My thanks to Unite 4 for sponsoring 512 Pixels this week. Unite 4 for macOS allows you to turn any website into an app on your Mac. Using a lightweight, WebKit powered browser as a backend, you can easily create isolated, customizable apps from any site.
You can also try Unite for 14 days absolutely free or use it as part of your subscription if you’re a Setapp subscriber!
At WWDC in May 2002, Apple said goodbye to the classic Mac OS in a weird and wonderful way:
Philip Michaels wrote about it Macworld:
Steve Jobs wore black Monday, and not just because that’s the Apple CEO’s usual sartorial color of choice. Instead, Jobs donned his trademark black mock turtleneck to preside over a funeral for Mac OS 9.
So as a coffin appeared on the San Jose Convention Center stage and Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor echoed through the crowded exhibit hall, Jobs kicked off Apple’s annual developers conference by laying to rest OS 9, eulogizing the classic Mac OS as “a friend to us… always at our beck and call, except when he forgot who he was and needed to be restarted.”
I love how much fun this is, but I’m sure it wasn’t a joyous occasion if your workflows were still based on OS 9.
Harry McCracken has a cool article out about Lumafield, a company that is working to reinvent CT scans, and Tony Fadell, the father of the iPod.
In addition to the Harry Potter iPod and the U2 iPod, there is another special edition iPod that was a little … less special.
Let’s talk about the HP iPod.
Mmmm, Brushed Metal and Windows XP…
I always like referring to Apple’s press releases when looking at historic products or announcements. This time, the dateline includes something a bit unusual:
LAS VEGAS, Consumer Electronics Show, January 8, 2004
Not too many Apple press releases mention CES, but this is not most press releases:
Working to provide consumers with the most compelling digital content whenever and wherever they desire, HP and Apple® today announced a strategic alliance to deliver an HP-branded digital music player based on Apple’s iPod™, the number one digital music player in the world, and Apple’s award-winning iTunes digital music jukebox and pioneering online music store to HP’s customers.
As part of the alliance, HP consumer PCs and notebooks will come preinstalled with Apple’s iTunes® jukebox software and an easy-reference desktop icon to point consumers directly to the iTunes Music Store, ensuring a simple, seamless music experience. This offering is yet another way that HP is helping consumers enjoy more from their personal digital entertainment content.
It goes on with some quotes:
“HP’s goal is to bring the most compelling entertainment content and experiences to our customers,” said Carly Fiorina, chairman and chief executive officer at HP. “We explored a range of alternatives to deliver a great digital music experience and concluded Apple’s iPod music player and iTunes music service were the best by far. By partnering with Apple, we have the opportunity to add value by integrating the world’s best digital music offering into HP’s larger digital entertainment system strategy.”
“Apple’s goal is to get iPods and iTunes into the hands of every music lover around the world, and partnering with HP, an innovative consumer company, is going to help us do just that,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “As the industry balkanizes by offering digital music wrapped in a multitude of incompatible proprietary technologies, consumers will be reassured in getting the same unparalleled digital music solutions from both HP and Apple, two leaders in the digital music era.”
According to internal HP research, more than 54 percent of current HP consumers download music to their PCs.
Under this deal, HP PCs would come with iTunes and HP would get to sell some digital music players:
HP’s digital music player is expected to become available this summer and be competitively priced to other digital music players currently available.
Beginning this summer, the iTunes software and a desktop icon guiding users to the music site will be preloaded on HP Pavilion, Media Center and Compaq Presario desktop and notebook consumer PCs.
Despite the artwork shown above, the first iPod+hp (as it would be styled) was a 4th-generation iPod.
Jeremy Horwitz reviewed it at iLounge, pointing out that other than packaging, the biggest difference between the two versions of the iPod showed up on the back:
The body of the iPod+hp is virtually identical to that of Apple’s own fourth-generation iPods. In footprint, thickness, colors, controls, screens and weight, they’re the same. HP’s iPod, however, has a smaller iPod logo, an additional HP Invent logo, and a unique serial number (ten digits, versus Apple’s eleven, starting with a number rather than a letter).
[…]
Other than their rear casings, the units are identical down to the legal notices in their firmware: HP gets no billing, even in the menus. And the 40GB unit we tested exhibits the same static and hard drive accessing audio defect we’ve heard in Apple’s standard fourth-generation iPods. So save for a slight cosmetic difference, the Apple iPod from HP is just the same as Apple’s iPod from a hardware standpoint.
