David Maish | 08.14.16 Essay 03 | Digital Revolution
Professor David Meyers IXDS5403 Media History and Theory MA Interaction Design | Lindsey Wilson College
Apple Macintosh The Macintosh was the first successful mouse-driven computer that used a graphical user interface. It was based on the Motorola 68000 microprocessor and sold for $2,500. The applications that came bundled with the computer included MacPaint, a drawing program that made use of the mouse, and MacWrite, a basic word processing program. The Mac OS desktop let the user communicate with the computer. It used metaphorical icons that consisted of real life items like documents, folders and a trash can. This was a radical new concept compared to that of abstract textual commands.
The Macintosh project started in 1979. From the beginning, it was designed to be a low-cost, easy-to-use computer for the average consumer. But instead of a GUI, it was originally to use a text based user interface that would allow multiple programs to run at the same time. The first Macintosh had an 8 bit Motorola 68000 microprocessor, 64 K of RAM and would support a 384 x 256 pixel black and white display. It was self contained and had QuickDraw picture language capabilities. This was far more than that of other computers of this time. It also had a 9-inch monochrome screen.
The original 1984 Mac OS desktop.
1984 When Steve Jobs introduced the Macintosh computer in 1984, he knew that he wasn’t just introducing a computer. He was introducing a promise to users. Macintosh was Apple. Jobs would do this over and over again for much of the next three decades. Steve Jobs knew that the Macintosh would spring launch the personal computer revolution. He believed that it was the machine that was friendly enough to take home. At the actual product launch, Jobs walked across a dark stage only to stop and pull the Macintosh computer out of a cloth bag. In dramatic fashion, the theme from “Chariots of Fire” began to
play, and the word MACINTOSH scrolled horizontally across the screen. Then underneath it the words insanely great! appeared in elegant script, as if being slowly written by hand. There was a moment of silence in the auditorium. Most folks had never seen, or even imagined something so amazing. He then proceeded to go through displays of different documents, drawings, fonts, charts, a spread sheet and a game of chess. There was even a rendering of Jobs himself with a thought bubble by his head that contained a Macintosh.
“Insanely great”
– Steve Jobs
The early 1980s. 1981 – Apple II has become the world’s most popular computer, and Apple has grown to a 300 million dollar corporation, becoming the fastest growing company in American business history. With over fifty companies vying for a share, IBM enters the personal computer market in November of 1981, with the IBM PC. 1983. Apple and IBM emerge as the industry’s strongest competitors, with each selling approximately one billion dollars worth of personal computers in 1983. The shakeout is in full swing. The first major personal computer firm goes bankrupt, with others teetering on the brink. Total industry losses for 1983 overshadow even the combined profits of Apple and IBM. It is now 1984. It appears that IBM wants it all. Apple is perceived to be the only hope to offer IBM a run for its money. Dealers, after initially welcoming IBM with open arms, now fear an IBM dominated and controlled future and are turning back to Apple as the only force who can ensure their future freedom. IBM wants it all, and is aiming its guns at its last obstacle to industry control, Apple. Will Big Blue dominate the entire computer industry? The entire information age? Was George Orwell right?
Steve Jobs’ speech before the unveiling of the Macintosh Computer in 1984.
Apple introduces the Macintosh with a television commercial that aired during the 1984 Super Bowl. The ad plays on the theme of totalitarianism in George Orwell´s book 1984. It features the destruction of “Big Brother” – a reference to IBM.
Macintosh Models 1980’s Year Launched Model Family Discontinued 1984 January 24 Macintosh 128K Compact September 10, 1984 September 10 Macintosh 512K Compact April 14, 1986 Macintosh 128K (revised) Compact October 1, 1985 1985 January 1 Macintosh XL Compact April 29, 1985 1986 January 16 Macintosh Plus Compact January 1, 1987 April 14 Macintosh 512Ke Compact October 1, 1987 1987 January 1 Macintosh Plus (Platinum) Compact October 15, 1990 February 3 Macintosh SE Compact August 1, 1989 March 2 Macintosh II Mac II January 15, 1990 1988 September 19 Macintosh IIx Mac II October 15, 1990 1989 January 19 Macintosh SE/30 Compact October 21, 1991 March 7 Macintosh IIcx Mac II March 11, 1991 August 1 Macintosh SE FDHD Compact October 15, 1990 September 20 Macintosh IIci Mac II February 20, 1993 Macintosh Portable Portable February 11, 1991
Macintosh Classic
Macintosh SE
Macintosh Plus
Macintosh II
Macintosh Portable
Powerbook 100
Conclusion The Macintosh computer was the beginning of the personal computer revolution for me too. Although I work on both the Mac and PC, I prefer the Mac and its intuitive operating system. My first computer was a Mac Plus. I believe the way Apple made use of the graphical user interface with the first Macintosh Classic and has continued to improve its own GUI as well as other innovative designs has greatly improved the user experience.
Bibliography Isaacson, W. (2014). The Innovators; How a Group of Hackers Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution. New York: Simon & Schuster. http://www.mac-history.net/top/2011-01-24/the-history-of-the-apple-macintosh http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/30-years-mac-timeline-apple-macintosh-1433476 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/24/5340320/the-mac-turns-30-a-visual-history