Apple history Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

John Browett comments on his time at Apple

by Dave Caolo (Mar 15th, 2013)

John Browett worked briefly as Apple's head-of-retail, and recently shared some of his experiences at the Retail Week Live conference. Among other things, Browett confessed that he "just didn't fit" at Apple, while praising the company itself: "Apple is a truly fantastic business. The people are ...

How Apple introduced brushed metal

by Dave Caolo (Mar 11th, 2013)

Remember when "brushed metal" dominated the look of Apple's software products, including OS X? Stephen Hackett at 512 Pixels does, and he's put together a look at its origins. Brushed metal didn't debut with Mac OS X 10.3, as many believe. Instead, Hackett notes, the UI motif first slipped onto ...

Apple, IGB 'close to settlement' on Brazilian 'iPhone' trademark lawsuit

by Michael Grothaus (Mar 11th, 2013)

Apple is close to reaching a settlement for the "iPhone" trademark in Brazil, according to Forbes. The company has been locked in a lawsuit with Brazilian company IGB Electronica, which was granted the Brazilian iPhone trademark in 2007. IGB originally applied for the iPhone trademark in 2000. ...

Early iPhone prototype with 5x7-inch display

by Kelly Hodgkins (Mar 11th, 2013)

Most leaked iPhone prototypes have been run-of-the-mill devices that resemble the iPhone we know and love. This latest leak from Ars Technica reveals the tablet roots of our favorite smartphone. These prototype images originated from 2005 and show an iPhone with a 5 x 7-inch display and a ...

The Homebrew Computer Club first met 38 years ago today

by Kelly Hodgkins (Mar 5th, 2013)

Today marks the 38th anniversary of the first Homebrew Computer Club meeting. The Homebrew Computer Club was an eclectic collection of computer enthusiasts who gathered to meet and talk about tech. It was started in 1975 by Gordon French and Fred Moore. The first meeting was held in French's ...

Steve Jobs' prank call to Starbucks lives on

by Steven Sande (Mar 4th, 2013)

On January 4, 2007, I was fortunate enough to be one of the few thousand people in the audience at Moscone West when Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone to the world. Most of us had been standing in line in a chilly pre-dawn San Francisco alley for hours, and between the lack of sleep and a need for ...

Matt Groening's pre-Simpsons art for Apple

by Kelly Hodgkins (Mar 4th, 2013)

Matt Groening of The Simpsons fame worked on some offbeat illustrations for Apple in the late '80s. According to Linus Edwards of VintageZen, Groening has never publicly spoken about the ads, but images of the works are still floating around the internet. Edwards has compiled some of these ...

Apple abandons Newton trademark

by Michael Grothaus (Feb 26th, 2013)

Even though Steve Jobs killed the Newton when he returned to Apple in 1997, the company has maintained the trademark for Apple's first PDA ever since. Well, until earlier this month that is. As noted by PatentlyApple, Apple officially abandoned the Newton trademark on February 12, 2013. The ...

Art Levinson discusses the post-Jobs era

by Kelly Hodgkins (Feb 21st, 2013)

Art Levinson summed up his experience as chairman of Apple's board of directors since Steve Jobs passed in one word. "Weird," said Levinson who spoke on Tuesday at Stanford's Graduate School of Business "I'm still not to the point where I walk into that boardroom and don't miss Steve," Levinson ...

Apple pays dividend to shareholders this Valentine's Day

by Kelly Hodgkins (Feb 14th, 2013)

Apple shareholders get an extra special Valentine's Day gift from Apple this week in the form of a dividend from the company, says a report in AppleInsider. This will be the third dividend paid to shareholders and will amount to US$2.65 per share. Shareholders will receive the payment on February ...

Flickr find: Nice vintage Mac software collection

by Dave Caolo (Feb 7th, 2013)

Flickr user colecamp has posted a very nice collection of vintage Apple software, pamphlets, promotional material and more. I'm especially envious of the Matt Groening "Life in Hell" piece. He's also got an original 128k Mac manual in fantastic condition. Nice job, colecamp! We love seeing your ...

Alberta's Show Me Apple Museum a nice collection of Apple history

by Kelly Hodgkins (Feb 6th, 2013)

Apple may not be planning on opening a museum in its new Cupertino headquarters, but that doesn't mean you can't find a local museum to learn more about Apple's illustrious history. One such collection is the Show Me Apple museum located in Alberta, Canada. It was founded by Todd Boschee and is ...

Disney CEO Bob Iger speaks about his relationship with Steve Jobs

by Michael Grothaus (Jan 24th, 2013)

Yesterday at the Hollywood Radio and Television Panel, Producer Brian Grazer lead a Q&A with Disney CEO and current Apple board member Bob Iger. Though the discussion was to center around the television and film industry it quickly turned to Iger's relationship with Steve Jobs. In 2006, ...

Happy birthday, Apple Lisa and the Apple IIe

by Michael Grothaus (Jan 21st, 2013)

A happy belated birthday to the Apple Lisa and the Apple IIe! As of January 19th they both turned 30 years old. The two computers pretty much launched Apple and chances are that, without either, none of us would be using our MacBook Airs, iPads or iPhones today. As someone who is barely older ...

Tony Fadell discusses inspiring designers

by Michael Grothaus (Jan 18th, 2013)

Tony Fadell, the CEO of Nest and former designer on Apple's iPod team, has revealed his list of secrets that inspire designers to make amazing products. Speaking at the Bloomberg Design conference this week, Fadell said it was important for companies to try to create a culture where everyone is ...