.jpg) All-in-one computer, which includes a display screen and floppy drive, alongside an external keyboard and mouse | |
| Also known as | Macintosh |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer, Inc. |
| Product family | Compact Macintosh |
| Type | All-in-one |
| Released | January 24, 1984; 42 years ago (1984-01-24)[1][2] |
| Introductory price | US$2,495 (equivalent to $7,600 in 2024) |
| Discontinued | October 1, 1985 (1985-10-01)[3] |
| Units sold | 500,000 and over[citation needed] |
| Units shipped | 250,000 and over[citation needed] |
| Operating system | System Software 1.0[4] |
| CPU | Motorola 68000 @ 7.8336MHz (6 MHz effectively)[5] |
| Memory | 128KB RAM |
| Removable storage | 3+1⁄2 inch (9 cm)floppy disk |
| Display | 9 in (23 cm) monochrome, 512 × 342 |
| Dimensions | Height: 13.6 in (35 cm) Width: 9.6 in (24 cm) Depth: 10.9 in (28 cm) |
| Weight | 16.5 lb (7.5 kg) |
| Successor | Macintosh 512K |
| Website | www |
| Language | MacBASIC, MacPascal and the Macintosh 68000 Development System. |
TheMacintosh, later rebranded as theMacintosh 128K, is the originalMacintoshpersonal computer fromApple. It is the first successful mass-marketall-in-one desktop personal computer with agraphical user interface, built-in screen andmouse. It was pivotal in establishingdesktop publishing as a general office function. The motherboard, a 9 in (23 cm)CRTmonochrome monitor, and a floppy drive are in a beige case with an integrated carrying handle; it has a keyboard and single-button mouse.
The Macintosh was introduced by a television commercial titled "1984" duringSuper Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984,[6] directed byRidley Scott. Sales were strong at its initial release on January 24, 1984, atUS$2,495 (equivalent to $7,600 in 2024), and reached 70,000 units on May 3, 1984.[7] Upon the release of its successor, theMacintosh 512K, it was rebranded as the Macintosh 128K. The computer's model number is M0001.[8]
In 1978, Apple began to organize theLisa project, to build a next-generation machine similar to an advancedApple II or the yet-to-be-introducedIBM PC. In 1979, Apple co-founderSteve Jobs learned of the advanced work ongraphical user interfaces (GUI) taking place atXerox PARC. He arranged for Apple engineers to be allowed to visit PARC to see the systems in action.[9] The Lisa was immediately redirected to use a GUI, which at that time was well beyond thestate of the art formicroprocessor abilities; theXerox Alto has a custom processor spanning severalcircuit boards in a case the size of a small refrigerator. Things had changed dramatically with the introduction of the 16/32-bitMotorola 68k in 1979, with at least anorder of magnitude better performance than existing designs, making a software GUI machine a practical possibility. The basic layout of the Lisa was largely complete by 1982, at which point Jobs's continual suggestions for improvements led to him being kicked off the project.[10]
At the same time that the Lisa was becoming a GUI machine in 1979,Jef Raskin began the Macintosh project. The design at that time was for a low-cost, easy-to-use machine for the average consumer. Instead of a GUI, it intended to use atext-based user interface that allowed multitasking, and special command keys on thekeyboard that accessed standardized commands in the programs.[11] Bud Tribble, a member of the Macintosh team, askedBurrell Smith to integrate the Apple Lisa's 68k microprocessor into the Macintosh so that it could run graphical programs.[12] By December 1980, Smith had succeeded in designing aboard that integrated an 8 MHz Motorola 68k. Smith's design used lessRAM than the Lisa, which made producing the board significantly more cost-efficient. The final Mac design was self-contained and had the completeQuickDraw picture language and interpreter in 64 KB ofROM – far more than most other computers which typically had around 4 to 8 KB of ROM; it had 128 kB of RAM, in the form of sixteen 64-kilobit (kb) RAM modulessoldered to thelogic board.[12] The final product's screen was a 9-inch (23 cm), 512×342 pixelmonochrome display.[12]
Smith's innovative design, combining the low production cost of anApple II with the computing power of Lisa's Motorola 68k CPU, began to receive Jobs's attentions.[13] Jobs took over the Macintosh project after deciding that the Macintosh was more marketable than the Lisa,[14] which led former project leader Raskin to leave the team in 1981. Apple co-founderSteve Wozniak, who had been leading the project with Raskin, was on temporary leave from the company at this time due to an airplane crash he had experienced earlier that year, making it easier for Jobs to take over the program.[15] After development had completed, team member and engineerAndy Hertzfeld said that the final Macintosh design is closer to Jobs's ideas than Raskin's.[16]InfoWorld in September 1981 reported on the existence of the secret Lisa and "McIntosh" projects at Apple.
