Mac (computer)

Macintosh refers to a range of personal computers manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. in Cupertino, California, and commonly called Mac.

The GUI operating system, originally simply referred to as the Macintosh operating system, or informally, the Mac OS (possibly by analogy with the name "GS/OS" under which Apple released later versions of ProDOS 16), officially became known as Mac OS as of version 7.6.

Apple has been in the forefront of bringing innovations to the personal computer world by embracing new technologies in their Macintosh computers. Even though Apple didn't invent these new technologies, many of them were introduced as standard features on Macintosh which acted as a market mover as Apple created enough critical mass for after-market vendors to follow suit. For example, USB was on the shelf for quite a while until Apple made it the default keyboard, mouse and peripheral connection for the iMac, and it became widely accepted when a wave of third party USB devices followed. After Macintosh took the lead, other PC manufacturers also adopted the USB standard due to the abundance of USB devices.

PC innovations introduced or popularized by Macintosh:

Graphical user interface, icons, the desktop, etc.
Use of mouse and other pointing devices on personal computer
WYSIWYG
Long file names
PostScript Laser printer
Desktop publishing
SCSI
first to make audio (both speakers and microphone) a built-in computer feature
spanning the window desktop over multiple monitors
Ethernet support comes as standard feature
USB, though designed for PC, but was put in popular use by Apple leading the first step.
Firewire also known as IEEE 1394 (in PC world) or iLink (by SONY)
Airport also known as IEEE 802.11
riddance of floppy drive in standard computer configuration.
RISC architecture
Aesthetic industrial design applied on Computer hardware.

History-

Apple was begun in a garage in 1976. Steve Wozniak had been working with computer hardware and designed what would become the Apple I, and his high school friend Steve Jobs convinced him to sell it. They did not sell very well until the hit Apple II was released at a trade show and introduced color graphics. Soon Apple became a huge success and starting hiring.

Unfortuately, the market for computers slowed down and Wozniak left after a plane crash. Jobs was then working on a project called Lisa, which was supposed to revolutionize the industry. However, he got taken off the project. He then picked up a project known as the Macintosh. As IBM slowly took over control of the industry Jobs got John Sculley of Pepsi-Cola to be CEO. However, they never got along well. Then Jobs launched one of the greatest commercials to ever air during the Super Bowl, depicting a totalitarian world overthrown by a revolutionary new computer. This was the Macintosh. However, after sales slowed down, Sculley began to argue with Jobs. Jobs tried to stage a coup for takeover of the company but failed and was forced to resign.

Meanwhile, Bill Gates' work on Windows was objected to by the new head of the company, Sculley. However, Microsoft got away with including a Mac-like interface on versions of Windows, and Apple hit a low point. PC's could be sold by different companies, but Apple was the only company that could sell products using the Mac OS. After the unsuccessful Newton and Mac II, Sculley left the company, but not until introducing the PowerBook, which sold very well and helped keep Apple alive.

Now, Michael Spindler was CEO. He made advances such as the PowerPC chip, but was a bad businessman and was replaced by Gil Amelio. Meanwhile, Steve Jobs was working with a company he founded called NeXT, along with working with his computer animation studio Pixar. Amelio did his best to save Apple, and started a vision of a new OS called Rhapsody. Then, he made a startling decision in 1996. Apple would acquire NeXT, and Jobs was back! Gil Amelio retired the next year, and the company was put under the interim leadership of Jobs, who, at MacWorld Boston 1997, released the news that he had signed an agreement with Microsoft. He also announced the end of Apple clones. Later that year, he released the G3. With radical changes he created the online Apple Store and Powerbook G3. He then made a gigantic leap in computer with the iMac, which was the true factor in saving Apple.

Jobs knew about the Rhapsody goal and began to unveil a plan for a different OS. Mac OS X would merge Rhapsody and Mac OS 8 to make a truly original operating system. However, this goal was not realized until years later.

He then tied up loose ends with the iBook, iMovie, and iTools. However, the new Power Mac G4 Cube was a failure with a high price and no monitor. However, at the January MacWorld Expo 2001, Apple released the new iDVD and iTunes, two hit software apps, and the SuperDrive G4's, a new line of computers that burned DVDs and CDs. This was part of his new digital hub strategy - to take advantage of digital devices and make programs only compatible with the Mac that could use them efficiently.

Finally, Apple released the iPod, a Mac-only MP3 player, and then at the Expo in January, the new iMac with a white dome base and LCD screen. This has sold very well recently along with the iPod.

Obviously, we need a lot of information here from Mac aficionados!

Details see List of Macintosh models grouped by CPU

Links:

Apple's web site: http://www.apple.com
Jef Raskin's take on the invention of the Macintosh Computer: http://www.jefraskin.com/forjef2/jefweb-compiled/published/holes.html