Macworld ’s 20th Anniversary Mac Quiz

A lot can happen in two decades. To celebrate the end of 2004—the 20th-anniversary year of the Mac—we tapped Owen W. Linzmayer, the author of Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World’s Most Colorful Company (No Starch Press, 2004), to stump you with 20 tricky trivia questions.

So get your pencils ready and keep your eyes on your own work. Our 20th anniversary quiz starts now. And when you’ve finished, click to the next page —no peaking now—to see how your Mac knowledge measures up.

1. What was the first product Apple cofounders Steve Wozniak and Steve Job sold together?

a. Blue boxes for illegally making free telephone calls.

b. Blueprints for the Apple I computer.

c. Pints of blueberries at Casa de Fruta in Gilroy, California.

2. When did Macintosh revenue first surpass that of the venerable Apple II product line?

a. 1984.

b. 1985.

c. 1986.

3. When did Steve Jobs first become a billionaire?

a. In 1981, after Apple went public.

b. In 1995, after Pixar went public.

c. In 1996, after he sold Next to Apple.

4. To what was Roger Heinen, manager of Mac software architecture at Apple, referring when he said, “All the MBAs in the world can’t convince us it’s a good model”?

a. Licensing the Mac operating system in 1985.

b. Adopting Unix as the underpinning of Mac OS X in 1998.

c. Porting System 7 to run on Intel processors in 1992.

5. On what computer did the proprietary Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) make its debut?

a. The Mac SE in 1987.

b. The Apple IIGS in 1986.

c. The Lisa XL in 1983.

6. Who was not sued by Apple?

a. Steve Jobs in 1985, for dereliction of duties as chairman when he resigned from Apple to form what would become Next Computer.

b. Microsoft in 1988, for appropriating elements of the Macintosh graphic interface and using them in Windows 2.03.

c. The Beatles’ recording company—Apple Corps—in 1989, for the similarity of its name to Apple’s user group division.

7. Whom did Apple pay for rights to use the Macintosh name for its computer?

a. The Oregon State Apple Growers’ Commission.

b. The heirs of Charles Macintosh, the chemist who invented the first waterproof raincoat.

c. Audio equipment manufacturer McIntosh Laboratory.

8. What was the nature of the $5,000 bet Steve Jobs and Lisa product manager John Couch made in 1981?

a. That the Mac would make it to market before the Lisa.

b. Who could abstain from showering the longest.

c. Who could charge the most for a slow, underpowered computer.

9. How did former Apple CEO Gil Amelio respond when asked, “If you were going to prescribe a medicine for Apple, what would it be?”

a. “Frankly, I’d administer a heavy dose of morphine to Steve.”

b. “Give everyone a free bag of pot every day.”

c. “There’s nothing wrong in Cupertino that a little caffeine couldn’t fix.”

10. About whom was Jef Raskin, “the father of the Macintosh project,” speaking when he said, “He would have made an excellent king of France”?

a. Jean-Louis Gassée, Apple’s vice president of product development.

b. Steve Jobs, Apple’s chairman.

c. Gaston Bastiaens, the head of Apple’s Personal Interactive Electronics Division.

11. What was Compaq’s vice president of corporate development Robert W. Stearns talking about when he said, “They are smoking dope. There’s no way it’s going to work”?

a. The “Star Trek” project—Apple’s attempt to port the Mac operating system to Intel processors.

b. The Newton MessagePad’s handwriting recognition.

c. The alliance between Apple and IBM to develop the PowerPC processor.

12. About whom was software wizard Andy Hertzfeld speaking when he said, “He was a total poseur”?

a. Apple CEO Michael Spindler, for demanding $3.7 million in severance pay.

b. Apple CEO John Sculley, for appointing himself Apple’s chief technology officer.

c. Apple CEO Gil Amelio, for insisting on being called “Dr. Amelio” because he had earned a Ph.D. in physics.

13. Which of the following was not designed by Jonathan Ive, now Apple’s vice president of industrial design?

a. The Newton MessagePad 110.

b. The eMate.

c. The MacTV.

14. Who or which of the following did not sue Apple?

a. Folk singer Bob Dylan in 1994, to prevent Apple from releasing the Newton’s programming language under the name Dylan.

b. Fig Newton producer Nabisco in 1992, to prevent Apple from releasing its PDA under the name Newton.

c. Xerox in 1989, challenging the validity of Apple’s copyrights covering the Lisa and the Mac graphic interface.

