The New York Times Bits Blog is reporting that Michael Tchao, a member of the team that brought the Apple Newton MessagePad to market, is going back to work for Apple after a 15-year absence. In Tchao's new job as Vice President of Product Marketing, he'll be reporting to Apple Senior V.P. of Product Marketing Phil Schiller.

For the past 7 years, Tchao has been General Manager of Nike's Techlab, which has been responsible for the Nike + iPod line as well as the online integration that makes nikeplus.com so powerful.

If you wanted to start doing a bit of speculating, it's interesting to note that Tchao was part of the team that was responsible for Apple's first tablet computer. Of course, the Newton platform wasn't exactly a huge success during its 5 years of life, owing primarily to its high price and (at least in the first versions) less-than-stellar handwriting recognition. Tchao wasn't in a marketing position at the time as the General Manager of Product Planning and Strategy for Apple's Personal Interactive Electronics group, and most of the marketing fumbles of the Newton era can be laid at the feet of the Apple execs in charge at the time.

Tchao certainly has the street cred as a tablet computing expert, with 5 patents to his name during his time with the Newton team. Although we don't know for sure at this time if Tchao has been tapped to resurrect tablet computing at Apple, his background both at Apple and Nike Techlab shows that he not only has the technical background to shepherd a new product to market, but the marketing savvy as well.

Welcome back, Mr. Tchao!

[via Mashable]

In a surprise move after years of breathless anticipation by users of Now Up-To-Date and Contact, Now Software released Now X Client for Mac on Thursday, August 27, 2009. In case you're wondering, yes, this was the calendar and contact app formerly known as Nighthawk.

Why the snarky tone? Well, Nighthawk Now X has been one of the biggest examples of vaporware in the Mac community for at least two or three years. Many users of Now Up-To-Date and Contact, which was a relatively powerful set of applications for managing calendars and contacts, have waited patiently for the promised app, only to have their hopes dashed year after year. All of my clients who used NUDC have moved on to other Mac / iPhone or cloud apps.

Even this announcement is somewhat tainted. There's no Windows version of Now X for people in multi-platform offices, the much-touted server module isn't done, and the FAQ page states that "Now X runs on both Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard." Uh, guys, while you were developing this application, Apple came out with something called Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

Now Software also states that Now X syncs to iPhone, but there's no iPhone client -- it simply syncs Up-To-Date info to Calendar and Contact to Contacts. Most other apps of this type, including Marketcircle Daylite, have an accompanying iPhone app. The company says that the app "is being designed." From past experience, Now X users looking for an iPhone version may have a very long wait ahead of them.

A TUAW First Look of the Now X Client for Mac will be posted soon.

Feeling nostalgic? Applemctom has posted a great video detailing the evolution of Mac gaming from Dark Tower, released in 1986, right up to the resurgence and explosion of gaming on the iPhone.

Take a look and see if your favorites are covered. My vote for inclusion in the sequel is Wolfenstein 3D.

If things had turned out just a bit differently in the late 1990's, we might not be visiting Apple Stores. Instead, we'd be talking about the food we ate and the movies we watched at the Apple Cafe.

TUAW reader and Guifx Director of Operations Morgan Strauss told us about his post on the Guifx blog recalling a retail concept that Apple announced on November 12, 1996. No, they weren't planning on selling Macs, iPhones, iPods, and the occasional Apple TV -- instead, Apple announced that they were going to open a chain of Apple Cafes throughout the world.

The Apple Cafe was to be a high-tech cybercafe where you could order healthy food while videoconferencing with people at nearby tables, surfing the Web, and pulling up movies or TV shows on a small kiosk screen at your table.

Strauss owns two architectural paintings (below) that were produced by artists for Landmark Entertainment Group, which was partnering with Apple and a company called Mega Bytes International in the proposed venture. The paintings show the proposed 15,000 square foot Los Angeles location, which was to be the flagship of the chain.
The concept was quietly scrapped before it ever got off the ground, which is probably fortunate considering the dwindling popularity of other theme restaurants. Be sure to visit the Guifx Blog to see the paintings in detail.

