In 2012, businessman Butman, along with collector Antonov, opened the first largest private interactive museum of Apple technology in Moscow. Design engineer Andrei Antonov has been collecting his collection for over 10 years. It presents samples of technology that is in any way associated with Apple. The unique collection has incorporated not only the well-known developments of the company, but also all kinds of souvenirs, books and magazines, paraphernalia.
The oldest exhibits
You can easily trace the evolution in the development of the company, because the museum presents products from 1977 to the beginning of the XXI century. The pearl of the collection are such rarities as the Apple I and Macintosh. All exhibits are in working condition. You can not only inspect equipment - on laptops and computers it is allowed to print text, draw, "climb" in the system. Each visitor has the opportunity to test the device - play the first computer games.
Among the exhibits you can see the Apple II, which appeared in 1987. It was the first serial personal computer of the time. Apple II offered users sound, color graphics, a plastic case, as well as the integrated programming language BASIC - this was the beginning of a revolution in the development of personal computers. This computer worked with a TV and floppy disks. The popularity of Apple II was so high that it can now be compared with the popularity of the iPhone. Computers of this series were produced until 1992.
Failures
Apple Museum of Technology has another interesting collection. The company had really failed models. Apple III is a computer for business. It was developed by a group of engineers. The machine was technically so designed that when a person bought it or received it by mail, it could no longer work. With a little vibration, the connectors went out, and the computer became unusable. This was the first failure of Steve Jobs.
Apple Lisa is named after Steve Jobs's daughter. The computer had a number of successful innovations: a separate keyboard, a hard disk built into the case. The biggest minus of the car was its price, which amounted to 10 thousand dollars. The Lisa series of computers is considered commercially unsuccessful.
The first Macintosh also started unsuccessfully. The line of personal computers got its name from the Malus variety of apples "McIntosh". With compactness and convenience, it had a very small memory - only 128 kilobytes, and sold extremely poorly. But it was here that the graphical interface was used for the first time, and graphic and text editors were also applied. It is a curious fact that the first computer mouse was installed on this series of computers.
Successful models
Fortunately, the black bar soon ended, and successful developments appeared. Apple Museum of Technology will introduce tourists to this part of the company's history. Externally, the Macintosh Plus practically did not differ from Macintosh computers. But there are two big advantages. The memory grows to 1 megabyte, which could be expanded to 4. And there is an interesting interface with which the Macintosh Plus could transmit and store data on an external hard drive.
Solid externally and externally Macintosh II has gained popularity among users. The museum presents models of this series with a vertical monitor, which was convenient for book publishing, because the size of the screen corresponded to the size of a sheet of A4 paper.
The first bold decisions
To stay afloat, it was not enough to produce standard devices. Bold innovations were required. They will be opened to tourists by the Apple Museum of Technology. For example, the Macintosh LC is a computer built without a single screw. At a price acceptable to the middle class. Macintosh TV is a model with a built-in TV receiver and the ability to connect a VCR.
In 1997, iMac series computers appeared, designed for convenient access to the Internet (the letter i in the name indicates the Internet). The advantages of the iMac were a beautiful case, translucent panels, the absence of a floppy disk - only the CD-ROM remained. The price of the computer was only 1300 dollars. It could also be carried, he had a special pen. The only incident - the mouse model was round, beautiful, but terribly uncomfortable.
But soon this problem was solved with the help of a standard form overlay. The first iMac models were aquamarine, the color of subsequent batches was constantly changing, and at the same time, the power of their processors was growing.
Technically unusual models
iMac G3 - a convenient case, practical handles on the sides, one movement - and it opened, and the computer was equipped with a special lock system so that not everyone could open it.
iMac II attracted users with screen freedom. The turn of the monitor was 180 degrees. This model is called the Jobs bulb, because when they made the first cartoon on Pixar, the screensaver had a very similar lamp. At least for the sake of this exhibit it is worth visiting the Apple Museum of Technology. Guest reviews say that this is the brightest item in the collection.
Museum Location
Tourists enjoy visiting the Apple Museum of Technology. How to get to this amazing place? It is located on Pestovsky Lane, 16 k2. You need to get off at the metro station Dmitrovskaya. Then you should go into the underpass and turn right. Next, you need to exit the passage on the left stairs and go along Butyrskaya Street to the intersection. Further, the route runs along Novodmitrovskaya street to the railway crossing. Behind the business center, a building with the inscription IBS will appear. Several inputs are detected here - use input AB. On foot from the metro station "Dmitrovskaya" can be reached in 10 minutes. Such hotels are noted nearby: Golden Rooms Hotel, Rooms Boutique Hotel, WinterFell Hotel.
Opening hours and prices
Tours are held by prior arrangement. If a group of tourists (up to 25 people) decides to visit the Apple Museum of Technology, the price will be 450 ₽ for an adult and 300 ₽ for a child. If this is a school trip, two accompanying people are free. Applications are sent to the mailing address, and groups gather in the lobby AB. There are comfortable sofas on which you can wait for the museum workers.
As a rule, one visit lasts an hour and a half. About 40 minutes are allotted to the guide’s story, and the rest of the time, visitors are allowed to test the devices in action. On Mondays and Fridays, excursions begin at 13.00 and 14.30. On other weekdays - at 11.30, 13.00 and 14.30. This is an indicative range. The application shall indicate the desired time.
Apple Museum of Technology is a vibrant and original attraction. You can’t get bored here, because before the eyes of tourists numerous secrets of creating such gadgets familiar to us will be revealed. And although the age of some exhibits totals more than a dozen years, most of them are in working condition.
It is difficult to resist the temptations and not push the buttons or start the game. However, you don’t need to restrain yourself, because the items of the collection are available to visitors. Moreover, each guest can buy an attractive souvenir.