Time Traveling with Macworld!

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Here at Gear Diary, we try to keep you up to date on the latest news. We’ve managed to get our hands on the December issue of Macworld! What’s coming up this Fall/Winter for Apple? Read on to find out!

First up, new OS! Yes, OS X 10.1 is finally here, and it promises to bring even the most faithful Classic users into the new OS X fold. Plus Microsoft Office V.X is being released, so productivity will skyrocket with your new 700mhz iMac! But Apple needs to keep their eyes on the competition, since Microsoft now has their big release, Windows XP, out on the market for the holidays.

Ok, you guessed right. This isn’t the December 2011 issue of Macworld, it’s the December 2001 issue! Sarah and I were helping our neighbors clear out their basement before their house became waterfront property, and we came across this old magazine. So, of course, I had to bring it home and thumb through it!

So what’s changed in ten years? Well, computers offer far more bang for your buck these days. The iMacs reviewed in this issue started at $1,299 for a 600mhz processor and 256mb of RAM! But some things haven’t changed. There’s a big, glossy ad for “The SIMS”, articles about video editing and cameras, and of course peripheral and accessory reviews.

What really strikes me is how much the iPod changed the Mac OS ecosystem. This Macworld issue is full of ads for CD/DVD burners, and there’s an article on turning your old tapes and LPs into CDs. MP3 doesn’t get mentioned at all, and in skimming the issue I didn’t see any references to iTunes either. The iPod would have just debuted when this issue went to print, and I can’t think of another Apple product that has influenced the last ten years of technology in general, and Apple in particular, the way the iPod has.

Without the iPod, we wouldn’t have had the iTunes music store, which led to the video iPod and iTunes movies/tv shows, and then, of course, the success of that ecosystem led to the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and iOS. Obviously, I’ve greatly simplified that timeline, but in a decade that started with users fretting over OS X, Apple made a left turn into media and personal devices. Nothing in this issue of Macworld even hints at that sort of changeover, and it just shows how quickly technology can change, and how those twists and turns often come from unexpected directions.

This was a neat discovery, and I had fun reflecting on how different the world of Mac OS was 10 years ago versus today. Have you ever stumbled on an old magazine or newspaper, and found yourself getting nostalgic, or laughing at what was cutting edge then? Share your experiences below!

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About the Author

Zek
Zek has been a gadget fiend for a long time, going back to their first PDA (a Palm M100). They quickly went from researching what PDA to buy to following tech news closely and keeping up with the latest and greatest stuff. They love writing about ebooks because they combine their two favorite activities; reading anything and everything, and talking about fun new tech toys. What could be better?