This is a neat piece by Michael Steeber about the origins of “Simplicity Shootout”, a promotional video for the original iMac. My favorite part is how Adam Taggart, the guy tasked with setting up the PC, is an actual MBA with experience in assembling PCs.

A winter break side job at Brown University in the 90s gave Taggart experience in disassembling and cleaning PCs. Although his set up time for the PC was 27 minutes and 39 seconds – more than three times longer than it took to get on the internet with the iMac, Taggart is still proud of his time today. “I would challenge anybody to take that thing out of the box and beat my time.”

I had assumed that both were actors and guessed that in the very least Apple had selected some technological rube with absolutely no experience to set up the PC. Turns out I was wrong on both counts (though I am pretty sure I could beat his time.)