Apple Inc. has co-developed several products that were released by other companies, typically with special functionality for use with Apple products.

Mac accessories edit

Harman Kardon SoundSticks and iSub edit

 
Harman Kardon Soundsticks and iSub

Apple announced the iSub in 1999, a 6-inch subwoofer produced in partnership with Harman Kardon, designed by Jony Ive.[1] It uses clear plastic to match the aesthetic of the iMac G3. It connected over USB and was only compatible with slot-loading iMacs G3s and PowerPC Macs with Apple Pro Speakers, and will not work on Intel-based Macs.[2] Apple introduced a software implementation to adjust the frequency range of the iMac's internal speakers so they would not overlap with the iSub, and increased the iMac's maximum volume as the speakers no longer had to produce deep bass.[3]

Harman Kardon and Apple next designed SoundSticks, which were introduced at the 2000 Macworld expo.[4] Apple led the industrial design and mechanical engineering to have them fit into its product family. They include a new revision of the iSub. They won an Industrial Design Excellence Awards gold award[5] and were featured on the cover of I.D. magazine. SoundSticks II were a minor upgrade, adding capacitive volume control buttons and a 3.5mm mini-jack input, replacing the previous USB input. SoundSticks III changed the styling slightly using black highlights and white lighting, instead of green and blue of the original SoundSticks and the SoundSticks II.[6] SoundSticks Wireless introduced Bluetooth.[7]

Timbuk2 Finder, Launchpad and Slide bags edit

In 2013, Apple partnered with bag manufacturer Timbuk2 to create three bags: the Finder, a casual messenger bag, the Launchpad, a business messenger bag, and the Slide, a backpack.[8]

LG UltraFine displays edit

 
The LG UltraFine 5K Display.

After Apple discontinued production of standalone displays in 2016, they partnered with LG to design the UltraFine line, with a 21.5-inch 4K display and 27-inch 5K display. Both displays use a USB-C connector, with the 27-inch version integrating Thunderbolt 3 connectivity. On the rear of the displays is a three port USB-C hub. The 21.5-inch version provides up to 60W charging power, while the 27-inch provides up to 85W. The 21.5-inch version can be used only with USB-C Macs, while the 27-inch version can only be used natively at full resolution with Thunderbolt 3 Macs. The 27-inch model is compatible with older Thunderbolt 2-equipped Macs using an adapter, but is limited to displaying their maximum output resolution.[9] Both models include integrated stereo speakers, while the 27-inch model also includes a FaceTime camera. Like previous Apple displays, there are no physical buttons on the display, and brightness and speaker volume are controlled by a connected computer.[10] In mid-2019 the 21.5-inch model was discontinued and replaced with a 23.7-inch model, and in July 2019 the 27-inch model was updated with USB-C video input, adding compatibility with the 3rd generation iPad Pro at 4K resolution.[11]

Red Raven camera edit

The Red Raven is a digital movie camera developed by Red Digital Cinema with Apple. It was released in 2017 and retailed solely by Apple, for $14,999. It is based on Red's Weapon camera line, and uses a Dragon sensor capable of shooting at 5K resolution. It came bundled with a license for Final Cut Pro X.[12][13] In 2019 it was removed from Apple's US store and was still sold by Red before being discontinued.[14]

Blackmagic Design eGPU and eGPU Pro edit

In 2018, Blackmagic Design partnered with Apple to create the Blackmagic eGPU, which was sold exclusively through the Apple Store for its first six months. It is an external GPU that contains an AMD Radeon Pro 580 GPU, four USB 3.0 ports, two Thunderbolt 3 ports delivering 85W of power, and an HDMI 2.0 port.[15] This was followed by the Blackmagic eGPU Pro later that year, which was also solely available through the Apple Store. It features a Radeon RX Vega 56, and adds a DisplayPort 1.4 port. Both are compatible with all Macs with Thunderbolt 3 running mcOS High Sierra 10.13.6 or later.[16]

Logitech 4K Pro Magnetic Webcam edit

Apple partnered with Logitech to create a 4K webcam that attaches to the top of the Pro Display XDR magnetically.[17]

Motorola Rokr E1 edit

 
A Rokr connecting to a Powerbook G4.

