[Op/Ed.] MAC EVOLUTION/REVOLUTION: Part 1 - It's Getting Better All The Time...

It is interesting to look back and see the evolution of Apple and Mac over the years. Far too many people come into the offices here at YourMacStore and marvel at the history of Apple products we have in our display area. Some have never even heard of the Apple II, or the Lisa 2, or even have seen the first Macintosh portable (it’s 15.8 pounds!). It goes to show that for those of us who have been a part of the computer revolution since it’s early days in the late ‘70s that we have seen so many changes in how computers act, what they do, how they are used, and how they look…and in reality, Apple’s products really have shown the most dramatic (and possibly with the most showmanship) changes.

Look back at those early cases…the Lisa…the first computer with a graphical user interface built in. The Apple IIc with the tiny body (and built in handle) that was maybe 1/3 of the weight of the Apple II. Younger people today who weren’t very old or even around when these things came into being really can’t appreciate the revolution behind them. I remember helping my mother bring home her PC from work so she could do work on the weekends back in the mid 1980s…it was a 50 pound beastie, and that was just the computer, the monitor was a whole other deal! Apple pushed and pushed to make computers more accessible to the average person, and really did a good job of making items smaller, simpler, and more useful to the average person. Computers came out of the workplace and into classrooms and homes because of their ability to think and produce what anyone could use.

Macworld listed it’s top 30 innovative Mac products, and at the top of the list was the Macintosh 128K…blocky mouse and all. I remember when these and the later models began to hit the schools I was going to, and how educators were singing the praise of Apple for making these computers available for practically a song and a dance. Not only was it good PR, but darn good marketing…those kids who used them in junior high and high school…they used them in college…and beyond. While they weren’t the first to try and tackle “cradle to grave” marketing…they have done a good job of it over the years.


-Mike Leader