Mac OS X 10.3 Panther developer beta intro video mystery

[unodu]

Remember the "welcome" intro video that Mac OS X used to have when you installed and went through Setup Assistant?
I'm in search of a specific one of those. I remember ages ago coming across this video on YouTube of the "welcome" video for Mac OS X Panther Developer Beta. Supposedly it was used in a developer build of Panther but got scrapped for some reason.

Recently I've been searching to see if I could find the source of this. I dug around in some past OS X install DVDs I could find online to see if I could find the actual intro video file, but everything I've found so far hasn't gotten anywhere. 7A179, the earliest Panther build available online, still used the 10.0-10.2 intro. However, the later Developer Preview has the final RTM 10.3 video, so I'm thinking one of the builds between 7A179 and the DP (which I am unsure of its Build #) have the Beta video. Or, perhaps, it was scrapped internally at Apple and somehow made it to YouTube along the way.

Additionally I've been spending many hours doing research trying to find any information possible; I've found a few forum threads of people explaining the same thing, but no results. However, I have a few semi-related leads:

- The motion graphics animator/designer for the 10.0-10.2 welcome video was David Brinda. You can see it on his portfolio here. He also designed the Mac RSS screensaver, the iTunes motion graphic, and a number of Apple Store attract loops and animations; among other work for other companies. Seemingly, he also designed another scrapped welcome video for Mac OS X, entitled "Flutter" on an archived version of his portfolio. I've never seen this anywhere else online but here, but it's another interesting thing. I've emailed him asking more about this. Interestingly enough, this intro video has the same metallic "X" wordmark as Panther does in it's marketing.
- Someone named Michael Darius used to be a department lead for user experience design at Apple. He worked under Steve Jobs and Jony Ive to create the Aqua design language, and also the registration flow for the 10.0-10.2 setup. However, he doesn't seem to know much on the topic.
- I've also found a directory for a few people who worked on early versions of Mac OS X in Human Interface Design, so there may be some people to contact there potentially. I won't be sharing this publicly, however.


So, does anyone know anything about this mystery video?

 

[WillUHD]

Hey!
I'm also looking for the same video and I also did some digging. Here is the one that I referenced on YouTube.
After a long time digging in the comments section, I found this user (@l1oicgameplays394) comment "I think it can be played from build 7b20 to 7b55".
I also found a MacRumors article that said that old intro videos (stored on a typical Panther system) are located in /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/SetupAssistant.framework/Versions/A/Resources/intro.mov, and the music is located in /System/Library/CoreServices/Setup Assistant.app/Contents/Resources/intro-sound.aiff, according to wrldwzrd89. However I wasn't able to locate any of these files on a Panther 7B85 ISO. The music played is a song called Ocean Air.
Online, the earliest accessible version of Panther is 7B85 (Panther 10.3.0), so it seems like the latest version for that specific video 7b55 is an internal version. The earliest version of Panther on Archive.org is still 7b85.
According to ChatGPT, "In the early 2000s, Apple used "B" series builds to denote internal beta versions of their OS X software. These builds were distributed internally within Apple and sometimes to registered developers for testing purposes."
Hope this helps!

 

[l1oic]

Hey!
I'm also looking for the same video and I also did some digging. Here is the one that I referenced on YouTube.
After a long time digging in the comments section, I found this user (@l1oicgameplays394) comment "I think it can be played from build 7b20 to 7b55".
I also found a MacRumors article that said that old intro videos (stored on a typical Panther system) are located in /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/SetupAssistant.framework/Versions/A/Resources/intro.mov, and the music is located in /System/Library/CoreServices/Setup Assistant.app/Contents/Resources/intro-sound.aiff, according to wrldwzrd89. However I wasn't able to locate any of these files on a Panther 7B85 ISO. The music played is a song called Ocean Air.
Online, the earliest accessible version of Panther is 7B85 (Panther 10.3.0), so it seems like the latest version for that specific video 7b55 is an internal version. The earliest version of Panther on Archive.org is still 7b85.
According to ChatGPT, "In the early 2000s, Apple used "B" series builds to denote internal beta versions of their OS X software. These builds were distributed internally within Apple and sometimes to registered developers for testing purposes."
Hope this helps!

