Jeff Wexler Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 -excerpted from Macworld site Remembering eWorld, Apple's forgotten online service Benj Edwards @benjedwards Jun 9, 2014 3:44 AMe-mailprint Just before the Internet’s meteoric rise in the public consciousness, large centralized dial-up services like America Online, Prodigy, and CompuServe dominated the online landscape. In this competitive climate 20 years ago, Apple introduced eWorld, a subscription-based information service available to Mac and Newton users. Despite its closure in 1996, eWorld remains notable for its city-based interface metaphor and as a symbol of Apple’s overreach in the era. Users accessed eWorld through custom client software written by Apple and connected using a traditional dial-up modem hooked to a telephone line. Upon connecting to the service, the eWorld software displayed a playfully-illustrated aerial view of a small city. Each building in the city represented a different topical focus for the service, containing articles, chat rooms, discussion boards, and file downloads centered around various themes. For example, clicking on the Business and Finance Plaza building opened up a new window that presented the user with articles from Inc. magazine, business-themed discussion boards, and stock quotes. Other buildings focused on games and entertainment, shopping, learning (with encyclopedia access), and Apple product support. LINK to eWorld simulator (requires Flash) - this is really a trip down memory lane for long time Macintosh users READ the whole article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 Just skimmed the article. I was at Macworld magazine during the eWorld debacle; we were required to have a presence on eWorld. Clearly a loser before it even launched. The anemic numbers Apple gave for eWorld subscribers and use didn't match our experiences. We wasted a bunch of time on eWord...I really learned the meaning of "opportunity cost." > Users accessed eWorld through custom client software written by Apple. My recollection is that Apple basically created a skin that ran on a licensed version of the AOL client and connected to licensed versions of the AOL server software. And Apple had to pay AOL a license of something like a few bucks per user signup and a dollar per user connect hour....or something like that, I can't recall the actual numbers. But it was all pretty WTF. But a bad memory from the Spindler era at Apple. Thanks a lot Jeff! :-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted June 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 Your memory is correct --- eWorld was Apple branded AOL --- AOL (which was originally an Apple only service) wrote the software front end for eWorld and Apple did pay AOL for this and an ongoing license fee. I was using CompuServe at the time and dabbling in what AOL had to offer, never really spent that much time with eWorld. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 Ha. Good flashback and it's only Tuesday. My oldest was kicked off eWorld for using bad language in a chat group when he was 12. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 Ha. Good flashback and it's only Tuesday. My oldest was kicked off eWorld for using bad language in a chat group when he was 12. CrewC Kinda makes you proud, huh? :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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