Apple Quicktake 100 (1994)

Apple Quicktake 100 

🥇First Commercially-Released Color Digital Camera Under $1000

The Apple QuickTake 100, launched on June 20, 1994, was one of the first consumer digital cameras and a bold attempt by Apple to define the "digital lifestyle" years before the return of Steve Jobs. Developed in partnership with Kodak and manufactured by Chinon, the device featured a unique binocular-like industrial design and a 0.3-megapixel CCD sensor capable of capturing images at a maximum resolution of 640x480. Because it lacked a built-in LCD for previewing shots, users had to rely on a traditional optical viewfinder and a tiny top-mounted status screen to manage their limited 1MB of internal flash memory, which could hold only eight high-resolution photos at a time. To see their work, photographers had to tether the camera to a Macintosh via a slow serial cable and use proprietary software to "develop" the digital files. While its lack of focus controls, zoom, or a delete-individual-photo button made it feel like a high-tech toy, the QuickTake 100’s ability to bypass the days-long wait for film processing made it a revolutionary tool for early web designers and real estate agents.

Source: eBay Auction