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I remember reading about the Macintosh in Byte magazine before I actually saw one. There was a review of the first Mac and an interview with the design team that was fascinating. I hadn’t really thought about the design of computers before because you didn’t really have that much choice in what you would get (and I didn’t have much money either). But once I started down the Mac road, I didn’t look back. For over a decade now all of my personal computer-related work has happened on a Mac. Today the Macintosh turns 25 which makes me think about the Macs I’ve known and loved.
The design of the Macintosh was brilliant and innovative and they’ve always stayed ahead of the curve for what was coming in computers. Being on a Mac sometimes means that you’re in strange places as the technology shifts. Sometimes it’s great with things such as FireWire for video editing and wireless networks with Airport (almost a decade ago!) and other times it’s more of a challenge (the shift away from SCSI, dropping 3.5 inch drives, and the wide range of video connectors for monitors). But they’re beautifully designed computers that work well and over the years they’ve maintained a clean look and feel that sets the tone for the other computers that follow. Even opening the box is a wonderful experience and I love seeing the simple line, “Designed by Apple in California”.
