AppleCD 300e Plus (1995)

The AppleCD 300e Plus was among a few nearly identical SCSI-connected external CD-ROM drives manufactured by Apple. All AppleCD models used a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface, pronounced “scuzzy”) connection. According to PC Magazine, SCSI was “used in mainframes, servers and storage arrays in the late 1980s and 1990s… The SCSI bus connects up to 15 devices in a daisy chain topology, and any two can communicate at one time: host-to-peripheral and peripheral-to-peripheral.”

The AppleCD had a 1x Read-Only CD-ROM that could read CDs with with up to 750 MB of data. Ports on the back of the device included two 50-pin Centronics SCSI connectors, red and white audio RCA connectors, and device power input. A front input included a mini-headphone audio jack. The AppleCD could read five CD formats: CD-Audio, CD-ROM, HFS, ProDOS, and High Sierra.

Several models of the AppleCD drive were made, including the SC, SC Plus, 150, 300, 300e, 300i plus, 600i, 600e plus, and 1200i. The “e” designates external devices using the same design as this AppleCD 300e Plus.

Source: Wikipedia, PCMag

iPad (Generation 7, Wi-Fi, 32 GB, unopened, 2019)

The Generation 7 iPad differs from previous base iPad models with its larger 10.2-inch screen at 2160×1620 (264 ppi) (the Generation 6 iPad had a 9.7-inch screen) and the addition of the Smart Connector. The Smart Connector allows this iPad to use an Apple Smart Keyboard. This iPad was available in three colors: white front with a gold back, white front with silver back, and black front with a Space Gray back. This example is Space Gray.

The Generation 7 iPad uses the Apple A10 Fusion processor with 3 GB of RAM, and has 32 GB or 128 GB of internal storage. It also has an 8 Megapixel iSight camera on the back (1080p) and a 1.2 Megapixel FaceTime camera (720p) on the front. Wireless connectivity includes 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2,. Its two wired ports are the Lightning port and a 3.5mm audio port. Internal sensors include accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, compass, and barometer.

Aside from this Wi-Fi model, three Wi-Fi/Cellular models are available (US/CA, Global, and China).

Source: EveryMac

Apple Keyboard (A1243, unopened, 2007)

This Apple Keyboard was introduced in 2007 and featured an all-aluminum enclosure with flat white keys, similar to laptop keys of the time. The keyboard includes two USB 2.0 ports on the right and left back of the keyboard. This same keyboard was later renamed the Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad in 2009.

There are two versions of this keyboard (MB110LL/A and MB110LL/B). The difference between the versions is due to the icons printed on the F3 and F4 keys to correspond with the release of Mac OS X Lion when the F3 key icon changed from Exposé to Mission Control, and the F4 key icon changed from Dashboard to Launchpad. This keyboard is the original MB110LL/A version.

This was the first Apple keyboard in nearly 30 years to remove the Apple logo that had been previously printed on the Command key (⌘).

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

Newton MessagePad 100 (1993)

The Apple Newton MessagePad 100 was the same as the original Newton, but shipped with a newer version of the Newton operating system (Newton OS 1.2). All available Newton models included the MessagePad (Original MessagePad, OMP), followed by the MessagePad 100, 110, 120, 130, 2000, and 2100. In addition, the eMate 300 also ran the Newton OS.

The Newton MessagePad was the first device referred to as a “Personal Digital Assistant” (PDA). The MessagePad 100 was a handheld device with a 336×240 monochrome display that was touch-sensitive. Users could interact with the display with a stylus that came with the Newton stored in a compartment on the right side. The device used a 20 MHz ARM (Acorn RISC Machine) 610 processor and had a total of 604k of storage, although only 150k was usable. This Newton weighed just under 1 pound at 0.9 pounds.

The Newton MessagePad 100 could be plugged in to a Macintosh or Windows computer using a serial port connection, or data could be “beamed” to and from the device through infrared. It also had a PCMCIA card slot (later called a PC Card) accessed from the top to allow other programs to be run or the memory to be expanded.

The Newton was also among the first devices commercially available to use handwriting recognition as part of the operating system. However, this feature did not work well when first released, leading media and popular culture to ridicule and parody the feature. The Newton’s handwriting capabilities were featured on an episode of The Simpsons (“Lisa on Ice”) and in a week-long story of the Doonesbury comic strip by Garry Trudeau.

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1998, the Newton was one of the projects that was cancelled.

I used this Newton MessagePad 100 for 3 years while serving as a band director. This device allowed me to keep all my notes and contacts and I used it along with my Macintosh PowerBook 160. For the record, I did not experience the handwriting recognition issues with this device that were popular to reference at the time. In fact, I believe the Newton OS 1.2 handwriting recognition from around 1995 has the same, or better, accuracy than the “Scribble” text input on the Apple Watch in 2020.

