Mac NC: The first Mac in the cloud

A few years ago, before the launch of the iMac, Apple and Oracle planned to introduce the Mac NC, a Mac compatible with the « Network Computer » concept, an initiative by Oracle. A Network Computer, simplifying it, was a thin client—an device with minimal memory, little (sometimes none) internal storage, and only an Internet connection as its interface. In essence, it was a precursor to the concept of cloud computing.

Posté le 03/01/2012 par

A prototype of a Macintosh Portable

Interested in a Macintosh Portable? The first Apple laptop is available on eBay, and it’s a prototype. It’s quite unattractive — it took Sony’s assistance for Apple to produce aesthetically pleasing machines — but it’s a collector’s item.

Posté le 10/12/2011 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 10/12/2011 par

A prototype of a keyboard for the 20th-anniversary Mac

You can find everything on eBay, including a prototype of the Spartacus keyboard. The Spartacus was the 20th-anniversary computer, an astonishing but extremely expensive machine. Its keyboard was no exception: compact, without a numeric keypad, it featured Apple’s first external trackpad, all connected via ADB. And this trackpad was detachable.

Posté le 10/12/2011 par

An Apple MultiServer prototype

On eBay, you sometimes come across peculiar items, such as this Apple Multiserver. It appears to be a storage server prototype, reportedly based on 3Com hardware, according to the seller. Judging from the rear view and the various SCSI connectors, it’s designed for storage, but there also seems to be Ethernet with BNC connectors (I believe).

Posté le 05/12/2011 par

The ‘original’ interface of the iPhone

Do you find the iPhone interface successful? Here are some images of the test versions of this interface. It’s… minimalist.

Posté le 14/11/2011 par

The Apple Paladin, an unreleased prototype

A charming prototype, the Paladin. It’s a kind of desktop machine combining a telephone, fax, printer, scanner, and of course, a Mac. Technically, it’s based on a PowerBook Duo 230, a machine equipped with a 33 MHz 68030 processor running on System 7.1. Naturally, it comes with a keyboard, featuring the usual trackball of that time.

Posté le 01/11/2011 par

Prototypes of PowerBook and Macintosh Portable

Seen on a previous version of Gete.net, some prototypes of old Mac portables.

Posté le 28/10/2011 par

A prototype of an Apple USB keyboard

Another Apple prototype on eBay. Well, this time, there’s nothing particularly interesting about it, except—ironically—the word « prototype » engraved on it. It is indeed a fairly standard white Apple keyboard, wired, and, of course, QWERTY. Apparently identical to commercially available models.

Posté le 23/10/2011 par

Some prototypes on video

Some nice prototypes in this video…

Posté le 19/09/2011 par

The precursor to Apple TV: Apple Interactive Television Box

If Apple TV is Steve Jobs’ « hobby », it was nevertheless he who canceled its precursor upon his return in the nineties. Indeed, Apple had tested a set-top box with Belgacom (in Belgium) and a few other operators, including Verizon. The philosophy of the box was the same as that of the first-generation Apple TV: a complete Mac hidden in a box, while the current Apple TV is more like an iPod touch.

Posté le 18/09/2011 par