15. To what was former Apple software evangelist Guy Kawasaki referring when he said, “Medicine will cure death and government will repeal taxes before Steve [Jobs] will fail. You can quote me”?

a. The Power Mac G4 Cube.

b. The Macintosh Portable.

c. The Nextstation.

16. Which of the following quotes was not uttered by feisty Frenchman Jean-Louis Gassée?

a. “We don’t want to castrate our computers to make them inexpensive. We make Hondas, we don’t make Yugos.”

b. “One’s experience with the personal computer should be better than the greatest orgasm you could have.”

c. “Forcing Apple to buy its next-generation operating system from Be makes my nipples hard.”

17. Who said, “If I were running Apple, I would milk the Macintosh for all it’s worth—and get busy on the next great thing. The PC wars are over. Done. Microsoft won a long time ago.”?

a. Dell Computer CEO Michael Dell in 1997.

b. Microsoft president Steve Ballmer in 1998.

c. Next CEO Steve Jobs in 1996.

18. To what was Apple’s director of Mac platform marketing Michael Mace referring when he said “[It] is the most overhyped product in the history of the PC industry”?

a. Microsoft Windows 95.

b. The Next computer, aka “the Cube.”

c. The original Bondi blue iMac.

19. What did Apple CEO John Sculley predict in 1992 would become a $3 trillion market by the beginning of the 21st century?

a. Personal digital assistants.

b. Digital music downloads.

c. Macintosh clones.

20. Complete this quote by Apple CEO Michael Spindler: “If anybody makes a Mac cheaper than we do from a cost standpoint, with our volume of a couple million machines…”

a. “…we should be shot.”

b. “…we’ll buy the company.”

c. “…I’ll resign to go pick edelweiss in Germany.”

Ready to see how you fared with our 20th anniversary quiz? The answers to each question are below, highlighted in bold type. Give yourself a point for each correct answer.

1. What was the first product Apple cofounders Steve Wozniak and Steve Job sold together?

a. Blue boxes for illegally making free telephone calls.

b. Blueprints for the Apple I computer.

c. Pints of blueberries at Casa de Fruta in Gilroy, California.

2. When did Macintosh revenue first surpass that of the venerable Apple II product line?

a. 1984.

b. 1985.

c. 1986.

3. When did Steve Jobs first become a billionaire?

a. In 1981, after Apple went public.

b. In 1995, after Pixar went public.

c. In 1996, after he sold Next to Apple.

4. To what was Roger Heinen, manager of Mac software architecture at Apple, referring when he said, “All the MBAs in the world can’t convince us it’s a good model”?

a. Licensing the Mac operating system in 1985.

b. Adopting Unix as the underpinning of Mac OS X in 1998.

c. Porting System 7 to run on Intel processors in 1992.

5. On what computer did the proprietary Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) make its debut?

a. The Mac SE in 1987.

b. The Apple IIGS in 1986.

c. The Lisa XL in 1983.

6. Who was not sued by Apple?

a. Steve Jobs in 1985, for dereliction of duties as chairman when he resigned from Apple to form what would become Next Computer.

b. Microsoft in 1988, for appropriating elements of the Macintosh graphic interface and using them in Windows 2.03.

c. The Beatles’ recording company—Apple Corps—in 1989, for the similarity of its name to Apple’s user group division.

7. Whom did Apple pay for rights to use the Macintosh name for its computer?

a. The Oregon State Apple Growers’ Commission.

b. The heirs of Charles Macintosh, the chemist who invented the first waterproof raincoat.

c. Audio equipment manufacturer McIntosh Laboratory.

8. What was the nature of the $5,000 bet Steve Jobs and Lisa product manager John Couch made in 1981?

a. That the Mac would make it to market before the Lisa.

b. Who could abstain from showering the longest.

c. Who could charge the most for a slow, underpowered computer.

9. How did former Apple CEO Gil Amelio respond when asked, “If you were going to prescribe a medicine for Apple, what would it be?”

a. “Frankly, I’d administer a heavy dose of morphine to Steve.”

b. “Give everyone a free bag of pot every day.”

c. “There’s nothing wrong in Cupertino that a little caffeine couldn’t fix.”

