40 years ago Apple introduced the Mac which changed everything for the company. The Mac has gone on a remarkable journey over its four decades of service in the field.
Apple successfully opened a new age of innovation and excellence when the Mac was launched. Over the years, the company also established a dedicated user community which helped to retain its popularity even today.
Its popularity is a combination of innovation and seamless integration into the Apple ecosystem. Regardless of its expensive price tag, customers will always save up to upgrade their Macs due to its well-known reputation.
Here are some of the key milestones of Mac for the past 40 years:
Read Also: Apple's iPhone Popularity Through the Years, Explained
Birth of Macintosh
On January 24, 1984, Steve Jobs introduced Macintosh to the public for the first time. The idea was to provide an affordable and user-friendly personal computer. Back then it was only equipped with two applications: MacWrite and MacPaint.
At the time it was a big innovation and revelation to the consumers despite only having a graphical user interface and a mouse. The early Macs were so popular in the creative industry due to their advanced graphic capabilities.
Rivalry with Microsoft Windows
The 90s sparked the intense rivalry between Apple Mac and Microsoft Windows-based PCs. During this period, the company faced financial difficulties due to the declining market share. Windows also got its own popularity at the time.
Despite the challenges, Apple released the Power Macintosh series which lasted over a decade. Meanwhile, the Macintosh Performa only lasted until 1997.
Apple Turned Tables With Mac OS X
From 2000 to 2010, Apple started to grow in the market by introducing sleek designs and adopting Intel processors. iMac, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air became widely popular with the consumers.
Aside from these, Apple also experienced success on its other devices such as the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. This was only the start of a turning point for the company.
Continuous Upgrades to MacBook, iMac
For the next decade, Apple will continuously improve the iMac and MacBook lineup with various changes. For instance, the MacBook Air was fully promoted for people who want an effective yet easy-to-transport laptop.
Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro is advertised for heavy workloads such as editing and other advanced creative capabilities. As for the iMac, it is widely used for offices and organizations that are in the Apple ecosystem.
Intel to Apple Silicon
Apple started to utilize Intel processors in 2006 and after over a decade of partnership, the company decided to produce its own custom-designed Apple Silicon chips in 2020.
The MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini were the first Macs to be powered by the Apple Silicon. It started with M1 which led to M2. Currently, Apple has already unveiled the M3 family chip which includes M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max.
The current reception to the M-chip series has been so far good and positive. Apple has proven that it is more efficient for the company's devices to use a custom-designed chip rather than outsourcing it.
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