History of the Macintosh: Difference between revisions
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Ivanvector (talk | contribs) Speedy deletion declined. Substantial content added by other users; G7 does not apply. I also don't understand the expanded rationale. (CSDH) |
Ivanvector (talk | contribs) Based on re-reading the G7 rationale, I think this is what you meant to happen. Revert if not. Tag: New redirect |
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#REDIRECT [[Mac (computer)#History]] |
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{{Short description|Family of personal computers made by Apple between 1984 and 1998}} |
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{{Use American English|date=October 2022}} |
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{{about|Apple computers released between 1984 and 1997|the current Mac lineup|Mac (computer)}} |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}} |
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{{more citations needed|date=October 2022}} |
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{{redirect category shell| |
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[[File:Teviot employees using Apple Macs.jpg|thumb|250x250px|The [[Macintosh II]] being used for graphic design]] |
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{{R to section}} |
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'''Macintosh''' refers to a family of personal computers produced by Apple between 1984 and 1997. The Macintosh's "design elegance, technological innovations, and delightful user experience' was integral in [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] becoming one of the world's most valuable brands.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gehani |first=Ray R. |year=2016 |title=Corporate Brand Value Shifting from Identity to Innovation Capability: from Coca-Cola to Apple |url=http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0718-27242016000300002&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=en |journal=Journal of Technology Management & Innovation |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=11–20 |doi=10.4067/S0718-27242016000300002 |issn=0718-2724 |access-date=September 28, 2022 |archive-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004203357/https://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0718-27242016000300002&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wright |first1=Len Tiu |last2=Millman |first2=Cindy |last3=Martin |first3=Lynn M. |date=2007-02-01 |title=Research Issues in Building Brand Equity and Global Brands in the PC Market |url=https://doi.org/10.1362/026725707X178602 |journal=Journal of Marketing Management |volume=23 |issue=1–2 |pages=137–155 |doi=10.1362/026725707X178602 |s2cid=168162501 |issn=0267-257X |access-date=September 28, 2022 |archive-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004203406/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1362/026725707X178602 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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{{R with history}} |
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The [[Macintosh 128K|original Macintosh]] was the first successful mass-market [[All-in-one PC|all-in-one]] desktop personal computer with a graphical user interface, built-in screen, and mouse.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |last=Polsson |first=Ken |date=July 29, 2009 |title=Chronology of Apple Computer Personal Computers |url=http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/applehis/appl1984.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821105822/http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/applehis/appl1984.htm |archive-date=August 21, 2009 |access-date=August 27, 2009}}</ref> Apple sold it alongside its popular [[Apple II series]] until the others were discontinued in the 1990s. Early Macintosh models were relatively expensive,<ref name="unvlmcin">{{cite news |date=January 24, 1984 |title=Apple unveils a Macintosh |page=C6 |work=Spokesman-Review |agency=Associated Press |location=Spokane, Washington |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pVdWAAAAIBAJ&pg=5088%2C4154157 |url-status=live |access-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102110918/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pVdWAAAAIBAJ&pg=5088,4154157 |archive-date=November 2, 2020}}</ref> hindering competitiveness in a market dominated by the cheaper or more widely-compatible competitors, such as [[Commodore 64]] or [[IBM Personal Computer|IBM PC]] and its [[IBM PC compatible|clones]].<ref name="arstech">{{cite web |last=Reimer |first=Jeremy |date=December 14, 2005 |title=Total share: 30 years of personal computer market share figures |url=https://arstechnica.com/features/2005/12/total-share/5 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414084448/http://arstechnica.com/features/2005/12/total-share/5/ |archive-date=April 14, 2015 |access-date=April 16, 2015 |website=[[Ars Technica]]}}</ref> Macintoshes were successful in education and desktop publishing, making Apple the second-largest PC manufacturer in the 1980s. |
