In honor of the new iPhone and its FaceTime video chat feature, I present Technologizer’s history of video calls. (Via PC World)
Near where I live, there’s a clothing store called Peachfrog that lures people into their store by giving out free little neoprene gadget cases on the street. They each have a spot cut out for the iPod’s touch wheel. The other day, the guy manning the giveaway table was yelling, “Free iPad cases!” I went over and examined the merch.
Him: It’s for your iPhone.
Me: I thought you said iPad.
Him: Yeah, that’s what I mean.
Me: But aren’t these for the iPod?
Him: Huh?
Gosh, I’m so old! You see, back before the iPhone and iPad, there was the iPod. It was for music. It used this thing called Firewire, and the screen wasn’t touchable. I mean, you could touch it but you had to use a “click wheel” to maneuver the device. You couldn’t watch movies on it, or check your email, or make a call. You couldn’t even see album covers. All you could do was listen to music! That’s it! And yet, it was kind of the original magical gadget. It could hold 1000 songs and could fit in your jeans’ pocket! Unless you wore really small jeans.
Above is the video from the iPod’s release in 2001. My friend Alex Pasternack of Motherboard posted it yesterday along with a thoughtful essay about how the iPod really did change our lives more than most of us realize.
In the understated keynote address he gave on October 23rd, Steve Jobs (looking heavier than we remember him) introduced iPod. Not the iPod mind you. Jobs had the gall – the genius – to get rid of the “the” completely. Even if we haven’t followed suit yet (I haven’t heard anyone refer to their iPhone as simply “iPhone”), Jobs wants to get us closer to our computer, and we can’t do that if we keep calling it “the computer.” It has to have a proper name, something like Steve or Sally. HAL.This was simply “iPod.”
Pop over to Motherboard to read the rest.
A lot of things in this video of the progression of Macs don’t make sense to me. For instance, the “Think Different” ads didn’t exist until after most of these computers were already in dumpsters. So why are they interspersed throughout? I don’t know. But the music it’s good and it’s fun to look at old computers. At least it’s fun compared to, you know, working.
NOTHING TO DO WITH OBSOLETE, Part 1.
I just got my first point-and-shoot digital camera, and I’m a little trigger-happy. When I saw this guy on the platform of the L train, I decided it was time to try out the video feature. Only later did I realize that I’d captured a rare moment in Apple history: Steve Wozniak losing his marbles.
(via MsObsolete)
Apparently, people are already feeling nostalgic for the click wheel on their “old” iPods. Oy. Fortunately, this app is coming to the rescue.
iClassic App Lets You Revist the Good Old Days of Click Wheel iPods
(via Gizmodo)
Which will be the first to cease existing: mail or desktops? This guy has all his bases covered.
The 22-year-old Genius has a little tech-nerd wet dream. Good thing he’s standing behind a bar!
Vintage Apple by Ben Fino-Radin
Boombox by Nicole Gastonguay
Polaroid by Nicole Gastonguay
@jesusdiaz (do people actually refer to people without using an @ any more?) just sent me a link to this needlepointed vintage Mac. I’m not sure if this is even called needlepoint. Apparently this is a kind of “thing” people “do.” The Mac was made by Ben Fino-Radin. The boombox and Polaroid camera were made by Nicole Gastonguay (aka @tweecole). All three are pretty darn cool. Nicole and Ben, if you’re reading this, I’m in the market for some friends!
This morning I was interviewed for the Hey Brooklyn podcast. Rob, the sound engineer, mentioned the PROGRAMMED exhibit to me—it’s a show that The Mac Support Store and the Brooklyn Artists Gym are going to putting on. Looks like anyone can submit possible entries— you just have to pick up pieces of obsolete technology from them and then turn it into ahhhhht. This is a picture of some of the offerings. If anyone goes ahead and enters, please send a photo of your masterpiece over this-a-way!
MEET THE AUTHOR
Anna Grossman is writing this bio in the third person. She is a New York-based freelance writer specializing in lifestyle and entertainment features. She is 5'7" and has been described as "nice." Su esposo, Jesus, enseñandola Espanol. Email her if you feel like it: GrossmanAJ@Gmail.com
MEET THE ILLUSTRATOR
James Gulliver Hancock is an internationally acclaimed artist who crosses as many mediums as he does borders. James is constantly on the move, having been involved in artist projects and residencies in Indonesia, Austria, France, the U.K. and America. He is currently located in Los Angeles and works on projects in Europe, America and Australia. His work is as varied as his travels, encompassing editorial illustration for magazines, commissions for music group artwork and animations, work with disabled children on logo designs, creating gigantic set illustrations for performances and TV.
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CONTACT: ObsoleteTheBook@ Gmail.com. Because books love to check email.
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