Apple Celebrates 30-Year Anniversary Of The Mac
It was 30 years ago that Apple brought forth the Macintosh, a personal computer with a great GUI and all sorts of capabilities foreign to most users. Apple debuted that iconic “1984” ad in the Super Bowl that year, and the company has been innovating and producing new machines since then, most of which have been compelling.
Apple set up a few pages to commemorate the anniversary, and unless you’re a real Apple hater, pop over and browse through it. There are images of Apple computers through the years, a lot of history, examples of what creative and smart people have done with Macs, and a timeline that shows what people have used their Macs for the most over the years.
For instance, in 1984 education/teaching and desktop publishing were the most-used applications for the Mac; in 2013, it’s Internet and email that dominate Mac usage.
Apple tends to be a little ostentatious and self-congratulatory--let us never forget how “magical and revolutionary” the iPad was--and this anniversary site certainly has a bit of that sense to it. There were, after all, other players in the computing world, so Apple can’t take all the credit for innovating the use of computers for art, education, entertainment, business, et al.
Still, Apple innovated with its Macs over the decades, and it’s important to see that, from that original Macintosh to the exciting Mac Pro (that some people think is just a fancy trash can).
Many of us have had vital experiences with Macs. For me, it was being given free reign to use a lab of Macs, keyboards, and powerful new software to learn to compose music in college, and then eventually being the kid with the keys to the room.
What’s perhaps most notable about the 30th anniversary of the Mac is how far personal computing has come in that time. 1984 wasn’t that long ago, and the distance computing has come since then is staggering.
Apple set up a few pages to commemorate the anniversary, and unless you’re a real Apple hater, pop over and browse through it. There are images of Apple computers through the years, a lot of history, examples of what creative and smart people have done with Macs, and a timeline that shows what people have used their Macs for the most over the years.
For instance, in 1984 education/teaching and desktop publishing were the most-used applications for the Mac; in 2013, it’s Internet and email that dominate Mac usage.
Apple tends to be a little ostentatious and self-congratulatory--let us never forget how “magical and revolutionary” the iPad was--and this anniversary site certainly has a bit of that sense to it. There were, after all, other players in the computing world, so Apple can’t take all the credit for innovating the use of computers for art, education, entertainment, business, et al.
Still, Apple innovated with its Macs over the decades, and it’s important to see that, from that original Macintosh to the exciting Mac Pro (that some people think is just a fancy trash can).
Many of us have had vital experiences with Macs. For me, it was being given free reign to use a lab of Macs, keyboards, and powerful new software to learn to compose music in college, and then eventually being the kid with the keys to the room.
What’s perhaps most notable about the 30th anniversary of the Mac is how far personal computing has come in that time. 1984 wasn’t that long ago, and the distance computing has come since then is staggering.