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The [[Macintosh operating systems|Macintosh operating system]] (called "Macintosh System", then "Mac OS") was one of the major reasons for people to buy a Macintosh, due to its wide range of graphics, video editing, and desktop publishing programs. |
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Competition from cheaper PCs contributed to the Macintosh's decline. In 1999, Apple simplified its product lineup down to four products: the [[Power Macintosh G3|Power Mac G3]], [[iMac G3]], [[PowerBook G3]], and [[iBook]]. With the release of the [[Power Macintosh G3#Blue and White|Power Mac G3 (Blue and White)]], the name Macintosh ceased to be used by Apple to refer to its computer lineup, replaced by the [[Macintosh|Mac]]. |
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== Naming == |
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The Macintosh project began in the year 1979 when [[Jef Raskin]], an Apple employee, envisioned an easy-to-use, low-cost computer for the average consumer. He wanted to name the computer after his favorite type of apple, the [[McIntosh (apple)|McIntosh]] ([[Help:IPA/English|/ˈmækɪnˌtɒʃ/]] [[Help:Pronunciation respelling key|''MAK-in-tosh'']]), but the spelling was changed to "Macintosh" for legal reasons as the original was the same spelling as that used by [[McIntosh Laboratory]], Inc., an audio equipment manufacturer. [[Steve Jobs]] requested that McIntosh Laboratory give Apple a release for the newly spelled name, thus allowing Apple to use it. The request was denied, forcing Apple to eventually buy the rights to use this name; Apple later bought the trademark outright. A 1984 ''[[Byte (magazine)|Byte]]'' magazine article suggested Apple changed the spelling only after "early users" misspelled "McIntosh". However, Raskin had adopted the "Macintosh" spelling by 1981, when the Macintosh computer was still a single prototype machine in the laboratory. |
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== History == |
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{{See also|History of Apple Inc.}} |
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=== 1979–1984: Development and debut of the first Macintosh === |
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{{Main|Macintosh 128K}} |
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[[File:Macintosh 128k transparency.png|thumb|The first [[Macintosh 128K|Macintosh]], later called the Macintosh 128K, was the first commercially successful personal computer to use images, rather than text, to communicate.]] |
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Work on the original Macintosh began in 1979.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Raskin |first=Jef |year=1996 |title=Recollections of the Macintosh project |url=http://mxmora.best.vwh.net/JefRaskin.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928072214/http://jef.raskincenter.org/published/holes.html |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Articles from Jef Raskin about the history of the Macintosh}}</ref> [[Steve Wozniak]] and Jef Raskin led the initial design and development phase of the Macintosh project until 1981 when Wozniak experienced a traumatic airplane crash and temporarily left the company, at which point Steve Jobs took over.<ref name=TheVerge>{{cite web|title=Steve Wozniak on Newton, Tesla, and why the original Macintosh was a 'lousy' product|date=June 27, 2013|url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/6/27/4468314/steve-wozniak-on-how-the-newton-changed-his-life|access-date=October 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312014832/http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/27/4468314/steve-wozniak-on-how-the-newton-changed-his-life|archive-date=March 12, 2016}}</ref> |
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The first Macintosh, unveiled in 1984, was the first successful mass-market [[All-in-one PC|all-in-one]] personal computer with a graphical user interface, built-in screen, and mouse.<ref name="auto" /> It was pivotal in starting the desktop publishing revolution.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Apple Inc. - Desktop publishing revolution {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Apple-Inc/Desktop-publishing-revolution |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |language=en |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810192645/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Apple-Inc/Desktop-publishing-revolution |url-status=live }}</ref> It had an all-in-one design, and pioneered the [[graphical user interface]] (GUI), and was described as a "revolution" by the New York Times.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sandberg-Diment |first=Erik |date=1984-01-24 |title=PERSONAL COMPUTERS; HARDWARE REVIEW: APPLE WEIGHS IN WITH MACINTOSH |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/24/science/personal-computers-hardware-review-apple-weighs-in-with-macintosh.html |access-date=2022-09-28 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107113131/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/24/science/personal-computers-hardware-review-apple-weighs-in-with-macintosh.