Future Classics: 24-inch LED Cinema Display

In my “Future Classics” series, I try to guess what current-era Apple products may become collectable in the future. It’s a weird hobby, I know.


Apple’s line of displays wasn’t always in shambles as it is today. For decades, Apple had a selection of monitors for Mac users to choose from, including my all-time favorite.

In October 2008, Apple started phasing out its 20, 23 and 30-inch aluminum-clad Cinema Displays with the 24-inch LED Cinema Display, shown here with a MacBook Pro:

24-inch LED Cinema Display

This display was introduced at the same event as the unibody MacBook Pro back in October 2008:

As it said in the name, this was Apple’s first external display to use LED backlighting. The widescreen, 1920 x 1200 display used the same corner-to-corner cover glass as the iMac and MacBook Pros, to the sadness of professionals who preferred the old matte look.

While it would work with desktops, the 24-inch LED Cinema Display was really designed with notebooks in mind. From the rear of the display came not only a power cord, but a break-out cable that included a MagSafe adaptor, USB and Mini DisplayPort:

24-inch LED Cinema Display

This meant a MacBook user could pull their notebook out of their bag, sit it on the desk, and be up and running in just a few seconds, without the need for a second charger or a USB hub somewhere. The display itself had three USB ports on the back, but the connector also drove the iSight Camera and speakers built into the 24-inch LED Cinema Display.

Apple praised the display as a real breakthrough for notebook users:

Connect an external display to your notebook and you get more screen real estate. But the LED Cinema Display doesn’t stop there. With the built-in iSight camera, microphone, and speakers, you can connect your new MacBook — leaving it open or closed — and engage in video chats or listen to music just as you would with a desktop computer.

The 24-inch LED Cinema Display went on sale in November 2008 for $899.

So, why do I think this is a Future Classic?

First, this is the only 24-inch external display that Apple ever shipped. In less than two years, Apple had replaced it with a 27-inch model with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 to match the size used in the larger iMac for $999. The 24-inch model was reduced to $799 until inventory ran out.

Secondly, Mini DisplayPort may be one of those standards that is hard to remember as time goes on. The physical connector was the same as Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2, but could do way less.

In fact, the Apple Thunderbolt Display, announced just one year after the 27-inch LED Cinema Display could do all the same things as the outgoing product, but also included separate Thunderbolt port, a FireWire 800 port and a gigabit Ethernet port on the back.

Shoot, maybe both LED Cinema Displays will be collectable at some point.

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Future Classics: MacBook (Aluminum, Late 2008)

In my “Future Classics” series, I try to guess what current-era Apple products may become collectable in the future.


Earlier this year, Apple resurrected the MacBook name for its new, single-port, ultra-thin, 12-inch Retina notebook.

I say resurrected because Apple’s used the name before, on several different machines over the years:

Top to bottom: the original MacBook, the MacBook (Late 2008) and the MacBook (late 2009). The middle one is today’s star.

The machine wasn’t on sale for a long time. Introduced in October 2008, it was gone from shelves June 2009. It was introduced at the same time as the unibody MacBook Pro. In fact, the machine was the event’s One More Thing.

Jobs said the MacBook was best-selling Mac ever, and then dropped the price on the machine to $999. Jobs said that MacBook owners wanted three additional things from their notebooks: a metal enclosure, faster graphics and LED backlit displays.

The aluminum MacBook came in above the $999 white MacBook in the product line, and boasted many of the same features that the just-announced unibody MacBook Pros had. Pricing started at $1299. Jobs touted this being $700 cheaper than the old way to get such features: buying a MacBook Pro.

Indeed, this MacBook was basically a smaller, cheaper, slower MacBook Pro. It was a weird time, and a weird choice to me at the time, and when the machine was discontinued, several things happened.

At WWDC 2009, Apple caught up with what the rest of the world was thinking and introduced the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which was more or less the same machine, but with the inclusion of FireWire 800, a higher RAM ceiling, an SD card slot and an $1199 starting price.

