In 1981, Steve Jobs expressed skepticism about the home market for personal computers. Just three years later, Apple Inc. AAPL unveiled the Macintosh, a device that not only changed computing but also set the stage for the tech giant’s dominance in consumer tech.
What Happened: In a 1981 interview, Jobs shared his view on why Apple deliberately avoided branding their early devices as “home computers.”
Instead, he underscored the broader utility of personal computers in fields like education, science, and business, asserting that the “home” was not yet a viable market.
He said, “We view the home not really as a market yet… There’s not enough specific applications to cost-justify spending a thousand to three thousand dollars for a personal computer to be used in the home.”
At the time, he believed the home was merely a location for computing, not a dedicated market.
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The Launch Of The Macintosh
On Jan. 24, 1984, Apple introduced the first-ever Macintosh for $2,495. The brainchild of Jef Raskin, who began the project in the late 1970s, the Macintosh was designed to bring powerful computing to the masses.
The original Macintosh featured 64KB of ROM, 128KB of RAM, and integrated Lisa Technology, all packaged into a sleek, compact device weighing 16.5 pounds.
Its design philosophy emphasized simplicity and user-friendliness, making it a stark contrast to the more complex systems of the time.
Apple’s marketing campaign for the Macintosh centered around two application programs: word processing and graphics. These were offered free to users for the first 100 days after purchase. The company also highlighted the Macintosh’s innovative “mouse” technology, describing it as “a small pointing device — to select among functions listed in menus and represented by pictorial symbols on the screen.”
Although the $2,495 price tag was steep for many customers, the Macintosh succeeded. By May 1984, Apple had reportedly sold 70,000 units.
While the original Macintosh was discontinued in less than a year, it marked the beginning of Apple’s journey toward building an enduring ecosystem of personal computing devices. The current lineup — including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, Mac Mini, and Mac Pro — originates from this revolutionary device.
In 2024, Apple reported fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $94.9 billion, surpassing analyst expectations of $94.56 billion. The company’s Mac revenue was $7.74 billion, slightly increasing from $7.61 billion in the same quarter the previous year.
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