Skip to Content

Happy birthday to the Macintosh

by Scott McNulty Jan 24th 2006 at 6:00PM

Apple Matters reminds us that today in 1984 Steve Jobs showed us why 1984 wouldn't be like 1984. That's right friends and neighbors, today the Macintosh were introduced to large theater of people in a rather dramatic fashion (some things don't change).

Low End Mac, the place to find information about older Macs, lists the original Macintosh's stats so you don't have to. $2495 got you System 1.0 running on a blazing 8 MHz CPU.

The computer that got us to where we are today, I say you hoist a beverage of your choice and toast the Macintosh.

Thanks, Patch.

Update: I got my Mac release dates all wrong (well I got one of the two right). The Lisa was released January of 1983, not 1984 as I mistakenly said. I'm right that it was ill fated though, of that I am certain. Thanks to everyone who pointed this out.

View Tags

Related Stories

Categories

Hardware Cult of Mac Apple

Apple Matters reminds us that today in 1984 Steve Jobs showed us why 1984 wouldn't be like 1984. That's right friends and neighbors, today...
 

Add a Comment

Sign in »
*0 / 3000 Character Maximum

8 Comments

Filter by:
Jeff Weitzman

Prior to the Mac's release (and for some time thereafter), you had to use a Lisa to write programs for the Mac. Just another useless factoid to use at Mac geek cocktail parties. :-)

January 25 2006 at 2:39 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Xenedar

If things had worked out differently, we might all be using iLisas, PowerLisas and Lisa minis.

There but for the grace of Gurnenthar...

January 25 2006 at 12:42 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Scott McNulty

Thanks, Jon! I was all giddy from the Pixar news and I created a fantasy Stevenote where he transcended time and space to introduce the Lisa and the Macintosh at the same time.

I have corrected the post.

January 24 2006 at 6:47 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
wheels

Actually it was narco who reminded me.

Fishes narco!

January 24 2006 at 6:44 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Hadley Stern

The Lisa was introduced a year before, almost to the day....you find find the story

January 24 2006 at 6:38 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jon

Sorry Scott -- your facts are wrong. The Lisa was introduced around a year before the Mac.

January 24 2006 at 6:34 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jeff Weitzman

Actually, it shipped with System 1, or more accurately I believe the final shipping version was 1.1g. I actually still have a copy of System 1.0 that was on a beta of Microsoft Basic.

The original Mac was my first Mac, but not nearly my last!

January 24 2006 at 6:12 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Stridey

And here's a link to the original Stevenote announcement, complete with a commercial showing how to use a mouse!

http://www.esm.psu.edu/Faculty/Gray/graphics/movies/1984complete.mov

January 24 2006 at 6:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Buy an ad here

Hot Apps on TUAW

Tweets

© 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.