In the fall of 2009, the third MacBook pictured above was announced. It too featured an LED display and Multi-Touch Trackpad, but in a polycarbonate unibody case. It was discontinued in July 2011, as the MacBook Air took its place as the consumer-level notebook from Cupertino.

All of this is confusing in hindsight, and I think that’s one reason this machine will be a classic one day. Technology-wise, all of these 13-inch machines were more or less the same, but the marketing ping-pong still stands out to me as weird.

Additionally, like owners of the iMac G5 (iSight) probably felt, aluminum MacBook users suffered for buying a machine during an unusual transition. I remember people being angry after the machine picked up the Pro name and FireWire. While that’s an inevitability from time-to-time, I think it adds to this machine’s uniqueness long-term.

Future Classics: the black MacBook

In my “Future Classics” series, I try to guess what current-era Apple products may become collectable in the future. My hobbies are admittedly weird.


Announced in 2006 to replace the iBook G4, the MacBook was an entirely new machine.

Powered by an Intel processor, the notebook featured a 13.3-inch glossy display and an unique chiclet-style keyboard in an all-new new case that was thinner than the 12-inch[1] and 14-inch[2] iBook before it.

In addition to the white plastic that was all the rage in 2006, the MacBook could be purchased in a different color as well:

By any metric, the MacBook was a huge success. It brought Intel processors to Apple’s consumers in a way that the iMac or MacBook Pro couldn’t. Here’s a bit from Apple’s press release at the time:

“Apple began the transition to Intel Core Duo-based notebooks in February with the 15-inch MacBook Pro, and now just 90 days later we have completed the transition with the release of the all new MacBook,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The complete MacBook lineup leads the industry with Apple’s trademark innovative design and advanced mobile features—from top to bottom it is the best notebook line that we have ever offered.”

The entry-level machine sported a 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo and started at $1,099. There was a 2.0 GHz model in white at $1,299, as well. Here are the tech specs of the original line-up:

At $1,499, the black model was exactly the same machine as the white one with the difference of a larger hard drive. As $200 for 20 GB of storage was viewed as robbery, the machine’s price earned a nickname: the so-called “black tax.”

Here are a couple of reviews from the time:

Jonathan Seff, Macworld:

And though from a value perspective, the black model isn’t as good a deal as the others, the cool black color will be enough for some people—those who want something different, own a black iPod, or need a more professional-looking laptop for work—to justify the cost.

Clint Ecker, Ars Technica:

An oft-bandied-about factoid is that if you were to configure the midlevel model to ship with an 80GB hard disk to match the high-end model, you’d still notice that it’s approximately US$150 cheaper. The only difference is the color and finish of the shell, of course (white is glossy and the black has a matte finish). This is undoubtedly done on purpose and is the direct result of Apple’s experience selling iPod and iPod nanos in two color options. It didn’t take long for Apple, and casual observers of Apple’s operations to notice that the black models were selling out faster. A lot faster.

Obviously the demand for black Apple products is much higher than the white products, and Apple is simply responding as most companies would when faced by high demand for a product. People who are set on getting that black MacBook are going to have to wrestle with the US$150 mark-up. Apple is banking that most people will willingly hand over even more cash to get a unique item. It sucks for people without the extra moolah to blow, but it doesn’t take long to come to the realization that it’s just a different color and that you’re going to be saving a nice chunk of change by going with white.

While the early MacBooks had their issues, the black ones faired a little better, at least when it came to case chipping. The black plastic used was a little more rubbery than on the white machines, and it served them well.

While I wouldn’t own a plastic MacBook until the very end of its original run (and only then, it was temporary), I coveted that black case.[3]

Over the course of the MacBook’s life, the black model remained at the top of the line, but never with a big enough technical advantage to justify the cost. Even maxed out, it carried a premium over the white models:

Just this week, there has been a lot of talk about the possible pricing of the gold Apple Watch. While the premiums on the Watch are going to be far larger than on the MacBooks of yesterday, the same principle is at play: Apple often charges more for things like color.