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Jobs partially took the inspiration for the GUI from Xerox PARC, an R&D institute.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Xerox PARC Visit |url=https://web.stanford.edu/dept/SUL/sites/mac/parc.html |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=web.stanford.edu |archive-date=September 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924110717/https://web.stanford.edu/dept/SUL/sites/mac/parc.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Macintosh was marketed at [[Super Bowl XVIII]] with the now-famous [[1984 (advertisement)|1984]] ad made by [[Ridley Scott]]. The ad alludes to [[George Orwell]]'s novel ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]],'' and symbolizes Apple's desire to "rescue" humanity from the conformity of computer industry giant IBM.<ref name="cellini2">{{cite news |last=Cellini |first=Adelia |date=January 2004 |title=The Story Behind Apple's '1984' TV commercial: Big Brother at 20 |work=[[MacWorld]] 21.1, page 18 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb197/is_200401/ai_n5556112 |url-status=dead |access-date=May 9, 2008 |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090628133757/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb197/is_200401/ai_n5556112 |archive-date=2009-06-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Long |first=Tony |date=January 22, 2007 |title=Jan. 22, 1984: Dawn of the Mac |url=https://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/01/72496 |url-status=live |magazine=[[Wired News|Wired]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100416033051/http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/01/72496 |archive-date=April 16, 2010 |access-date=April 11, 2010}}</ref> The ad was later considered a "watershed event" and a "masterpiece."<ref>{{cite news |last=Maney |first=Kevin |date=January 28, 2004 |title=Apple's '1984' Super Bowl commercial still stands as watershed event |work=USA Today |url=http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/kevinmaney/2004-01-28-maney_x.htm |url-status=live |access-date=April 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423195612/http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/kevinmaney/2004-01-28-maney_x.htm |archive-date=April 23, 2012}}</ref><ref name="masterpiece2">{{cite news |last=Leopold |first=Todd |date=February 3, 2006 |title=Why 2006 isn't like '1984' |publisher=CNN |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/02/02/eye.ent.commercials/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405133016/http://edition.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/02/02/eye.ent.commercials/ |archive-date=April 5, 2014}}</ref> The launch of the Macintosh pioneered many different tactics that are used today in launching technology products, including "multiple exclusive" event marketing (credited to John Sculley, who brought the concept over from Pepsi), creating a mystique about a product and giving an inside look into a product's creation.<ref>{{cite web |last=Marinaccio |first=Wendy |title=Cunningham on the Influence of the Macintosh Launch |url=https://web.stanford.edu/dept/SUL/library/mac/primary/interviews/cunningham/influence.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419212244/http://web.stanford.edu/dept/SUL/library/mac/primary/interviews/cunningham/influence.html |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |access-date=April 19, 2015 |work=Technology and Culture in Silicon Valley |publisher=[[Stanford University]]}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Steve Jobs Introduces the Macintosh |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tQ5XwvjPmA |publisher=[[Computer History Museum]] |language=en |access-date=2022-09-28 |archive-date=September 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909083710/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tQ5XwvjPmA |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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Two days after the 1984 ad aired, the Macintosh went on sale. It came bundled with two applications designed to show off its interface: [[MacWrite]] and [[MacPaint]]. Although the Macintosh garnered an immediate, enthusiastic following, it was derided as a "toy" by a minority. Because the machine was entirely designed around the GUI, existing text-mode and [[Command line interface|command-driven applications]] had to be redesigned and the programming code rewritten; this was a challenging undertaking that many [[software developer]]s shied away from, and resulted in an initial lack of software for the new system. In April 1984 [[Microsoft]]'s [[MultiPlan]] migrated over from [[MS-DOS]], followed by [[Microsoft Word]] in January 1985. In 1985, [[Lotus Software]] introduced [[Lotus Jazz]] after the success of [[Lotus 1-2-3]] for the [[IBM PC]], though it was largely a flop. Apple introduced Macintosh Office the same year with the [[Lemmings (television commercial)|lemmings ad]], infamous for insulting potential customers. It was not successful. |
