Apple Bandai Pippin, 1995

Marketed as the Pipp!n, this little machine was supposed to be a low-cost internet-enabled gaming computer. Packing a 66Mhz processor and a 14.4kbs modem, the unassuming little console was practically a pioneer in its use of a 4x CD tray while its contemporaries lumbered around with clunky cassettes. The problem was, it retailed at nearly $600 and only 18 games were made for it. The modem was a bit of a waste of time because when it was released, not many people really knew about the internet or computer networking.

The Apple III, 1980

Retailing at up to $7,800 back in the 80’s, this computer did not represent good value for money. In a decade when that sort of cash would buy a fairly reasonable car, Apple were going to have to convince customers that this business-oriented desktop model was worth the money.

Unfortunately it wasn’t. It was woefully underpowered, even for 1980, and there were several crippling design flaws which ensured its entry into this list. It would regularly overheat (thanks to Steve Jobs insisting on no fans or air vents) and the components would fail after prolonged use.

The iMac Mouse

This is the iconic mouse released at the end of the nineties. The one that was supposed to look like a hockey puck with multicoloured facets? It had just the one button, which confused many, but it was also uncomfortable and difficult to use.

The USB port on the iMac G3 was moved from the centre to the left, meaning that right-handed people found the mouse difficult to use. We know that left-handed people encounter a lot of discriminatory design features when they use tech, but we reckon this is a step in the wrong direction.

Motorola ROKR

This isn’t exactly an Apple product on the outside, but its main selling feature was that it came with Apple’s iTunes player built in. This was quite a big deal back in 2005 when smartphones hadn’t really kicked off, but sadly the Motorola ROKR was destined to fail from birth.

It could only store about 100 songs which, although more impressive than CDs, is still not much when compared to the already-established iPod range. And the clunky interface and general iTunes skulduggery meant that transferring music was a lengthy ordeal.

Apple Lisa

Unlike a lot of tech fails which can simply be left in a warehouse and forgotten, Apple actually went to the lengths of making a secure landfill site in Utah and disposing of all the unsold Lisas there. Although this was for tax reasons, it’s still the embarrassing result of a damning consumer backlash.

It wasn’t as big a commercial failure as the Apple III, and it did give rise to some internationally useful software. But its high asking price (a whopping $10,000) and fairly mediocre specifications made it something of a laughing stock. Apple had to literally throw 2,700 of them away.

Despite their overlooked failures, Gerri is a tech mistress and devours all things Apple. She also writes on behalf of a high-end furniture retailer based in the US.

Please click on the image for a larger version.

The revolutionary sound system has arrived! It has a name, it has a subwoofer, it has tweeters, it has wireless-integrated technology, it has superior sound, it has pure qualitative quality: it is the Sonos “ZonePlayer S5” music system.

In an age that has adopted digital music, the Sonos “ZonePlayer S5” cannot be overlooked, or go unheard! Sonos makes listening to digital music simple. For a party, turn on the “ZonePlayer S5,” and control the swinging songs via an iPhone or computer that is safely stashed away from the swaying party dancers and the clumsy fraternizers.

Sonos seems to bring to its company many of the amazing attributes that have made Apple so successful over the decades, minimalist design, functionality, quality, innovative technology and intuitiveness. As one opens the “ZonePlayer S5” packaging, that same mystique surrounding the minimal but attractive packaging of any Mac product takes over…yet it’s a Sonos.

The music player is sleek and small measuring less than nine inches tall, less than 15 inches wide and less than five inches from front to back; it fits almost anywhere. The “ZonePlayer S5” is a shining silvery gray, reminiscent of MacBook Pros and iMacs, and the minimalist design echoes the distinctive speaker set-up within, which contains five speakers: two tweeters, two speakers and a subwoofer.

There is no need to hook up a mp3 player or iPod to the Sonos music system, because the Sonos integrated program, for Mac’s and Pc’s, will allow a listener to access any music folder that is on a computer network, or iPhone. Simply install the software and plug in either a “ZonePlayer S5,” or a Sonos “ZoneBridge” to a router via an Ethernet cable (which is provided). The software disc quickly logs a user into the network and projects the listener’s music to the “ZonePlayer S5” (which is also backwards compatible with all Sonos products).

