Today is the 25th anniversary of the Macintosh. It’s hard to believe it really has been 25 years, but it really was 1984 when the Mac was introduced (you remember the 1984 Mac commercial, right?).
So, in the honor the Mac’s birthday I thought I’d run down all the Mac models I’ve owned over the years.Â
Macintosh – 1985
This was my first Mac, an original Mac model that I later upgraded the RAM to 512K. I got it after high school for use when I entered UC Santa Barbara in 1985. I had previous used my Dad’s Mac and had even used a LISA a bit when one of the guys at Gunn High School’s “home computer club” had one at home.
I later turned this original Mac into a MacQuarium, using instructions I had to have sent via postal mail..
Mac LC – 1990
This was first low-end color Macs and I got one. I really liked the modular design, with the monitor separate from the “pizza box” CPU box. I loved the Apple Extended Keyboard back in the day.
Mac LCIII – 1993
Actually, this was a logic board upgrade for the LC, so it was like keeping your computer but getting a faster, more capable version of it. If I had to name a favorite on this list, the LCIII would be it. I used it the most for “home” use like games and such, and in it’s day it was quite a good computer.
PowerMac 6100 – 1996
Bought this second hand when I wanted to move to the PowerPC platform. Still kept the same monitor and keyboard. This was basically the power version of the LC, as it used the same “pizza box” style enclosure.
iMac Rev B – Lime – 1999
The Rev B was a big revision to the iMac (much more so than the forthcoming Rev C and D). This was a workhorse iMac but was soon replaced by…
iMac DV – 2000
I got this to use iMovie and actually did do some home videos this a bit back when Riley was young. The graphite color was interesting though I kind of miss the Lime model. I also used a Rev A iMac at SRI for some time, though it was not my primary work computer. Overally, I really liked the original iMac design, as it certainly was a true successor to the original all in one Mac that started it all.
iMac G4 – 2002
Picked up one of these flat-panel iMacs with the lampshade arm for the monitor. This was a big performance boost and to this day still runs a lot of software (it currently resides in Quinn’s room).
PowerBook 12″ – 2003
There are a ton of people who still think this was the best PowerBook or maybe Apple’s best notebook ever. By this time we were a multi-Mac household but two computers still wasn’t enough. I took this on some trips and even started podcasting on this using the built-in microphone. Â Riley is using this as his primary computer now.
iMac (Intel Core Duo) – 2006
I jumped on the Intel bandwagon right away and this is still my primary Mac. I really like the matte display and the screen resolution is just about all I need at 1440×900.
MacBook – 2007
This is Julie’s computer, though I use it from time to time especially on trips.
MacBook Pro – 2007
I use this model at work and it’s sooooo much nicer than the ThinkPad I had before.
So, I’ve purchased ten Macs in twenty five years for home use. The last one was purchased two and a half years ago. Looks like I’m due…