Horwitz goes on:
On a side note, we visited HP’s site to see whether there was any evidence of Apple’s most recent (October) firmware updater for all iPods, and we didn’t see any references on the pages we visited: clicking on Support & Drivers from HP’s pages and typing iPod led us to iTunes pages, not iPod firmware pages, and as of November 17, HP hadn’t acknowledged that the October updater existed. Perhaps the updater wasn’t considered important enough to fourth-generation iPod users to merit a mention, but it would be nice if HP linked to new updates as a matter of course.
In addition to the 4th-generation iPod, HP would also offer the iPod photo, iPod mini and iPod shuffle. Each looked just like their Apple counterparts, just with an HP logo on them.
Badge engineering wasn’t the original plan; the HP iPod was, at least for a while, planned come in a blue finish:
In this photo, Carly Fiorina holds up a blue third-generation iPod. It would never ship.
If blue wasn’t your jam, HP had you covered — literally — according to this article by Michael Miller in August 2004:
HP’s version of the iPod, which will start shipping next month, looks just like Apple’s, except for the HP logo located underneath the Apple logo on the back of the device. The biggest difference is probably HP’s ability to add “tattoos”, or removable skins that wrap around the iPod. HP will offer the printable tattoos as a package with special printing media for all iPods, beginning Sept 15. You’ll be able to download specially designed pictures of particular artists, or print your own pictures to personalize the device even more.
iLounge has some photos of these tattoos, and somehow, HP’s support page for them is still up.
Here’s a bit more about the skins:
New HP Printable Tattoos allow consumers to personalize the look of their iPod with album cover art from top bands and recording artists, as well as to create their own personalized artwork and photos printed on Tattoo media via an HP color printer.
The ultra-thin HP Printable Tattoos are easy to apply and remove from the player’s exterior. They are durable and water-resistant, which helps protect the iPod from scratches and scuffs as music lovers carry it around. HP is working with industry recording studios to offer consumers access to the latest album art from the newest releases. The HP Tattoo Gallery at http://www.hp.com/music will be regularly updated with the hottest album art, so consumers can continually personalize their iPod.
As you can imagine, this deal didn’t last long. I think HP knew it never had much to gain in this arrangement, as Steve Levy wrote:
It didn’t seem like a recipe for success, and indeed, HP was not successful at it, for a number of reasons. But before I get to that, let’s contemplate what Apple got in return for allowing HP to rebrand iPods and share the loot. HP agreed to pre-load Apple’s iTunes music software and store into its personal computers. This was a hugely valuable concession. Apple had only recently begun to push this key software into the Windows world. Millions of HP/Compaq customers would instantly become part of Apple’s entertainment ecosystem.
If it were a straight deal for HP to include Apple’s software, the fee might have been hundreds of millions of dollars. (Around that time, software companies were paying huge sums to have their products or services preinstalled, since people seldom deleted them and often used the default choices.) Even better, preinstalling iTunes was a way for Apple to stifle Microsoft’s competitor to the iTunes Music Store. As an Apple leader at the time puts it, “This was a highly strategic move to block HP/Compaq from installing Windows Media Store on their PCs. We wanted iTunes Music store to be a definitive winner. Steve only did this deal because of that.”
One might even argue that since Carly Fiorina wasn’t making much profit from selling computers, each machine her company sold under this deal delivered more value to Apple than it did to HP.
Levy even addressed the blue iPods, which never materialized:
Even with a detail like the color of the iPod, Jobs totally rolled over Fiorina. When I spoke to Fiorina at CES, she crowed that HP’s iPods would be distinctive in their look; unlike Apple’s pristine white, the Pod would be a fetching shade of blue. Presumably, this would distinguish its iPod from Apple’s and provide a reason, however slight, for a consumer to choose it over the Cupertino model. She was adamant that HP had the right to determine what color the HP iPod would be. Knowing Steve Jobs and his protectiveness about all things design, this sounded dubious to me. I got on the phone with him that very day, and asked him if HP would be producing blue iPods. There was a significant pause. “We’ll see,” he finally said with a bit of ice in his voice.
Indeed, when the HP iPod appeared seven months later, it was exactly the same bright white as Apple’s version. The main difference was that a small HP logo was etched on the rear, underneath the usual Apple logo.
