Apple has held three previous events at Flint Center

For many people the Flint Center for the Performing Arts is not a familiar venue for Apple events, but Apple has held previous events at this location.

In fact, Apple has held three events at the venue over the years and they have been huge.

The first event was when Steve Jobs introduced the original Mac in 1984—certainly a seminal event for Apple and the computing world in general. Apple held its annual shareholders meeting at the Flint Center, which is where the Mac was first shown—if those shareholders could have foreseen where Apple would be today.

The last event Apple held at the Flint Center was the launch of the Bondi Blue iMac in 1998, shortly after Jobs came back to Apple. The iMac was the first device that Jobs introduced, turning the company’s fortunes around.

In October 1999, Jobs introduced the iMac SE at the Flint Center, which is the last time Apple used the venue for an event.

Apple will hold its Sept. 9 event at the Flint Center.

Here are a couple of pictures from the Bondi Blue iMac introduction.

imacintro

imacintro2

Update: Clarified the three events held at the Flint Center.



  • Ben Govero

    “I wish wish wish I could show you what I’m working on. But if I did, they’d fire me” – Jony Ive (earlier this year I believe)

  • http://300stations.com Mark D Wolinski

    So, 30 years after the first Mac was intro’d, 16 years after the first iMac was intro’d, venue selected for another ground breaking introduction or just for memories sake?

    • itpromike

      The former, definitely not the latter.

  • http://moviebyte.com/ Joe Darnell

    ‘Return of the Macintosh’

  • Derek Ledbetter

    The introduction of Macintosh was part of the shareholders meeting, it wasn’t a separate event.

  • CJ

    Can you guys do a post about how the venue events compare? For instance, does the Flint Center hold more people than the other potential announcement venues, are the other venues already booked for other events, etc? Something to give us a better idea of “why here” as opposed to other venues. Thanks.

    • Nate Almeida

      They usually hold product announcements at the Yerba Buena Center, which holds about 750 people. The Flint Center holds 2,400.

      https://twitter.com/_davidsmith/status/505034728207290369

      • CJ

        I suspect that’s meaningful, as that is a very big difference. I’m sure all the seats will be full. Thanks for the info.

    • http://www.yourmaclifeshow.com/ Shawn King

      Seating capacity of Apple Event venues:

      Apple Campus’ Town Hall – 300+

      Yerba Buena Center – 750+

      Flint Center – 2,400+.

      Apple wants a lot of people at this event.

      • BongBong

        And it will be a full house, to be sure.

      • Abhinav Gautam

        Perhaps open to the public as well? Or just using the place for previous significance?

        • http://www.yourmaclifeshow.com/ Shawn King

          No chance it will be open to the public. Invite only.

  • Ronald Nicholson

    Flint center was used for the Apple annual shareholders meeting in 1981, and a few later years as well.

  • BongBong

    This is the big one, Elizabeth! (clutching heart and staggering)

  • Jonathan

    The piece refers to both the 1998 and the 1999 event as being “the last”.

  • T_Will

    Is that an iOS8 banner in the photo above??!! ;-)

    • Rahul Agarwal

      It could be for Mac OS 8. It’s an old pic

  • Scott R.

    Multiple grammatical errors in this article, but still interesting nonetheless.

    • rattyuk

      Jim’s Canadian, cut him some slack.

      And if you’re arguing from the Apple has / Apple have point of view other countries do it different(ly).

  • Rahul Agarwal

    imac SE? Wasn’t it imac DV?