Sources: EveryMac, Wikipedia

Apple Watch Nike Sport Loop (44 mm, Summit White, 2019)

Nike Sport Loop Apple Watch bands are designed in partnership between Nike and Apple. The 44 mm Nike Sport Loop in Summit White is described by Apple as:

“Soft, breathable, and lightweight, the Nike Sport Loop is designed for fitness, with summit white color matched to the new line of Nike running shoes. It features a nylon weave with a reflective thread designed to shimmer when light strikes it. A hook-and-loop fastener makes for quick and easy adjustment, and dense loops on the skin side provide soft cushioning while allowing moisture to escape. On the reverse side, the attachment loops are securely anchored for superior durability.”

The Nike Sport Loop fits all 42 mm and 44 mm Apple Watch models, original through Series 5.

Since I tried my first Sport Loop Apple Watch band, I have found this style to be my favorite.

Source: Apple

Apple TV/Video System (1994)

The Apple TV/Video System was a kit consisting of two hardware components, software, a handheld remote, and user manuals. The system allowed any Apple Power Macintosh, Macintosh Quadra, Macintosh LC, or Macintosh Performa to “Watch TV, capture video images, and create multimedia—all on your Macintosh.”

The specific components in the box included: Apple TV Tuner, Apple Video Player Card, Apple Video Player software, Remote control, and a User’s guide. The box also indicated that “your remote control might look different from the one shown here.” Indeed, the remote pictured on the box is not the one that shipped with any of the systems I have ever seen.

The box also lists the system’s features (in a bulleted list): “Lets you watch TV in a window that appears on the desktop of your Macintosh. Includes a remote control that lets you switch channels, adjust the volume, and control your CD player. Allows you to connect your camcorder or VCR to your Macintosh, and watch the video footage in a window on the display. Lets you capture a single image or a series of images that you can add to reports, letters, and presentations. Features an easy-to-use control panel that gives you one-button image and movie capture. Lets you resize the TV/video window up to the full size of your screen; you can place it anywhere on your desktop.”

Since this system was released before iMovie was created, it also included the Avid VideoShop 3.0 software on CD. At the time, this system was the easiest method for watching TV/video on a Macintosh, and it introduced a low-cost way to edit videos.

I remember that these systems were offered at no additional cost to education with certain Macintosh and Power Macintosh purchases.

Source: Apple

QuickTake AC Adapter for QuickTake 200 (1997)

The QuickTake AC Adapter for QuickTake 200 was sold separately from the QuickTake 200. According to the product box, this adapter “Lets you run your QuickTake 200 digital camera using AC power.”

I remember using the QuickTake AC Adapter primarily for school projects that involved the QuickTake 200 on a tripod and taking photos of many students or student work examples in succession.

Source: Apple

iPad mini (original, Wi-Fi, 16 GB, silver, unopened, 2012)

The original iPad mini featured a 7.9-inch screen at 1024×768 (163 ppi). Internally, it had a dual core 1 GHz Apple A5 processor; 512 MB of RAM; and 16, 32, or 64 GB of storage. It had two cameras: a rear-mounted 5 megapixel iSight camera (1080p) and a front-mounted 1.2 megapixel FaceTime HD camera (720p). The original iPad mini used a Lightning port.

I kept my original iPad mini in my daily backpack for a very long time due to its near perfect size and weight as a truly mobile device with the same 1024×768 screen as a standard iPad of the time (just with smaller pixels). I purchased this additional iPad mini as an example for my collection and never unboxed it. This version has a silver back and white front. 

Source: EveryMac 

Apple Personal Modem 300/1200 (1987)

An Apple white paper summarized the Apple Personal Modem 300/1200 features:

“The Apple Personal Modem is a compact, 1200/300-baud modem that provides a cost-effective data communications solution for any Apple personal computer system. With the modem and appropriate software, your Macintosh or Apple II computer can communicate with other personal computers, minicomputers, and mainframes to send reports and graphs between offices, access data bases and commercial information services, find out the latest stock prices, or shop and bank from your own home.”

At the time of its release, the modem worked with several types of Macintosh and other Apple computers: Macintosh (128K, 512K, 512K Enhanced), Macintosh Plus, Macintosh SE, Macintosh II, Apple II GS, Apple IIe, Apple III, Macintosh XL, and Lisa. The modem did not ship with cables because several different interfaces were in use at the time: Apple System/Peripheral-8 Cable (Macintosh Plus, Macintosh SE, Macintosh II, or Apple IlGS); Macintosh Peripheral-8 Cable (Macintosh 128K, 512K, 512K Enhanced); Apple IIe Peripheral-8 Cable; Apple Ile Modem-8 Cable (Apple Ile, Apple II Plus, Apple II, Apple III, Macintosh XL, Lisa); and other computers with an RS-232 port.

This modem in my collection appears to have never been used, and all original paperwork, manuals, and packaging was included in the box. Thus, I was able to provide an “unboxing” of a 1987 product. Note that the internal packaging is mostly styrofoam and the Apple logo is embossed in two different locations in the styrofoam.

Source: Apple (PDF)