apple computer

Apple has made some big changes in recent months — here's a look at the top new hires and moves you might have missed

Roughly a year and a half since apps powered by Apple's ARKit augmented reality platform became available for the iPhone, Apple has designated a marketing head for its AR division. Frank Casanova, who has worked at Apple for about 30 years, was recently appointed as Senior Director of Worldwide Product Marketing for the company's augmented reality efforts according to his LinkedIn profile, which Bloomberg first reported.

That Apple would assign such a senior marketing executive with nearly three decades of experience at the company to oversee augmented reality provides further evidence that Apple views AR as being a vital part of its business. Apple CEO Tim Cook has long been vocal about the potential of augmented reality, saying he believes the technology will make the smartphone "even more essential than it currently is" when speaking with CNBC.

The company is reportedly working on an augmented reality headset to be released in 2020 that would support some iPhone features, like messaging, phone calls, and video, according to Bloomberg. But the company's current augmented reality offerings live on its iPhone and iPad devices through its ARKit platform, which provides developers with tools for creating AR-enabled apps for Apple's mobile devices. It's another sign that Apple is looking to software to fuel iPhone growth moving forward.

NY Man Uncovers (Working) 30-Year-Old Apple Computer in Parents’ Attic

When John Pfaff found a Apple IIe computer that had been sitting in his parents’ attic for 30 years, he didn’t expect it to still be in working order. But it was. What followed was undoubtedly a nostalgia trip for Pfaff, a law professor at Fordham University. And if you had an Apple IIe when you were younger, it’s probably a nostalgia trip for you, too.

Amazingly, the Apple IIe wasn’t just bootable. When Pfaff popped an old game floppy disk into the machine, the ancient-looking computer asked if he wanted to restore a saved game. Yes, a saved game from 30 years ago.

“I’m 10 years old again,” Pfaff wrote in a tweet.

In subsequent tweets, Pfaff documented his experiencing playing various games like Adventureland and Neuromancer, listenign to its classic 8-bit sounds, admiring the ASCII art and green color scheme, and just generally revisiting old memories.

That includes the fact that saved games needed to be backed up multiple times to separate floppy disks, as well as the fact that, back then, the built-in word processor on the Apple IIe was something called AppleWorks.

The Apple IIe computer was first released back in 1983 — before Apple’s desktops were sold under the Macintosh brand name. More specifically, it was the third model in the Apple II series.

And at the time, the computer was undoubtedly cutting-edge. Apple touted various features of the Apple IIe, like the ability to use upper and lower case letters and the fact that it sported fully functional Shift and Caps Lock keys.

Pfaff eventually showed the computer to his children. Spoiler alert: Their reaction is basically exactly what you’d expect.

“My oldest, who is 9, exclaimed ‘that’s a computer?!’ in genuine surprise, and then pointed at the floppy drives and asked ‘what are those?’” Pfaff told CNN. “My younger twins just kept laughing at how silly it seemed to them.”

The full tweet thread is well worth a browse if you like computer history or vintage Apple. And especially if you remember using the Apple IIe yourself.

But in addition to the nostalgia, Pfaff’s eventful discovery is also another reminder of just how far computers have come in three decades. Imagine what the next 30 years will look like.

Man discovers 30-year-old Apple computer still working

(CNN) -- A New York professor went viral after posting images of his decades old Apple IIe computer on Twitter Saturday night.

John Pfaff said it had been sitting in his parent’s attic for decades and when he turned it on, it still worked! He found games, old homework assignments, and even a 3-decade-old letter from his dad, who passed away a year ago. Courtesy: CNN

John Pfaff said it had been sitting in his parent’s attic for decades and when he turned it on, it still worked! He found games, old homework assignments, and even a 3-decade-old letter from his dad, who passed away a year ago.