10. About whom was Jef Raskin, “the father of the Macintosh project,” speaking when he said, “He would have made an excellent king of France”?

a. Jean-Louis Gassée, Apple’s vice president of product development.

b. Steve Jobs, Apple’s chairman.

c. Gaston Bastiaens, the head of Apple’s Personal Interactive Electronics Division.

11. What was Compaq’s vice president of corporate development Robert W. Stearns talking about when he said, “They are smoking dope. There’s no way it’s going to work”?

a. The “Star Trek” project—Apple’s attempt to port the Mac operating system to Intel processors.

b. The Newton MessagePad’s handwriting recognition.

c. The alliance between Apple and IBM to develop the PowerPC processor.

12. About whom was software wizard Andy Hertzfeld speaking when he said, “He was a total poseur”?

a. Apple CEO Michael Spindler, for demanding $3.7 million in severance pay.

b. Apple CEO John Sculley, for appointing himself Apple’s chief technology officer.

c. Apple CEO Gil Amelio, for insisting on being called “Dr. Amelio” because he had earned a Ph.D. in physics.

13. Which of the following was not designed by Jonathan Ive, now Apple’s vice president of industrial design?

a. The Newton MessagePad 110.

b. The eMate.

c. The MacTV.

14. Who or which of the following did not sue Apple?

a. Folk singer Bob Dylan in 1994, to prevent Apple from releasing the Newton’s programming language under the name Dylan.

b. Fig Newton producer Nabisco in 1992, to prevent Apple from releasing its PDA under the name Newton.

c. Xerox in 1989, challenging the validity of Apple’s copyrights covering the Lisa and the Mac graphic interface.

15. To what was former Apple software evangelist Guy Kawasaki referring when he said, “Medicine will cure death and government will repeal taxes before Steve [Jobs] will fail. You can quote me”?

a. The Power Mac G4 Cube.

b. The Macintosh Portable.

c. The Nextstation.

16. Which of the following quotes was not uttered by feisty Frenchman Jean-Louis Gassée?

a. “We don’t want to castrate our computers to make them inexpensive. We make Hondas, we don’t make Yugos.”

b. “One’s experience with the personal computer should be better than the greatest orgasm you could have.”

c. “Forcing Apple to buy its next-generation operating system from Be makes my nipples hard.”

17. Who said, “If I were running Apple, I would milk the Macintosh for all it’s worth—and get busy on the next great thing. The PC wars are over. Done. Microsoft won a long time ago.”?

a. Dell Computer CEO Michael Dell in 1997.

b. Microsoft president Steve Ballmer in 1998.

c. Next CEO Steve Jobs in 1996.

18. To what was Apple’s director of Mac platform marketing Michael Mace referring when he said “[It] is the most overhyped product in the history of the PC industry”?

a. Microsoft Windows 95.

b. The Next computer, aka “the Cube.”

c. The original Bondi blue iMac.

19. What did Apple CEO John Sculley predict in 1992 would become a $3 trillion market by the beginning of the 21st century?

a. Personal digital assistants.

b. Digital music downloads.

c. Macintosh clones.

20. Complete this quote by Apple CEO Michael Spindler: “If anybody makes a Mac cheaper than we do from a cost standpoint, with our volume of a couple million machines…”

a. “…we should be shot.”

b. “…we’ll buy the company.”

c. “…I’ll resign to go pick edelweiss in Germany.”

So how’d you do?

0-2 Points

Terrible. Those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it. And after such a miserable showing on this test, you deserve to repeat the Amelio years.

3-8 Points

Below Average. You can probably tell the Two Steves apart. But there was life in Cupertino prior to the iMac, you know.

9-12 Points

Solid. You can walk onto the show floor at any Macworld Expo with your head held high.

12-15 Points

Great. You’re the kind of person who probably has no trouble at all rattling off all the different iMac flavors. (And if you aren’t—Bondi blue; strawberry; blueberry; lime; grape; tangerine; indigo; ruby; sage; snow; graphite; Blue Dalmatian; and Flower Power.)

16-19 Points

Insanely Great. We couldn’t have stumped you, even if we asked you to recite Big Brother’s speech from the “1984” ad.

20 Points

Perfect. Perhaps a little too perfect. Are you sure you didn’t click ahead to copy down the answers? If you did, there’s probably a job waiting for you at Micorsoft in OS development.