Tag: translucent

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Macintosh Server G3/300 Minitower (1998)

The Macintosh Server G3/300 Minitower was released in 1998 as the final beige tower design by Apple. This G3 Server used a 300 MHz PowerPC 750 G3 processor, a single 4.0 GB SCSI hard drive (with space for a second drive), and a 24x CD-ROM drive.

This minitower also contained a “Whisper personality card” that added audio input and output ports. According to LowEndMac, Apple had planned various “personality cards,” but only audio (“Whisper”), audio/video (“Wings”), and audio/video/DVD playback (“Bordeaux”) were ever produced.

The case design of this minitower includes a removable side panel and two internal tabs that, when released, allow the entire tower to tilt 90 degrees on a hinge allowing easy access to all internal components. Interestingly, the side door panel latch and internal tabs are made from translucent blue-green plastic, a design aesthetic that would soon become the Mac design norm that same year when the original iMac was released.

Ports on this computer include SCSI; ADB (Apple Desktop Bus); Ethernet (10-100); Mac serial and printer ports; Apple Video (DB-15), line-out and microphone 3.5 mm jacks. Three card slots are available: the first is empty, but ready for a high-speed SCSI port; the second slot has a second high-speed ethernet port; and the third slot adds two USB ports.

The exact factory configuration of the server is shown as: 1MB Cache/128MB/2x4GB UW/CD/10-100 ENET. The model is M4405, and the serial number area specifies a production date of May 27, 1998, at 3:30 PM.

Sources: EveryMac, LowEndMac

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iBook G3/500 (Dual USB, 2001)

The iBook G3/500 featured a 500 MHz PowerPC 750cx (G3) processor; 64 MB or 128 MB of RAM; a 10.0 GB Ultra ATA hard drive; a tray-loading CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-RW, or DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive; and optional AirPort (802.11b) card. The screen was a 12.1-inch TFT XGA active matrix display (1024×768). The case of the laptop was translucent white (a similar later model used an opaque white case).

This iBook replaced the previous iBook models that were much larger and came in one of five colors (including blueberry, tangerine, graphite, indigo, and key lime).

EveryMac.com reports that four versions of this laptop were available: 64 MB RAM with CD-ROM drive ($1299); 128 MB RAM with DVD-ROM drive ($1499), 128 MB RAM with CD-RW drive ($1599); and 128 MB RAM with DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive (build-to-order direct from Apple, $1799).

Source: EveryMac.com

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Apple USB Keyboard (blueberry, 1998)

The Apple USB Keyboard was released with the original Bondi blue iMac in 1998. This keyboard used translucent plastics to match the iMac models that shipped with them for the next two years and was available in Bondi blue, blueberry, strawberry, lime, tangerine, grape, and graphite.

The bottom of the keyboard included a support leg that allowed the keyboard to lay flat or tilt up. The keyboard included a full row of half-height function (fn) keys, a keypad, and a dedicated power key in the upper-right corner.

Source: Wikipedia.org

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USB Mouse (blueberry, M4848, 1998)

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 remained on all subsequent versions of the USB Mouse, including this example.

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. 

Early versions of the USB Mouse included a two-toned blue and white trackball (regardless of the color of the mouse). Later versions switched to the more neutral gray and white trackball. Both versions are shown below.

Source: Wikipedia.com

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USB Mouse (strawberry, M4848, 1998)

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 remained on all subsequent versions of the USB Mouse, including this example.

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. 

Source: Wikipedia.com

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USB Mouse (tangerine, OEM part, M4848, 1998)

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 remained on all subsequent versions of the USB Mouse, including this example.

This tangerine mouse was not shipped with an iMac. Instead, this mouse was an OEM replacement part that was shipped in a utilitarian plastic bag rather than retail packaging.

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. 

Source: Wikipedia.com

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USB Mouse (tangerine, M4848, 1998)

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 remained on all subsequent versions of the USB Mouse, including this example.

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. 

Source: Wikipedia.com

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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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USB Mouse (original, Bondi blue, M4848, 1998)

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 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.

Source: Wikipedia.com

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iMac G3/600 (Summer 2001, snow)

The iMac G3/600 (Summer 2001) featured a 600 MHz PowerPC 750cx (G3) processor, 256 MB of RAM, a 40.0 GB Ultra ATA hard drive, a slot loading 8X/4X/24X CD-RW drive, a Harmon-Kardon designed sound system, and two FireWire 400 ports. This model was available in graphite or snow. Its screen was a 15-inch CRT display.

This iMac model represented a major default operating system switch for Apple. As of January 7, 2002, this iMac shipped with MacOS X 10.2 as the default operating system along with MacOS 9 pre-installed.

The color of this iMac is “snow.” At the time, other iMac colors were transparent, but Apple’s version of “snow” is opaque white.

Source: EveryMac.com