MacBook (Late 2006)

Has it already been six months since the original MacBook was introduced? Then it must be time for an upgrade. Now that Apple has solved most of the MacBook’s teething problems, they’ve improved it by replacing the Intel Core Duo CPU with the newer, more energy efficient, cooler running Core 2 Duo. Overall, that should […]

Dan Bricklin, Inventor of the Electronic Spreadsheet

Dan Bricklin (born 1951) codeveloped VisiCalc with Bob Frankston in the late 1970s while he was a student at the Harvard Business School. VisiCalc is widely credited for fueling the rapid growth of personal computers in business. He is currently president of Software Garden, Inc., a small consulting firm and developer of software applications that […]

Disco Brings Unique Features to Mac Disc Burning

2006 – I’ve been tracking Disco since Austin Sarner began development with Jasper Hauser. Disco is a simple but effective disc burning utility for Mac OS X. It includes basic features that you would expect from this type of application, such as burning blank discs, disc imaging, copying, adding sessions to discs, and so on.

MacExpo 2006 Lacking in Excitement

2006 – I’m taking a break from writing about Apple history today and writing about the present. On Saturday, I visited MacExpo 2006 in London for the day (I last visited MacExpo 2004).

17″ MacBook Pro (Late 2006)

On 2006.10.24, Apple moved the MacBook Pro line to Intel’s newer Core 2 Duo CPU, claiming “up to 39% faster” performance than the model it replaced. Part of that comes from the more efficient CPU, and part from an 8% faster CPU.

15″ MacBook Pro (Late 2006)

On 2006.10.24, Apple moved the MacBook Pro line to Intel’s newer Core 2 Duo CPU, claiming “up to 39% faster” performance than the model it replaced. Part of that comes from the more efficient CPU, and part from an 8% faster CPU.

Beleaguered: Apple Bottoms Out, 1996 to 1998

Apple was at an all-time low in 1996, in a severe financial crisis that worried Mac users around the world. Apple’s shareholders and customers were losing faith, and competitors were closing in fast. The worldwide press badmouthed Apple in 1995 and 1996.

2nd Generation iPod nano

In September 2006, Apple replaced the year-old plastic 1G iPod nano with a new aluminum bodied version virtually the same size and just a tiny bit lighter. The low-end model now came with 2 GB of storage, there was a 4 GB model in the middle, and the top-end Nano had 8 GB.

Apple’s Pippin and Bandai’s @World: Missing the Mark(et)

Pippin was a multimedia player developed by Apple Computer in the mid 90s. Apple decided to create and license the technology (named Pippin after a type of apple smaller than a McIntosh) due to their belief that home computers were becoming more and more important and popular with customers.

5.5G iPod

The 5G iPod was revised on 2006.09.21 with a brighter display, nearly twice as long video playback, search, and redesigned earbuds. It was the first model an 80 GB option. Commonly known as the 5.5G iPod, this model looks identical to the first revision.

2nd Generation iPod shuffle

Where the first iPod shuffle had been the size of a pack of chewing gum, the 2G iPod shuffle was barely large enough for its controls and a headphone jack. It had a built-in clip so you could attach it to your clothing, and you could pick from five different colors.

5.5G U2 iPod

The 5G iPod was updated with a brighter screen, improved video playback time, and a larger hard drive on 2006.09.12. The U2 Special Edition was updated at the same time, also receiving a $50 price reduction.

iMac (Late 2006)

Industry watchers had been anticipating Apple moving the iMac to Intel’s Core 2 Duo processor, which is “up to 50% more powerful” (according to Apple) than the Core Duo used in the Early 2006 iMac. As if that wasn’t enough, Apple added the biggest iMac to date to the line, a whopping 24″ model with […]

Mac mini (Late 2006)

Kudos to Apple for abandoning the Intel Core Solo used in the original entry-level Intel Mac mini. With the September 2006 revision, both models have Core Duo processors. Oddly, these are the only second-generation Intel Macs not to use Core 2 Duo CPUs, something we’ve never understood.

