Want to feel old? Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Mac.
You probably know the story: it was the first mainstream computer with a GUI (the Lisa's $10,000 price ruled it out). Yeah, Apple was riffing on Xerox PARC's work, but that was considerably cruder... and researchers weren't really focused on a shipping product. Apple established some interface fundamentals that are still in use today, and spurred Microsoft's development of Windows (although I'd argue Windows wasn't really competitive until 3.0).
Apple squandered its lead for a while. Prices climbed too high for the time (even Apple's current prices are reasonable in comparison). The lineup got confusing, and the company lagged behind in OS development during the 1990s. There have also been serious missteps this century, such as OS X's initially sluggish performance and inattentiveness toward some app segments (gaming is only just getting renewed interest). But I'd say Apple laid some important foundations that helped the entire industry, even if you never plan to touch one of its devices.
You probably know the story: it was the first mainstream computer with a GUI (the Lisa's $10,000 price ruled it out). Yeah, Apple was riffing on Xerox PARC's work, but that was considerably cruder... and researchers weren't really focused on a shipping product. Apple established some interface fundamentals that are still in use today, and spurred Microsoft's development of Windows (although I'd argue Windows wasn't really competitive until 3.0).
Apple squandered its lead for a while. Prices climbed too high for the time (even Apple's current prices are reasonable in comparison). The lineup got confusing, and the company lagged behind in OS development during the 1990s. There have also been serious missteps this century, such as OS X's initially sluggish performance and inattentiveness toward some app segments (gaming is only just getting renewed interest). But I'd say Apple laid some important foundations that helped the entire industry, even if you never plan to touch one of its devices.