Apple�s had so many hits in the last 15 years or so it almost seems like a cheap shot to
run down their duds.
But boy is it fun!
Let�s look at the Top 5 Apple Flops.
Ranking these
is real subjective, so I went for the way you�re most interested in: What can I get for it on
eBay?
The #5 Apple flop is the The Newton OS Message Pads.
Which will raise hackles, since
descendants iPhone and iPad are now ? of Apple�s business.
But Apple made like 6
models of this Motorola , Sharp, and others tried too and NOBODY got it right.
I remember it
being scorned when it was new.
And didn� they have Newton stores too?
What a mess.
Priceiwse, this one fors for 30-50 on eBay..
#4 Mac G4 Cube.
We�d never seen a computer like this and its short time in production
kept it that way.
This silent, fanless monolith with a toaster slot on top for CD�s.
Thanks
to the odd shape, you couldn�t really put any expansion cards in it back in a time when
you actually cared about such things.
And it was pricey, about $200 more than a
conventional Mac with similar performance.
Oh, and the cases often cracked, which is
pretty annoying on a machine you buy largely for its looks.
They made about 150,000 so
not hard to find, about $100-$200 on eBay.
#3 The Pippin.
Remember this thing?
It was produced with Bandai of Japan, and rolled
out in 1996 as a game console with a lite version of System 7 as its OS.
It was gutless,
there was just about nothing to run on it in terms of games and the price was $600,
about $850 in today�s dollars.
. 42,000 made however, and eBay prices top out around
$400 for an NOS unit.
#2 TAM: The Twentieth Anniversary Mac.
It was one of the first things Jobs killed when
he came back to Apple in 1997 and I bet he didn�t inside a pentagram.
This machine is
SO not him.
Like all �executive� it�s laden with form over function.
For 7,500 -- over 10
grand today -- you did get an all in one design with an LCD display, but beyond that not
a very interesting computer.
The Joey pouch disc tray in front and and button arranged
for looks instead of works all came off like Sharper Image had a one night stand with
Bang & Olufsen.
And the TAM was star-crossed from the beginning: It launched in 1997
-- Apple�s 21st year.
You might get $700 for a complete one on eBay.
Before we get to the #1 Apple flop let�s consider one so awful AND unimportant it
doesn�t deserve a spot on the list: That damned round USB puck mouse from the
original iMac.
Totally round so you never knew which way to hold it, sized so only a
raccoon can articulate it and just ugly, with that bad late 90�s semi-translucent plastic
and Jolly Rancher color accent thing going on.
Glech!
Here�s a basket of 20 of them for
$35 Overpriced.
#1 Macintosh TV.
This was the first black Mac, and it was basically an Mac Performa
that had a Trinitron TV bolted to it and cable tuner inside.
You could use it as a
computer...or switch to watching TV.
But you couldn�t watch TV in a window or anything
cool.
It made a mockery of the word �integration�.
Some 10,000 were made so there�s a
handful of �em stinking up eBay any given day at around $800.
For the brighter side of life, don�t miss my other companion video to this, Top 5 Steve
Jobs� Greatest Hits.
That�s also available over at top5.cnet.com.
I�m Brian cooley,
thanks for watching.