In the spirit of today's April Fool's/Apple birthday blasts from the past, we've got a giveaway prize pack that will remind us all of days gone by. [Yes, this is an actual giveaway, not a joke. -Ed.]

Wrapping up our look at 33 years of Apple, we're giving away a few more computational artifacts:
Basic Apple BASIC, by James Coan, Fancy AppleSoft Programming by Gabriel Cuellar and 32 BASIC Programs for the Apple Computer by Rugg and Feldman for the old-school programmers out there. If you happen to have a machine to program Applesoft BASIC, why not try GEOS as well? It's an early GUI productivity suite for the Apple II series. We're giving away the entire package: manuals and disks (5.25" of course).

For you Mac folks, there's the ClarisWorks user's guide from 1989, some At Ease manuals and the MacProject II manual.

Finally, there's an Apple Color StyleWriter 2200 in great shape (but no warranty -- there are limits to AppleCare). We'll throw in some ink cartridges, but we've no idea if the ink still works.

• Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
• To enter leave a comment telling us the oldest Apple computer you've ever used.
  
• The comment must be left before April 5, 11:59PM Eastern Time.
• You may enter only once.
• One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
• Prize: One copy of Basic Apple BASIC, one copy of the 1989 ClarisWorks user guide, two At Ease manuals, one MacProject II manual, one copy of Fancy AppleSoft Programming, one copy of 32 BASIC Programs for the Apple Computer (no floppies or tapes included), an entire GEOS package (manuals and floppies) and an Apple ColorStyleWriter 2200 (no warranty, but we'll throw in some ink cartridges). (Total estimated value is $100)
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.


Apple was kind enough to include a veritable encyclopedia of information with my Apple ][. Inside the big, red manual, you'll find complete step-by-step instructions for setting up the machine, adjusting a tape recorder for optimal use, plenty of programs to get you started, and a handy reference for the hardware inside.

I found the manual easy to read, although given the constraints of typing programs by hand using a typewriter, some code was printed using a dot matrix printer. Mr. Wozniak includes excellent code to help you build your own programs, however, and code for interfacing with the likes of a teletype, should you need printed output. There are critical routines for floating point calculations, which I'm sure some will appreciate.

Apple introduces a little design philosophy in the manual, which is a welcome break from the volumes used to learn the 5100, for example. Rumors on our sister site Engadget say Tandy is working on a consumer machine with BASIC and a human-readable manual as well, but I'll believe that when I see it. Anyway, the Apple ][ manual has some sample code for making actual audio tones using the built-in speaker (a novel idea, by the way). Why use audio in a program? Here's the design philosophy I found interesting:

"Computers can perform marvelous feats of mathematical computation at well beyond the speed capable of most human minds. They are fast, cold and accurate; man on the other hand is slower, has emotion, and makes errors. These differences create problems when the two interact with one another. So to reduce this problem humanizing of the computer is needed. Humanizing means incorporating within the computer procedures that aid in a computer's usage. One such technique is the addition of a tone subroutine."

It's like they want to make the computer more *personal*, somehow.

Once you've seen how to make graphics, sounds and even interaction and I/O in code, the manual wraps up with a thorough examination of the included hardware. This is a hobbyists' machine, after all. The schematics and diagrams will have you fully understanding how the computer addresses memory and controls video, plus many other miracles I can't believe they crammed into such a small package.

This valuable red book of data comes free with your Apple ][, but I wouldn't part with it! You'll find yourself referring to it time and again. Check out the photostat gallery below for a few sample pages.

Gallery: Apple II Manual

Welcome to the TUAW newsletter for April 1st 1996. We're really glad that our subscriber base is growing, and that you are continuing to read our daily coverage of all things Apple, including Mac and Newton. We've got a lot in store for this issue, and would love to hear your comments back, so be sure to leave us a note in the attached forum thread to let us know how you liked it.

