I have never seen a VHS tape that shipped with a Mac. A promotional VHS is one thing. An instructional VHS obtained from a re-seller makes sense too. But shipped in the computer case?
I'll post some pics of the Apple tapes I have on-hand later tonight. One is entitled:
Macintosh, or Windows (a promotional tape of Apple's Spring 96 lineup), and the other is
Apple's Internet Strategy (a informative tape). They both have authentic Apple labels, and have the Apple service hotline number on the label as well, so they're not some third-party mashups. Btw, I cannot confirm, or refute if these were actually shipped with a Mac computer, as I found these two in my school's abandoned computer lab. Go figure.
Also, your family obviously took the VCR movement seriously and bought only the best equipment, and treated it with respect.
It was my Dad that had to invest heavily in the early VCR movement because he owned his own video editing business for about 20 years, so naturally he required a good Hi-fi recording deck, and a good VHS camcorder to complete the job. He was also in post-production at CFTO for a number of years, so he knew which units to buy, and how to maintain them. My mother's parents were Quasar/GE people. My grandfather was more into audio recordings (reel-to-reel mind you, not standard cassettes), and still photography, while my mother/grandmother loved recording from the radio/TV. My prosumer equipment, like my AG-1980, came from my school board's IT department, where I know quite a few of the staff, and where I work part-time doing a number of post-production tasks for special event recordings, setup for special events, and so on. A lot of this equipment is unfortunately going in the trash, and I am trying to get as many units as possible (plus their peripherals- like editing controllers, BNC monitors, and other things like Video Toaster for my Amiga 2000, camcorders, lenses, projectors, etc.). They're free, and most of the units still operate.
Combined with the fact they don't even make blank VHS tape anymore,
Maxell, JVC, TDK and Fuji still make blank VHS tapes, and I believe Sony is still on board. I order both high-grade tapes for my standard VHS camcorder, and Super VHS for my AG-1980 (although these are becoming harder to find as production is rapidly dwindling for these tapes) through various company distributors. My TDK T-120 QHG tape had a copyright date of 2009 on the back, and Maxell recently had a refresh on their tape packaging. Besides, a lot of people (like myself) prefer analogue recording over digital, as it is far more reliable, and easier to use. DVDs, although great for playback, are easily prone to scratches, although I have not yet lost recorded media on a digital disc due to this (probably because I know how to safely store, and protect my discs).
while the same cannot be said for audio cassettes.
There is still a market for audiocassettes, although it is fairly small. I recently purchased a batch of Studio XLII 60s, and standard XLII Maxell tapes about a month ago from my local Pharma Plus, although they are becoming more difficult to track down in retail stores, hence the need to know a few good distributors. And you're right- in the developing world, audiocassettes are the medium for recording storage. A friend of mine from New Delhi told me they still sell TDK MA series tapes, and BASF is still around too, although it is now under the Emtec label.
The bottom line is I don't see magnetic storage completely fading away anytime soon. Although it's not as dominant as it once was, it's still around, and some people still appreciate it.
