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Originally launched with a George Orwell-inspired, Ridley Scott directed commercial during Super Bowl XVIII in 1984, Macintosh computers were first introduced to the world as the future of personal computers.

Funded and run by Apple Inc., Macs have undergone many changes throughout the years and are today one of the most popular forms of computers in the world. Original Macs came with two programs, MacWrite and MacPaint, which were tools that allowed users to type and paint on their computers. Soon after launching, Mac’s were the first computers to introduce Desktop Publishing which allowed users to create their own text and image layouts and print them from their computers. This became possible through the introduction of the MacPublisher and Aldus PageMaker programs as well as Apple’s LaserWriter printer, which was one of the first laser printers for home use. Microsoft and IBM eventually added the Desktop Publishing function to their line of computers, however ever since then Mac’s have become known for their graphic capabilities and are now a major tool used by graphic designers.

It is interesting to note that the first Mac computer model, named the Macintosh 128K, cost US$2,495 at the time, which after inflation is the equivalent of $5,000 USD in today’s market. The second line of Mac computers was the Macintosh Plus which greatly improved on the limitations of the 128K, and ended up being the Mac computer that was in production for the longest time, just over 6 years.

The popularity of Macs are often attributed to CEO Steve Jobs, a charismatic individual who was named as Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Businessman of 2007. Jobs originally helped start Apple in the mid-80s, however soon after that he left the company to pursue other opportunities. Returning almost 10 years later after his NeXT computer platform company was bought out by Apple, Jobs was named CEO and has been instrumental in the success of Macs over the last 13 years.

Throughout most of the 1990s Macintosh computers were constantly evolving. Due to the popularity of Bill Gates’ Microsoft company, particularly Windows 95, the Mac always seemed to live in the shadow of the Microsoft Monopoly.

It was not until 1998 that Apple began to make it’s mark as the first iMacs were introduced to the world. From there on their popularity skyrocketed as many consumers welcomed an alternative to Microsoft Windows as Macs were aimed more at the casual computer user with it’s low maintenance, easy-to-use interface, and sleek design. The first iMacs sold an impressive 800,000 units in a little over 4 months in 1998, earning the company a yearly profit of $309 million, their best sales in years.

In the years following Apple introduced laptops (iBook and Powerbook), as well cheaper alternatives to the iMac such as the eMac and the Power Mac Cube. In 2000 Apple first introduced the OS X operating system, which has been a Mac staple ever since. This is the first time that Macs offered an operating system that rivaled Windows. With the introduction of the wildly successful iPods and iTunes in 2001, Apple solidified it’s popularity and continues to grow in size and popularity to this day.

About the Author:

Dave Stuart is a keen writer and enjoys writing about a wide variaty of topics, but has a special passion for witing articles and blog posts in the information technology arena.

For a living, Dave runs a fast fold projection screen design service for a well known manufacturer. The fast fold projection screen is growing in demand at present, especially in Schools and universitys. Please visit http://fastfoldprojectionscreen.net for futher information on this topic.

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