In 1982,Regis McKenna was brought in to shape the marketing and launch of the Macintosh.[17] Later the Regis McKenna team grew to include Jane Anderson, Katie Cadigan andAndy Cunningham,[18] who eventually led the Apple account for the agency.[19] Cunningham and Anderson were the primary authors of the Macintosh launch plan.[20][21][22] The launch of the Macintosh pioneered many different tactics that are used today in launching technology products, including the "multiple exclusive," event marketing (credited to John Sculley, who brought the concept over from Pepsi), creating a mystique about a product and giving an inside look into a product's creation.[23]
After the Lisa's announcement,John Dvorak discussed rumors of a mysterious "MacIntosh" project at Apple in February 1983.[24] The company announced the Macintosh 128K—manufactured at an Apple factory inFremont, California—in October 1983, followed by an 18-page brochure included with various magazines in December.[25][26] The Macintosh was introduced by a US$1.5 millionRidley Scott television commercial, "1984".[27]: 113 It aired during the third quarter ofSuper Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984, and is now considered a "watershed event"[28] and a "masterpiece".[29] McKenna called the ad "more successful than the Mac itself."[30] "1984" used an unnamed heroine to represent the coming of the Macintosh (indicated by aPicasso-style picture of the computer on her whitetank top) as a means of saving humanity from the "conformity" of IBM's attempts to dominate the computer industry. The adalludes toGeorge Orwell's novelNineteen Eighty-Four which described adystopian future ruled by a televised "Big Brother."[31][32]
Two days after "1984" aired, the Macintosh went on sale, and came bundled with two applications designed to show off its interface:MacWrite andMacPaint. The Macintosh was the first successful mass-marketall-in-one desktop personal computer with a graphical user interface, built-in screen, and mouse.[33] It was first demonstrated by Steve Jobs in the first of his famous Mac keynote speeches, and though the Mac garnered an immediate, enthusiastic following, some labelled it a mere "toy".[34] Apple sold it alongside its popularApple II line until the others were discontinued in the 1990s. Because the operating system was designed largely for the GUI, existing text-mode andcommand-driven applications had to be redesigned and the programming code rewritten. This was a time-consuming task that manysoftware developers chose not to undertake, and could be regarded as a reason for an initial lack of software for the new system. In April 1984,Microsoft'sMultiplan migrated over fromMS-DOS, withMicrosoft Word following in January 1985.[35] In return for Microsoft's commitment to Macintosh, Apple agreed to not providesoftware development kits and prototype computers to companies with applications competing with Microsoft's.[36] Apple introduced theMacintosh Office concept the same year with the"Lemmings" ad; infamous for insulting its own potential customers, the ad was not successful.[37]
Apple spent $2.5 million purchasing all 39 advertising pages in a special, post-election issue ofNewsweek,[38] and ran a "Test Drive a Macintosh" promotion, in which potential buyers with a credit card could take home a Macintosh for 24 hours and return it to a dealer afterwards. While 200,000 people participated, dealers disliked the promotion, the supply of computers was insufficient for demand, and many were returned in such a bad condition that they could no longer be sold.[39][37] The computer sold well, nonetheless, reportedly outselling theIBM PCjr which also began shipping early that year; one dealer reported a backlog of more than 600 orders.[40][41] By April 1984 the company sold 50,000 Macintoshes, and hoped for 70,000 by early May and almost 250,000 by the end of the year.[42]
The heart of the computer is aMotorola 68000microprocessor running at7.8336 MHz, connected to 128 KBRAM shared by the processor and the display controller. The boot procedure and some operating system routines are contained in a 64 KBROM chip. Apple did not offer RAM upgrades. Unlike the Apple II, no source code listings of the Macintosh system ROMs were offered.
