Microsoft, Apple Hard

About the work

In the early 1990s, two empires were at war. Microsoft shipped Word and Excel on white plastic disks. Claris - Apple's software arm - countered with FileMaker Pro on midnight blue. Every office, every school, every home had to choose a side.

Microsoft, Apple Hard assembles those original artefacts - real, unmodified disks from that era - into a single relief work. At its centre sits an original first-generation Apple Mighty Mouse, Apple's first foray into multi-button design, its Apple logo the fulcrum around which the whole composition turns. Microsoft white and Claris blue radiate outward, locked in permanent détente.

"The software that once ran the world, now framed. Apple, centred - as it always insisted on being." - Adam Noakes

This is not a reproduction. Every disk is original. Every label carries the wear of its era. The piece protrudes from its flat frame in full relief. No glass, no barrier - part art puzzle, part sculpture, demanding to be seen from multiple angles.

A brief history in objects

1991:

Microsoft Word and Excel ship on 3.5″ HD disks for the Apple Macintosh Series. Claris FileMaker Pro ships alongside them — different colour, same battlefield.

2005:

Apple releases the Mighty Mouse — its first multi-button mouse. For the first time, Apple concedes that one button is not enough. A quiet admission. A design landmark.

2025:

Microsoft, Apple Hard is created. The disks and the mouse share a frame for the first time. The war is over. The artefacts remain.

Dimensions & weight

Framed; Width (49 cm) -  Height (36.75 cm) Frame depth (2 cm) Max protrusion (mouse) (7 cm)

Art area; Width (41 cm) -  Height (28.5 cm) No glass. Work protrudes into viewer's space.

Weight; Lightweight - suitable for standard picture hooks < 1 kg

Materials

Original 3.5″ floppy disks - Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Claris FileMaker Pro (Apple Macintosh Series, circa 1991)

Apple Mighty Mouse, first generation (original hardware, 2005) - Apple's first multi-button mouse

Flat frame, no glass

Provenance & certificate

This work is sold as a unique 1/1 original. A certificate of authenticity detailing all materials, dates, and edition status accompanies the piece. The work has not been exhibited publicly prior to sale.

Enquire

Offered by private sale. Serious buyers are welcome to enquire. International shipping available; the work will be professionally packed to optimum standard. 

Price

$315 AUD + Shipping

One work available - no reproductions will be made. Comes with COA. (Certificate of Authenticity)