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=== 1985–1990: Competition with PCs === |
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The Macintosh sold 50,000 units in 74 days,<ref>{{cite web |last=Polsson |first=Ken |date=July 29, 2009 |title=Chronology of Apple Computer Personal Computers |url=http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/applehis/appl1984.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821105822/http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/applehis/appl1984.htm |archive-date=August 21, 2009 |access-date=August 27, 2009}} See April 7, 1984.</ref> outselling every other computer; it was so compelling that one dealer described it as "the first $2,500 [[Impulse purchase|impulse item]]".<ref name="richter19840328">{{Cite news |last=Richter |first=Paul |date=1984-03-28 |title=Macintosh Takes Lead in Sales Race |language=en |pages=B-1, B-2 |work=The Cincinnati Enquirer |url=http://www.newspapers.com/clip/31276226/the_cincinnati_enquirer/ |url-status=live |access-date=2019-05-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607003109/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31276226/the_cincinnati_enquirer/ |archive-date=June 7, 2019}}</ref> Macintosh systems found success in education and desktop publishing. However, the Macintosh has less software than [[IBM Personal Computer|IBM PCs]]. Only about ten applications including MacWrite and MacPaint were widely available,<ref name="bartimo19850225">{{cite news |author=Bartimo, Jim |date=1985-02-25 |title=Macintosh: Success And Disappointment |pages=30 |work=InfoWorld |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6C4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA30 |access-date=27 January 2015 |archive-date=July 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729212719/https://books.google.com/books?id=6C4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA30 |url-status=live }}</ref> although many non-Apple software developers participated in the introduction and Apple promised that 79 companies including Lotus, [[Digital Research]], and [[Ashton-Tate]] were creating products for the new computer. After one year, the Macintosh had less than one-quarter of the software the IBM PC had one year after its release—including one word processor, two databases, and one spreadsheet—although Apple had sold 280,000 Macintoshes compared to IBM's first-year sales of fewer than 100,000 PCs.<ref name="infoworld198501142">{{cite news |author1=Watt, Peggy |author2=McGeever, Christine |date=1985-01-14 |title=Macintosh Vs. IBM PC At One Year |pages=16–17 |work=InfoWorld |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-i4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA15 |access-date=28 December 2014 |archive-date=November 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116113542/https://books.google.com/books?id=-i4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA15 |url-status=live }}</ref> MacWrite's inclusion with the Macintosh discouraged developers from creating other word processing software.<ref name="mcneill198712">{{cite news |author=McNeill, Dan |date=December 1987 |title=Macintosh: The Word Explosion |pages=54–60 |work=Compute!'s Apple Applications |url=https://archive.org/stream/COMPUTEs_Apple_Applications_Vol._5_No._2_Issue_6_1987-12_COMPUTE_Publications_US#page/n55/mode/2up |access-date=14 September 2016}}</ref> Although Macintosh excited software developers—[[Doug Carlston]] said that [[Broderbund]] programmers fought over their Macintosh while their PCs remained "in some closet"<ref name="richter198403282">{{Cite news |last=Richter |first=Paul |date=1984-03-28 |title=Macintosh Takes Lead In Sales Race |language=en |pages=B-1, B-2 |work=The Cincinnati Enquirer |agency=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=http://www.newspapers.com/clip/31276226/the_cincinnati_enquirer/ |access-date=2019-05-05 |archive-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607003109/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31276226/the_cincinnati_enquirer/ |url-status=live }}</ref>—they were required to learn how to write software that used the graphic user interface,<ref name="infoworld19850114">{{cite news |author1=Watt, Peggy |author2=McGeever, Christine |date=1985-01-14 |title=Macintosh Vs. IBM PC At One Year |pages=16–17 |work=InfoWorld |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-i4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA15 |access-date=28 December 2014 |archive-date=November 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116113542/https://books.google.com/books?id=-i4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA15 |url-status=live }}</ref> and early in the computer's history needed a Lisa 2 or Unix system to write Macintosh software.<ref name="dacruz19840611">{{cite mailing list |url=http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ftp/e/mail.84b |title=Macintosh Kermit No-Progress Report |publisher=Kermit Project, Columbia University |mailing-list=Info-Kermit Digest |date=1984-06-11 |access-date=24 February 2016 |author=da Cruz, Frank |archive-date=May 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506161641/http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ftp/e/mail.84b |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Infocom]] had developed the only third-party games for the Mac's launch.