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

Composite Video Cable (2000)

The Composite Video Cable shipped with various iBook models and allowed the iBook to be connected to an external TV and/or stereo.

The cable shipped with the following iBook laptops: iBook (FireWire), iBook (Dual USB), iBook (Late 2001), iBook (14.1-inch).

Source: emc2cs.com

Macintosh PowerBook Video Cable (1992)

The Macintosh PowerBook Video Cable allowed PowerBook 100-series laptops to be connected to Apple monitors sold in the early 1990s. Both ends of the cable were Apple-proprietary.

This cable allowed users of the earliest PowerBook series, such as the PowerBook 160 with a grayscale-only display, to plug into a color Apple monitor and use the PowerBook with a color screen.

According to an Apple Support document, the cable supported a resolution of 832×624 and was compatible with the following laptops: PowerBook 1400-series, PowerBook 190-series, PowerBook 520-series, PowerBook 5300-series, PowerBook 540-series, PowerBook 550c [Japan Only], PowerBook 160/165/180, and PowerBook 165c/180c.

Source: Apple

iPod nano Generation 4 (8 GB, blue, 2008)

Replacing the “squat” design of the Generation 3, the iPod nano Generation 4 returned to a “skinny” design similar to its predecessors. The new wraparound curved aluminum and glass case was offered in an unprecedented nine colors: silver, black, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, and (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition. The display was a wide-format 2-inch (diagonal) color LCD display at 320×240.

The iPod nano Generation 4 used either 8 GB or 16 GB of flash memory, capable of storing 2000 or 4000 songs, 7000 or 14,000 photos, and 8 hours or 16 hours of video. All colors were offered for both capacities.

The iPod nano Generation 4 features included an accelerometer (automatically switched to “Cover Flow” navigation in landscape orientation), games and videos only played in landscape, a new Genius feature to dynamically create playlists, and shake-to-shuffle for songs. Accessibility options were added including larger text and spoken menu items. It also included Nike+iPod support, FM radio tagging (using the Apple Radio Remote), support for audio crossfade, and games including Maze, Klondike, and Vortex.

Source: EveryMac.com