So, why does the black MacBook deserve to be the considered a future classic?

While Apple has shipped several black models over the years, the MacBook was by far the most successful. However, in the light of the truckloads of white models sold, it is rare to a degree.

More than the rarity, however, I think the black MacBook really helped set the stage for modern Apple to charge more for a design element.

Plus, they just look so damn cool.


  1. The MacBook was slightly heavier than the smaller iBook, though. Apple was doomed in 2006.  ↩

  2. Seriously, remember the 14-inch iBook? That thing was gross.  ↩

  3. Especially after my brother bought one.  ↩

Future Classics: iMac G5 (iSight)

In my “Future Classics” series, I try to guess what current-era Apple products may become collectable in the future.


Back in April 2013, Jordan Merrick shared a bit about his iMac G5 here on 512:

The iMac G5 was far more mature in comparison to its predecessors. This machine was simply a neutral white rectangle, less than 2” thick, held aloft by a single piece of aluminum. Gone were the cutesy colors and childish nature of the infant iMac G3 as well as the nose and lip piercings of the teenage iMac G4 that made sure it stood out of a crowd. The iMac G5 had finally grown up, moved out and got a job. It was the deliberate lack of any ostentatious characteristics in the iMac G5 that would pave the way for Apple’s minimalistic design choices over the next decade.

The iMac had finally reached adulthood.

As Merrick pointed out in his article, the iMac G5 was very serviceable, which turned out to be handy, as Apple had to open a wide-reaching repair extension program due to bad capacitors on the logic board and in the power supply.

In October 2005 — a mere 14 months after introducing the iMac G5 — Apple replaced it, with the iMac G5 (iSight).

Here’s a bit from the press release:

Apple today unveiled the new iMac G5 which features a built-in iSight video camera for out-of-the-box video conferencing and the debut of Apple’s breakthrough Front Row media experience. Front Row gives users a simple, intuitive and powerful way to play their music, enjoy their photo slideshows, and watch their DVDs and iMovies, as well as popular movie trailers from apple.com and music videos and television shows purchased from the iTunes Music Store, on their iMac from up to 30 feet away using the new bundled Apple Remote. The new iMac G5 comes in a sleek, new design that is even thinner than its predecessor, and starts at just $1,299.

“The new iMac G5 debuts our amazing Front Row media experience, and we think users are going to love it,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Plus, the built-in iSight video camera delivers out-of-the-box video conferencing with friends and family, as well as hours of fun with our new Photo Booth application.”

The iMac G5 (iSight) was introduced at Apple’s October 2005 Music Special Event, alongside the 5th generation iPod (the first with video playback) and the inclusion of TV shows in the iTunes Store.

The new iMac had three headlining features, according to Steve Jobs:

  • Thinner and lighter
  • Built-in iSight camera
  • Front Row

Up until this point, the iSight was an external FireWire camera, but with the new iMac, Apple brought video chat to many more of its customers via iChat AV and shipped PhotoBooth, which Jobs called “the funnest app we’ve ever written.”

Front Row is the spiritual predecessor to the Apple TV. The six-button IR remote controlled a new UI that laid on top of OS X:

Front Row pulled in media from users’ local iTunes and iPhoto libraries, could be used to play DVDs and even user-created iMovies and video podcasts.

Jobs hinted that Front Row was going to take on Microsoft Media Manager, and while I’m not sure it took any sales from Redmond, it turned out to be a popular feature for OS X users. I remember installing it on my PowerBook G4, ignoring Apple keeping it just for IR-port enabled Macs.

So, why does the iMac G5 (iSight) deserve to be the considered a future classic?

The software features introduced with this machine helped shape much of what we do with computers today, decade later — enjoy media, hold video conferences and good off. All of that was possible before the iMac G5 (iSight), but this machine excelled at these things. Plopping down on the catch and firing up iTunes from across the room was no longer a task reserved for nerds with crazy hardware setups.

