Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, or WWDC, is perhaps the second most anticipated tech event after the company’s fall product showcase, which has always been known for its focus on core platforms and software. But the biggest developer-focused event has also been the launchpad for a number of high-profile hardware products, including the HomePod and Mac Pro. Although it’s not necessary for Apple to use this year’s developer conference to launch new hardware products, speculation is rife that we may see updates to the MacBook Pro lineup. Must read: WWDC 2021: What to expect and what not With WWDC 2021 starting tomorrow, we thought we would look back and revisit some of the hardware announcements Apple made at its biggest software event of the year. Power Mac G5 (2003) Introduced at WWDC 2003, the Power Mac G5 has a proud history. Not only did it feature a “cheesy grater” grille on the outside, but the Power Mac G5 was the most powerful Mac of its time. In fact, the PowerMac G5 remains Apple’s best designed Mac to date. Designed for professional users and graphic designers, the G5 used the PowerMacG5 processor, the first 64-bit processor used in personal computers. It also came with powerful graphics and support for up to 8GB RAM.
But since the device had a powerful processor, the challenge for the team was how to cool down the PC. To address the overheating issue, Jony Ive designed a new case design for the G5, which has multiple holes in the front and back. The design of the G5 was critical to the performance of the machine, as the device had nine active fans. The case was made from aluminum with handles on the top and bottom, a major departure from Apple’s previous pro-level desktop designs. The PowerMac G5 received updates until 2005. Aluminum Cinema Displays (2004) While WWDC 2004 focused mostly on Mac OS X Tiger, Apple introduced classic aluminum cinema displays, including the larger 30-inch model. The new premium display had a one-piece aluminum design and included dual USB 2.0 ports and dual FireWire ports and Digital Visual Interface (DVI). Available in 20-inch, 23-inch and 30-inch screen sizes, the latter featured a “professional-quality, wide-format active-matrix LCD” with a resolution of 2560×1600 pixels. The 30-inch Apple Cinema HD display was only compatible with the Power Mac G5 because it required a newer Nvidia GeForce graphics card to work. The 30-inch Apple Cinema HD display was priced at $3299.
Mac Pro (2006) In 2006, Apple unveiled the first Mac Pro, the company’s high-end desktop computer for Pro users. It was essentially the Power Mac G5 but with Intel Woodcrest processors that were based on Core technology. While from the outside the Mac Pro might look like the Power Mac G5, it had redesigned interiors with access to the hard drive, RAM slot, and PCIe card. The basic version of the Mac Pro, which started at $2499, featured a dual-2.6GHz Xeon dual-core Mac Pro with 1GB of RAM, Geforce 7300 GT (256 MB VRAM) graphics, and a Superdrive. iPhone 3G (2008) At WWDC 2008, the iPhone 3G was introduced with much fanfare. The biggest attraction of getting an iPhone 3G was definitely the 3G connectivity and the low price. Sure, the new iPhone came with the original iPhone’s flat aluminum back and curved plastic underside, but that move helped Apple lower the cost of the iPhone 3G.
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