I used to devote hours to feverishly writing up my annual Super Bowl ad review. And then, one day, the thrill was gone.
Between the lack of surprise (so many spots are released early now) and the general mediocrity, it became more chore than fun.
That said, I refuse to lose my Big Game spirit. So — how about a little story from Apple’s Super Bowl past?
What follows is the tale of HAL: Apple’s 1999 Super Bowl commercial starring the malevolent computer from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Category: Apple History
The Story Behind the Ill-Fated ‘Apple Cafes’
Apple had a lot of whacky ideas in the 1990s, but the weirdest one may be the Apple Cafe concept. 
Apple Cafes were announced in late 1996, and were set to open in Los Angeles, New York, London, Tokyo and beyond the next year.
Here’s Jeff Pelline, writing for CNET:
“The time is right,” said Satjiv Chahil, senior vice president of marketing for Apple, in a telephone interview. “Cybercafes are in. The technology finally is reaching out to ’the rest of us.’ This will be a place to showcase our products in the real world.”
Viva Amiga⇢
The Amiga is a very interesting story in computer history, and one I don’t know enough about. I’m looking forward to checking out this documentary. via MacRumors
Video: The Power Mac G4 Cube⇢
Introduced in 2000, the Power Mac G4 Cube is still one of the most distinctive Macs ever sold:
Behind the Scenes of the Ellen Feiss Ad⇢
Back in 2002, Zachary Frechette interviewed Ellen Feiss, star of the most memorable of Apple’s “Switcher” ads:
How did you get involved with the Apple switch campaign in the first place? It’s kind of a funny story. I’m friends with the son of the director, Errol Morris. I’m friends with his son Hamilton. I went with him after school, him and two of my friends. We didn’t think we were going to make ads; we were just going to get the free set food. So we go there, and they’re like, “We need a couple more people, so I guess the three of you can make ads.” So we all made ads, and me and Hamilton’s got picked. I had no idea I was going to do it until I got there.
The Mac mini Family Tree⇢
Over on MacStories this month, I wrote up the history of the Mac mini:
From its humble beginnings as the BYODKM Mac to its role as a server, the Mac mini has been a faithful workhorse for 12 years now. It deserves another chance.
The Mac mini has seen a lot of changes over the years, and I think an update is way overdue.
Some iPhone Reading
The original iPhone was introduced ten years ago today. Here’s some stuff you should send to your read-it-later service:
Apple: iPhone at Ten » The company that used to never look back looks back yet again.
Internet History Podcast: The History of the iPhone » How we got from Newton to iPhone. Also, the ROKR was a thing.
The Prompt #30: The Internet in Your Pocket » Three years ago, Myke Hurley, Federico Viticci and I spent over two hours walking through the iPhone keynote.
iMac on ‘Computer Chronicles’⇢
My YouTube suggestions list is a wonderful place. This gem recently popped up. It’s a recap of the original iMac keynote coupled with the coverage done by Computer Chronicles on the machine:
The iPhone That Wasn’t
Update: Tony Fadell spoke to Nilay Patel about this device. It’s fascinating.
Sonny Dickson has unearthed something very special:
While it has always been known that Apple considered a variety of ideas when they were deciding to enter the mobile phone market (with ex employees discussing it behind closed doors, as seen in this Cult Of Mac article, not much was known about alternate versions of the iPhone until now.
Much like the first production iPhone, the prototype features many of the same features including an aluminum chassis, multi-touch compatible screen, 2G connectivity and WiFi radios. However, despite carrying a similar design, the phone itself is extremely different from the iPhone we know today.
Bringup History of Mac OS X⇢
Well, this is a fun chart:
Currently, Apple only ships Intel-based machines. Mac OS X for Intel was released in 2006. The Intel version had been “leading a secret double life” since 2000, i.e. Mac OS X existed for Intel all the time, but was not released. In that time, Mac OS X was never self-hosting; instead, it was cross-compiled on PowerPC Macs. The first released version of Intel Mac OS X was a version of 10.4 for the Pentium 4 based “Developer Transition Kit” in 2005.
20 Years Ago, Apple Bought NeXT
On Dec. 20, 1996, Apple announced that it had purchased NeXT:
Apple Computer, Inc. today announced its intention to purchase NeXT Software Inc., in a friendly acquisition for $400 million. Pending regulatory approvals, all NeXT products, services, and technology research will become part of Apple Computer, Inc. As part of the agreement, Steve Jobs, Chairman and CEO of NeXT Software, will return to Apple — the company he co-founded in 1976 — reporting to Dr. Gilbert F. Amelio, Apple’s Chairman and CEO.
Performa Apple Watch⇢
I’m just surprised this watch isn’t beige.