(Fiorina was fired from HP in February 2005 — just a few months before HP pulled the plug on the program.)
It didn’t just go poorly for Fiorina. Customers who bought HP iPods were turned away from Genius Bars.1 Here’s Dan Frakes, writing at Macworld:
In terms of support, Apple-branded iPods include a 1-year warranty, but only 90 days of free phone support; those terms are further restricted in that all repairs after the first six months require a $30 shipping and handling fee, and the free phone support applies to only a single incident within the first 90 days after purchase. HP, on the other hand, provides a full year of both hardware warranty and phone support, with toll-free technical support available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; they also provide out-of-warranty support via email. As for in-person support, Apple iPod users can visit Apple retail stores for assistance; HP iPod users can visit authorized service centers such as Best Buy and CompUSA.
By the fall of 2005, HP was washing its hand of the deal. Here’s Jacqui Cheng writing at Ars Technica in October of that year:
Remember when Hewlett-Packard sold HP-branded Apple iPods, and everybody bought them? Yeah, neither do we. Because of that less-than-enthusiastic reception by the digital music player community, HP decided to discontinue selling iPods back in July of this year. Well it seems that they’re now getting around to clearing out that remaining inventory with a 15 percent instant rebate, because PCMagazine has pointed us to a great deal that anyone interested in an iPod (albeit HP-branded) might want to check out.
In January 2006 — just two years after the Apple/HP announcement, HP made more news in the music-playing space:
HP and Rhapsody made the joint announcement that HP will no longer be offering iTunes as a preinstall on consumer desktops and laptops, and will now include Rhapsody. This is a major coup for RealNetwork’s Rhapsody, which has been without a preinstall contract since the Gateway days. It’s also the final nail in the coffin for HP’s partnership with Apple, which included not only an iTunes preinstall but an HP-branded iPod that was recently discontinued.
The preinstalled Rhapsody software will come with a complimentary 30-day trial of Rhapsody’s all-you-can-download subscription service—another good move on Rhapsody’s part. The 30-day trial will expose new users to Rhapsody, give them a chance to try out a flat-rate music download service, and at the end of the trial, they’ll have a definite incentive to continue the subscription (don’t want to lose all those DRMed tracks!).
I think we can all guess how that ended for HP.
I had to give this ridiculous news to several HP iPod owners during my time as a Genius. I think this is the worst part of the whole deal. Customers who really didn’t know any better could get stuck between two giants. Apple should have supported these iPods directly. ↩︎
Stephen did something out of the ordinary, Myke tries to explain Apple Watch faces and Federico learns about Margherita pizza.
I can’t believe WWDC is just a few weeks away.
Plain text app wizard Jesse Grosjean is out with a new outlining app for the Mac, named Bike:
Outlines are powerful, but can be confusing. In Bike outline editing is fluid, your ideas flow across the screen instead of jumping from position to position. This makes it easier to track what’s going on, and it’s fun!
I really like how Bike works; too many apps in this category are just too heavy. If you do a lot of outlining, it’s an easy $29.99.
After updating to Mac OS X 10.4.7, the MacBook may show a solid grey, white, or black screen or a screen with vertical multi-colored lines.
To resolve the issue temporarily, you may need to reset NVRAM. Once you can use the display again, download and install Mac OS X 10.4.8. You can use the Software Update feature of System Preferences, or download the Update from Apple Software Downloads.
If you have updated to Mac OS X 10.4.8 and the issue still seems to occur, you may need to reset NVRAM on your MacBook again.
Unite 4 for macOS allows you to turn any website into an app on your Mac. Using a lightweight, WebKit powered browser as a backend, you can easily create isolated, customizable apps from any site.
Unite 4 includes dozens of new features, including support for native notifications, new customization options, and much more. Unite apps also serve as a great alternative for resource hogging Electron apps or half-baked Catalyst apps.
Some examples of apps you could create in mere minutes with Unite:
512 Pixels readers get 20% off this week when you purchase Unite 4 at bzgapps.com/unite512 or when you use the promo code ‘512Pixels’ at checkout.
You can also try Unite for 14 days absolutely free or use it as part of your subscription if you’re a Setapp subscriber!
Michael Steeber, writing in his Tabletops newsletter:
Near the iPod’s zenith, Apple split the Genius Bar into three distinct experiences. The iPod Bar became a hub for iPod support and The Studio became a home for creative projects.
