The Mac Pro is our computing hero.
If you went back in time and told yourself you’d one day have a 12-core Mac Pro with 32GB of RAM and 8TB of storage space, wouldn’t Past You have peed your pants? Here’s to the most upgradable Mac ever -- and a shout-out to its predecessor, the Power Mac G5, still desirable on eBay four years after being discontinued.
Apple's original logo was of Sir Isaac Newton hanging out under an apple tree, reading "Unix for Dummies."
It began with Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree and evolved into the “bitten” rainbow logo that defined Apple until 1998. Now the familiar monochrome Apple logo can be seen illuminated on the hood of MacBook Pros in coffee shops everywhere, and it’s become one of the world’s most iconic logos.
The logo that identified Apple for decades.
4.6 pounds of awesome
It was the last generation of Apple laptops to use the PowerPC G4 processor, and it ushered in the era of aluminum MacBooks. The still-beloved 12-inch PowerBook was the precursor to Apple’s latest lightweight, the 11-inch second-gen MacBook Air, and more importantly, it proved that there’s a market for a compact Apple laptop.
It's hard to imagine life before multitasking. (Photo by Yandle)
System 7 gave birth to several modern-day Mac features. Multitasking, aliases, and opening documents by drag-and-drop were just a few of its innovations. In fact, we still miss the old Apple menu for quickly opening favorite files and applications.
The MagSafe charger might seem like a small feature...until it saves you from wrecking your Mac.
Every time you buy an Apple product, you get more bells and whistles than a marching band. Thoughtful details -- like light-up keyboards, voice control, universal access, the MagSafe adapter, and accelerometers -- come standard and make your gear even easier to love. Plus, with every whiz-bang feature comes a handful of clever uses for it, like your MacBook’s motion sensor locking the hard drive if it’s dropped.
The idea of handling an entire computer in the palm of your hands was truly innovative.
Launched in 2005, the mini’s aimed both at PC switchers who already have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse -- and at anyone else (ooh! ooh! us!) who simply admires its awesomely small form factor. But we’ve also learned to respect its powers as a server or a home-media Mac connected to a TV -- all possible without bruising your bank account.
Doing windows isn't so bad after all.
Apple didn’t invent the graphical user interface, but it certainly perfected it -- so much so that Microsoft has spent the last 25 years playing catch-up. Apple started using a GUI with the Lisa in 1983, and those concepts have been honed into the OS X that we know today.
Two of the early touchscreens developed in the 1970s by CERN for use in the control room of the Super Proton Synchrotron. No, we’re not making that up! (Photo by Maximilien Brice)
Like the GUI, touchscreens were around before Apple was, and other companies used them extensively before Apple did, but the iPhone’s touchscreen expanded our conception of what a touch-based interface could do -- and why it was so cool. Now we swipe and pinch-zoom on a multitude of devices, but by making a touchscreen so central to the iPhone, Apple started something important and big.
Hello, world! (Photo by Sebastian Reichert for www.koeln.de)
Apple’s cofounder was almost one spot higher on our list, but then we realized Steve Wozniak would want AppleScript and Automator to go first (see #21). That’s just the kind of stand-up, big-hearted, Segway-riding Nerd King he is. We love you, Woz.
The other thing we love about the Automator is its adorable icon.
Remember BASIC, the simple programming language taught to 8-year-olds in the 1980s? Okay, that went nowhere, but luckily, Automator and AppleScript are nearly as easy to learn and infinitely more useful. Cheers to Apple for including the building blocks to becoming a power user with every Mac.
iHarrison
June 21, 2011 at 4:56pm
A point related to the community aspect of Apple; In spite of the stereotypes I hear from PC-devotee friends, of Apple users being pretentious & arrogant, I've never experienced that myself. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Despite being mainly a PC user myself (due to a mix of finances, habit, and work-based necessity) I try to be a jack of all systems & still know more about Macs than many of my Mac-using friends! When my Mac friends have a problem with their computer they will immediately ask for assistance without any awkwardness.
My PC friends, on the other hand, will always keep themselves to themselves & try to fix their own machines, no matter how little idea they may have what's wrong! This difference in attitude seems to be a product of the Mac ethos of "It just works".
When a PC user's computer goes wrong they're too proud to seek help, when a Mac user's computer goes wrong their attitude is one of "Let's just get it working again ASAP"!
I must admit to finding the humbleness of Mac people quite refreshing compared to the pretentiousness of PC people!
.Cy4N1d3.
April 13, 2011 at 11:39am
I think you guys are wrong. You said the price of Mac OS X Snow Leopard was $29...
But here is what is on Apples site about upgrading from Tiger.
Mac OS X v10.4 (Tiger): Upgrade by purchasing the Mac Box Set, which includes Snow Leopard, iLife ’11, and iWork, for just $129.
Wirehedd
June 23, 2011 at 6:56pm
It's an option, not a requirement. You can purchase the OS without iLife or iWork as well.
...and it's $29
jenkinsle
April 11, 2011 at 11:49pm
I keep getting the spam filter message. I was getting the access denied message when I tried to edit my account for a new password. But finally got that changed.
RayCon
April 11, 2011 at 5:56pm
That was the best read I've had in months. For a Mac old-timer, your journey through Macdom brought tears (literally) to my eyes, and your #1 Apple Community just did me in.
RayCon
April 11, 2011 at 5:20pm
Anyone ever notice the guy on the screen is the 1984 commercial is wearing two pairs of glasses?
malber
April 11, 2011 at 4:05pm
The sad fact is that after Apple has your money and your Apple branded product is paid for, Apple could care less a out you as a customer. That is, until they try to sell you their next product. Apple does next to nothing to foster customer retention. Why should they have to? They're confident that their loyal base will sucker up for any overpriced gadget they excrete.
pjbfny
March 20, 2012 at 3:23pm
I agree with the other two. One of the things I love MOST about Apple is its customer care. I've had techs talk me through a printer setup; stay on the line with me for over an hour as we tried to figure out what was wrong with my computer; a Genius put a slot drive replacement through as an unknown system failure, even though I'd admitted that a tiny piece of foil got into it (making it user caused) and saving me a crapton of money; and best of all, they've always levelled with me.
I know that when I buy an Apple product, I'm paying for quality--not just product quality, but support quality.
DJR12
April 11, 2011 at 5:36pm
I have to agree with RayCon. Although I have *expected* many times to have Apple shoot me down or be a typical company trying to skate by and not live up to their warranties they have always come through. They've replaced iPods, repaired screens, etc., etc. There's a reason their customer service always gets high marks. It's not perfect, but it's better than almost everyone else.
RayCon
April 11, 2011 at 4:31pm
Apparently, you've never visited an Apple Store or spoke to one of the knowledgeable gurus at the Genius Bar. You'd "think different" then. In all my years with Apple (since 1989), their customer support has been nothing short of stellar.
.Cy4N1d3.
April 13, 2011 at 11:42am
Ya, the good old genius bar. If you have a warranty, great.
If you don't, then you will be encouraged to buy a new product. All because Apple doesn't know how to design a product that can be fixed by ordering replacement parts.
Honestly, try to get your "genius" to replace or repair the hard drive in your first gen Macbook Air. They simply will not do it.
ohiodemon
April 11, 2011 at 12:36pm
I find it a bit funny that when I click that link I get "Access denied." Are the reasons that secret?
macbookpro220
April 11, 2011 at 12:31pm
Nice Job Guys (and Gals) :-) Great article. All very true and inspiring. Especially the last part about the community. My PC friends would laugh but it's true. We Apple people are a community.