Happy Birthday, Apple!
Yes, today Apple turned 20 years old. While the company has been struggling for the past year, we can only hope that a turnaround is imminent. We've definitely seen some improvements, like that shiny new Newton MessagePad 130 that Apple released a few weeks ago, but we can't help but think that Apple is missing something. Either way, Apple is still an innovative company that holds true to their slogan of bringing "The Power to Be Your Best" to the consumer and professionals that rely on their products everyday.

Rumor Alert: Is Apple working on a new OS?
Our sources familiar with Apple's plans tell us that Apple is actively working on a project that will eventually replace the Mac OS. According to insiders, the code name for the project is Copland. We're also hearing word that Copland will feature amazing new features like protected memory, better performance, less crashes, and be completely PowerPC native. Becoming PowerPC native will be a huge issue as the PowerPC Macs only started shipping two years ago.

Apple's CEO stepping down? Who's stepping up?
We've recently heard that Apple's board of directors have replaced CEO Michael Spindler with Gil Amelio. From sources, we've heard that Apple will begin a massive layoff of employees -- not good for the company. Here's hoping Gil can turn the ship around.

Apple releases update to Newton MessagePad
Just a couple weeks ago Apple released a new MessagePad that looks promising. The MessagePad 130 features an ARM 610 processor that runs at 20Mhz, an 8MB ROM, 1.2MB RAM, and 1.5MB flash memory for storage. There is the same 320x240 screen that we've come to love on these portable wonders, and there is a backlight included on this model. It runs the 2.0 version of the Newton OS, which has been available on the MessagePad 120 since last year. The device is powered by 4 AA batteries (or a rechargeable pack), and only weighs 1 pound! This device looks promising and we can't wait to get our hands on it. You can get your MessagePad for $800USD.

**For more Apple news, be sure to sign up for The Unofficial Apple Webmailer available on TUAW.com, or you can see more Apple news on their website.**

TUAW Newsletter - April 1, 1976

In this Bicentennial year, technology is making big advances! You can read about it here in Technology Update Aptos Weekly, the official computer newsletter of the Aptos, CA Amateur Computer Club, delivered to your door every week. Remember to pay Steve Sande your dues, as part of that money goes towards the ridiculous rip-off that the Post Office has concocted -- 13¢ for a first-class stamp.

New micro-processor from MOS Technology

MOS Technology announced the new 6502 micro-processor, which should revolutionize the homebrew computing world. For $25, much less than Intel's $179 8080 chip, you get a 8-bit processor with a 16-bit data bus. Steve Wozniak from the HOmebrew Computer Club is basing his "Apple I" computer that he'll show at our next meeting on the 6502. Most people think he's crazy not to use the Intel 8080, but he wants to make a computer thats inexpensive (a friend of his named Steve Jobs wants to sell these computers - now there's a crazy idea!) You can ask Steve about it at the meeting at Tom's house on the 16th - I think he's going to make copies of the specs on one of the Xerox machines at HP.

At the last HCC meeting, Christopher Espinoza showed off a cool subroutine he wrote for the 6502 that prints the A-register in binary! He'll have that in the HCC newsletter sooN and we'll try to see if he'll let us reprint it for those who want to try out this cheap inexpensive mcicro processor.

In my opinion, and I am the editor of this newsletter until someone takes my IBM Selectric away, I think he should be using the Zilog Z-80 that's in the Cromemco Z-1. After all, it's a much faster chip than the 8080. I hear that Gary Kildall will have a version of his Operating System CP/M for the Z-80 and not for the 6502.

Cool new multi-function calculator from Casio!

The Japanese company Casio has just announced a breakthrough product called the CQ 1. Believe it or not, they've figured out a way to put a 4-function calculator (with memory), a digital clock, a stopwatch, AND alarm clock into one box. It's 14,000 yen, whatever that works out to in dollars.

Sure, the Mac made a big splash back in January of 1984, but that didn't make it a popular desktop computer for the enterprise. Most companies looked at the Mac the same way they do now; as an overpriced toy that wasn't compatible with the IBM PCs of the day.

