Thread

Apple Microphones

68kMLA 68k 11 posts Oct 19, 2007 to Oct 28, 2007

#1 Fri, 19 Oct 2007 - 04:58 68kMLA

Going through the collection last night and discovered I have 7 Apple microphones (including two that are new in box). It seems there are three different types - does anyone know how many types Apple made? I am planning to photograph them tonight.

#2 Fri, 19 Oct 2007 - 06:09 68kMLA

This must be Mac Microphone Week.

By coincidence, there was some correspondence on lowendmac about this very topic:

http://www.lowendmac.com/mail/mb07/1017.html

I had no idea that the mac microphone situation was this complex!

#3 Sat, 20 Oct 2007 - 23:18 68kMLA

Off the top of my head...

The first one was the "Sweet Tart" one as some folks call it. They came out in 1990 with the LC and IIsi and persisted for the early 1990s in models like the Classic II and I think the first round of Quadras.

Sometime around 1993-1994 Apple came up with the PlainTalk mike, which is, well, plain-looking. This was, I believe, the mike they used with most Macs that didn't have the built-in one (such as the LC 500 series and iMacs), and I also think it was the only other one they ever offered.

I don't think there were any new mikes introduced when beige was dropped so I am thinking off the top of my head the only two mikes for old Macs were the ones listed above.

#4 Sun, 21 Oct 2007 - 00:11 68kMLA

Yep, those were the only two...they used the PlainTalk mic up until they stopped including mic support on Macs. Back in 1999 -> 2001, you could get a translucent PlainTalk mic that was exactly the same as the old school PlainTalk mics, but was cased in translucent plastic to suit the newer Macs, rather than Platinum.

#5 Mon, 22 Oct 2007 - 00:43 68kMLA

Thanks for the feedback - I have both shapes but two colours in the "boring" one - beige and gray. I will have to post some pics...

#6 Mon, 22 Oct 2007 - 23:44 68kMLA

There are a few varients of the original round microphone that I have seen, including beige, dark grey and pink versions. The pink one is quite unusual I think - I recently saw one on eBay UK but I can't remember if it sold for much.

#7 Sun, 28 Oct 2007 - 03:55 68kMLA

I've never seen the pink one...any idea of what it was bundled with?

#8 Sun, 28 Oct 2007 - 05:18 68kMLA

There was also an Apple-labelled headset that looks vaguely like this that was included with the QuickTime Conferencing Kit. (The Apple one wasn't noise cancelling, was beige, and had an Apple logo silk screened on the 'ear' piece.)

#9 Sun, 28 Oct 2007 - 11:05 68kMLA

I've never seen the pink one...any idea of what it was bundled with?

I seem to remember that with the one on eBay it said in the description that it came with a PowerBook, either a 1400 or 3400. However, the seller didn't seem too sure in the description either.

#10 Sun, 28 Oct 2007 - 22:23 68kMLA

Strange...i don't know about the 3400, but I know i got a PowerBook 1400 brand new back in 1997, and i can definately confirm that it certainly did not come with an external microphone...only the internal one, built into the display.

#11 Sun, 28 Oct 2007 - 23:08 68kMLA

That was the conclusion I came to as well. I had not heard about pink Apple microphones before but that but that is certainly what it was. Unfortunately all traces of the auction have all but vanished so I'm unable to show a photo. It had a pink cable and plug too, so I doubt that it was a paint job.

Really wish I'd bought it now - it went for something stupidly low. I did think about it but missed the end of the auction without bidding.