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Mac era

1984 – 1997 · 78 devices

Pre-Mac1976–1983Mac era1984–1997iMac era1998–2000iPod era2001–2006iPhone era2007–2019Silicon2020–today

The computer «for the rest of us», the most famous ad in history, and Apple's most turbulent years — between Steve Jobs's departure and his return.

The story

On January 24, 1984, Steve Jobs pulled the Macintosh out of a bag on stage and let it introduce itself, to the strains of Chariots of Fire. It was «the computer for the rest of us»: the first to bring a mouse and graphical interface to the general public, at a price of $2,495.

The launch was preceded by «1984», the spot directed by Ridley Scott and inspired by Orwell, broadcast just once during the Super Bowl. The board of directors hated it; the public immediately made it a landmark.

Difficult years followed. In 1985 Jobs left Apple after a clash at the top; he founded NeXT and acquired Pixar. The company drifted until 1997, when the acquisition of NeXT brought Jobs back and saved the company.

Trivia

An apple to eat
«Macintosh» comes from creator Jef Raskin's favorite apple variety, the McIntosh; the spelling was changed for legal reasons due to the hi-fi company of the same name.
Signatures inside the case
The nearly fifty team members engraved their signatures inside the first Mac's casing: Jobs wanted them to feel like artists, and artists sign their work.
An Oscar-winning director
The «1984» spot was directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner), with a then-enormous budget of $900,000. Extras were paid $25 a day.
Almost called «Bicycle»
Back leading the project, Jobs tried to rename the Macintosh «Bicycle». The team refused and the name didn't change.
39 pages at once
In November 1984 Apple bought all 39 advertising pages of a special issue of Newsweek: it cost more than the Super Bowl spot.

Devices from this period

Apple Lisa 2 Apple IIc Apple Monitor II (A2M2010P) Apple IIGS Macintosh Plus LaserWriter Plus Macintosh Plus Keyboard Macintosh Plus Keyboard Apple Desktop Bus Mouse (G5431) Macintosh II Macintosh II Macintosh Two-Page MonochromeM1025 (Rev. B) + 66 devices
All eras See all 78 devices