I am the one who made the comment

 

[unity]

Hey!
I'm also looking for the same video and I also did some digging. Here is the one that I referenced on YouTube.
After a long time digging in the comments section, I found this user (@l1oicgameplays394) comment "I think it can be played from build 7b20 to 7b55".
I also found a MacRumors article that said that old intro videos (stored on a typical Panther system) are located in /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/SetupAssistant.framework/Versions/A/Resources/intro.mov, and the music is located in /System/Library/CoreServices/Setup Assistant.app/Contents/Resources/intro-sound.aiff, according to wrldwzrd89. However I wasn't able to locate any of these files on a Panther 7B85 ISO. The music played is a song called Ocean Air.
Online, the earliest accessible version of Panther is 7B85 (Panther 10.3.0), so it seems like the latest version for that specific video 7b55 is an internal version. The earliest version of Panther on Archive.org is still 7b85.
According to ChatGPT, "In the early 2000s, Apple used "B" series builds to denote internal beta versions of their OS X software. These builds were distributed internally within Apple and sometimes to registered developers for testing purposes."
Hope this helps!

When you said you were not able to locate the files, did you actually unarchive the "Archive.pax.gz" on Disc 1? The files are not found on the system on the CD, but instead in that archive which is what is actually installed.

I have 7A179 in hand right now and in the archive I have both the movie file and sound. However they are very different and pretty horrible. unodu said they used the Tiger intro, but that is clearly not the case with mine. The audio file is not one I recognize and is 40 seconds long, has a very "Windows" intro vibe to it. The intro video starts with a pulsing blue dot against a white background that zooms a puddle splash with the mix of Welcome in different languages before it all compresses to the left and becomes mostly white. Clip is 22 second. But there are two other videos and I think one is to overlap the intro, it instead has a black background and the left "compressed" part is animated water ripples.

So... FYI on what I found. I should probably edit it all together. Here is the intro video tho. If it attaches right and is playable here.....

 

[zach-coleman]

Did anyone see this one that got posted early this year? It's from a user referenced in the comments section of the linked video.

Edit: Whoops I didn't see this was already mentioned in the original post lol. Oddly the OP of the video for the Panther one mentions this channel is where they got the mysterious panther developer beta video from, but that video seems to be missing now.

 

[Nobort]

Hi

I got in touch with the guy that uploaded this old video of the intro:

and he actually had the original files saved.

As far as what build the intro came from, I haven't figured it out but the metadata of the video file has a creation date of 2003-07-21 so maybe someone could narrow it down from that.

Here are the files he sent me (https://gofile.io/d/R668ne) which include a separate .mov for the video and .aiff for the audio track. I also uploaded a high quality version of the intro to youtube:

 

[MacInTheBox]

Did anyone see this one that got posted early this year? It's from a user referenced in the comments section of the linked video.

Edit: Whoops I didn't see this was already mentioned in the original post lol. Oddly the OP of the video for the Panther one mentions this channel is where they got the mysterious panther developer beta video from, but that video seems to be missing now.

Hey there! I am NILCW Productions, the channel that uploaded the video you referenced. (I can show a screenshot later today as proof if you'd like) and that video came from David Brinda. This would have came after 7B59, which was the last build to have the "Pollen" intro video as that was when Brushed Metal and the Fast User Switching animation was added. Before then, it looked like Jaguar. I may still have the old seeding CDs laying around somewhere, if not, I can ask around places I used to frequent both online and in person and I should hopefully be able to find them. Going to Apple was no help, I just got bounced back and forth between product support and software support. I DO know for a fact I have the full quality video saved on my iMac G3, which was running it at some point. A lot of people dub the actual music by Dzihan & Kamien over the intro incorrectly. Most people dub the beginning part at normal tempo, when the real intro had the music playing the same part, but at the end, with the distant bell-like sounds in the background, and was also sped up a little.
I'll check back on this forum later today if this search is still alive and going and I'll try to remember to check back.


Edit: For the brushed metal one, I'm pretty sure they would've used the normal intro music for Panther for it.
The Older Intros go in this order [Welcome w/ Animations -> Transition to Setup]
Newer intros go in this order [Apple Logo -> Welcome w/ Animations -> X] [Transition to Setup, handled by Quartz instead of in the video]


So if it were used, it would 100% go in this order:
1. 10.2 Intro (Most beta releases reused the previous intro for the first few builds)
2. Pollen Intro
3. Brushed Metal Intro
4. Current Intro

The brushed metal intro has the setup assistant screenshot, which appears a little different than the one used on the final intro and may be from a build of 7B59 or earlier, which would have the pollen intro.

 

[MacInTheBox]

Hi

I got in touch with the guy that uploaded this old video of the intro:

and he actually had the original files saved.

As far as what build the intro came from, I haven't figured it out but the metadata of the video file has a creation date of 2003-07-21 so maybe someone could narrow it down from that.

