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Old apple color computer4/7/2023 ![]() ![]() The new flat panel display looked amazingly sleek, but it stuck out like a sore thumb alongside the beige beasts of olde little did we know what kind of radical designs the Studio Display would presage. It launched prior to the blue and white Power Macintosh G3 tower, so Apple positioned it in the marketplace alongside the beige G3 tower mentioned above. In its first incarnation, the 15-inch Apple Studio Display sported a translucent dark gray and blue enclosure. (Apple trivia fans take note: its first-ever modular LCD display landed way back in 1984 for theĪpple IIc.) This time, Steve Jobs was firmly at the helm of Apple, nurturing whatever preference toward translucent plastics the Design Group already possessed. Apple Studio Display 15-inch Flat Panel (introduced March 17, 1998)Īpple’s march toward total translucency took a bold step forward in early 1998 with the release of its first modular desktop LCD monitor for the Mac. Was it a coincidence that it was also the only Apple printer which featured translucent colored plastic design elements? Probably. Its printer line shortly after Jobs returned to power, the company curiously kept selling the 8500 until 1999. In conjunction with the eMate, the 8500’s design hinted subtly at greater things to come. ![]() With its frosty jade-green top cover flap and paper cassette, one could conceivably (if fancifully) nickname the LaserWriter 8500 the iPrinter. It also stood out, in retrospect, for its early use of translucent plastics. LaserWriter 8500, the last member of the much-heralded LaserWriter bloodline, stood out as a massive workhorse of a machine, integrating networking capabilities, multiple page size support, and fast page output. But its impact lasted much longer: aside from inspiring an all-translucent desktop machine like the iMac, many feel that the eMate also foreshadowed the colorfulĪpple LaserWriter 8500 (introduced August 5, 1997) Nick Gieser LaserWriter 8500Īfter 17 years in the printer business, Apple launched its last printer model in late 1997. The end of the Newton line in 1998 spelled an early end for the eMate 300 as a product. He also confirmed that the use of translucent plastics originated in Apple’s Design Group before Steve Jobs returned to the company. Meyerhoffer did, however, mention that the transparency found in the eMate was meant to invoke a sense of accessibility and to differentiate the product from the uniformly drab laptops and beige desktop PCs of the day. Jonathan Ive, uniformly shares achievements as part of company policy) he would not take credit for the introduction of translucent plastics at Apple (although this author thinks, due toĬertain patents, that Meyerhoffer is likely the originator of the trend). Citing his desire not to rock the boat with Apple or to steal glory away from the Apple Industrial Design Group (which, with the exception of Thomas Meyerhoffer, a former Apple Senior Designer who led the design of the eMate 300. It was Apple’s first product with prominent and purposeful translucent design features-especially in colored plastics-and it would set the stage for later translucent products like the iMac. The eMate immediately stood apart from Apple’s usual products due to its translucent dark green enclosure, which resembled no other desktop PC or laptop at the time. Once inside, one can also find two matching green internal locking levers, which fasten down a hinged, fold-out portion of the machine’s internal chassis. But take a closer look, and you’ll notice a translucent pale green latch button that opens the side of the case. Benj Edwards Power Mac G3 Mini Tower’s green translucent latches.Īt first glance, you wouldn’t think there were any exciting design elements tucked away in the conventional, boxy design of the 9600 tower. Released simultaneously, these two machines also shared the same beige tower design. But those machines never reached the market.) Power Macintosh 96 (introduced February 17, 1997) Apple Power Mac G3 Mini TowerĮarly in 1997, Apple fans got their first taste of translucent plastics with the Power Macintosh 96 computers. Prototype Macs in translucent plastics for testing purposes. ![]() (By the way, Apple had produced limited runs of certain early Apple didn’t invent translucent enclosures, but they made it cool. ![]()
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