<ref name="maher20130320">{{cite web |author=Maher, Jimmy |date=March 20, 2013 |title=The Top of its Game |url=http://www.filfre.net/2013/03/the-top-of-its-game/ |access-date=July 10, 2014 |work=The Digital Antiquarian |archive-date=January 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117161839/http://www.filfre.net/2013/03/the-top-of-its-game/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite standardizing on [[Pascal (programming language)|Pascal]] for software development Apple did not release a native-code Pascal compiler. Until third-party Pascal compilers appeared, developers had to write software in other languages while still learning enough Pascal to understand ''[[Inside Macintosh]]''.<ref name="webster198602">{{cite news |author=Webster, Bruce |date=February 1986 |title=Programming Tool and the Atari ST |pages=331 |work=Byte |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1986-02/1986_02_BYTE_11-02_Text_Processing#page/n343/mode/2up |access-date=9 May 2015}}</ref>[[File:Apple-Macintosh.jpg|alt=A Macintosh in a museum exhibit about postmodernism.|thumb|The Apple [[Macintosh Plus]] at the [[Röhsska Museum|Design Museum]] in [[Gothenburg]], Sweden]]The Macintosh 128K, originally released as the Apple Macintosh, is the original Apple Macintosh personal computer. Its beige case consisted of a 9 in (23 cm) CRT monitor and came with a keyboard and mouse. A handle built into the top of the case made it easier for the computer to be lifted and carried. This was synonymous with the release of the iconic 1984 TV Advertisement by Apple. This model and the 512k released in September of the same year had signatures of the core team embossed inside the hard plastic cover and soon became collector pieces. |
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In 1985 the combination of the Mac, Apple's [[LaserWriter]] printer, and Mac-specific software like Boston Software's [[MacPublisher]] and [[Adobe PageMaker|Aldus PageMaker]] enabled users to design, preview, and print page layouts complete with text and graphics—an activity to become known as [[desktop publishing]]. Initially, desktop publishing was unique to the Macintosh, but eventually became available for other platforms.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Spring |first=Michael B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_MV46vFUrI4C&pg=PA125 |title=Electronic printing and publishing: the document processing revolution |publisher=CRC Press |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-8247-8544-4 |pages=125–126 |access-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-date=September 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922081652/https://books.google.com/books?id=_MV46vFUrI4C&pg=PA125 |url-status=live }}</ref> Later, applications such as Macromedia FreeHand, [[QuarkXPress]], and [[Adobe Systems|Adobe]]'s [[Photoshop]] and [[Adobe Illustrator|Illustrator]] strengthened the Mac's position as a graphics computer and helped to expand the emerging desktop publishing market. |
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The Macintosh's minimal memory became apparent, even compared with other personal computers in 1984, and could not be expanded easily. It also lacked a [[hard disk drive]] or the means to easily attach one. Many small companies sprang up to address the memory issue. Suggestions revolved around either upgrading the memory to 512 KB or removing the computer's 16 memory chips and replacing them with larger-capacity chips, a tedious and difficult operation. In October 1984 Apple introduced the [[Macintosh 512K]], with quadruple the memory of the original, at a price of US$3,195.<ref name="512_specs2">{{cite mac|model=[[Macintosh 512K]]|appleNumber=SP187|everyURL=mac_classic/stats/mac_512k.html|access-date=June 23, 2010}}</ref> It also offered an upgrade for 128k Macs that involved replacing the logic board. |
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Apple released the [[Macintosh Plus]] on January 10, 1986, for a price of US$2,600. It offered one [[megabyte]] of RAM, easily expandable to four megabytes by the use of [[SIMM|socketed RAM boards]]. It also featured a [[SCSI]] parallel interface, allowing up to seven peripherals—such as hard drives and scanners—to be attached to the machine. Its [[Macintosh External Disk Drive|floppy drive]] was increased to an 800 [[Kilobyte|kB]] capacity. The Macintosh Plus was an immediate success and remained in production, unchanged, until October 15, 1990; on sale for just over four years and ten months, it was the longest-lived Macintosh in Apple's history<ref>{{cite mac|model=[[Macintosh Plus]]|appleNumber=SP190|everyURL=mac_classic/stats/mac_plus.html|access-date=June 23, 2010}}</ref> until the 2nd generation [[Mac Pro]] that was introduced on December 19, 2013, surpassed this record in 2018. In September 1986 Apple introduced the Macintosh Programmer's Workshop, or [[Macintosh Programmer's Workshop|MPW]], an application that allowed software developers to create software for Macintosh on Macintosh, rather than [[cross compiling]] from a Lisa. In August 1987, Apple unveiled [[HyperCard]] and [[MultiFinder]], which added cooperative multitasking to the operating system. Apple began bundling both with every Macintosh. |