Here are the files he sent me (https://gofile.io/d/R668ne) which include a separate .mov for the video and .aiff for the audio track. I also uploaded a high quality version of the intro to youtube:

If I recall correctly, 2 versions were public by Apple for the release. 1 for modern machines, which was higher quality. 2 was for older machine like the iMac G3 and was lower quality. I believe the lower quality one (if not both) played in a small window like the Tiger intro rather than being fullscreen.

 

[unodu]

The search is still alive! Great to know these leads. My hope is to come across an original build ISO with either the pollen or brushed metal intro. Then I can die happily.

If anyone can get in contact with Dave Brinda or have leads on who made the pollen intro, that’d be awesome!

 

[Nobort]

If I recall correctly, 2 versions were public by Apple for the release. 1 for modern machines, which was higher quality. 2 was for older machine like the iMac G3 and was lower quality. I believe the lower quality one (if not both) played in a small window like the Tiger intro rather than being fullscreen.

Sweet. The video file I have is 400x300. I dunno if its the high quality or low quality version, hopefully it's the low quality version and there is a higher res version out there. Anyway, would love to see the intro with the proper audio if you can manage to upload it

 

[zach-coleman]

What a bummer that I missed that file download in February lol! If the full quality version is ever found, someone call me. YouTube obliterates the quality of videos like this, so it would be nice to have the unprocessed version.

 

[MacInTheBox]

From the information I have, I don't believe the brushed metal intro was actually used in any release, but I could be wrong, it's mostly speculation, and the fact that the real intro video wouldn't have a screenshot of the setup assistant built into it, meaning either Brinda put it in to show how it would look with it, or it was just an unused concept that might exist on some super-secret internal macos builds. I set it as the welcome video on one of my MacBooks for the welcome video a while ago when working on Macsimum and Yttrium as a test.
Here's some stuff I found. One is the 10.0 Intro in original, and the other is an iTunes Promo. Both by Brinda, this time they have audio.
The image is a thumbnail image from a Russian video platform. They did not make the background themselves, that I know as it's been seen elsewhere before.

 

[MacInTheBox]

Hi

I got in touch with the guy that uploaded this old video of the intro:

and he actually had the original files saved.

As far as what build the intro came from, I haven't figured it out but the metadata of the video file has a creation date of 2003-07-21 so maybe someone could narrow it down from that.

Here are the files he sent me (https://gofile.io/d/R668ne) which include a separate .mov for the video and .aiff for the audio track. I also uploaded a high quality version of the intro to youtube:

I also messaged him too as well as some others. Then I got banned from FB lol. If they appeal me then I'll be able to check, its a shame I could only find their facebooks. I also shot Brinda a message to see if he knows anything and if he can confirm his brushed metal intro's usage.

 

[Nobort]

What a bummer that I missed that file download in February lol! If the full quality version is ever found, someone call me. YouTube obliterates the quality of videos like this, so it would be nice to have the unprocessed version.

here's a reupload of the files (https://mega.nz/file/Pr51WZKS#bc-QNXhx_x8dD2FLxsr7aSXKMUHLEPYK2zVZ6boehhI)
although the vid I uploaded is about as good of quality as the original. I also attempted an upscale which I think came out decent if u watch it in 4k:

 

[Nobort]

If anyone can get in contact with Dave Brinda or have leads on who made the pollen intro, that’d be awesome!

has to be brinda right? if it isnt tho, i reckon it would be whoever made the default jaguar wallpaper as they both seem to share the same blue background gradient. maybe im looking too far into things 😅

 

[MacInTheBox]

has to be brinda right? if it isnt tho, i reckon it would be whoever made the default jaguar wallpaper as they both seem to share the same blue background gradient. maybe im looking too far into things 😅

View attachment 2508378

I have contacted Brinda, awaiting reply.

 

[unodu]

has to be brinda right? if it isnt tho, i reckon it would be whoever made the default jaguar wallpaper as they both seem to share the same blue background gradient. maybe im looking too far into things 😅

View attachment 2508378

I think this is more just the general design language of Aqua (blue gradients and abstract shapes)... but interesting nonetheless. It does look almost exactly identical, so perhaps there's some overlap with the designer of both the wallpaper and pollen intro.

I doubt this leads much anywhere, but I came across someone who designed the Panther DVD packaging. Complete with original print files and everything.

Mac OSX - Mike Abbink

mikeabbink.com

 

[MacInTheBox]

I think this is more just the general design language of Aqua (blue gradients and abstract shapes)... but interesting nonetheless. It does look almost exactly identical, so perhaps there's some overlap with the designer of both the wallpaper and pollen intro.

I doubt this leads much anywhere, but I came across someone who designed the Panther DVD packaging. Complete with original print files and everything.

