Apple Core

Discover the captivating journey of Safari, Apple's web browser, from its humble beginnings in 2003 to its dominance in the web landscape. Delve into the clever strategy that led Apple to choose the KHTML rendering engine and its significant impact on modern browsers. Explore Safari's minimalist design choices that revolutionized aesthetics and the bold decision to embrace open source, challenging proprietary norms. Finally, reflect on the nostalgic memories tied to web browsing and the fierce competition that reshaped the industry.

Apple launched its first handheld computing device way back in 1993. With no internet access, flaky handwriting recognition, and an eye-watering price tag, the Newton MessagePad never stood much chance of success. But the writing was really on the wall with the arrival of the PalmPilot, a cheaper, more compact alternative, with a breakthrough text input system.Inspired by the “Knowledge Navigator” concept video Apple published in 1987, the Newton MessagePad was ahead of its time, featuring bleeding-edge technologies like Assist, which enabled users to control the device using natural language, much like Siri today.Although Steve Jobs scrapped the Newton on his return to Apple in 1998, its legacy lives on to this day. Apple’s investment in the Newton’s processor paid off big-time, providing vital working capital during the company’s darkest hour, and spawning a line of processors that powers every Mac, iPhone, and iPad today.Featuring special guest D. Griffin Jones from The CultCast and Cult of Mac.LINKSDoonesbury “Egg Freckles” cartoon: https://newtonglossary.com/terms/egg-frecklesApple Knowledge Navigator Video: https://youtu.be/umJsITGzXd0?si=1VNFsKBqXjt4bLeQMichael Tchao pitched the idea of the Newton to Apple’s CEO, John Sculley: https://web.archive.org/web/20211112015207/https://www.wired.com/2013/08/remembering-the-apple-newtons-prophetic-failure-and-lasting-ideals/How Newton’s handwriting recognition software was acquired on a trip to: Moscow: https://www.cultofmac.com/436469/today-in-apple-history-steve-jobs-visits-the-soviet-unionHow Griffin uses his MessagePad 2000 for playing Dungeons and Dragons: https://www.cultofmac.com/825770/using-an-apple-newton-today/Inkwell - Newton handwriting recognition in Mac OS X: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkwell_(Macintosh)Newton and the ARM processor: https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/09/05/apple-arm-have-been-crucial-to-each-others-survival-for-three-decadeseMate 3000 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMate_300Apple Newton Messagepad 2000 image: Ralf Pfeifer, GNU Free Documentation License https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apple_Newton.jpgApple eMate 300 image: Felix Winkelnkemper, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apple_Newton_eMate_300_(cropped).jpg

Steve Jobs was famous for his keynote presentations, which combined showmanship with beautifully designed slides to generate his trademark ‘reality distortion field.’But what few people knew at the time was, he didn’t use a Mac to produce those slides. Not until 2002, at least. Instead he relied on a little-known app called Concurrence on his trusty NeXT computer.Jobs loved this app so much, he hired its creator to work on a top secret project at Apple. The result was Keynote, an app specially designed to meet Jobs exacting presentation requirements.Thanks to the power of Quartz, the Mac OS X graphics layer, the frame rate and silky-smooth 3D transitions of Keynote blew other presentation packages like PowerPoint out of the water. Keynote formed the basis of Apple’s iWork office productivity suite we know and love today.In this episode, we chart the thirty-year history of Apple office productivity apps, and consider what it tells us about the company’s changing business model.LINKSConcurrence screenshotshttps://apple.fandom.com/wiki/ConcurrenceSteve Jobs launches Keynote at MacWorld 2003https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTF9wnTPpK0Roger Rosner demos iWork ’05 at MacWorld 2005https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLxI40utsLMApple announces completion of iWork suite with the addition of Numbershttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pb_OIBW4YsiPad launchhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTNbKCAFHJoSteve Jobs announces iWork with iCloud in his last keynotehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPMjUtfQPksPlan for iWork overhaul announced at WWDC 2013https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIigp_bxUcQEddy Cue announces complete rewrite of all iWork apps with full file compatibility at a Special Event in October 2013https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FunXnJQxYU

Apple’s interest in fitness products goes way back. In 2006, before Apple Watch was even a twinkle in Tim Cook’s eye, Steve Jobs took the stage with Nike CEO Mark Parker at an ultra-exclusive venue in New York City to announce the Nike+iPod Sport Kit.With a sensor that went into special Nike running shoes, and a receiver that plugged into your iPod, Nike+iPod was a pioneering product that helped define the emerging category of fitness wearables. It set the stage for products that would follow, including Apple Health and Apple Fitness+. And by partnering with Nike, Apple broadened the appeal of its brand, learned how to successfully roll out services, and raised its marketing game. Nike+iPod Sport Kit set a template for product launches that Apple still follows to this day.LINKSApple press release for Nike+iPod Sport Kit launchhttps://www.apple.com/newsroom/2006/05/23Nike-and-Apple-Team-Up-to-Launch-Nike-iPod/Design of launch event at Chelsea Piershttp://www.denton-cardewdesign.com/nike-apple-nyc/66dsmmf6qqc89hcyu8lc0gk21cgdnrPuma RS Computer Shoehttps://www.theverge.com/2018/12/11/18136072/puma-1986-rs-computer-running-shoe-rereleasehttps://about.puma.com/en/this-is-puma/archive-stories/history-of-rsNike+ Air Zoom Moirehttp://sz9.es/kickstories-nike-air-zoom-moire

In 1999, Steve Jobs needed one more product launch to complete the four-computer matrix he introduced on his return to the company three years earlier. That product was the iBook—a portable version of the hugely popular iMac G3.iBook had a striking design with eye-popping colors. But what really set it apart was AirPort, Apple’s proprietary version of WiFi, which ushered in the age of wireless computing. AirPort was such a revolutionary concept that Jobs wanted to prove no wires were required. So he persuaded VP of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, to jump from a great height while holding an iBook, during a live keynote event.Based on industry-standard WiFi technology, the story of AirPort's launch, development, and eventual demise, provides a valuable insight into how Apple thinks about emerging standards and adopts them in its products.LINKSiBook & AirPort launch at MacWorld New York 1999https://youtu.be/Fve4x6VFiF8?si=CpzUPli3nrnXOJzi49:20 iBook Introduction 1:03:20 "One More Thing" - AirPort 1:10:30 AirPort TV Ad 1:14:15 Phil Schiller's AirPort death dropAirPort Base Station Teardownhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4vy5K7_FW4AirPort Card Image @ Ashley Pomeroy 2020https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirPort#/media/File:Apple_AirPort_7877.jpg

When Steve Jobs returned to the company he founded in 1997, Apple was in disarray. After two failed attempts at a next-generation operating system, the Mac had been stuck on System 7 for years. The acquisition of Jobs' company, NeXT, offered a solution, with its NeXTSTEP operating system, which would form the basis of Mac OS X. But that was still three years away, and the Mac platform was already on life support. Jobs needed to take action fast. So, he salvaged bits from former failed projects and retrofitting them onto the aging System 7. The result was Mac OS 8. It wasn't a long term solution, but it did buy his engineers the time they needed to complete Mac OS X.Mac OS 8 proved to be a smash hit, selling 1.2 million copies in its first two weeks. The story of how this happened reveals an often overlooked side of Jobs - his ability to let go of his perfectionism and focus on what was possible, making pragmatic compromises that help to move platforms forward. CreditsMacOS 8 Packaging Photo: ShrineOfApple https://shrineofapple.com/blog/2011/10/08/mac-os-8/