Macs and Museums. How would you display them, and which models should be there.

[Jess-b]

Hey everyone,

Firstly, Mods if this thread is in the wrong place, please pop it where it should be.

So let’s start with a quick explanation of why I’m asking the question. The short version. I live in Austria, we have no real home/retro computer museum, I have a collection and want to share it with people, so just started planning for said museum.

now in researching for this, displays for PCs, consoles, micros and 16-bit machines are easy, but for the Apple range, it seems people struggle. I came across one museum that just had a table full of old macs that could pass for a swap meet.

In terms of Macs, I have a lot of the usual suspects, the G3 iMacs, A G4, and G5 selection (and hopefully a cube as well tomorrow.) plus more than A few early intel Machines. Vintage-wise, there's a classic and a Mac IIsi as well.

I have my head around what's great to collect and what's maybe best left as a 'we have one because it goes with the set.' But what I would like to know is, how would you guys display these machines? I'd very much like them to be usable By the public, and I would like them to see machines in either a typical setup for work or better still, have games running for people to try.

I'll pop a link to this thread onto discord as well, and I'm really looking forward to reading what you have to say. Honestly, it's kinda terrifying to contemplate the size of the project, and I'm two+ years away from hopefully welcoming anyone, and any advice is welcomed.

best wishes,
Jess B.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

I think it depends on the story you want to tell. I think for most novices, chronological groupings makes sense but for others the conversation could be centered around cpu and the transitions between 68k, ppc, Intel etc. Conversely it could be a conversation around the evolution of design elements & language for others. Heck the conversation could be all three at the same time but how you group that fundamentally I think is defined by the story you are presenting.

 

[Jess-b]

I think it depends on the story you want to tell. I think for most novices, chronological groupings makes sense but for others the conversation could be centered around cpu and the transitions between 68k, ppc, Intel etc. Conversely it could be a conversation around the evolution of design elements & language for others. Heck the conversation could be all three at the same time but how you group that fundamentally I think is defined by the story you are presenting.

I think this is what I’m struggling with regarding Apple. I didn't grow up using Apple machines, though I can’t do my main job without them. So I don’t have the experience of working on an Apple II, or using systems 6, 7 or 8. Maybe it’s a complicated story to tell? But I want to tell a story and not end up here.

 

[AvadonDragon]

Jeremy's Retro Bar is one of the most attractive setups I've personally seen.

Oh wow that picture is awful.

 

[Jess-b]

Jeremy's Retro Bar is one of the most attractive setups I've personally seen.

Oh wow that picture is awful.

Watching it now. That is one beautiful set up.

 

[AvadonDragon]

My top three suggestions to add to the collection would be:

Apple IIe - The most popular pre-Macintosh machine and quite probably the reason Apple still exists today

Apple IIgs - An interesting look at an alternate timeline possibility of where Apple products would have gone had the Apple II line continued instead of being replaced by the Macintosh

Macintosh Plus - I picked the Plus because it is still very similar to the first two Mac models but much more capable. It can run a huge range of software.

There are a lot of other great museum options like the Lisa but those three should be relatively easy to acquire.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Jeremy's Retro Bar is one of the most attractive setups I've personally seen.

Oh wow that picture is awful.

Agree. His basement is beautifully designed. His wife let him turn their dining room into an Applestore styled display space as well. He did a nice series of vids on the tables he built for it etc. looks really good. I haven’t seen a video from him recently which is a bummer as his channel was one of my favs. Made quite a few of his mixers too. Overall his channel was/is one I can relate to.

In terms of the story, it doesn’t have to be for other people. You could focus on what is relevant to your Macintosh journey. For example I could care less about beige macs. Frankly don’t really like them much. For me, it’s the brilliant shift in the hardware & software design language of Apple when Jobs returned. The industry was playing catch-up. That fascinates me and the cultural & technical evolution that made that shift possible is what my museum would focus on … and a breakdown of those machines that I felt exemplified Apples innovation and culture during that first decade of the 2000s.

So what would your museum be about?

 

[Jess-b]

Agree. His basement is beautifully designed. His wife let him turn their dining room into an Applestore styled display space as well. He did a nice series of vids on the tables he built for it etc. looks really good. I haven’t seen a video from him recently which is a bummer as his channel was one of my favs. Made quite a few of his mixers too. Overall his channel was/is one I can relate to.

In terms of the story, it doesn’t have to be for other people. You could focus on what is relevant to your Macintosh journey. For example I could care less about beige macs. Frankly don’t really like them much. For me, it’s the brilliant shift in the hardware & software design language of Apple when Jobs returned. The industry was playing catch-up. That fascinates me and the cultural & technical evolution that made that shift possible is what my museum would focus on … and a breakdown of those machines that I felt exemplified Apples innovation and culture during that first decade of the 2000s.

So what would your museum be about?

