MacDirectory Magazine

Rachel Gray

MacDirectory magazine is the premiere creative lifestyle magazine for Apple enthusiasts featuring interviews, in-depth tech reviews, Apple news, insights, latest Apple patents, apps, market analysis, entertainment and more.

Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1359241

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day didn’t like the idea that much. Plus, the price, which was over $2,000 at the time, wasn’t exactly a bargain either. Only 10,000 units were manufactured, so if you have one, keep it. You’re holding a piece of history. It may be failed history, but history nonetheless. Fortunately, Apple learned from its mistakes and later on released the more approachable Apple TV and the subscription service Apple TV+. 3. iTunes Ping (2010) Apple’s physical products aren’t the only ones that failed in its time. You might have already forgotten about it, but Apple tried to make its own social media platform back in 2010. iTunes Ping, or just Ping, was a social media platform mostly focused on music. You could add your friends and share what new songs you’ve listened to or discover new songs from your social circle. You could even follow your favorite artists, figure out what they were listening to, or check future concerts near your area. Sadly, as good as it sounded, Ping wouldn’t become as popular as Facebook or Twitter. Because you needed to use iTunes in order to access Ping, many people preferred other social media platforms that were more accessible and a lot easier to use. This resulted in Apple shutting down Ping in 2012. 2. Apple Newton (1993) Another product Apple released in 1993 was the Apple Newton, Apple’s very own PDA, or personal digital assistant for the younger audience. Forget about your iPhone or Siri; back in the day, the Apple Newton kept your important dates and even recognized your handwriting on the spot. Or at least that what it tried to do. The Apple Newton didn’t do a good job recognizing handwriting. That, combined with other undesired features, led Steve Jobs to discontinue Newton after returning to Apple in 1998. Nowadays, you don’t hear of any PDAs, but the Newton will live in our memories for the rest of time. Fortunately, the iPhone does better work the Newton ever could, and the Apple Pencil’s handwriting recognition is the best on the market. 1. Apple Pippin (1996) Oh, you thought Apple Arcade was Apple’s first try in the gaming market? Actually, Apple first released the Apple Pippin game console almost 25 years ago! Fun fact: Its name was based on the Newtown Pippin, a type of Apple from Newtown, New York. Pretty clever. Apple Pippin was a mix between a computer and a gaming console. Sounds crazy, right? Who would use a computer to play video games? Apple was clearly ahead of its time and quite possibly didn’t do a good job marketing the Pippin since casual users couldn’t grasp the idea of using a console to browse the internet. It’s crazy how far we’ve come. And, just like other products on the list, the Apple Pippin was too expensive for the time. Starting at a price of $599, which is the equivalent to almost $1,000 today, was the nail in the coffin for the Pippin. Apple discontinued it in 1997.

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