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Apple released the QuickTake digital camera in 1994 using technology largely…

2026-04-04 · 20:26 UTC ·@edsuh ·4 min read

Brief

David Pogue’s new book on Apple’s 50‑year history supplies detailed, often surprising company lore spanning product, legal, and cultural moments. Highlights include the QuickTake digital camera (1994) built on Kodak tech; the commercial flop of the Pippin console (1996) with ~25k Japan sales and almost none in the U.S.; Wozniak’s $10M pre‑IPO stock gift to contractors/early staff (now claimed to be worth >$20B if retained); Xerox’s $10.5M 1979 investment that bought Apple a PARC demo and later grew to $17.6M; systemic weaknesses in early Mac System (no kernel, no protected memory); Apple nearly buying Be Inc. before choosing NeXT; human details like Jobs intervening during Scott Forstall’s 2004 illness, the iMac handle’s psychological design, a scrapped Willy Wonka iMac promotion, the iPhone’s last‑minute switch from plastic to glass, and Apple Watch prototypes misreading water as taps.

Why it matters

Apple released the QuickTake digital camera in 1994 using technology largely developed by Kodak, which licensed it to Apple rather than sell it itself to avoid cannibalizing film revenues.

Key details

  • The Pippin video game console (1996) sold about 25,000 units in Japan and virtually none in the U.S.; only one third‑party developer (Bandai) committed to making games.
  • Before Apple’s IPO, stock options were limited to full‑time employees; Steve Wozniak gifted $10M of his own shares to contractors and early employees—shares that the author claims would be worth over $20B today if held.
  • In 1979 Xerox invested $10.5M in Apple in exchange for a PARC demo; a year later those Xerox shares were worth $17.6M, and Apple walked away with GUI ideas from PARC.
  • Early Apple product anecdotes: pre‑OS X Mac System lacked a kernel, protected memory, and true multitasking; the original iMac’s 35‑lb handle was a comfort/psychological cue; the first iPhone demo used a plastic screen that Jobs later replaced with glass after it scratched.
Source evidence

I had so much fun reading David Pogue's new book on Apple's 50 year history. One of the most thorough, meticulously researched books on a company I've ever read. It was loaded with random details about Apple that most people wouldn't know today.

Here's a sampling of Apple trivia I learned for the first time from the book. How many of these did you know?

1) Apple introduced the first digital camera, the QuickTake, in 1994. Much of the technology was developed by Kodak, but they offered it to Apple to brand and distribute, afraid of cannibalizing their core film business (classic Innovator’s Dilemma).

2) Apple launched a video game console in 1996, Pippin. It only sold 25k units in Japan and virtually zero in the US. Only one third party developer, Bandai, signed on to make games. It was quickly shelved.

3) Before its IPO, Apple only offered stock options to full-time employees, not contractors, even though many contractors worked hard to bring its first products to life. Wozniak thought this was unfair, so when Apple went public, he gifted $10M worth of his own shares to those contractors, as well as a number of early employees. If held, those shares would be worth over $20B today.

4) Everyone knows the legend of Apple “borrowing” ideas for a GUI based OS from visiting Xerox PARC for a private demo. What isn’t well known is how they got a demo in the first place. At the time, in 1979, Apple was the hottest startup in tech, the Anthropic of its era. Investors all over the world were clamoring to get a piece of the company before it IPO-ed. Steve Jobs told Xerox he would allow them to invest “if you will open the kimono at PARC”. They agreed, investing $10.5M in Apple. Those shares were worth $17.6M a year later. Xerox made out well on the investment, but lost something far more precious.

5) For its first decade, Mac OS (or System as it was called pre OSX) was a hot mess. Originally hacked together & optimized to run on very little memory, it was a highly fragile OS. It didn’t have a kernel, true multi-tasking, or protected memory, meaning one app could crash the entire system.

6) Apple almost didn’t acquire NeXT. Immediately beforehand, it tried to acquire Be Inc, a competitor to NeXT that was founded by Jean-Louis Gassée, another prominent Apple alum who ran Mac development after Jobs was fired. They disagreed on price: Be asked for $500M, Apple offered $200M max. The lengthy negotiations gave Apple time to meet with Steve Jobs and evaluate NeXT, which they quickly realized had a far better OS. History would be quite different if the Be deal had worked out.

7) The original iMac had a handle, but not for the reason you'd think. It was a desktop weighing 35 pounds. It was not meant to be portable. The handle’s true purpose was to provide comfort. At the time, many people were still nervous around technology. A handle was familiar. It gave the impression the computer was light, easy to move.

8) Apple planned a Willy Wonka style promotion for the millionth iMac sold, which would include a secret golden ticket in the box. The winner would get the iMac for free, get comped travel to Cupertino for a free tour of Apple HQ, and meet Steve Jobs, who was to be dressed up like Willy Wonka. Ultimately, Apple’s lawyers shot it down due to regulations around sweepstakes in CA.

9) The original iPhone was designed with a plastic screen. The one Steve Jobs famously introduced in his demo had a plastic screen. But the day after the demo, Steve furiously ordered the team to switch to glass because his screen had gotten scratches from keys in his pocket.

10 By 2013, 14% of all reported crimes in NYC were stolen iPhones.

11) Scott Forstall, former SVP of iOS Software, one of the top execs at Apple who at his peak was considered a CEO candidate, came down with a vicious stomach virus in 2004. He was hospitalized for months, constantly vomiting. He lost 60 pounds and required nutrients through a PICC line. The pain was so bad he said he wanted to die. Steve visited Scott many times at the hospital, and one night insisted on bringing an acupuncturist. Scott was skeptical but was willing to try anything. As soon as the acupuncturist started, he felt relief. He was discharged a day later. He credits Steve with saving his life.

12) Early Apple Watch prototypes could not distinguish between finger taps and water droplets. Employees testing the prototypes discovered that their watches would accidentally do things like send smart replies to texts in the shower.

What a fascinating company with such a rich history. Excited for the next 50 years of Apple

amazon.com/Apple-First-Years…

Link

Apple: The First 50 Years

On April 1, 1976, two scruffy twentysomethings, both named Steve, founded a startup. Their goal: To bring the revolutionary power of computers to everyone. Over the next five decades, Apple reshaped...
amazon.com