Celebrating The 30th Anniversary Of The Mac

Celebrating The 30th Anniversary Of The Mac

When I was 17 years old, in 1984, I purchased the original Mac the first day it was available on January 24, 1984. At the time there was nothing like it. Kind of like the first iPhone or iPad. I first learned about the Mac from an Apple employee many months before it was originally announced. I was skiing up at Squaw Valley, and one night I was talking with a Apple employee, and I mentioned how I couldn't understand the lack of innovation at Apple. 

He said, just wait, and soon Apple with introduce an all new computer that will change the world. I asked him for details and he told me the new Apple would have this really cool pointing device named a "Mouse" and that it was so small, it was transportable, meaning you could easily pick it up by its handle and move it to another room. 

Here is the video of Steve Jobs introducing the Mac in late 1983:

After learning about the new Apple Mac introduction, I went to Compuland in Mill Valley and pre-ordered the new Mac. I paid $2500 for the Mac, and I also ordered an Apple dot matrix printer to go with it, which I believe cost an additional $595. 

Thirty years ago today, I cut 5th period at Redwood High School, and drove to Compuland in Mill Valley, and waited for the UPS driver to show-up with my Mac. I remember bringing it home to our place in Sausalito, California and unboxing it. I set it up, and started rocking out with MacPaint, which was like a black and white Photoshop. Just to be crystal-clear, I was one of the first people on earth outside of Apple to get a hold of a Mac, on January 24, 1984.  Today it is common for people to wait in line, sometimes for days, before a product launch, to ensure they are some of the first on earth to experience the new Apple tech. In 1984, this was not the case. It was for me, but I was a bizarre exception to what know is the rule.

How do you explain the fact that today, people get so excited about new Apple tech, and in 1984 they did not, nearly as much? Because 1984 was the beginning of these machines that would allow people to dream with their eyes open. I believe Mac's and iPads and iPhones are more popular today than ever, because mankind is now addicted to growing intellectually, and these new tools allow just that. In other words, with these new tools you can answer any question almost instantly. Just for frame of reference, I remember a time, less than 20 years ago, where it was typical for me to come up with a question about the world, and often times it would go unanswered for months. Today, with an iPhone and Google, I can typically separate the fact from the fiction in a matter of minutes if not seconds.

It is amazing how far Apple and Mac's have come since then. It is especially incredible to consider how much more powerful a current iPhone 5s or iPad is compared to the original Mac. I hope to be around 20 year from today, and 30 years from today to celebrate the 50th and 60th anniversary of the Mac, and I can only imagine what they will be like.

The original Apple Computer commercial originally aired on Superbowl Sunday on January 22, 1984. The Eighties were a great time!

Here's To The Crazy Ones

With Steve Jobs Narrating

Here is a rare video of The Original 1997 Apple Think Different Video, but with Steve Jobs narrating.

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify them. But the one thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do." –Apple