In 2005, Apple partnered with Motorola for the Rokr E1, the first phone that could be integrated with iTunes, preceding the iPhone by two years.[18] The Rokr E1 sold below expectations despite a high-profile marketing campaign.[19] The iPod nano was unveiled on the same day, which strained relations between Motorola and Apple, and Motorola CEO Ed Zander later accused Apple of purposely undercutting the Rokr.[20]

iPhone accessories edit

Cochlear hearing aids edit

In 2017, Apple developed hearing aids with Cochlear Limited that can stream sound directly from compatible iPhones, iPads or iPod touches.[21]

MagSafe chargers and cases edit

Apple worked with Belkin to design chargers using MagSafe, including a car mount, 2-in-1 charger and 3-in-1 charger.[22][23] Apple refers to officially licensed MagSafe devices as "Made for MagSafe". Belkin is the only third-party accessory maker Apple has licensed the MagSafe charging standard to, while OtterBox manufactures officially licensed cases.[24]

Other accessories edit

Hermès Apple Watch bands edit

In 2015, Apple partnered with Hermès to design a collection of leather bands for the Apple Watch.[25]

Salt Apple TV remote edit

Apple collaborated with Salt, a Swiss television provider, to design a custom remote for the Apple TV 4K, which Salt uses as a set-top box. The remote is larger, includes buttons for channel flipping, muting and television power. It replaces the touchpad with directional buttons and does not include a Siri button. The remote is only available in Switzerland to Salt subscribers.[26]

References edit

  1. ^ La, Lynn. "Jony Ive's 15 most iconic Apple products and designs". CNET. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
  2. ^ Harman Kardon iSub (Apple USB Subwoofer) | IMNC, retrieved 2019-10-09
  3. ^ "Harman/Kardon Mac Compatibility Guide". Low End Mac. 2001-05-31. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  4. ^ "Harman Kardon History". Archived from the original on 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
  5. ^ "iSub: Gold, Consumer Products". Industrial Designers Society of America. Archived from the original on 2003-12-07. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  6. ^ SoundSticks page Retrieved on 2011-08-11 Archived August 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ SoundSticks page Review: Harman Kardon SoundSticks Wireless at the Wayback Machine (archived April 4, 2016)
  8. ^ Panzarino, Matthew (2013-01-10). "With 18% of bag ordering on iPad, Timbuk2 launches HTML5 customization tool and 3 Apple Store exclusives". Plugged | The Next Web. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  9. ^ Apple. "Use the LG UltraFine 5K Display with your Mac". Apple. Archived from the original on April 17, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference macrumors.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ LG's updated UltraFine 5K display works with your iPad Pro. Engadget.30 July 2019.
  12. ^ "RED Raven Camera Kit Now Sold Exclusively Through Apple.com". cinema5D. 2017-08-02. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  13. ^ "Red Raven Kit Made Available Through Apple - The American Society of Cinematographers". ascmag.com. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  14. ^ "RED DIGITAL CINEMA | DSMC2 DRAGON-X Camera Kit". www.red.com. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  15. ^ "How Melbourne-based cinema and TV company Blackmagic Design landed an exclusive partnership with Apple". SmartCompany. 2018-07-13. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
  16. ^ Pendlebury, Ty. "Blackmagic eGPU Pro sounds spooky, makes Mac graphics faster". CNET. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
  17. ^ Gartenberg, Chaim (2019-12-10). "Logitech made a bespoke $200 magnetic 4K webcam for Apple's Pro Display XDR". The Verge. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  18. ^ "Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs unveils Rokr E1, the first iTunes phone". Cult of Mac. 2019-09-07. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  19. ^ "Moto Blasts iRadio". Red Herring. 2 January 2006. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
  20. ^ Andreescu, Alex (27 September 2005). "iPod nano: The End of the Motorola-Apple Story - Ed Zander, Motorola CEO: "Screw the nano"". Softpedia. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  21. ^ "Apple and Cochlear team up to roll out the first implant made for the iPhone". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  22. ^ "Belkin's MagSafe Boost Charge Pro review: worth the wait". AppleInsider. Retrieved 2021-07-18.
  23. ^ Patel, Nilay (2021-04-16). "Six months later, there still isn't a MagSafe car charger". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-07-18.
  24. ^ Carnoy, David. "Best MagSafe and magnetic wireless chargers for Apple iPhone 12". CNET. Retrieved 2021-07-18.
  25. ^ "Apple and Hermès Unveil the Apple Watch Hermès Collection". Apple Newsroom. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  26. ^ "Hands-On With Salt's Apple TV Remote Replacement". MacRumors. Retrieved 2021-06-08.