The RAM in the Macintosh consists of sixteen 64k×1DRAMs. The 68000 and video controller take turns accessing DRAM every four CPU cycles during display of the frame buffer, while the 68000 has unrestricted access to DRAM during vertical and horizontal blanking intervals. Such an arrangement reduces the overall CPU performance as much as 35% for most code as the display logic often blocks the CPU's access to RAM. Despite the nominally high clock rate, this causes the computer to run slower than several of its competitors and results in an effective clock rate of 6 MHz.[5]
The built-in display is a one-bit per pixel,black-and-white, 9 in (23 cm)CRT with a fixed resolution of 512 × 342pixels, using the Apple standard of 72ppi (pixels per inch).[43] Expansion and networking are achieved using two non-standardDE-9 serial ports named "Printer" and "Modem" that support theRS-422 standard, but do not support hardwarehandshaking. An externalfloppy disk drive can be added using a proprietary connector (19-pinD-sub).
The keyboard used a simple proprietary protocol, allowing some third-party upgrades. The mouse used standard quadrature signals for X and Y, and the single mouse button used a single wire (all signals were compatible with TTL and referenced to ground). The originalkeyboard had noarrow keys, numeric keypad orfunction keys. This was an intentional decision by Apple, as these keys were common on older platforms and it was thought that the addition of these keys would encourage software developers to simplyport their existing applications to the Mac, rather than design new ones around the GUI paradigm.[44] Later, Apple made anumeric keypad available for the Macintosh 128K. Thekeyboard sold with the newerMacintosh Plus model included the numeric keypad and arrow keys, but still no function keys. Function keys eventually appeared in 1987 with the Extended Keyboard available for theMacintosh II andMacintosh SE. As with theApple Lisa before it, themouse has a single button.
Standard headphones can be connected to amonaural jack on the back of the computer. Apple also offered their 300 and 1200 baud modems originally released for theApple II line. Initially, the only printer available was the AppleImageWriter, a dot matrix printer which was designed to produce 144 dpiWYSIWYG output from the Mac's 72 dpi screen. Eventually, theLaserWriter and other printers were capable of being connected usingAppleTalk, Apple's built-in networking system.
The Macintosh contained a single 400 KB, single-sided3+1⁄2-inchfloppy disk drive, with no option to add any further internal storage, like a hard drive or additional floppy disk drive. Thesystem software was disk-based from the beginning, as RAM had to be conserved, but this "Startup Disk" could still be temporarily ejected. (Ejecting the root filesystem remained an unusual feature of theclassic Mac OS untilSystem 7.) One floppy disk was sufficient to store the System Software, an application and the data files created with the application.
The 400 KB drive capacity was larger than thePC XT's 360 KB 5.25-inch drive. However, more sophisticated work environments of the time required separate disks for documents and the system installation. Due to the memory constraints (128 KB) of the original Macintosh, and the fact that the floppies could hold only 400 KB, users had to frequently swap disks in and out of the floppy drive, which caused external floppy drives to be utilized more frequently. TheMacintosh External Disk Drive (mechanically identical to the internal one, piggybacking on the same controller) was a popular add-on that costUS$495 (equivalent to $1,500 in 2024).
Third-partyhard drives were considerably more expensive and usually connected to the slowerserial port (as specified by Apple), although a few manufacturers chose to utilize the faster non-standard floppy port. The 128K can only use the originalMacintosh File System released in 1984 for storage.
The unit did not include a fan, relying instead onconvective heat transfer, which made it quiet while in operation.Steve Jobs insisted that the Macintosh ship without a fan, which persisted until the introduction of theMacintosh SE in 1987. Jobs believed that computers equipped with fans tend to distract the user.[45] However, this decision was allegedly a source of many common, costly component failures in the first four Macintosh models. This was enough of a problem to prompt the introduction of several third-party, external cooling fan solutions such as the MacFan, the Mac N Frost, the Fanny Mac and theKensington System Saver. These units fit inside the Macintosh's carrying-handle slot and produced a forced draft through the computer's existing ventilation holes.[46][47]
The Macintosh shipped with the very firstSystem andFinder application, known to the public as "System 1.0" (formally known as System 0.97 and Finder 1.0). The original Macintosh saw three upgrades to both before it was discontinued. Apple recommends System 2.0 and Finder 4.2, with System 3.2 and Finder 5.3 as the maximum. System 4.0 officially dropped support for the Macintosh 128K because it was distributed on 800 KB floppy disks, which could not be used by the 128K.
The applicationsMacPaint andMacWrite were bundled with the Mac. Other programs available includedMacProject,MacTerminal andMicrosoft Word. Programming languages available at the time includedMacBASIC, MacPascal[48] and the Macintosh 68000 Development System.[49] The Macintosh also came with a manual and a unique guided tour cassette tape which worked together with the guided tour diskette as a tutorial for both the Macintosh itself and the bundled applications, since most new Macintosh users had never used a mouse before, much less manipulated agraphical user interface.
