Link copied!

Comment reported!

Thank you for keeping applescoop.org safe 😃

Privacy respecting comments? Check!

We developed our own custom comment system, Instant Reply, to deliver a tracker-free, fast and easy experience! No sign up required.

Posting a comment will make you leave the tour.

Speaking

The forgotten Apple camera line from 1994

100%
8 min read
Comments
  • The Apple QuickTake was the first — and only — consumer digital camera line from Apple.
  • It was discontinued only three years later.
  • Apple wanted to join in on the new and competitive digital camera market.



The Apple QuickTake was a digital camera line that Apple started in 1994. Three products were developed between 1994 and 1997; the Apple QuickTake 100, 150 and 200, with the QuickTake 150 acting as a revision of the original camera rather than a major update.

While the QuickTake moniker is a great name itself (so much so that Apple resurrected it), the three devices were also bestowed with some awesome codenames. The QuickTake 100 was codenamed Venus, the 150 was codenamed Mars and the 200 was codenamed Neptune (planets in our solar system with closest to the sun coming first).

The QuickTake line of cameras lived a very short life, only being sold for three years before their discontinuation in 1997. The first two models (the QuickTake 100 and the 150) were manufactured in partnership with Kodak, and the 200 with Fujifilm.

All three cameras featured a resolution of 640 x 480 (0.3 megapixels), and could only capture and store eight images. Though those specifications are easily outdone by a modern mid-range smartphone, the camera was — like other Apple products — praised by the public for its ease of use and intuitive software. For those reasons, the QuickTake line was quickly thrown into the list of 100 greatest and most influential gadgets from 1994 to its retirement.

The camera’s prices varied between models. The original QuickTake 100 cost $750, with its revision (the 1995 QuickTake 150) costing less at $700. This camera was less of a granular update than a major upgrade from 100 series, similar to the iPhone “S” updates of today. While the camera remained largely the same, it did come with a brand new lens which allowed close-up shots, a feature the previous model did not have. The 150 also made the jump from storing eight photos to up to 32 with its 1MB of internal storage and improved compression. Finally, the last publicly available digital camera that Apple ever manufactured; the QuickTake 200. This camera was an obvious upgrade over the previous two cameras with many new and improved features such as new programmed focus distance modes and a new 0.35 megapixel sensor. The last QuickTake camera cost $600, $100 less than the first one.

As for the end of the QuickTake line, Apple’s camera division was cut alongside many other non-computer projects when Steve Jobs returned to the company in February of 1997. While the QuickTake camera is long gone, Apple’s cameras live on in the pockets of hundreds of millions around the world, as a part of the QuickTake’s legacy. The camera is still a respected Apple collectors item, with a few still spotted at the occasional Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). However, Apple geeks aren’t the only ones who haven’t forgotten the QuickTake; Apple has paid homage to its spiritual successor (the iPhone) by resurrecting the QuickTake name. In 2018, Apple announced the iPhone QuickTake camera feature, allowing users to shoot a video without leaving the still photo mode in the camera app. So, while the QuickTime camera is gone, it is not forgotten, and its name is used by millions today who may not even know of Apple’s original camera.




Stories related to Apple History

The history of Apple's iconic logo (1976 to 2023)

100% reliable | 9 minute read

17 surprising facts about Apple Inc

100% reliable | 8 minute read

The history behind Apple TV (it actually starts in 1993)

100% reliable | 9 minute read

15 fascinating facts about the Apple iPhone

100% reliable | 8 minute read

The history of the Apple iPad

100% reliable | 7 minute read

The top 17 facts about Apple founder Steve Jobs

100% reliable | 9 minute read

What does the 'i' in iPhone stand for?

100% reliable | 7 minute read

Watch: Steve Jobs announces the original iPhone, 16 years ago

100% reliable | 7 minute read

Who will be the next Apple CEO when Tim Cook retires?

83% reliable | 7 minute read

A look inside Apple's Steve Jobs Theater

100% reliable | 6 minute read

Inside Apple Park: Apple's $5 billion dollar headquarters

100% reliable | 8 minute read

What is Apple II? The history behind Apple's second personal computer

100% reliable | 8 minute read

What is the Apple-1? The history of Apple's first-ever product

100% reliable | 8 minute read

Why is Apple called Apple?

99% reliable | 8 minute read

Did you know that Apple has a campus in Cork, Ireland?

100% reliable | 5 minute read

Apple TV was a thing before Apple TV was a thing

100% reliable | 4 minute read

Steve Jobs mocked voice interaction for simplifying UX, pushed for touch specific apps in new email from lawsuit

100% reliable | 5 minute read

Apple sold a $599 game console in 1996

100% reliable | 9 minute read

How Tim Cook became CEO of Apple

96% reliable | 8 minute read

Why Apple never developed a Calculator app for iPad

94% reliable | 8 minute read
More stories

Apple launches Apple Pay Later for select users

100% reliable | 6 minute read

New iWork updates bring Apple Pencil hover features and more

100% reliable | 3 minute read

Apple announces WWDC23 coming June 5

98% reliable | 4 minute read

Here's what's new in iOS 16.4

100% reliable | 6 minute read

Apple Music Classical now available

100% reliable | 4 minute read

Gurman: iOS 17 to include several “nice to have features”

84% reliable | 3 minute read

Apple not planning to release USB-C version of AirPods 3

78% reliable | 5 minute read

Apple ends Sprint iPhone activations, removes references from website

100% reliable | 3 minute read

New Beats Studio Buds+ reportedly coming soon

72% reliable | 3 minute read

Voice Isolation coming to cellular calls in iOS 16.4

100% reliable | 4 minute read

iPhone 15 Pro leak shows new volume and mute buttons

86% reliable | 5 minute read

Here's what the rumors are saying about Apple Watch Series 9

67% reliable | 6 minute read


More stories