How often do tech companies selling consumer electronics become a cult? How often does the leader of such a company become the idol of millions? How often does someone try to perpetuate the history of such a company and dedicate exhibitions to it? Everything described above is true for the famous California corporation - Apple. The works of the company's engineers are so close to some people that they were exhibited in a private museum created by an enthusiastic collector.
A bit of history
Modern iPhone and iPad users are unlikely to know the history of the company and all the products that have been created over the past 40 years. A big Apple fan Andrei Antonov and businessman Evgeny Butman decided to fix this situation.
For 15 years, Andrei Antonov has been collecting a large-scale collection of Apple products created between 1977 and 1998. This time period includes two significant events: the release of the first Mac computer and its restart after the return of Steve Jobs. The founders of the museum made it free to visit and organized a special area where you can try out the computers displayed. A historical and technological exhibition, an educational center and a tribute to the famous corporation - this is what the Apple Museum in Moscow is.
Exhibits
The Apple Private Museum in Moscow owns an unprecedented collection of electronics, and fans will consider part of the exhibits to be a real artifact. In the collection of Andrey there was a place for the legendary Apple II computer, all generations of peripherals (keyboard and mouse), graphic tablets, game consoles and other products manufactured by the company in the past. Apple II is the first full-fledged computer that was created by Wozniak and Jobs. The computer has become a product of Wozniak's engineering skills and Jobs' aesthetic taste. Other “cars” of that era are on display at the museum, including variations on the theme of the Apple II (Lisa and C).
Separate spare parts for computers and laptops, peripherals, keyboards - both built-in and external. A lot of manipulators, including mice and predecessors of trackpads - “trackballs”. The museum found a place for the legendary Apple Pippin. Apple Pippin is a multimedia player with a CD drive designed to run video games and runs on a special version of Mac OS. Enthusiasts and big fans of the company will probably recognize Apple Newton's great-grandfather among the exhibits. It was the first graphic tablet and laptop in the world to recognize handwriting. To many, the appearance of printers manufactured by Apple, as well as digital cameras, which, as it turned out, also did in Cupertino, would seem unexpected.
Excursions and their cost
Initially, the museum was conceived as a free place to visit, it worked only on weekends. After a while, the number of visitors has grown significantly, additional costs have appeared, and now a visit to the museum costs money. A visit to the museum can take place in two different modes. Either on your own, or with a guided tour. An independent visit implies free movement around the museum, with the opportunity to examine any exhibits, to devote to each as much time as you like. A visit with a guided tour is distinguished by the presence of a person who will give a lecture, tell in detail about each exhibit, mention interesting facts related to a particular computer, and demonstrate the devices in operation. Tours are conducted only for pre-organized groups of 15 people. The group is in the museum for about two hours. The tour itself takes no more than 45 minutes, the rest of the time, visitors are free to poke around the Apple Museum in Moscow. Photo and video shooting during the tour are allowed.
The cost of an individual ticket is:
- 200 rubles for students;
- 300 rubles for students;
- 350 rubles for adults.
Cost for groups:
- The cost for a group of students from 15 people is 300 rubles per person.
- The cost for a group of students up to 15 people is 4500 rubles for the whole group.
"Game room for schoolchildren"
Among other things, the museum is equipped with a separate area for those who want to independently test working exhibits in action. The hall is visited by groups of students from 5 to 25 people. Visitors can run various programs, play games on outdated “cars”, and try the periphery of bygone years. Full access to such a quantity of technology is provided only by Apple's private museum in Moscow. Guest reviews confirm this fact. Schoolchildren are allowed only in the presence of attendants.
Apple Museum in Moscow: address and mode of operation
The museum is located on Skladochnaya Street, the third house, the first building. You can get from the metro station "Dmitrovskaya". In the main building there are several entrances to get to the museum, you need to use the AB entrance, where visitors are expected by museum staff who are ready to conduct excursions or escort to the exhibition hall.
Depending on whether you visit the museum individually or with a group, certain time periods are allocated to you. For those who want to walk through the museum on their own, the museum is open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: from 17:00 to 21:00 (you need to enter the museum until 20:00). On weekends, the schedule moves: from 12:00 to 18:00 (you need to enter the museum before 17:00).
Organized groups that have planned excursions can choose the time on any weekday:
- Monday and Friday: from 13:00 to 14:30; from 14:30 to 16:00.
- On other days: from 11:30 to 13:00; from 13:00 to 14:30; 14:30 to 16:00.
The game room can be visited on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday: from 11:30 to 13:00; from 13:00 to 14:30; from 14:30 to 16:00.