The computer was released in January 1984 as simply the AppleMacintosh. Following the release of theMacintosh 512K in September, which expanded the memory from 128 KB to 512 KB, the original Macintosh was re-brandedMacintosh 128K and nicknamed the "thin Mac". The new 512K model was nicknamed the "fat Mac". While functionally the same, as closed systems, theMacintosh andMacintosh 128K were technically two different computers, with the rebadged128K containing a completely redesigned logic board to easily accommodate both 128 KB and 512 KB RAM configurations during manufacturing. Though the RAM was still permanently soldered to the logic board, the new design allowed for easier (though unsanctioned) third-party upgrades to 512 KB. In addition, most of the newer models contained the 1984 revision B of the ROM to accommodate changes in the 400 KB floppy disk drive.[50] System software contains support for an unreleased Macintosh 256K.[51]
The increased RAM of the 512K was vitally important for the Macintosh as it finally allowed for more powerful software applications, such as the then-popularMicrosoft Multiplan. However, Apple continued to market the Macintosh 128K for over a year as an entry-level computer, the mid-level Macintosh 512K and high-endLisa (and claiming that it could be easily expanded should the user ever need more RAM).
The difficulty of fitting software into the Macintosh 128K's limited free memory, coupled with the new user interface andevent-driven programming model, discouraged software vendors from supporting it. The Macintosh 128K was left with a relatively small software library, limited to a set of early and specially crafted programs. The later Macintosh 512K andMacintosh Plus are compatible with a wider range of software, with the Macintosh Plus maintaining compatibility with much later programs.
Jobs stated that because "customization really is mostly software now ... most of the options in other computers are in Mac", unlike the Apple II the Macintosh 128K did not need slots; he described expansion slots as costly and requiring larger size and more power.[52] It was not officially upgradable by the user and only Apple service centers were permitted to open the case.[53] There were third parties that did offer memory and processor upgrades, allowing the original 128 KB Macintosh to be expanded to a 4 MB 32-bit data path,68020 CPU (16 MHz),68881FPU (16 MHz),68851MMU (16 MHz) with an externalSCSI port (with a ribbon cable out the clock battery door, internal SCSI hard drive (20 MB Rodime) and a piezo-electric fan for cooling. This upgrade was featured on aMacworld magazine cover titled "Faster than a Vax" in August 1986.[54]
All accessories were external, such as theMacCharlie that addedIBM PC compatibility.[55] There was no provision for adding internal storage, more RAM or any upgrade cards; however, some of the Macintosh engineers objected to Jobs's ideas and secretly developed workarounds for them. As an example, the Macintosh was supposed to have only 17 address lines on the motherboard, enough to support 128 KB of system RAM, but the design team added two address lines without Jobs's knowledge, making it possible to expand the computer to 512 KB, although the actual act of upgrading system RAM was difficult and required piggybacking additional RAM chips atop the onboard 4164 chips.
In September 1984, after months of complaints over the Mac's inadequate RAM, Apple released an official 512 KB machine, theMacintosh 512K. At that time, Apple rebranded the original model as "Macintosh 128K" and modified the motherboard to allow easier RAM upgrades. Improving on the hard-wired RAM thus required a motherboard replacement (which was priced similarly to a new computer), or a third-party chip replacement upgrade, which was not only expensive but would void Apple's warranty.
A stock Mac 128K with the original 64K ROM is incompatible with either Apple's external 800 KB drive with theHierarchical File System or Apple'sHard Disk 20. A Mac 128K that has been upgraded with the newer 128 KB ROM (called a Macintosh 128Ke) can use internal and external 800 KB drives with HFS, as well as the HD20. Both can print on an AppleShare network, but neither can do file sharing because of their limited RAM.
