Steve Jobs’ NeXT Big Thing
In 1985, Steve Jobs launched “NeXT Inc.” NeXT designed and built ultra-advanced computers and operating systems marketed to educators, scientists and researchers. Ultimately absorbed into Apple in the 1990’s, NeXT’s innovative designs continue to influence the world nearly 40 years later.
The NeXT Computer (later renamed the NeXT Cube) is a stunning, almost imposing presence in the Retro Roadshow. This machine is an extremely early "pre-production" example of the design (ours is Serial # 0000215), and is one of only a handful of NeXT Computers left in the world which still features a fully-functional Magneto-Optical drive, an innovative (but sadly failure-prone) mass-storage system. This machine also has a fully-functional internal hard drive loaded with fascinating apps and demos, and is complete with the original "MegaPixel Display" and matching keyboard and mouse. The impact of the NeXT Computer is almost impossible to overstate - if nothing else, a machine much like ours was literally used by Sir Tim Berners-Lee to invent the World Wide Web itself, without which you wouldn't even be reading this text. The Retro Roadshow is delighted to offer our visitors an extremely rare opportunity to get "hands on" with such a historically-significant computer.
Along with the original NeXT Computer (aka "Cube"), the Retro Roadshow is excited to have a fully-functional NeXT TurboColor Workstation in our collection. The TurboColor took the original NeXT hardware design in a bold new direction, compressing a more powerful, color-capable NeXT system into a sleek "pizzabox" form factor.
The Retro Roadshow's NeXT collection recently expanded in a remarkable way, when we took ownership of a complete-in-box NeXT Mono Workstation. This machine was originally owned by a NeXT Campus Rep who traveled around the Midwestern United States, visiting colleges and setting up hands-on demos for potential NeXT customers - in other words, a *literal* Roadshow. This collection includes the NeXT workstation itself, the matching MegaPixel greyscale monitor, all the original accessories, and a huge assortment of supporting materials, documentation, and numerous "for employee eyes only" printed materials. We are honored to be the new home of this collection, and look forward to restoring it to its original demo-capable condition.