The alpha development kit for the Xbox 360.

Interesting find on a website: a Power Mac G5 labeled… Microsoft. The explanation is simple: in 2004, during the development of the Xbox 360, the initial development platforms were Power Mac G5s. As the company didn’t have machines equipped with the processor of the Xbox 360, they used the most accessible PowerPC platform available…

Posté le 12/11/2013 par

A Power Mac G3 B&W prototype with infrared

Seen on eBay, something rather unique: an advertising poster for a Power Mac G3 B&W. What’s surprising is the presence of an infrared port on the machine and buttons positioned differently from the standard model. Clearly, this appears to be a prototype as the commercial model doesn’t have an infrared port (unlike, for example, the first iMac).

Posté le 11/11/2013 par

Les meilleures promotions du jour

Sur cette page, je vous mets les promotions du jour. Ce sont celles que je poste de temps en temps sur Twitter, et les liens sont sponsorisés, ce qui me permet d’acheter certains accessoires pour le site. Je mets des liens vers des promotions intéressantes, idéalement des produits que j’ai essayés ou que je connais bien, avec évidemment une orientation vers les nouvelles technologies.

Posté le 11/11/2013 par

A transparent PowerBook 140 prototype

Sometimes prototypes come from eBay. But at times, it’s readers (thanks to Henry) who send me photos. Today, a transparent PowerBook 140.

Posté le 05/11/2013 par

How to prevent VLC from pausing iTunes on launch

An annoying little thing with VLC: by default, when you launch a video, iTunes automatically pauses. It can quickly become irritating in certain cases, especially when you’re just checking images by playing videos. The option exists to modify this behavior, but it’s not straightforward.

Posté le 31/10/2013 par

Connecting a Wii keyboard to an iPhone

Small fun experiment: playing a real keyboard in GarageBand on iPhone, iPad, or OS X. And using a fairly inexpensive keyboard that can be found for around $20 on Amazon.

Posté le 26/10/2013 par

A prototype of an iPad 2 3G

Still on eBay, an iPad 2 3G prototype, running the SwitchBoard OS. As often, a slightly high price: $2,500.

Posté le 21/10/2013 par

A prototype of MacBook Air running Tiger in Orphan

Something noticed by a reader: the MacBook Air used in Orphan runs on Tiger, whereas the MacBook Air was delivered with Leopard upon its release.

Posté le 16/10/2013 par

A prototype of an iPad mini

Seen on eBay, a prototype iPad mini with a cracked screen but — more importantly — Apple’s classic test software. Given the cracked screen, it’s still a bit expensive: $1,000.

Posté le 15/10/2013 par

A prototype of the 20th-anniversary Mac in Sabrina

Fun fact (seen on Wikipedia): in Sabrina, a movie from 1995, there’s an Apple prototype. It’s a prototype of the Spartacus, the 20th-anniversary Mac. According to Wikipedia, it was loaned by Apple, almost two years before its release.

Posté le 14/10/2013 par

Transparent Apple devices

Seen on Vintage Zen, a list of transparent Apple prototypes. It’s quite common for Apple to create prototypes with a transparent casing, and these prototypes are regularly found on the internet.

Posté le 12/09/2013 par