By early 1985, much Macintosh software required 512K of memory. Apple sold an official memory upgrade for the Macintosh 128K, which included a motherboard replacement effectively making it a Macintosh 512K, forUS$995 (equivalent to $2,900 in 2024), a price that was criticized in theNew York Times as being unfair to the early adopters who backed the machine.[56][57][58] Additionally, Apple offered an 800 KB floppy disk drive kit, including updated 128KROMs. Finally, a Mac 128K could be upgraded to aMacintosh Plus by swapping the logic board as well as the case back (to accommodate the different port configuration) and optionally adding theMacintosh Plus extended keyboard. Any of the kits could be purchased alone or together at any time, for a partial or full upgrade for the Macintosh 128K. All upgrades were required to be performed by Apple authorized technicians,[59] who reportedly were instructed by the company to refuse to work on any Macintosh with unofficial upgrades.[60]
The original Macintosh includes the signatures of the Macintosh Division mostly as of early 1982 molded on the inside of the case. The names are Peggy Alexio, Colette Askeland,Bill Atkinson, Steve Balog,Bob Belleville,Mike Boich, Bill Bull, Matt Carter, Berry Cash, Debi Coleman,George Crow, Donn Denman,Christopher Espinosa,Bill Fernandez, Martin Haeberli,Andy Hertzfeld,Joanna Hoffman, Rod Holt,Bruce Horn, Hap Horn, Brian Howard,Steve Jobs, Larry Kenyon, Patti King,Daniel Kottke, Angeline Lo, Ivan Mach,Jerrold Manock, Mary Ellen McCammon, Vicki Milledge, Mike Murray, Ron Nicholson Jr., Terry Oyama, Benjamin Pang,Jef Raskin, Ed Riddle, Brian Robertson, Dave Roots, Patricia Sharp,Burrell Smith, Bryan Stearns, Lynn Takahashi,Guy "Bud" Tribble,Randy Wigginton, Linda Wilkin,Steve Wozniak, Pamela Wyman and Laszlo Zidek.[61]
The Macintosh 128/512K models also includedEaster eggs in the OS ROM. If the user went to the system debugger and typedG 4188A4, a graphic would appear in the upper left corner of the screen with "STOLEN FROM APPLE COMPUTER" and a low-resolution facsimile of the Apple logo. This was designed to prevent unauthorized cloning of the Macintosh after numerous Apple II clones appeared, many of which simply stole Apple's copyrighted system ROMs. Steve Jobs allegedly planned that if a Macintosh clone appeared on the market and a court case happened, he could access this Easter egg on the computer to prove that it was using pirated Macintosh ROMs.[62] The Macintosh SE later augmented this Easter Egg with a slideshow of four photos of the Apple design team whenG 41D89A was entered.[62]
Erik Sandberg-Diment ofThe New York Times in January 1984 stated that Macintosh "presages a revolution in personal computing". Although preferring larger screens and calling the lack of color a "mistake", he praised the "refreshingly crisp and clear" display and lack of fan noise.[63] While unsure whether it would become "a second standard to Big Blue", Ronald Rosenberg ofThe Boston Globe wrote in February of "a euphoria that Macintosh will change how America computes. Anyone that tries the pint-size machine gets hooked by its features".[64] The computer was indeed so compelling to buyers that one dealer in March described it as "the first $2,500impulse item".[65]
Gregg Williams ofBYTE in February found the hardware and software design (which it predicted would be "imitated but not copied") impressive, but criticized the lack of a standard second disk drive. He predicted that the computer would popularize the 3½ in floppy disk drive standard, that the Macintosh would improve Apple's reputation, and that it "will delay IBM's domination of the personal computer market." Williams concluded that the Macintosh was "the most important development in computers in the last five years. [It] brings us one step closer to the ideal of computer as appliance."[53] In the May 1984 issue Williams added, "Initial reaction to the Macintosh has been strongly, but not overpoweringly, favorable. A few traditional computer users see the mouse, the windows, and the desktop metaphor as silly, useless frills, and others are outraged at the lack of color graphics, but most users are impressed by the machine and its capabilities. Still, some people have expressed concern about the relatively small 128K-byte RAM size, the lack of any computer language sent as part of the basic unit, and the inconvenience of the single disk drive."[66]
Jerry Pournelle, also ofBYTE, added that "The Macintosh is a bargain only if you can get it at the heavily discounted price offered to faculty and students of the favored 24 universities in the Macintosh consortium." He noted, however, that the Macintosh attracted people "who previously hated computers... There is, apparently, something about mice and pull-down menus and icons that appeal to people previously intimidated byA> and the like".[67] "People said it's more of aright-brain machine and all that — I think there is some truth to that",Andrew Fluegelman said in 1985. One of the earliest IBM PC owners and founder ofMacworld, he said when friends asked what computer to buy, he used to recommend the PC but "now that I have the ability to say, 'Well, you ought to get a Macintosh,' the people who are getting in touch with me are the people I genuinelywould say it to. The time had to come when therewas a Macintosh before they would ask me that question".[68]
| Timeline ofCompact Macintosh models |
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 See also:List of Mac models andCompact Macintosh |
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