Apple made marketing gold from the export ban on Power Mac G4 'supercomputer' in 1999, 'for the first time in history a personal computer ha

**TL;DR:** Apple made marketing gold from the export ban on Power Mac G4 'supercomputer' in 1999, 'for the first time in history a personal computer has been classified as a weapon' — Pentagon banned sales of the 400 MHz G4 in 50 countries when it launched

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In the context of the recent tech export bans, we look back at the Apple PowerMac G4 export ban from 1999 and Steve Jobs making marketing gold from the situation.

Source: Tom's Hardware

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Last updated: June 16, 2026.

Additional context: early-cycle stories often look bigger in headlines than in day-to-day impact. The useful move is to identify the smallest set of facts that would change your decision, then wait for those facts to land.

Additional context: early-cycle stories often look bigger in headlines than in day-to-day impact. The useful move is to identify the smallest set of facts that would change your decision, then wait for those facts to land.

Additional context: early-cycle stories often look bigger in headlines than in day-to-day impact. The useful move is to identify the smallest set of facts that would change your decision, then wait for those facts to land.

Additional context: early-cycle stories often look bigger in headlines than in day-to-day impact. The useful move is to identify the smallest set of facts that would change your decision, then wait for those facts to land.

Additional context: early-cycle stories often look bigger in headlines than in day-to-day impact. The useful move is to identify the smallest set of facts that would change your decision, then wait for those facts to land.