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1984

Apple Macintosh (128K)

Apple Computer

Apple Macintosh (128K)
Photo by w:user:Grm wnr, Wikimedia Commons, public domain · source

Specifications

CPU
Motorola 68000 @ 7.83 MHz
Memory
128 KB
Storage
Single internal 400 KB 3.5" floppy
Display
Built-in 9" 512×342 monochrome
OS
Macintosh System Software 1.0
Intro price
$2,495

The machine

Launched with the iconic '1984' Super Bowl commercial. A sealed all-in-one case, a mouse, a graphical interface with overlapping windows and pull-down menus, a 3.5" floppy in a hard plastic shell.

Why it matters

The Macintosh brought the Xerox PARC GUI paradigm — windows, icons, mouse, pointer — to a mass-market price. Even people who never bought one have been using the ideas it introduced ever since.