![]() ![]() The same things Apple cared about then - approachability, integration of software and hardware, a willingness to do fewer things but do them better - it cares about today. Philosophically, aesthetically and spiritually, though, they’re very much descendants of the original 1984 Mac. Technically, the Macs of today are actually based on operating-system software that originated with the computers made by NeXT, the company Steve Jobs founded after being ousted from Apple in 1985 and then sold to it in 1996. That the Mac has not only survived but thrived is astonishing. Even IBM, personified as the evil Big Brother-like overlord in the Mac’s legendary “1984” commercial, bailed on the PC industry in 2004. Other than Apple itself, the leading computer companies of 1984 included names such as Atari, Commodore, Compaq, Kaypro and Radio Shack - all of which have since either left the PC business or vanished altogether. In other categories of products, something being around for decades, continuing to evolve and maintaining its popularity isn’t all that unusual: Consider, for instance, the Toyota Corolla, which has been with us since 1966.īut the Mac is the only personal computer with a 30-year history. ( PHOTOS: Macintosh at 30: Apple’s Computer Evolution)īut as I think about the anniversary, I’m at least as impressed by two other facts about the Mac:Ģ) More important, it’s mattered for 30 years As the computer turns 30, it’s tempting to celebrate simply by remembering how profoundly its debut changed personal computing. Here’s a video of the entire event, complete with an introduction by then-CEO John Sculley apologizing to the shareholders who were stuck outside:ĭrawing heavily on inspiration from Xerox’s PARC lab and other research that came before it, as well as Apple’s own Lisa - but adding plenty of its own innovations - the Mac was the first successful computer with a graphical user interface, a mouse and the ability to show you what a printed document would look like before you printed it. On January 24, 1984, at the Flint Center on De Anza College’s campus in Cupertino, California, Apple formally announced the Macintosh at its shareholder meeting, in front an audience so packed that large numbers of people who owned Apple stock couldn’t get in at all. A natty Steve Jobs poses with a room full of Macs in 1984. ![]()
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