Apple Ginza and Apple SoHo were the first stores to add iPod Bars in 2005. Apple Fifth Avenue opened in 2006 with a combined 45-foot iPod Bar, Genius Bar, and The Studio. Then the iPhone arrived.
I had totally forgotten about this. My store never had one, but we ran two queues for a long time: one for Mac Genius appointments and one for iPods.
The App Store didn’t launch until a year after the first iPhone, but it has defined the smartphone era. This week on MPU, David and I talk about some of our favorite iPhone apps.
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Over the span of two decades, Apple made a bunch of iPods. The original may have been just a single 5 GB player delivering 1,000 songs in your pocket, but the line spread from there to meet the needs of many more users. The iPod mini, iPod shuffle, iPod nano, iPod photo, iPod classic and iPod touch all enjoyed time on store shelves.
A couple of special-edition iPods were created, such as the Harry Potter Collector’s iPod released in 2005.
Perhaps even more famous was the U2 iPod.
In reality, there were three U2 iPods, spacing from 2004 until the fall of 2007.
The first-generation U2 iPod is probably the most well-known. To create it, Apple took a 4th-generation iPod, but tweaked the colors and had the signatures of the band members engraved on the stainless steel back of the iPod:
The iPod was a 20 GB model that sold for $349, a $50 premium over the standard 20 GB 4th-generation iPod.
Over the years, I’ve heard people say that this iPod came loaded with all of the band’s music, but that isn’t entirely true. Here’s a bit from Apple’s press release at the time:
Apple has created the online music industry’s first-of-its-kind “Digital Box Set.” The first digital box set, “The Complete U2,” will contain over 400 tracks, including all of the band’s albums and over 25 rare and unreleased tracks. U2 fans will be able to purchase and download The Complete U2 with just one click on the iTunes Music Store in the US and Europe beginning in late November for just $149.
In the box for the U2 iPod was a coupon to knock $50 off the cost of this box set, justifying the cost increase and enticing U2 fans to plunk down $100 on the iTunes Music Store.
Somehow, a page about all of this has survived on Apple’s website as of this writing:
In the summer of 2005, Apple merged the iPod and iPod photo lines:
Apple today announced that the iPod and iPod photo lines are merging, creating a single line of white iPods that all feature color displays with the ability to view album artwork, photos and play slideshows in stunning color. The simplified iPod lineup features a 20GB model, holding up to 5,000 songs priced at just $299 and a 60GB model, holding up to 15,000 songs priced at $399. Also starting today, iPods will offer an easy to use Podcast menu, including bookmarking within a Podcast and the ability to display Podcast artwork in color.
This change included the U2 iPod:
The 20GB and 60GB iPods for Mac or Windows are available immediately worldwide for a suggested retail price of $299 (US) and $399 (US) respectively. The new iPod U2 Special Edition also includes a color screen and is now more affordable at just $329, and the 1GB iPod shuffle is now just $129.
In June 2006, the U2 iPod was updated for the third and final time to bring it in line with the 5th-generation iPod that was introduced in September 2005. Here’s Apple PR:
Apple today introduced the new iPod U2 Special Edition as part of a continued partnership between Apple, U2 and Universal Music Group (UMG). The new U2 iPod is based on the fifth generation 30GB iPod and holds up to 7,500 songs, 25,000 photos or over 75 hours of video and features a distinctive, all-black stainless steel enclosure, red Click Wheel and custom engraving of U2 band member signatures. U2 iPod customers will also receive 30 minutes of exclusive U2 video downloadable from the iTunes® Music Store. The new U2 iPod is available immediately for $329.
“We’re thrilled to continue working with one of the greatest bands in the world to bring U2 fans a special edition of the world’s best digital music player,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of worldwide iPod Product Marketing. “With its distinctive new design, including an all-black stainless steel enclosure, the new U2 iPod is sure to be a hit.”
I have to admit it does look pretty cool:
This version of the U2 iPod was 30 GB in capacity and ran $329. Instead of “The Complete U2,” customers of this iPod got a coupon for 30 minutes of exclusive U2 video content downloadable from the iTunes Music Store. It was updated when the 5th generation iPod was revised in September 2006, but quietly went away when the iPod classic was introduced in 2007.
In 2014, U2’s Songs of Innocence was automatically added to the iTunes libraries of some 500 million users, but that’s a story for a different time.