Once the “Sonos Controller” App is downloaded for free in the Apple Store, the iPhone, or iPod Touch, becomes a customizable remote control. One can access all of the music from the network, make play-lists, tweet their friends, change the volume, or access Internet radio from the palm of the hand (all of this can be done from a computer also).

Sign in to Pandora Radio, and listen to high quality customized radio stations for free on the Sonos “ZonePlayer S5” seamlessly. The Sonos Player is preprogrammed with Pandora Radio, and the album art from Eric Clapton’s “After Midnight Live” album will leap onto a display, along with the song title, song length, artist, and Pandora radio station name.

As a recommendation, the Sonos “ZoneBridge” is a near necessity to have with the “ZonePlayer S5,” as it allows one to take the player anywhere. The tiny four inch square device, the Sonos “ZoneBridge,” is an additional $99, and without it there has to be at least one S5 player hooked up to an Ethernet cable from a router (essentially keeping the player by the router); the entire Sonos system is based on this wireless technology. Though it might seem a drawback, with a single “ZoneBridge” in place, all of the actual players are then free to roam anywhere there is space and an open outlet.

The extraordinary tunes that soar from this unique surround-sound-like device cannot be put into words. The Sonos engineers put all of the necessary home audio components into a single cabinet design with the “ZonePlayer S5” and the result is a home run! The music sings, as though Sonos wishes to battle with Bose for speaker superiority, for the S5 has outstanding sound that stuns.

Where one player is a must have, two or more “ZonePlayer S5” devices is an effective way to provide top-notch audio throughout the home, without the mess of speaker wires, audio components, or even audio cables, because its completely wireless. It is true that the Sonos “ZonePlayer S5” is a bit pricey, retailing at $399, but this pays back tenfold once it is up and running, five minutes after opening the box. It is of the highest quality sound, and if one has a family, or multiple spaces where different music needs to play then multiple S5’s will truly provide a priceless experience.

When the Sonos “ZonePlayer S5” is in multiple rooms, then any iPhone or computer logged in to the Sonos devices can access all of the vast treasures of music and Internet radio. One can control the volume and songs of each room, individually, so go ahead and control an entire house, castle, mansion, or backyard with the palm of a hand!

Grade: A

Soon to be a #1 seller in Apple’s App Store, “Boxed In 2” is an amazing array of everyone’s favorite box-moving robot at work again with improved graphics combined with some incredibly catchy background music. There are now sound effects, epic tunes and more mystical mazes than ever.

Get the robot through the red portal to enter the next diabolical maze full of impeding crates. The little robot player now raises arms, as one hears gears cranking; the sound effects add a surrealistic element to a game that was already addictive.

This game was designed specifically with iPod and iPhone users in mind, and with a swipe of a thumb numerous hours of gameplay greet the robot/box lovers. The added 50 levels of this version of the game are all more difficult than the previous game’s 50 levels meaning that the goodness is near impossible to beat, and therefore the fun does not end.

If you like easy to play, yet challenging puzzle games “Boxed In 2” is the best of the best. Simply move boxes to get the robot out of the maze; such simplicity is so very awesome!

Grade: A

Boxed In 2

Anyway, take a look…

I hate April Fool’s Day. I try to forget it every year…then when I do, I end up falling for a damned fake news post…ARGH!!!!

Anyway…check out this very first Apple Ad from 1976, and just think of how far they’ve come…(click on the image for a hi-rez version)
)

You can find more great old ads and articles at the Mac Mothership.

Today I stumbled upon the first Apple print ad…my, they have come a long way, haven’t they?

Click on the image for a larger image.

1984 – “1984″
We all know this one. Voted by many as one of the greatest commercials of all time, this Apple ad introduced the Macintosh to the world during the Superbowl in 1984.

1985 – “Lemmings”

Based on the amazing success of the 1984 ad, Apple decided to produce another ad the following year. This is the result…lightning did not strike twice, and the ad was very controversial for it’s depiction of Office users falling to their deaths.

1999 – Hal2000

At the end of the last century, Apple produced this commercial – playing up the Y2K scare…

So…are their more? If so…let me know…

If you haven’t seen it yet (it’s been online for a while), it’s an interesting read that shows us almost every mouse Apple has ever produced.

My personal favorite would have to be the original ADB Mouse…I don’t know why, but it looks like the kind of mouse that Kirk and Spock would have used on the Original Enterprise…ya know, assuming they had mice…

link via digg