Pippin Concept Prototype

A rare pristine specimen that turned up on eBay.

The **Pippin Concept Prototype** (EVT-1) is the first Pippin prototype that was shared by Apple Computer with its partners in Japan to conduct preliminary tests of the Pippin platform. EVT is an acronym for *Engineering Validation Test* at Apple.

## Hardware

Constructed by Apple in a custom black box, this early prototype is more similar to a desktop Power Macintosh computer than a set top console. It has been associated with the early Power Macintosh 6100, but uses a DA-15 Mac video port instead of a HDI-45 connector. It also has a DB-25 SCSI port, 2 GeoPorts (labeled for printer and modem), left and right RCA audio ports, a composite video and s-video port on the back. It has a headphone and standard ADB jacks on the front, requiring adapter dongles to test prototypes of AppleJack controllers and devices.

The internal optical drive is a beta version of a CR-504 mechanism from Matsushita-Kotobuki Electronics that is found in the 4x-speed AppleCD 600e. The analog video signal is run through an interlacing filter and scaled at an 8:7 ratio for overscan on CRT television sets.

## Design history

The internals of the system were designed in Cupertino, California by a team assembled by Eric R. Sirkin, Apple's director of Macintosh OEM products. An industrial design team worked separately on the external case design for what would become the Pippin Power Player.

## Demonstration units

The Pippin Concept Prototype was first unveiled at MILIA '95 in Cannes in January. It was shown again by Apple at CeBIT in Hanover in March 1995. It was also demonstrated by Bandai at Macworld Expo Tokyo '95 in February (where the "Pippin Power Player" brand was used) and the Tokyo Toy Show in June 1995.

About 10 units were sent to Bandai's Pippin development team in October 1995 to begin testing with its partners in Japan. Titles from about 20 developers were ported on these prototypes for a private launch presentation that was held on October 16 in Ebisu, Shibuya. By December 1995, their development role was filled by the Pippin Power Player prototype, which more closely matched the retail version of the Pippin Atmark console.

A few of these prototypes found their way into auction sites and private collections years later.

## Gallery

### Unit #002

Front of Unit #002Back of Unit #002Bottom label of Unit #002
### Unit No. 005

Front of Unit No. 005Back of Unit No. 005Bottom label of Unit 005
### Unit #13

Front of Unit #13Back of Unit #13Bottom label of Unit #13Inside opened Unit #13
### Media coverage

Cover of *MacUser*
(UK, March 1995)Pippin at CeBIT '95Video from *SVM Mac*
(Hanover, March 1995)Page 31 of *CD Consoles*
(France, June 1995)
## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bandai Pippin Image Archive by Bryan G. Villados, *The Mac Geek*. 2017-04-15.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Pippin Developer Newsletter No. 3-1 (Japanese), Atmark Channel. 1995-10-25. Archived 1998-05-08.
3. ↑ Renders purport to depict ‘iPhone 11’ prototypes, features three rear cameras and square camera bump by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5 Mac Accessed 2019-01-06.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 (Prototype) Apple Pippin by Pierre Dandumont, Le journal du Lapin. 2013-04-26.
5. ↑ The Mac gaming console that time forgot by Richard Moss, Ars Technica. 2018-03-24.
6. ↑ Mais qui a créé le design de la Pippin ? (French) by Pierre Dandumont, Le Journal du Lapin. 2019-03-10.
7. ↑ Actualité p.18 (French), *SVM Mac* n°62. 1995-05.
8. ↑ Pippin by Squeeze, YouTube. 2019-01-26.
9. ↑ Macworld TV Tokyo 1995 by KandaNewsNetwork,Inc., YouTube. 2013-08-29.
10. ↑ 1995年東京おもちゃショー　オーレンジャー　ビーファイター by kbigstone, YouTube. 2013-01-19.
11. ↑ Pippin発表会リポート (Japanese), Apple/Mac Technology Lab. 1995-10-16.
12. ↑ Apple Pippin Prototype, ASSEMblergames. 2013-03-17. Archived 2014-11-04.
13. ↑ Apple Pippin Concept Prototype Unit 005. by Vin Desiderioscioli, Twitter. 2015-05-14.

## External links

* Bandai Pippin Museum & Archive at The Mac Geek
* Pippin ATMARK Developer Support Center (archived 2001-06-20)