If we think of Apple products, laptops, desktops, smartphones, tablets and now smartwatches come to mind. If we expand a little further to the accessories that Apple makes for these products, then we can think of routers and headsets. But the apple company it has also touched other product categories throughout its history: cameras, wevcams, printers, scanners and even speakers. Some of these products were abandoned because they no longer had practical utility, others because they were not very successful, and some because they were outright failures.
Apple QuickTake
In 1994 Apple tried to gain a foothold in the world of photography. Its first digital camera, the Apple QuickTake 100, featured 1MB of Flash storage, 640x480 resolution, and flash, all for $ 749. In May 1995 it was replaced by the QuickTake 150, a practically identical camera except that it was already compatible with Windows and with more common image formats such as BMP and JPEG. Its price dropped to $ 700. In February 1997 the latest model would arrive, QuickTake 200, with a more common design for a photo camera, a storage of 2 or 4MB and maintaining the resolution of 640 × 480. Despite lowering its price to $ 600, it did not achieve good sales figures and in the same year it was launched it was abandoned.
Web Cams
In 1995 we got the first Apple WebCam. The QuickTime Video Conferencing Camera 100 was compatible with any Power Macintosh of the time and already used the H.261 codec. Capable of outputting video, audio and still images, It was basically sold for professional use with a price of about $ 1800 and it included the necessary software for video conferencing and a handheld device for talking very similar to a telephone. It is unknown when it was discontinued but it was not a bestseller either.
Apple's next webcam model was made to wait until 2003, with the launch of the beautiful iSight. A camera that is already reminiscent of the current design of Apple products, with an image and sound quality superior to the cameras of the time achieved the highest ratings from critics and users, however, its high price ($ 149) prevented it from being a bestseller. The arrival of the cameras integrated to the MacBook in 2006 supposed its abandonment.
Printers
Apple has had a long history in the world of printers. For 20 years he has been manufacturing and selling these accessories for his Mac computers. Its first printer, Silentype, was introduced in 1979 and released in 1980.. A thermal printer that was really a Trendcom Model 200 but with the Apple logo and changes to its internal components to make it cheaper. Compatible with the successful Apple II and later the Apple III, it was available until 1982.
The The 1985 LaserWriter was one of the first laser printers available on the market, out of the big printers of the time that practically took up an entire room. Although more expensive ($ 7000) than some models offered by the competition, such as HP, it was more advanced and the possibility of being shared over a network with up to 16 users made it ideal for use in companies.
After these models many others appeared, ending the printer business for Apple with the LaserWriter 8500, which allowed printing even at A3 size. Apple exited the printer business in 1999.
Scanners
Apple also entered the scanner business with different models. In 1988 it launched the first Apple Scanner, with a resolution of 300 dpi and only grayscale (16) and it was soon replaced by the Apple OneScanner, also in grayscale but with 256 levels. In 1991 the first color scanner arrived, Apple Color OneScanner, which had a resolution of up to 4800 dpi. They were abandoned in 1997.
Speakers
Before manufacturers flocked to produce speakers compatible with Apple products, the company made its own. The AppleDesign Powered Speakers were the first, followed by a second version in dark gray and a more curved design. Both models had a double input, to connect them to the computer and a CD player, for example, and they also had a headphone jack on the front. the first model was launched in 1993, and a year later the second.
After this first foray into the world of sound, Apple released one of its most ironic products for a long time: the Apple Pro Speakers. Designed by Harman Kardon They were available since January 2001 and, as is usual with Apple, they were only compatible with some Mac models, and could not be used for other computers or devices.
We finished our compilation of "antiques" from Apple with the iPod Hi-Fi, the only product on this list that I have been able to see in operation and enjoy it. This great speaker, developed by Bose, was one of Apple's last failures, since despite its beautiful design, which with almost 10 years would fit perfectly today, its high price ($ 349) did not make it have a great acceptance by users. To this it should also be noted that the experts did not make too positive reviews about its sound quality. It lasted just over a year on the market, being withdrawn in September 2007.
I bought the iPod HI-FI on a sale and since then it is still perfect, good sound and as it says in the article currently does not clash, even better design than current models. With the iPod touch it did not load but the dock was still working but adding an Airport I use it with Airplay from the Mac and the iPad, they should go back to making multi-room speakers.