with 4GB or 8GB RAM. This model uses the Core i5 with 4GB of RAM and has 128GB of flash storage.

When it was released on March 9, 2015, Apple reported:

“The updated 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air now feature fifth generation Intel Core processors up to 2.2 GHz, with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.2 GHz, integrated Intel HD Graphics 6000, and Thunderbolt 2, delivering up to 20Gbps, twice the bandwidth of the previous generation. The 13-inch MacBook Air also features faster flash storage that is up to two times faster than the previous generation.”

This MacBook Air used a 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display at 1440 x 900.

Apple reported that this laptop had a 12-hour battery. Its physical ports included 2 USB 3 ports, a Thunderbolt 2 port, a MagSafe 2 power port, a SDXC card slot, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Wireless technologies included 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0. It also had a front-facing 720p FaceTime HD camera.

The full-size keyboard was backlit and with an ambient light sensor, and it used Apple’s Multi-Touch trackpad.

This MacBook Air used the tapered design of previous MAcBook Air models, measuring 0.11 to 0.68 inch (0.3-1.7 cm) thick, 12.8 inches (32.5 cm) wide, and 8.94 inches (22.7 cm) deep. It weighed 2.96 pounds (1.35 kg).

According to EveryMac:

“Compared to its predecessor, this model looks effectively identical, but has a more advanced processor and architecture, more advanced graphics, twice as fast 4x PCIe storage, and Thunderbolt 2 support.”

Source: Apple (Tech Specs, Newsroom), EveryMac

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)

At the time of its release, the MacBook Pro 15-inch with Retina Display was a solid “Pro” choice, but an iterative update from its predecessor with no new design elements, major features, or new technologies. This MacBook Pro used Intel’s Core i7 “Haswell/Crystalwell” processor with four cores. This example is the 2.0GHz model, and a 2.3GHz was also available.

The 15.4-inch Retina Display was LED-backlit display with 2880 x 1800 resolution (220ppi). The laptop measured 0.71 inch (1.8 cm) thick, and 14.13 inches (35.89 cm) wide x 9.73 inches (24.71 cm) tall. It weighed 4.46 pounds (2.02 kg).

According to Apple, the physical ports included:

  • MagSafe 2 power port
  • 2 Thunderbolt 2 ports (up to 20 Gbps)
  • 2 USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps)
  • HDMI port
  • Headphone port
  • SDXC card slot

Wireless technologies included 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0.

The full-size keyboard was backlit and used an ambient light sensor. Apple advertised the battery life as 8 hours, and it charged using an 85W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter.

Sources: Apple, EveryMac

iPhone 5c (yellow, 2013)

The iPhone 5c was released along with the iPhone 5s as a lower-cost addition to the iPhone 5 family. Instead of using a an aluminum back, it used a polycarbonate shell in one of five colors: white, blue, green, yellow, and pink. All colors used a black glass front. This example is yellow.

The iPhone 5c used the same screen and cameras as the iPhone 5s released at the same time. Its touch screen was a Retina display (1136 x 640). The back camera was an 8-megapixel iSight camera (1080p), and the front camera was a 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera (720p).

Internally, the iPhone 5c used an A6 processor at 1.3 GHz. Its internal storage included 8, 16, or 32 GB. Also like the iPhone 5s, wireless connections included 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and 4G/LTE. Wired connections included the Lightning connector and a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack.

The similarities in features between the iPhone 5c and other iPhone 5 models—along with the iPhone 5c’s color choices and lower price—made this iPhone a popular choice.

Sources: Everymac, Wikipedia

USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter (2021)

Apple described the USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter as an accessory that “lets you connect devices that use a standard 3.5 mm audio plug — like headphones or speakers — to your USB-C devices.”

I was surprised to learn I needed this adapter one day when I attempted to plug my “standard” 3.5 mm headphones into my 11-inch M1 iPad Pro. I somehow missed that the M1 iPad Pro had no headphone jack.

To their credit, Apple includes a handy photo of the iPad Pro with the USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter on their product page.

Apple

iPhone Stereo Headset (bulk packaging, 2007)

The iPhone Stereo Headset were the headphones that shipped with the first two iPhone models, the original iPhone (2007–2008) and the iPhone 3G (2008–2010). The headphones used a similar enclosed design as the later EarPods, and the right earbud included a control button with a microphone on the wire. The button is controlled by a squeeze and it can be set for a variety of tasks: answer/end calls, advance presentation slides, play/pause music/video, or capture photos. A double-press also allowed the user to skip to the next music track.