Equally notable is the machine’s lifespan. At Macworld 2006, just three months after being introduced, Jobs announced that the first Intel-powered machine from Apple would be the iMac.

The Intel iMac shipped with the same features, size and price as its G5-powered friend, but with twice the power, thanks to Intel’s Core Duo silicon.

While I’m sure some users were glad to hold on to their PowerPC-based iMacs, having a $1299+ machine replaced within three months didn’t leave a good taste in many customers’ mouths. More importantly, it makes the iMac G5 (iSight) a rare machine.

Maybe even collectable.

Future Classics: the white iPhone 4

This is the first post in my new series “Future Classics,” in which I try to guess what current-era Apple products may become collectable in the future.


It’s hard to gauge the collectibility of iOS devices. While certain devices — like the original, 4 GB iPhone — may prove to be rare in the future, these devices are far more consumable than desktop or notebook computers.

That said, if there’s any iOS device to date that will be collectible in the future besides the original iPhone, my money is on the white iPhone 4.

Announced on June 7, 2010, the iPhone 4 came a new design, the Retina display, a better camera and the A4 chip.

While the 16GB iPhone 3G and 16 and 32 GB iPhone 3GS could be purchased in white, the iPhone 4 brought white glass into the mix for the first time, both on the front and back of the phone.

(Keep that in mind for later.)

On June 16, the company announced that 600,000 iPhone 4 pre-orders were placed:

It was the largest number of pre-orders Apple has ever taken in a single day and was far higher than we anticipated, resulting in many order and approval system malfunctions. Many customers were turned away or abandoned the process in frustration. We apologize to everyone who encountered difficulties, and hope that they will try again or visit an Apple or carrier store once the iPhone 4 is in stock.

Sadly, the pre-order hiccup was just the beginning of a list of fun press releases surrounding the product.

One week later, this press release went out:

White models of Apple’s new iPhone 4 have proven more challenging to manufacture than expected, and as a result they will not be available until the second half of July. The availability of the more popular iPhone 4 black models is not affected.

Just a few weeks later, Antennagate struck. On July 2, Apple published an open letter regarding the iPhone 4:

To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.

[…]

Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.

Instead of quieting the press, the letter acted like gasoline on a fire, and two weeks later, Steve Jobs took the stage at what has to to be the most uncomfortable Apple event in recent history.

Despite all the media, Apple didn’t comment on the white iPhone 4 at this time. However, Reuters reported in October 2010 that the white iPhone was still months away from shipping:

Apple Inc said on Tuesday that it would delay release of its eagerly anticipated white iPhone again, this time until next spring.

The latest version of the popular handset, the iPhone 4, was released in June, but the white model was delayed first to July, then to the end of the year and now to early next year.

Most of the rumors around the white iPhone’s delay focused on the white glass. Even Steve Wozniak would end up chiming in on the issue, but that too got complicated.

On April 28, 2011, the white iPhone 4 finally shipped.

While Apple never disclosed why the white iPhone 4 had such big issues, the fact that the phone was slightly thicker than the black model led many to believe the glass was indeed at the heart of the delay.

In an interview with AllThingsD, Phil Schiller commented on the delayed product:

It’s not as simple as making something white. There’s a lot more that goes into both the material science of it–how it holds up over time…but also in how it all works with the sensors.

Ina Fried goes on to write:

Schiller said that it turned out there were a lot of unexpected interactions between the color of the device and various internal components. Also, like fair-skinned humans, white iPhones need a little more UV protection from the sun.

The fact that the white iPhone 4 is slightly thicker than the black model seems to confirm Schiller’s comments.

Whatever the reason, the white iPhone 4 didn’t enjoy a long life. Six months later, the iPhone 4S was announced, and shipped at launch in both black and white.

So, what does all this mean in terms of the collectibility of the white iPhone 4? I think the fact that it is somewhat rare and has a unique story will help it stay memorable as time marches on. While the overall question of iOS devices becoming future classics has yet to be answered, I think the white iPhone 4 has a great shot at being something special in the future.