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Apple Lisa. Image credit: Apple

Many factors need to be in place to make a new product truly revolutionary and successful. The Apple Lisa possessed many of these factors. It was the first personal computer sold that used a GUI (Graphical User Interface) and had other advanced features such as protected memory and a built-in screensaver. Targeted at primarily business customers, the computer came supplied with a comprehensive selection of business application programs.

But the Lisa was a commercial failure for Apple, mostly due to one critical factor: its incredibly high price (relative to competing IBM PCs).

How much did the very advanced but notoriously expensive Apple Lisa computer retail for when it was introduced in 1983?

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A coveted writing assignment

What makes a guy like Steve Jobs tick? His incredible vision, determination and insight into technology have made him the subject of many books, none of them authorized by the man himself. But it was recently reported in a New York Times article that Mr. Jobs will collaborate with author Walter Isaacson on an authorized biography.

Those readers interested in learning about the life Mr. Jobs will no doubt recall the hubbub surrounding his disapproval of some of the books about his life.

Which unauthorized biography of Steve Jobs infuriated the Apple CEO so much that all titles by the publisher of the book were pulled from Apple Stores?

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Sex in the City PowerBook

“I’m looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can’t-live-without-each-other love.”

Carrie Bradshaw, the lead character played by actress Sarah Jessica Parker in HBO’s hit TV series Sex in the City, is frequently seen using an Apple laptop. She’s a writer, and the computer she uses to type out her weekly columns appears prominently in many episodes of the show.

Which Apple laptop was used by Carrie in Sex in the City?

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The evolution of the Apple logo

Just like the Nike Swoosh, the three pointed star of Mercedes-Benz and red script Coca-Cola lettering, the iconic and instantly recognizable Apple logo has gone through several different variations since the company was founded in 1976.

While Apple currently represents itself graphically with a metallic or all-white version of the classic apple missing a bite, the first version of the company logo was much more complex.

The original Apple logo featured an illustration of what influential man?

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Do I smell something burning in here?

In the mid-1990s, Apple’s reputation had begun to take a hit, in part due to the fact that the company failed to maintain its competitive lead in laptop computers. When Apple shipped the first batch of new PowerBooks containing the new PowerPC processor, things only got worse.

Two of the early production models caught fire. The new laptop model featured lithium-ion (LiIon) batteries that were manufactured by Sony, and the batteries could overheat and catch fire due to excess pressure inside the cells.

Nobody was hurt in the 2 incidents that occurred, but Apple’s reputation for quality was seriously hurt.

Which trouble-prone Apple laptop model had a habit of going up in smoke when it was first introduced?

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Identify this Mac

If you’re an Apple fan and you happen to be visiting New York City, consider visiting the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa). It’s not only one of the most influential museums of modern art in the world, but a few of Apple’s products have been acquired by the museum for display in its design collection. Apple products in the MoMa design collection include an original Macintosh from 1984, and a Macintosh SE from 1987.

For today’s quiz, name the correct Apple Macintosh model based on the following clues:

- It was introduced in 2000

- It’s also part of the MoMa design collection

- It featured a revolutionary case design

- It was described by Steve Jobs as “a wrong concept — fabulously implemented”

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Apple iTunes, version 1. Image credit: Apple

Talk about a killer app! Apple’s iTunes and the incredibly successful iTunes Music Store have formed the basis for a huge wave of iPod sales. The program literally helped transform Apple from a maker of computers and software into a household name in the consumer electronics market. So how did it all start?

The first version of iTunes was released by Apple in January 2001 but the underpinnings of the program were first created by someone else.

Which application was bought by Apple and formed the basis for iTunes?

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Adobe Photoshop over the years

Originally written on a Macintosh Plus by a doctoral candidate named Thomas Knoll, the computer program that came to be known as Adobe Photoshop officially celebrates its 20th birthday this month. And what a 20 years its been!

The first versions of Photoshop were only available on the Macintosh. This was one of the things that cemented Apple’s reputation as the leader in the field of desktop publishing.

Often hailed as the single most important aspect of the program’s development, which version of Photoshop was the first to include support for layers?

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The Macintosh SE

Trim levels on cars are frequently denoted by two or three letter abbreviations that used to mean something years ago, but now most of them mean nothing. Many cars carry badges on the back that say “GLX” or “SE”. What do those letters mean, anyway? I suppose that at one point “SE” actually stood for “Special Edition” or maybe “Sport Edition”. Of course, you can easily spot “SE” on the back of a minivan nowadays and there’s really nothing sporty about a minivan.

But when Apple introduced the Macintosh SE back in 1987, the “SE” designation actually stood for something.

What did the letters “SE” stand for in the Macintosh SE name?

Post a response in the comments if you think you know the answer. We’ll post the real answer tomorrow.