50 Things We Miss About Old-School Apple

The video player requires Flash 8 Player or later. Please download the latest Flash Player.

FEATURE
100 Snow Leopard Tips, Tricks, and Features

FEATURE
OS X Browser Speed Wars: May the Fastest App Win

FEATURE
The Complete iTunes History -- SoundJam MP to iTunes 9

FEATURE
iTunes 9 Tips and Tricks - Solve the Mysteries of the New iTunes

TOP STORIES

Feature

50 Things We Miss About Old-School Apple

Posted 08/27/2009 at 3:36:13pm | by Michael Simon

logo Just because we love our iPods, iPhones and Intel-powered Macs doesn’t mean we don’t still pine for the days of old, when our Apple logos had a bit more pizzazz, we were encouraged to venture outside the lines, and Steve’s wardrobe had more than just turtlenecks in it. So take a trip with us down memory lane as we relive everything that was great about Apple--and keep your eyes peeled for turtles, dogcows and toasted bunnies.

1. It's a dog... it's a cow...

What started as the glyph for the letter "z" in the Cairo font became the universal paper orientation icon for anything printed in the classic Mac OS and the official mascot for Mac geeks everywhere. We're not sure where Clarus went, but wherever she is, we're sure she's moofing happily.

2. How does your garden grow?

While Steve Jobs was away, Apple planted some very low-res seeds at 1 Infinite Loop that sprouted into a garden of larger-than-life sculptures designed to look like popular Mac OS icons. The display attracted Mac fans from near and far, but was removed for "restoration" shortly after Jobs returned. Just how long does it take to refurbish eight two-dimensional statues anyway?

3. Pirates of Silicon Valley

Not to be confused with the less-than-flattering TNT movie starring Noah Wyle, Steve urged his fledgling 1983 Mac team back to embrace their inner, rebellious pirates. Taking the notion to heart, programmer Steve Capps sewed a crude skull and crossbones and hung it above Apple’s Bandley 3 building, where it flew proudly until its sudden disappearance shortly after the Mac made its debut.

4. EmotiMac

Before OS X v10.2 Jaguar introduced a dull, gray Apple logo, we were greeted with a smiling fellow based on the original Macintosh 128K (in OS 8 beta builds, the little guy winked, too). And when things went horribly wrong at startup, instead of an unsettling flashing prohibition symbol, a sickly Sad Mac let you know you your Mac was just as depressed as you.

5. Woz Up?

Apple's other founder stopped working as a full-time employee around the same time Steve Jobs left, but his impact could hardly have been more profound. The brains behind Apple I and II and a consummate professional, Steve Wozniak laid the groundwork for every great Apple product and let Steve get all (or most) of the attention. Plus he still gets "a small salary" from Apple. How cool is that?

6. The rainbow connection

Commissioned with the task of improving Apple's elaborate Sir Issac Newton painting, PR art director Rob Janov created a simple, clean image that became one of the most identifiable logos in the world--and took a bite out of it "to prevent it from looking like a cherry tomato." The rearranged spectrum was inspired by the Apple II's color capabilities and was originally drawn with thin black separation lines--which Steve wisely removed.

COMMENTS: 15

TAGS: Steve Jobs, Woz, Apple Inc., System 9, OS 9, Performa, modem

COMMENTS

Fun, but...
Submitted by the_saltminer on Thu, 2009-08-27 12:56

Snow Leopard is coming tomorrow, and this is what you have? Seems like every other major tech site has inside looks at Snow Leopard already. Guess I'll go visit MacInTouch.

Login or register to post comments

Snow Leopard
Submitted by Roberto Baldwin on Thu, 2009-08-27 13:16

This article is sandwiched between two articles about Snow Leopard. Don't worry we have a ton of Snow Leopard stuff coming your way.
Login or register to post comments

Props
Submitted by Ben on Thu, 2009-08-27 17:57

Props to whoever decided to use QuickTime for the videos over flash!

Login or register to post comments

what you missed
Submitted by justinschwartz1 on Fri, 2009-08-28 03:19

I'm happy that you included the MHZ myth, but you forgot about some of the more 'recent' things, like when cd drives used to pop out, and when maclife was called macaddict, when you chose a startup disk, when worldbook was better than the internet, when otto matic came free with your mac and itunes had a sampler, when every new version of itunes brought with it a new color, when your ipod came with a case, when your computer came with all the cables you could possibly need, when iwork was appleworks and had a database utility, when you were the only one who had a mac, when you were happy with your g3 and jealous of every g4, when you used gopher on the internet, when you had to enter startup commands, when floppy disks were floppy, when the only reason you used a pc was to play oregon trail and minesweeper, when macaddict cd's used to have guided tours-and staff videos, when you weren't a conformist but a trend setter.

drop me a line;
justinschwartz1@gmail.com

Login or register to post comments

Thank you!
Submitted by Pan on Sat, 2009-08-29 01:08

This article was like a breath of fresh air. I really miss the days when Apple seemed innocent, looking back. And even more, I miss the days when MacLife was MacAddict.

Login or register to post comments

Been there, done that
Submitted by standy on Mon, 2009-08-31 14:55

Man, oh man, that was the life. Our daughter was in 8th grade when we brought home the 128 K machine. It flavored her whole life and made her the geek she is today. Back before the internet, there were bulletin boards, and she was ther, lovin' every minute of it. I remember the screams from the "computer room" when the phone rang. Ah, it was a wonderful life. Mac addict Andy

Login or register to post comments

Whither The Whimsy??
Submitted by imajoebob on Wed, 2009-09-09 20:20

Apple can still have some fun, but the whimsy is gone. It now feels like Apple's humor is as carefully designed, implemented, and distributed as everything else from Cupertino. Thinking outside the box is scheduled from 2 PM to 3:30 PM today. Please plan accordingly. The colors have been supplanted by brushed metal. The white has been supplanted by brushed metal. Even the iPod, the most identifiable product design since the Coke bottle, has been replaced with cold, corporate metal. There's no way to tell what version you're running of any software without clicking on "About." Apple's drive to "perfect" the product is sucking the creativity out of it. There was once a little thrill in switching to Macs; you got a better computer and got to say you're an iconoclast (true or not). Now, you switch because it's a smarter choice than the PC. When I switched 6 years ago we all smiled. I could walk up to anyone with a Mac and ask to share their table. Now, Mac users are just as solitary as PCs. They don't make us smile like they used to.

Login or register to post comments

omega watches
Submitted by benet (not verified) on Tue, 2009-11-10 18:52

Every little chat Salon 1000 ah!replica watchYou are my best's buddy
42df

Login or register to post comments

omega watches
Submitted by benet (not verified) on Tue, 2009-11-10 19:54

Were not smart, but also learn from others bald.omega watchesChing had no water to fish, one to the cheap is invincible.replica watchI left Dragon, White Tiger right shoulder tattooed Mickey Mouse.replica watchesEfforts should be made! ! For your Audi Dior me.udhwu

Login or register to post comments

Apple is no doubt still one
Submitted by musiklover on Fri, 2009-12-04 21:17

Apple is no doubt still one of the best in Ipod and in cell phone industry, I bought my first I pod when I was in France for doinglanguage course paris and it was really an amazing stuff, as it was recently launched in those days so everyone love to take a look on it.

Login or register to post comments

This article was like a
Submitted by farexex on Sat, 2009-12-12 19:38

This article was like a breath of fresh air. I really miss the days when Apple seemed innocent, looking back. And even more, I miss the days when MacLife was MacAddict.commodity broker

Login or register to post comments