In the Brushed Metal Diaries, we take a look at one of Apple’s most unique — and most hated — user interface paradigms.
For most Mac users in the early 2000s, the word “sync” conjured up visions of iPods and USB cables. However, while an Apple smartphone was years away, in 2002, Apple introduced a tool to sync contacts and calendar events to mobile phones: iSync.
Just check out all this brushed metal:
Turns out, the PowerPC G3 chips that powered Macs for years are still powering hardware, albeit in space:
The RAD750 is a radiation-hardened single board computer manufactured by BAE Systems Electronics, Intelligence & Support. The successor of the RAD6000, the RAD750 is for use in high radiation environments experienced on board satellites and spacecraft. The RAD750 was released in 2001, with the first units launched into space in 2005.
As Thomas Brand points out, the RAD750 can be found in all sorts of cool missions include the Deep Impact comet chaser, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Kepler space telescope and Mars Curiosity rover.
With iOS and OS X on an annual release cycle, some Apple watchers have expressed a desire for a “Snow Leopard” moment this year.
But what does that phrase even mean? How does it apply today, six years after Mac OS X Snow Leopard was announced?
Released in 2009, Mac OS X Snow Leopard will best be remembered by this slide at its announcement:
That “0 new features” slide doesn’t tell the whole story, however.
“Smorgasbord” being a navigation item on this site sums up everything wrong with Apple in 1994.
My buddy Thomas Brand has put together a nice set of links to celebrate the 18th birthday of the Newton MessagePad 2000.
I owned a 2000 for several years in college, complete with Wi-Fi card, keyboard and carrying case. It synced contacts, calendars and more with my PowerBook G4 via an ADB/USB adaptor. I could send and receive email, take class notes and more all on the little green machine.
Mind-blowing stuff.
A year ago, Federico, Myke and I looked back at the original iPhone keynote. It’s hard to believe the announcement was eight years ago.
Brian Stucki:
This weekend marks the ten year anniversary of the first Mac mini. I feel confident in saying that no one has watched this little machine grow more intently than I have watched it. It’s the center of everything I do here at Macminicolo.
To celebrate a decade of working with the Mac mini, I’ve put together a timeline of hightlights from the last ten years.
If I had unlimited funds to grow my Mac collection, a TAM would be first on my shopping list.
Here’s your required Sunday afternoon reading.
Mike Solomon:
I saw this great post about how tiny the original Macintosh screen was compared with the current (and enormous) Retina 5K iMac screen.
So I thought I’d take the opposite approach. Below are 1-to-1 pixel mockups of how Mac OS X Yosemite would have appeared on the original Macintosh’s 512×342 pixel screen.
It’s crazy to think about the progress the Macintosh has made in 30 years.
via Daring Fireball
Greg Kumparak:
The Apple II may be one of the most important systems in the history of personal computing — but that doesn’t mean it was perfect. Nearly 40 years later, Steve Wozniak is still coming up with ways he could have done it better.