Note that the controller did not include the + and – option for volume and/or other controls, a feature now taken for granted in many headphone designs.

iLounge described these headphones as, “familiar and inexpensive, with very good earbud and microphone quality.” They also praised the bass response, warm sound, and the quality of the microphone.

This example is in Apple’s bulk packaging. I remember receiving the headphones when I attended an Apple Education professional development opportunity that required attendees to have a microphone. These were never unpackaged because I had brought and used my personal headphones.

Sources: Wikipedia, iLounge

Original iPod headphones (Generation 2, 2002)

The Original iPod headphones were the earbuds that shipped with the original iPod. They sounded quite good, shipped with two sets of black foam ear covers, were sometimes panned for not fitting some people’s ears, and came with the iPod at no additional cost so most iPod users used them.

Perhaps the most important, and in my opinion overlooked, feature of these headphones was not the specs, but the color. Soon after the iPod was introduced in 2001, an iconic ad campaign was released in 2003 referred to as “silhouettes,” created by the company Chiat\Day. In each commercial, poster, print ad, or billboard, the all-black silhouette of a dancer moved over a brightly colored background (hot pink, lime green, yellow, or bright blue) while the highly-contrasted bright white headphone wire and iPod moved along with the dancer. The effect was striking and the white cord color effectively called attention to the product nearly screaming, “I’m using an iPod!”

The white earbud design not only became permanently associated with “cool” Apple gear, but 20 years later is still being used as the only color choice for Apple-branded headphones, EarPods, AirPods, and likely future Apple headphone iterations. (Apple-owned brand Beats, however, does produce many headphone styles in multiple colors.)

According to my research, this particular example of the original iPod headphone design is a Generation 2 release, identified as such due to the addition of a plastic slider to adjust the gap between the headphone wires.

Sources: GQ, Wikipedia

EarPods (with 3.5 mm Headphone Plug, 2012)

The EarPods design replaced a previous Apple headphone design with a circular earphone design. The product description states that, “Unlike traditional, circular earbuds, the design of the EarPods is defined by the geometry of the ear. Which makes them more comfortable for more people than any other earbud-style headphones.”

EarPods also included a remote and microphone on the right EarPod wire. The remote allowed the user to pinch the thickened cord to control volume, play/pause music and video, and answer or end a call.

The same wired EarPod design was used in the EarPods with Lightning Connector product when Apple removed the audio connector from the iPhone. Both the 3.5 mm Headphone Plug and Lightning Connector options were sold at the same time since both ports were still used in Apple products.

This product was sold in a variety of packaging. This is the same packaging that shipped inside iPhone models and also available as OEM replacement parts from some online retailers.

Source: Apple.com

AppleDesign Powered Speakers II (1993)

The data sheet that Apple provided for the AppleDesign Powered Speakers II described them as “audiophile-quality…designed to work perfectly with virtually any personal computer, portable CD player or audio cassette player and with any television that supports sound output.” 

The design of the rear speaker leg allowed the speakers to be adjusted to various angles. The power and volume controls was located in the front of the right speaker and an included cable with 3.5 mm plugs that connected the two speakers. Volume and an external headphone port were also located on the front of the right speaker. A stereo audio input port was located on the rear of the right speaker.

The speakers delivered 90 dB at 0.5m at 200Hz. Each speaker measures 6.8 inches tall, 4.1 inches wide, and 3.9 inches deep. The speakers were available as a set and as a part of the Apple Multimedia Kit for Macintosh.

This AppleDesign Powered Speakers II model is beige and matches Apple desktop computers sold at the time. Another version, considered far more rare, was also available in black with silver metallic Apple logos.

Reference: Apple via picclick.com

Mac mini G4 (original, 2005)

The Mac mini G4 featured a 1.42 GHz G4 processor, 256 MB of SDRAM memory, an 80 GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive, and a slot-loading 8X DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive. This is the original Mac mini and was sold as a budget Mac that came with no display, keyboard, or mouse. This computer was a great low-cost option for someone switching from Windows to Mac who already owned a display and USB keyboard and mouse.

The Mac mini G4 had ports including DVI (with a DVI-to-VGA adapter included), USB 2.0, FireWire, and a headphone/line out jack. The original Mac mini supported a wireless AirPort Extreme (802.11g) and Bluetooth card as an option. After July 26, 2005, AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth were provided standard.

The entire computer was 6.5 inches square, 2 inches tall, and weighed 2.9 pounds.

From the day the Mac mini was released, I have always had one permanently connected to my living room stereo system and/or flat panel television and used the Mac mini as my iTunes server. I had previously used a Power Mac G4 Cube for this purpose. With this original Mac mini, I was still using a CRT-based TV so I connected to it remotely. 

Source: EveryMac.com