Museum Pieces: Smithsonian Wants Your Apple Gear

Nicole Martinelli ()

CC-licensed picture by <a href=

In a bid to preserve some of the best modern industrial design for future generations, Smithsonian’s National Design Museum, the Cooper-Hewitt, is asking Apple fans to donate their old and not-so-old devices.

Aptly, webmaster William Berry calls the request a “wish list:”

Newton Message Pad (1993)
iBook (2001, white)
iPod, 1st generation (2001)
iMac G5 (2004)
Macbook Pro (2006)
iPhone, 1st generation (2007)
Macbook Air (2008)

While you can get rid of something that has given up the ghost, your device should still be in excellent (external) condition, with original parts and power cords or batteries.  All donors will be listed on the credit line whenever the works are displayed or published.
The  generous-minded can get in touch with Cynthia Trope, Associate Curator of Product Design and Decorative Arts, at (sorry, you need Javascript to see this e-mail address).

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What, if anything, would you be willing to part with for a museum?

6 comments »

About the author

nicole_martinelli

Nicole Martinelli is a San Francisco native who has lived in Milan and Florence, Italy. She's written for Wired.com, The New York Times and Newsweek. You can find her on Twitter , Facebook and Google+.

If you're doing something new/cool that's Apple related, email her about it.

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  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/looksmart zxspectrum

    *I got everthing on the list new in swrinkwrap!!! (Except the Macbook Pro (2006)

    http://retromaccast.ning.com/photo/1672786:Photo:449?context=user
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/looksmart/2307926537/

  • Joe

    I ‘donated’ my 1st gen iPod to the. Science Museum in London
    ,it’s now on display with a huge wall of quotes from the
    famous and not so famous and looks stunning !
    Always makes me proud to see whenever I can go there …. And the kudos ain’t so bad either !

  • smallerdemon

    I have a Newton MP pretty much in brand new shape.

    I also have an original release iBook that was used by someone for one month then boxed. I got it last year. It is basically brand new. And when I tried to install an OS… the hard drive died. Go figure.

    I think the iPod I have is teh rev 2 Gen1 (20GB with six pin firewire).

    I have a G5 as well, but hell, I’m USING that as my primary computer at home.

  • MrCrispy

    There’s a part of me that wants to completely fill up my old computer with por..ahem…”adult material” and then donate it.

  • Jeff

    Haven’t they heard of ebay?

  • ged

    yes Jeff is right this request is pathetic, and symbolic all at once: out of touch art museum folk want technology but can’t use it to get it.