APPLE and THE MACINTOSH

January 24, 1984.... a momentus date in computer history. It was when Apple first released the Macintosh. It was the first computer to use a mouse and also used pixels which made graphics easier to plot on the screen. A predescesor to their previous years LISA, a $10,000 dollar business computer that did not catch on to the public. Although one could still buy the Apple II, TRS-80, Commodore, and CP/M computer's they were strictly using a processing format called DOS.

January 16, 1986 - The Macintosh Plus came to the market with a whole 1 MB of storage that could be expanded to 4 MB. The keyboard was also upgraded with arrow keys and and the number pad. There were more available ports so printers, scanners, hard drives, etc. could be plugged in simultaniously.

March 1987- This was a HUGE month for apple and a breeding ground for new ideas and imporvments on their already popular MAC. The Macintosh SE was introduced in 87'. It was greatly improved and completly restyled because the SCSI hard drive was inside the computer case and this allowed for better ventilation. In addition, it could transfer data 2 and a half times faster than the plus which was a huge leap.


MAC SE ^

1988 - the Laserwriter II family of printers were released. this yr was not a big expansion yr for Apple but many different companies were developing their products and a sense of competition and speed of who could apply the newest techonolgy.


1989 - The Macintosh SE/30 >
NEW monitor could show a full page at once or 2 pages side by side.
Macintosh Portable was also introduced in this yr. This piece of hardware weighed 16 pounds, had a battery life of 5-10 hours, Used an active matrix screen whaich was the clearest on the market at the time.

1992 - created a brand within the company called Performa to try and corner the consumer market of personal computers. The top of the line, Performa 600 was the first to come with an internal CD-ROM drive. Though it was not updated to its full potential concerning its speed.

1998 - THE iMAC!!!!! The succsessor to all the previous MACS from the yrs 1984 to 1998. The iMac was an all in one machine and had no spearate monitor and one did not have to deal with a jumble of power cords.



COMMENTS - It is funny to see all these pictures of the old macs becuase my elementry school had an entire lab full of Macs. This is where I learned what the World Wide Web actually was and also where i drew my first computer graphics and printed them. In addition i was amazed to see how Macs were developed over the years. When i thought of PC i thought of a DELL with Microsoft. Macs dont get enough credit. I am actually planning to get a mac soon because they are top of the line for music recording and that is what i am majoring in.

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In my opinion, Macs are used by so few poeple because they are so different in every aspect. Microsoft and Apple use and not untill recently were not compatable with eachother in many areas. Therefore, a consumer would have to make a choice between one or the other. In addition, Windows and Bill Gates cornered the market with great advertising and new and exciting technology.

As far as today goes concerning MACs, I feel they are becoming more previlent and mainstreem. They are completly reliable, they rarly ever get virus's, their high performance and sleek style make them very appealing, not to mention they have a whole new line of comercials on TV.


THE I POD - I can honestly say that the I pod is one of the best uses of modern technology. Even if we never need to have room for 20,000 songs, its nice to know we could fit them. I dont go anywhere with out it and if do I feel like somthings missing. As weird as that sounds i think alot of poeple now have that attatchment to it and with the new I Pod cellphone apple will do very very well in the high tech market!