A History Of Mac Computers

With the Mac 128K, Apple gave consumers and business people the chance to own a low cost personal computer. By today’s standards, the specs were not impressive:

Motorola 8MHz 68000 processor
128KB of RAM
64KB of ROM
2 serial ports
3.5 inch floppy drive
9 inch black and white monitor

Nonetheless, the Mac had advantages over its competitors. The processor was relatively fast, and the 64KB ROM had built-in applications that freed up the 128KB of RAM for other software. In addition, the 3.5 inch floppy discs stored 25% more data than IBM’s 5.25 inch equivalents.

The most significant aspect of the Mac, however, was the graphical user interface (GUI). This gave users screen icons they could open with a mouse. Until this point, most computers had text-based boxes in which users typed commands in order to navigate and manage software.

Another GUI feature the Mac introduced was a menu bar. This had terms now taken for granted such as File, Search, and Format, together with pull-down menus. The future of computing had arrived.

Before the Mac

The Mac 128K was not Apple’s first computer. This distinction went to the Apple I, a personal hand-built computer kit that was actually a motherboard. The kit came without a keyboard, casing or a monitor.

The Apple I appeared in July 1976. In April the following year, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, the founders of Apple, introduced Apple II. Although originally supplied with cassette tape storage, later models had 5.25 inch floppy disc drives. These drives worked well with the colour graphics and high build quality to make the Apple II ideal for business programmes such as the VisiCalc spreadsheet.

Keen to maintain a good relationship with business, Apple went on to release the Apple III in May 1980. The company was now a major force alongside Microsoft and IBM in the field of office computers.





Mac’s arrival

Apple’s computers were proving successful with business people, but the home computing market had yet to develop. In 1978, Apple began to address this by starting work on a machine designed specifically for personal use.

This was the time Apple began to see the possibilities of GUI. Steve Jobs in particular felt this was an area where the company should concentrate its efforts. GUI seemed perfect for the home market because it offered users an attractive and simple working principle.

The first result of Apple’s efforts was the Lisa, released in 1983. Unfortunately, the Lisa was too expensive for the home user market, but it pointed the way forward. The next development was, in fact, quick to come with the arrival of the Mac 128K.

Sales of this first Mac were encouraging. They improved with the availability of peripherals such as an external floppy drive, but what really caught everyone’s attention were Apple’s LaserWriter and PageMaker. The LaserWriter was a laser printer first introduced in January 1985; PageMaker was a desktop publishing programme initially created by Aldus Corporation for Apple. The combination of Mac, LaserWriter and PageMaker soon became the heart of the mid-1980s desktop publishing boom.

Development

Meanwhile, Apple continued developing the Mac. In September 1984, it launched the Mac 512K with four times more RAM than the original model. The new Mac shared many other specs with its predecessor, but newly-released software such as MacDraw, MacProject and Microsoft Excel for Mac extended its capabilities.

Apple also introduced its 20MB HD20 hard drive, and in January 1986 brought out its Mac Plus, a computer that held its own in the market for almost five years. The Mac Plus was notable for its 1MB RAM that users could expand to 4MB. It also featured a small computer system interface (SCSI) port. This gave users the opportunity to attach a wide range of printers, monitors, CD-ROM drives and hard drives.

Despite the popularity of the Mac Plus, Apple continued its push for innovation and released two further Mac models in March 1987 – the Mac SE and the Mac II. The main features of the Mac SE were

an internal hard disc of either 20MB or 40MB
an expansion slot
the Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) for attaching low speed peripherals
an improved SCSI
an internal fan

With the Mac II, Apple used a new design principle: a horizontal desktop case and a separate monitor. The processor was a 16MHz Motorola 68020, and the RAM was 1MB with the potential to expand to 20MB. Above all, the Mac II ran the 2D graphics application, QuickDraw, making the computer highly desirable for media professionals.

The Mac II was an expensive piece of hardware, but Apple redressed the balance in October 1990 with the Mac Classic. This was a personal home computer for a reasonable price, modelled on the style of the Mac 128K. The display was still 9 inches and monochrome, but there was a 40MB hard drive storage option and 1MB of standard RAM (expandable to 4MB). Thanks to its low cost, versatility and reliability, the Mac Classic was popular in both homes and schools.

For those who wanted colour, consumers had an alternative choice in the form of the Mac LC. Apple introduced updated LC models on a regular basis until 1997, although the name changed to Mac Performa from 1992 for the home rather than student models.

Processors

In 1994, Apple stopped using Motorola processors. Instead, the company opted for chips built by AIM, a partnership arrangement between Apple, IBM and Motorola. These processors were successful for 12 years, after which Apple switched again, this time to Intel. As a result, Mac owners can now run Windows XP and Vista on their machines (with the help of Apple’s Boot Camp software).

Professional computing

In 1991, the Mac Quadra computer range replaced the Mac II and gave professional users the best in available power, speed and image capability. Three years later, to match the arrival of the new AIM processors, Apple began the Power Mac range of high end workstations. Power Macs were so popular, they sold more than a million in under a year and lasted until 2006 when the Mac Pro took over.

Portability

Apple was never content to simply develop home-based and business computers. The company always had an eye on producing a machine that was not just easy to use but light to carry. This vision led to the release of Apple’s MacBook Air in January 2008, but long before this, Apple produced the Mac Portable.

1989’s Mac Portable is a long way from the MacBook Air. Nonetheless, it was a serious attempt to produce a battery-powered computer with the power of a desktop. Battery life was a remarkable 12 hours and there were many original features. Critical reception was excellent, but sales failed to match this favourable response.

Despite this, Apple was undeterred and introduced its new laptop range, the PowerBooks, in 1991. PowerBooks set the standard for all other laptops, and over a period of 15 years won numerous awards for design and pioneering features.

1998 – present

Having shown what it was possible to achieve with laptops, Apple further grabbed the attention of the computer world with its 1998 desk-based computers. These were the iMac G3s with their “Bondi Blue” partly transparent casing. Interest was overwhelming, and Apple struggled to meet the demand.

Since then, Apple has maintained its policy of continuous improvement. It has regularly introduced new computer models to suit students, home users, business people and multimedia professionals. As well as the iMac, the Mac Pro and the MacBook Air, there are the MacBook, the MacBook Pro and the Mac Mini.

All of these are the result of years of experience. They are also the product of a commitment to create the ideal computers for every possible need. The loyalty and enthusiasm of Mac owners since 1984 is clear confirmation of Apple’s success.