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Apple should have labeled this carton 4, saving the best for last but since the remaining boxes contain items that plug into the head unit, it is the second box to be opened.
Once the head unit is removed from the box the owner can now see how thin the TAM is due to its LCD display and vertically-mounted cd drive. Engineered from parts from both the Powerbook 3400 and Powermac 5500/6500, the TAM was literally the best of both worlds.
Coming out of the back of the head unit is a single thick power umbilical cord that attaches to the base unit. Apple had never used this set up before and has not returned to it since the TAM. Power to the head unit and speakers are feed through this umbilical which when aligned in just the right spot will twist into a locking position. The base unit is connected to a standard wall outlet in either 120 or 240 volts (depending on which continent the owner resides) by a regular power cable found in box 1.
One of Jonathan Ive's most intriguing designs, the same person who created the Newton message pad and later the iMac G3, imac G4, iPod and other revolutionary trademarks, the TAM strikes a bold statement as being a landmark in computer history, a tribute to twenty years of design and innovation.
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Photo credits: main by Tom Willits, top right and bottom by Phil Beesley, promo picture below
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Unboxing - part 3
The heaviest box in the lot is carton 2, which holds the TAM head unit in place with foam very appropriately.
__image © 2006 Phil Beesley @ www.vintagemacworld.com
Below a gleaming new TAM awaits its first boot by Phil Beesley. As you can see, Apple spares no expense when it comes to packaging. The head unit is very secure and has held up well in the box over the years.
__image © 2006 Phil Beesley @ www.vintagemacworld.com
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