What started sneaking Macs into corporations wasn't the color Mac II or the original Microsoft Excel. No, it was the Apple LaserWriter, which was introduced on March 3, 1985 at the everyday low price of $6,995. For the first time, companies and individuals could get high-quality black and white printouts of their documents from a fast, 300 dpi printer.

The LaserWriter also introduced Adobe Postscript to a wider audience, as it was embedded in the raster image processor for the printer. The LaserWriter was the first printer to feature the AppleTalk Personal Network, so the expensive 8 page per minute printer could be shared with a workgroup.

When you use your little sub-$100 black and white laser printer today, remember those hardy pioneers of the Mac world who sacrificed their wallets to eventually bring you low-cost laser printing.

Thanks to Hadley for the tip!

[via Apple Matters]

TUAW reader Mike turned us on to a Flickr photo set and a related post on Aussie Mac site MacTalk.

MacTalk forum regular Donnie Darko was visiting a used book store in the Sydney suburb of Newtown when he came upon a rare find -- a 1991 copy of a Japanese design magazine called Axis featuring concepts that Apple was working on at the time.

In this jewel are a number of concept computers:

• The bike computer on the front cover (see photo at right)
• A wrist-mounted Mac called the TimeBand
• A device called the Exchanger that shows an American dollar being inserted and another currency coming out of a slot
• Several server concepts that look similar to Apple servers of the early 90s
• A very cool flat-panel TV that looks cutting-edge even in 2009
• Several tablet Macs
• A device that looks like a hybrid Mac / digitizer tablet

A sidebar in the article shows stills from Apple's classic Knowledge Navigator concept video. It's a fascinating look at what products might have come out of Cupertino in an alternate universe.

As 30GB Zune owners deal with the sudden bricking of their systems after midnight this morning, hopefully they can take comfort in the fact they are not alone in this. Throughout the years, Apple products had their share of time & date problems.

In February 2000, Newton owners began reporting that they were having issues with the Newton being rather confused about what century it was in. Some users discovered that when they entered two-digit numbers as part of birthdays and other common abbreviated dates, things got wonky. For example, if I entered my birth date as 2-28-80 on the Newton, it interpreted the number as being February 28, 2080 rather than 1980. Entries of full dates in the 1900s were also affected. Other users stated that when they tried finding 20th century dates in the Find applet of the Newton, the system actually performed the search using 21st-century dates.

Fixes included resetting the system clock back to 1999 to enter those dates before resetting it again back to 2000 and applying software patches. Sadly, it's a bug that HAL-9000 forgot to mention. Apple even reported back in 1998 that the Newton was Y2K-compliant. Of course, this won't even begin to cover the problems that Newton owners still using the product will have in 2010. If you see our own Newton-sporting Steve Sande at Macworld, be sure to tease him about it.

A Tiger bug discovered in 2005 revealed that Safari's RSS reader would list some items as being an hour ahead of when they were actually posted -- news from the future is not catastrophic, but certainly could be confusing.

Our research this morning hasn't turned up any date-related iPod or iPhone hiccups, but if you know of any examples please let us know in the comments. As for the Zune bricks, there's been no word yet from Microsoft regarding the failures, but Engadget's readers have already come up with a number of theories including blaming it on Steve Jobs, the year 2008 being one-second longer, and other conspiracy theories that are sure to come throughout the day.

A trio of nostalgic finds covers everything from a visual history of Apple patents to the ads and catalogs that marketed these products to consumers.

Andrew McConnell received an old mail-order computer catalog from 1980, with the first 12 pages featuring Apple products. For the low, low price of $974.95USD, you could purchase a 16K Regular Apple II that weighed less than 12 pounds! Or, if you're really crazy with your money, you could spend $1123.95USD on a 48K Plus system.

