Apple QuickTake, It’s first venture into Digital Photography
Many of you may not know that the iPhone is actually Apples third venture into digital Photography. The second being the iSight originally sold as a add-on unit but now built into most Macs.
Apple’s QuickTake (codenamed Venus, Mars, Neptune) launched in ‘94 was marketed for three years before being discontinued in ‘97. Three models were built. The 100 & 150 (built by Kodak), & the 200 (built by Fujifilm).
The QuickTake cameras had a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels maximum (0.3 Mpx). The 100 & 200 models were compatible with Mac, while the 150 was compatible with both the Mac & PC.
The camera was capable of storing eight photos at 640x480 resolution, 32 photos at 320x240 resolution, or a mixture of both sizes. All photos were at 24-bit color. The camera had a built-in flash, but no focus or zoom controls. The QuickTake 150 kit included a separate close-up lens that allowed focusing at approximately 30 cm. Other than downloading the photos to a computer, there was no way to preview them on the camera, nor was there any way to delete individual photos from the camera (though there was a recessed ‘trash’ button which would delete the entire contents of the camera)
Apple released a connection kit for Microsoft Windows with the QuickTake 150 in 1995. The last QuickTake model was the Fujifilm-built QuickTake 200, released in 1996. The 200 added focus and aperture controls, as well as the ability to store images on removable SmartMedia flashRAM cards.
The various QuickTake models didn’t sell very well, as other companies such as Kodak (already in the market before Apple), Fujifilm, Canon, and Nikonentered the digital market with brands that consumers associated with photography. They were discontinued in 1997
The Apple QuickTake camera has since become a collectors item for Apple enthusiasts.
What’s next for Apple?? Well…. We’ll have to wait & see. But if you join iPhography & keep following our blog, I’m sure you’ll be one of the first to know
Source: Wikipedia