Thanks for the reply. The museum‘s basic theme is to ‘Replay, rediscover and reconnect’. So a place for people, families to come and not just see they’re first computer on display, but to be able to see it in a period setting, and be able sit down and use them. I’d love for parents To share their favourite system or games from their childhood with their kids.
I‘d also love for the museum to be a place not just for preserving old machines, but to be active in helping everyone repair, restore or just keep their own old machine running. I’d really hope that a there’d be more machines out for the public to use than kept in cabinets.

it maybe a pipe dream, but it’s a nice one.
best wishes,
Jess B

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Thanks for the reply. The museum‘s basic theme is to ‘Replay, rediscover and reconnect’. So a place for people, families to come and not just see they’re first computer on display, but to be able to see it in a period setting, and be able sit down and use them. I’d love for parents To share their favourite system or games from their childhood with their kids.
I‘d also love for the museum to be a place not just for preserving old machines, but to be active in helping everyone repair, restore or just keep their own old machine running. I’d really hope that a there’d be more machines out for the public to use than kept in cabinets.

it maybe a pipe dream, but it’s a nice one.
best wishes,
Jess B

That would be fun for a lot of folks I think. I wonder if the “museum” could be part of an existing museum; more as an exhibit. That would certainly eliminate a lot of the initial cost and effort allowing one to focus on the curated content vs administrative tasks. I also saw this video last night about the Cave pop up in discord. Definitely worth a watch.

The Cave

 

[retr01]

Period setting...I made an animated GIF that related to the Apple III in 1980. I think the period setting is fantastic! Make folks feel like they are transported back in time to see those vintage Apple II and Macintosh computers in action in that setting. And then they sit down to operate them instantly makes it fun as it is so different from the smartphone thumb typing of today.

 

[robin-fo]

There is a nice museum here in Switzerland: https://enter.ch/
They also have Macs, a couple of Lisas and even an original Apple 1! Definitely worth a visit!

 

[Jess-b]

Period setting...I made an animated GIF that related to the Apple III in 1980. I think the period setting is fantastic! Make folks feel like they are transported back in time to see those vintage Apple II and Macintosh computers in action in that setting. And then they sit down to operate them instantly makes it fun as it is so different from the smartphone thumb typing of today.

That’s awesome. So you guys have helped a lot. I’ve got a better idea of where I need to look in terms of Mac models to pick up (the Apple II is a tough find here in Austria, but I have seen a few). And I’m also more certain about the approach I want to take in regard to how best to present old machines, so it's period settings all the way if possible.

I've Just spent the last two days talking with the business agency here to get a grip on the planning and setting out the business model. I don't expect to be anywhere near welcoming the public before Easter 2025, but it's terrifyingly exciting.

as a quick aside, Vienna is home to a hell of a lot of museums. To gauge how much space we might need, and to see how many people pass through the doors, my wife and I headed out to the Museum of Illusion. It's right in the City Centre, is on the smaller side (most museums here are housed in huge victorian era buildings or palaces.) and is priced at €14 for adults. The phrase we'd use is 'tourist trap' a small 3 main room, plus a corridor exhibit filled with lame holographic photos, old easily found optical illusions, and a few mirror prism-type stuff. Its big attraction was a spinning tunnel that I first saw at Universal Studios Hollywood in 1983, complete with Cylons! A small shop with no care (it's Vienna, coffee and cake rule here). If it was 200+ sqm in size. We spent around 30 mins in there, and it was packed. At least 40 to 50 people were inside, mostly families, and in the summer there are queues. I See this as the base level, and I'm damn well sure if that piece of garbage can survive here, so can my idea!
best wishes,
Jess B

 

[retr01]

I agree with designing clever "tourist traps" to guide them in the experience as they tour through. I have experienced those at some excellent museums on the east coast in Washington, DC, such as the Air and Space, Smithsonian, and several others. Another museum I was fond of on the west coast in San Francisco was called the Exploratorium. Wow, so much fascinating stuff that mesmerizes folks! I remember the prisms, the earthquake floor, the giant solar system display, and it goes on.

Another incredible museum is the California State Railroad Museum. Get on all of those trains - wow!

Good luck, @Jess-b! I look forward to reading more about your new museum. In two years, a virtual tour, right?

 

[Jess-b]

I agree with designing clever "tourist traps" to guide them in the experience as they tour through. I have experienced those at some excellent museums on the east coast in Washington, DC, such as the Air and Space, Smithsonian, and several others. Another museum I was fond of on the west coast in San Francisco was called the Exploratorium. Wow, so much fascinating stuff that mesmerizes folks! I remember the prisms, the earthquake floor, the giant solar system display, and it goes on.

Another incredible museum is the California State Railroad Museum. Get on all of those trains - wow!

Good luck, @Jess-b! I look forward to reading more about your new museum. In two years, a virtual tour, right?

Oh to be clear, I was really annoyed at museum of illusion. its everything I don’t want to be. . i have big plans, but plans are like the weather, liable to change at a moments notice. For now, I’m working on things like a prototype website and filling out my collection ready for the public. Oh and tracking down as many CRT’s as I can find!

@retr01 a virtual tour is a certainty.

Best wishes,

Jess B

 

[retr01]

I stumbled across this interactive museum:

HomeComputerMuseum

HomeComputerMuseum is een initiatief om om de kennis en de machines te preserveren en op een interactieve manier te presenteren.

www.homecomputermuseum.nl

 

[retr01]

Came across this article. Nice!

Forget classic cars. Retro-computing brings old technology back to life

Imagine a room filled with retro machines, humming with life as their proud owners show them off. This isn't a scene from a classic car show.

www.today.com