The Macintosh Turns 30 Years Old Today!!!!!

Can you believe it’s been 30 years since the Macintosh 128 was first released? Time sure flies. It’s amazing to think that a 30 year-old computer could leave a legacy that’s felt even to this day. Especially since it almost didn’t make it. Every modern computer, whether it be laptop, desktop, tablet, smartphone, or otherwise, owes something to the original Mac.

To celebrate this event, here are some Mac 128K-related trappings that I have discovered over the years.

Macintosh 128K overviews/reviews:

The original “1984” Superbowl ad:

Steve Jobs introducing the Mac:

One of the original Macintosh developers, Andy Hertzfeld, runs a website about the development of the original Macintosh. http://www.folklore.org/

He also compiled a book based on the website: Revolution in the Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made. I’d highly recommend you read this book, as it provides insight into how this computer came to be.

Of course, all of the Steve Jobs biographies have some chapters dedicated to the development of the original Macintosh.

Here are some interesting articles about the Macintosh 128:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2429830,00.asp

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/10592073/In-pictures-The-30th-Anniversary-of-Apple-Macintosh-computers.html?frame=2797650

I think that should do.

Even if you’re not an Apple fan, there’s no denying the significance of this machine. Happy anniversary Macintosh 128K! Here’s to many more memories to come.

Have a story to share of the 128? Be sure to leave it in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Remembering Steve Jobs

It’s been one year since the untimely passing of Steve Jobs. I have thought long and hard about how I will remember Steve Jobs, and I think that the best to do this is to remember the products he envisioned.

In my opinion, the two most important products that Apple has ever made are the Apple ][ and the first Macintosh (also known as the Macintosh 128K).

Why these two computers? Well, because the Apple ][ is the computer that made computer accessible to use for everyone. It could fit on your desk, and was affordable. It may have not been easy to use (there was no graphical interface in the first couple of iterations of the Apple ][, only text), but it was powerful. A lot of people bought an Apple ][ back in the day, and there was no shortage of software that was developed. Not to mention that VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet for a personal computer showed businesses the potential for computers as effective business tools. The Apple ][ was so popular that when Apple tried to replace it with the Apple III, it flopped. Nobody bought the Apple III, but everyone continued to buy and write software for the Apple ][. Without Steve Jobs, it’s doubtful that the Apple ][ would have ever reached its full potential. Even so, the Apple ][ wasn’t conceived from the ground-up by Steve Jobs alone, it was more Steve Wozniak’s (the other co-founder of Apple) project. The Macintosh, however, was conceived by Jobs himself.

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