Mac OSX - Mike Abbink

mikeabbink.com

Panther's stood out. All other Aqua wallpapers feature some sort of "abstract" almost 3d art design with mostly the same colors. Panther has 3 bright swipes (representing the claws of a panther) in bright bluish white and the basic aqua backdrop.

 

[MacInTheBox]

Alrighty guys, I got a reply from Dave. Here's what is says.

My only contradiction is that his metallic intro had the newer pattern seen on later releases (Apple logo, Welcome, X) and the same style, while the mystery intro isn't as "aqua" as the previous intros, it still follows the same style, it only displays welcome messages. I'm also assuming he wasn't a permanent employee at Apple, rather, was sought out for those specific tasks and paid when needed.

 

[MacInTheBox]

Sorry I keep posting so much, but I have a serious question.
Do the Apple Developer Connection CDs have beta macos builds inside?
If so,
I have most likely found the build.
The back reads "On this CD-ROM you'll find a collection of what's new from the Apple Developer Connection, including technical documentation, sample code, tools, and more. For a complete listing of what's new, please see the Dev CD Assistant."

 

[Nobort]

Sorry I keep posting so much, but I have a serious question.
Do the Apple Developer Connection CDs have beta macos builds inside?
If so,
I have most likely found the build.
The back reads "On this CD-ROM you'll find a collection of what's new from the Apple Developer Connection, including technical documentation, sample code, tools, and more. For a complete listing of what's new, please see the Dev CD Assistant."

oh interesting. i didnt know about those Developer Connection CDs. from the little searching ive just done on them i can see that some of them do contain builds. if its not on the one u have, i'll also look a bit more into these CDs and report back anything i find

 

[MacInTheBox]

oh interesting. i didnt know about those Developer Connection CDs. from the little searching ive just done on them i can see that some of them do contain builds. if its not on the one u have, i'll also look a bit more into these CDs and report back anything i find

Sounds good. Do we know the timeframe for the builds with this intro? I thought it was early 2003, but apparently the first beta for 10.3 came out mid 2003

 

[Nobort]

Sounds good. Do we know the timeframe for the builds with this intro? I thought it was early 2003, but apparently the first beta for 10.3 came out mid 2003

Here are dates for every publically seeded build I could find that came out after the creation_time metadata i grabbed from the beta intro.mov file (i got these dates from forum discussions on macosx.com and macrumors.com so may not be exact):

7B21 (2003-07-26)
7B28 (2003-08-05) *
7B32 Server (2003-08-11)
7B33 Server (2003-08-12)
7B34 (2003-08-11)
7B39 (2003-08-17)
7B44 (2003-08-21)
7B49 (2003-08-27)
7B53 (2003-09-02)
7B59 (2003-09-08)
7B68 (2003-09-13) **
7B74 (2003-09-21)
7B80/81 (2003-09-26)
7B85 (2003-09-29)

Panther beta intro.mov creation_time = (2003-07-21)
Panther retail intro.mov creation_time = (2003-09-11)

* First mention of beta intro [https://appleinsider.com/articles/03/08/08/panther_development_winding_down_with_build_7b28/amp/] [https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/panther-7b28-details.34383/?post=447699#post-447699]

** Royksopp (retail) intro appeared in 7B6x builds apparently [https://macosx.com/threads/spolier-not-really-10-3-intro-screen.36859/post-253736]
[https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/panther-7b68-very-close-to-final.38672/]

From what ive gathered 7B28 100% had the beta intro. Any build after that up to 7B59 could possibly have it too but there is no guarantee that they didn't switch back to the Sofa Rockers Jaguar intro at somepoint in between. That timeframe also seems to somewhat line up with what @l1oic said above.

So yeah any build between (2003-07-26) and (2003-09-08) is what were looking for I reckon

 

[MacInTheBox]

7B59 did have it and was the last build to have it. I can't remember where I found it or how I found it, but it was on a forum. It is extinct now but last I checked its still technichally hosted. I viewed it on archive.org (though knowing how they've been taking down forums, it may not be there anymore)
But they said stuff like that someone posted a super high quality version which of course wasnt archived, they talked about a new video after build 7B59.

 

[MacInTheBox]

Do you think I should try contacting Apple for it? Someone tried it a while ago and after being bounced around they were persistent and told to call them. They never did though as they had forgotten about it by the time they responded.
Edit: Found this on BetaArchive. https://www.betaarchive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=35149
Listed is "Dev CD Aug 2003 — Ghast has this". Does anyone have a beta archive account or know this person? They may have the build if they're referring to the Developer Connections CD.