24″ iMac (Late 2006)

Industry watchers had been anticipating Apple moving the iMac to Intel’s Core 2 Duo processor, which is “up to 50% more powerful” (according to Apple) than the Core Duo used in the Early 2006 iMac. As if that wasn’t enough, Apple added the biggest iMac yet to the line, a whopping 24″ model with a 1920 […]

20″ iMac (Late 2006)

Industry watchers had been anticipating Apple moving the iMac to Intel’s Core 2 Duo processor, which is “up to 50% more powerful” (according to Apple) than the Core Duo used in the Early 2006 iMac. As if that wasn’t enough, Apple added the biggest iMac to date to the line, a whopping 24″ model with […]

17″ 2.0 GHz iMac (Late 2006)

Industry watchers had been anticipating Apple moving the iMac to Intel’s Core 2 Duo processor, which is “up to 50% more powerful” (according to Apple) than the Core Duo used in the Early 2006 iMac. As if that wasn’t enough, Apple added the biggest iMac to date to the line, a whopping 24″ model with […]

17″ 1.83 GHz iMac (Late 2006)

Industry watchers had been anticipating Apple moving the iMac to Intel’s Core 2 Duo processor, which is “up to 50% more powerful” (according to Apple) than the Core Duo used in the Early 2006 iMac. As if that wasn’t enough, Apple added the biggest iMac to date to the line, a whopping 24″ model with […]

The Cortland Index

Cortland, named for a type of Apple, is a column about computer history, especially Apple and the Macintosh. These articles were written by a student in the United Kingdom who has studied Apple for years and enjoys writing about lesser-known Apple related topics.

Mac Pro (Mid 2006)

Apple introduced the Mac Pro as a fully customizable quad-core computer. The buyer can choose from two dual-core Intel Xeon Woodcrest at 2.0, 2.66, or 3.0 GHz. As little as 1 GB of RAM or as much as 16 GB. 160, 250, or 500 GB in drive bay one, and optionally 500 GB in bays 2-4.

Xserve Xeon (Late 2006)

Apple didn’t forget the Xserve in its move to Intel. The first Intel-based Xserve has a pair of dual-core Intel Xeon Woodcrest CPUs at speed as high as 3.0 GHz. Geekbench 2 results show the 2.0 GHz model has nearly twice the processing power of the dual 2.3 GHz Xserve G5, while the 3.0 GHz version is nearly […]

17″ iMac (Mid 2006)

Apple surprised a lot of people by introducing a scaled back version of the 17″ iMac Core Duo in July 2006. To shave US$400 from the 17″ Early 2006 iMac’s retail price for the education market, Apple replaced the SuperDrive with a 24x Combo drive, used an 80 GB hard drive instead of 160, and relied […]

MacBook (Mid 2006)

We’ve been waiting quite a while to see what Apple would replace the iBook with, and the rumored 13.3″ widescreen MacBook is now a reality. The biggest surprise is that Apple is replacing both the iBook line and the 12″ PowerBook with the 13″ MacBook, greatly simplifying their line of notebook computers. Built around Intel’s Core Duo […]

17″ MacBook Pro (Early 2006)

In an unusual Monday product announcement (Apple usually reveals new products on Tuesday), Apple introduced the 17″ MacBook Pro (MBP) with a 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo CPU. It’s the first MacBook to support FireWire 800, and it also has a dual-layer SuperDrive (vs. single-layer in the 15″ MacBook Pro).

Mac mini (Early 2006)

The Mac mini was the third Mac to make the switch to Intel CPUs. Both Early 2006 versions of the Intel-based Mini include AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth 2.0, Apple’s remote control, gigabit ethernet, and Front Row with Bonjour. In addition to this 1.66 GHz Core Duo model, Apple also sold an entry-level Mac mini with a […]

Mac mini Core Solo (Early 2006)

When this was new, we called the Core Solo Mac mini a Compromised Mac. Performance of the Core Solo model was so sluggish that most buyers who have written us express regret at their purchase. Fortunately these are relatively inexpensive to purchase anymore, are relatively easy to pry open and upgrade – making it an […]