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[[File:MacII.jpg|alt=A Macintosh II with a separate monitor and CPU|thumb|The [[Macintosh II]], the first Macintosh model with color graphics]] |
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Other issues remained, particularly the low processor speed and limited graphics ability, which had hobbled the Mac’s ability to make inroads into the business computing market. Updated Motorola CPUs made a faster machine possible, and in 1987 Apple took advantage of the new Motorola technology and introduced the [[Macintosh II]] at $5500, powered by a {{nowrap|16 MHz}} [[Motorola 68020]] processor.<ref>{{cite mac|model=[[Macintosh II]]|appleNumber=SP193|everyURL=mac_ii/stats/mac_ii.html|access-date=June 23, 2010}}</ref> The primary improvement in the Macintosh II was Color [[QuickDraw]] in ROM, a color version of the graphics language which was the heart of the machine. Among the many innovations in Color QuickDraw were the ability to handle any display size, any color depth, and multiple monitors. The Macintosh II marked the start of a new direction for the Macintosh, as for the first time it now had an [[open architecture]] with several [[NuBus]] expansion slots, support for color graphics and external monitors, and a modular design similar to that of the IBM PC. It had an internal hard drive and a power supply with a fan, which was initially fairly loud.<ref>{{cite web |title=Apple Macintosh II |url=http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=160 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124020103/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=160 |archive-date=November 24, 2007 |access-date=December 23, 2007 |publisher=Old Computers On-line Museum}}</ref> One third-party developer sold a device to regulate fan speed based on a heat sensor, but it voided the warranty.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 2, 1992 |title=Macintosh II Family: Fan Regulator Voids Warranty |url=http://support.apple.com/kb/TA40560 |access-date=December 23, 2007 |publisher=Apple |archive-date=November 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124023029/http://support.apple.com/kb/TA40560 |url-status=live }}</ref> Later Macintosh computers had quieter power supplies and hard drives. |
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[[File:Macintosh SE b.jpg|alt=A Macintosh II SE|thumb|The [[Macintosh SE]], updated [[Compact Macintosh]] design using [[Snow White design language]]]] |
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The [[Macintosh SE]] was released at the same time as the Macintosh II for $2900 (or $3900 with hard drive), as the first [[compact Macintosh]] with a 20 MB internal hard drive and an expansion slot.<ref>{{cite mac|model=[[Macintosh SE]]|appleNumber=SP191|everyURL=mac_classic/stats/mac_se.html|access-date=June 23, 2010}}</ref> The SE's expansion slot was located inside the case along with the CRT, potentially exposing an upgrader to high voltage. For this reason, Apple recommended users bring their SE to an authorized Apple dealer to have upgrades performed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Apple Service Source: Apple SE/30 |url=http://www.apple-collection.com/CarPos/macse30.pdf |access-date=November 16, 2010 |archive-date=August 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817112722/http://www.apple-collection.com/CarPos/macse30.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The SE also updated [[Jerry Manock]] and Terry Oyama's original design and shared the Macintosh II's ''[[Snow White design language|Snow White]]'' design language, as well as the new [[Apple Desktop Bus]] (ADB) [[Apple Mouse#Apple Desktop Bus Mouse (G5431/A9M0331)|mouse]] and [[Apple Keyboard#Apple (Standard) Keyboard (M0116)|keyboard]] that had first appeared on the [[Apple IIGS|Apple II<small>GS</small>]] some months earlier. |
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In 1987 Apple spun off its software business as [[Claris]]. It was given the code and rights to several applications, most notably MacWrite, MacPaint, and [[MacProject]]. In the late 1980s, Claris released a number of revamped software titles; the result was the "Pro" series, including MacDraw Pro, MacWrite Pro, and FileMaker Pro. To provide a complete office suite, Claris purchased the rights to the [[Informix Wingz]] [[spreadsheet]] program on the Mac, renaming it [[Claris Resolve]], and added the new presentation software [[Claris Impact]]. By the early 1990s, Claris applications were shipping with the majority of consumer-level Macintoshes and were extremely popular. In 1991 Claris released [[AppleWorks|ClarisWorks]], which soon became their second best-selling application. When Claris was reincorporated back into Apple in 1998, ClarisWorks was renamed AppleWorks beginning with version 5.0.<ref>{{cite web |author=Hearm, Bob |year=2003 |title=A Brief History of ClarisWorks |url=http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/~bob/clarisworks.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224153145/http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/~bob/clarisworks.php |archive-date=December 24, 2007 |access-date=December 24, 2007 |publisher=MIT Project on Mathematics and Computation |df=mdy-all}}</ref> |
