We are in the year 1993, the date on which Steve Jobs was no longer at Apple and there were still a few years left until his return. During his absence, Apple created several products with varying degrees of success. For example, the famous Apple Newton or even a webcam for the Mac. Apple sought to create more products to reach more people.
A Reddit user has acquired a true gem of Apple history for $5.55. A surprising price given that the original retail price was much higher and you have to add to that the “collector effect” that any Apple product with decades of history usually has. We are talking about the PowerCDand with that name you can imagine what its purpose was.
Apple PowerCD a hybrid between discman and mini system in 1993
Right in the mid-90s, CDs were everything: for storing files, listening to music… There were still a few years left before the arrival of the iPod and iTunes. That is why Apple decided to launch a standalone CD player for the Mac and that would work with any sound source. We could say that it was an early discman, although too big and heavy to be carried around the street with a tape.
In reality, the PowerCD was a “Philips CDF 100” CD player. Modified, of course, expressly for Apple with its logo and a remote controlIt could easily look like a mini system if you connected external speakers to it, which Apple also sold, called “Apple Design Powered Speakers”.
PowerCD next to a pair of Apple Design Powered Speakers II
The complexity of PowerCD is that by itself it was not usable. And although it was an accessory, it also needed other accessories to work. Either another Mac or external speakers. The price didn’t help either, since they were $499 and with somewhat low characteristics compared to its competitors.
The PowerCD itself could play music on a Mac or external speakers, but it also supported images and video.
Its reading speed was x1 when the competition used x4 speeds. Something that our colleague Pedro Aznar had already noticed in 2006. The main advantage is that It did not require external power and operated on batteries.. So if you connected it to audio equipment you would have a Discman, a mini-system, or yes, a HomePod from that time.
The PowerCD was only on sale for a couple of years
Consumers seemed unconvinced by the PowerCD concept. Most Macs already had CD players built-in speakers and by connecting speakers to the Mac you could have your own sound station. If you wanted to use it as a portable audio system, you had to carry the PowerPC, batteries and separate speakers. Added to all this was the fact that it was a model similar to a Philips player and with competitors delivering similar products at better prices. That is why Two years later it was no longer for sale..
PowerCD selling price on Ebay
The PowerCD was the opposite of the iPod. The iPod solved the need for people to listen to music on the go, without having to change CDs and on a device that fit in their pocket. Although the Reddit user found it for $5.55, On eBay you can find it for between $300 and $4000 depending on the condition.What you can do for free is delight yourself with its PDF instructions and understand how it works in depth.
These products, with such limited units and so unknown, are a delight for the most enthusiastic Apple enthusiasts, although sometimes they are sold in flea markets by people who do not know the possible potential value. That is why I got it for just over five dollars.