The really neat thing about browsing through this catalog is seeing all the accessories available for the system at that time. A $34.95 device called Bright Pen was touted as an alternative to the keyboard or game paddle input, and seemed to be an ancestor of the Wacom tablet. Further in, another accessory called Light Pen appears to be a more expensive Wacom predecessor. SuperTalker added voiceover capabilities to the Mac and SpeechLab allowed for dictation. There was a music synthesizer, the ability to add a real-time clock for $200, basic software, and more.

RedLightRunner has compiled a page of some of the best-known Apple ads from the past couple of decades. Its earliest offering is the infamous 1984 ad and there are several early 80's and late 90's offerings there. My favorite is the ad from 1999 for the Airport Base Station. The device sails across the screen like a UFO, complete with creepy B-movie music that is sure to give some people nightmares. It's definitely not a comprehensive collection of ads - it's missing all the current ones and others from the 80's such as this ad from 1986. But, it is a great start at building a collection.

Over on the Technologizer blog, Harry McCracken has posted a visual history spanning 31 years of Apple patent filings - featuring everything from Woz's drawings of the original Apple II in April 1977 all the way to the "multi-functional hand-held device" from December 2007 which turns out to be the iPhone. It's not all the patents filed by Apple, but it's a great summary of some of the devices Apple has come up with. You can find more articles about various Apple patents here at TUAW as well.

Many thanks to all those who submitted tips!

Al Diblasi over at Alfred.TV keeps coming up with fun videos with old Apple or related devices as the centerpiece. In this latest 53-minute masterpiece on YouTube (below), Al boots up a 1991 68040-based NeXT Cube, and then shows off some of the built-in applications, an original brochure for the NeXT, a cool NeXT black turtleneck (Steve Jobs' influence, obviously), and a couple of versions of the NeXTstep OS and development environment.

For those of you who are new to the Mac world, NeXT was the company Steve Jobs founded after being kicked out of Apple. Originally, they produced both hardware, of which this NeXT Cube is a prime example, and software. NeXT was purchased by Apple in 1997, and the NeXTstep environment evolved into what we now know as Mac OS X and the Cocoa development suite. A NeXT computer used by Tim Berners-Lee was the world's first Web server.

Be sure to watch or at least skim through to the end of the video, where Al finds a couple more Apple gems in his brother's basement. You can follow Al's trips through retro computing on Twitter.

If you're a long-time Mac user, the words "After Dark" conjure memories of flying toasters, Star Trek, city lights, and -- my favorite -- Lunatic Fringe.

Lunatic Fringe was a Maelstrom-like game built-in to After Dark, a screen saver utility for Mac and Windows popular in the early- to mid-90s. Fringe Player, from Sealie Software, is a app that brings Lunatic Fringe back to your new, Intel-based Mac. It supports Leopard, and there is a version for PowerPC processors as well.

You have to obtain the original screensaver module separately, however. You can get the module from your original After Dark disks (or online, if you're clever with the Google.)

Now if you'll excuse me, my Friday afternoon is suddenly spoken for.

Personally, I've never thrown away a Mac. I've always had someone to give or sell it to. I suppose it's a testament to the longevity of each unit.

The first Mac I owned, a Performa 6400, went to a friend of mine in Albuquerque. It had a good life: I installed a G3 upgrade card in its personality slot when its 603e processor wasn't cutting it anymore. I don't reckon she's using it still, though.

After that, I bought a Power Mac G4 with a 17-inch Studio Display (in matching graphite, of course). My aunt and uncle are still using that computer, and it's running just fine for the basic email and web browsing they need. It's probably more than they'll ever need, come to think of it.

Then came my iMac G5, which I sold to my previous employer for $500 or so. They sort of ... uh ... downsized after I left, so I'm not sure if it's being used right now. It runs great, though. I installed a new power supply in it a month or two before I sold it.

My MacBook and Intel iMac are running great for me right now, though, and I have no idea how they'll spend their retirement after they've done their bit for king and country.

Where have your old Macs gone? Schools? Parents? Kids? Share your misty-eyed memories of Macs past in comments.