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[[File:Macintosh Portable-IMG 7541.jpg|thumb|The [[Macintosh Portable]], Apple's first battery-powered Macintosh]] |
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In 1988, Apple [[Apple Computer, Inc. v. Microsoft Corp.|sued]] Microsoft and [[Hewlett-Packard]] on the grounds that they infringed Apple's copyrighted GUI, citing (among other things) the use of rectangular, overlapping, and resizable windows. After four years, the case was decided against Apple, as were later [[United States court of appeals|appeals]]. Apple's actions were criticized by some in the software community, including the [[Free Software Foundation]] (FSF), who felt Apple was trying to monopolize on GUIs in general, and boycotted GNU software for the Macintosh platform for seven years.<ref>{{cite journal |author=[[Free Software Foundation]] |date=June 11, 1988 |title=Special Report: Apple's New Look and Feel |url=https://www.gnu.org/bulletins/bull5.html#SEC9 |url-status=live |journal=GNU's Bulletin |volume=1 |issue=5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512162557/http://www.gnu.org/bulletins/bull5.html#SEC9 |archive-date=May 12, 2006 |access-date=April 25, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=[[Free Software Foundation]] |date=January 1995 |title=End of Apple Boycott |url=https://www.gnu.org/bulletins/bull18.html#SEC13 |url-status=live |journal=GNU's Bulletin |volume=1 |issue=18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512162840/http://www.gnu.org/bulletins/bull18.html#SEC13 |archive-date=May 12, 2006 |access-date=April 25, 2006}}</ref> |
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With the new [[Motorola 68030]] processor came the [[Macintosh IIx]] in 1988, which had benefited from internal improvements, including an on-board [[Memory management unit|MMU]].<ref>{{cite mac|model=[[Macintosh IIx]]|appleNumber=SP194|everyURL=mac_ii/stats/mac_iix.html|access-date=June 23, 2010}}</ref> It was followed in 1989 by the [[Macintosh IIcx]], a more compact version with fewer slots<ref>{{cite mac|model=[[Macintosh IIcx]]|everyURL=apple/mac_ii/stats/mac_iicx.html|access-date=June 23, 2010}}</ref> and a version of the Macintosh SE powered by the {{nowrap|16 MHz}} 68030, the [[Macintosh SE/30]].<ref>{{cite mac|model=[[Macintosh SE/30]]|appleNumber=SP195|everyURL=mac_classic/stats/mac_se30.html|access-date=June 23, 2010}}</ref> Later that year, the [[Macintosh IIci]], running at {{nowrap|25 MHz}}, was the first Macintosh to be "[[32-bit clean]]." This allowed it to natively support more than 8 MB of RAM,<ref>{{cite mac|model=[[Macintosh IIci]]|appleNumber=SP197|everyURL=mac_ii/stats/mac_iici.html|access-date=June 23, 2010}}</ref> unlike its predecessors, which had "[[32-bit dirty]]" ROMs (8 of the 32 bits available for addressing were used for OS-level [[Flag (computing)|flags]]). [[System 7]] was the first Macintosh operating system to support 32-bit addressing. The following year, the [[Macintosh IIfx]], starting at US$9,900, was unveiled.<ref>{{cite mac|model=[[Macintosh IIfx]]|appleNumber=SP203|everyURL=mac_ii/stats/mac_iifx.html|access-date=June 23, 2010}}</ref> Apart from its fast {{nowrap|40 MHz}} [[Motorola 68030|68030]] processor, it had significant internal architectural improvements, including faster memory and two Apple II CPUs ([[MOS Technology 6502|6502s]]) dedicated to [[input/output]] (I/O) processing.<ref>{{cite mac|model=[[Macintosh IIfx]]|appleNumber=SP203|everyURL=mac_ii/stats/mac_iifx.html|access-date=June 23, 2010}}</ref> |
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Early Macintosh models were relatively expensive,<ref name="unvlmcin" /> hindering competitiveness in a market dominated by the cheaper or more widely-compatible competitors, such as [[Commodore 64]] or [[IBM Personal Computer|IBM PC]] and its [[IBM PC compatible|clones]].<ref name="arstech" /> Macintoshes were successful in education and desktop publishing, making Apple the second-largest PC manufacturer in the 1980s. In the early 1990s, Apple introduced the Macintosh LC II and [[Macintosh Color Classic|Color Classic]]. |
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=== 1990–1993: Market decline === |
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Released in May 1990, [[Windows 3.0|Microsoft Windows 3.0]] began to approach the Macintosh operating system in both performance and feature set, and was a usable, less expensive alternative to the Macintosh platform. While the Macintosh was still mainly regarded as superior to Windows at the time, by this point, Windows "was good enough for the average user". It also did not help matters that during the previous year [[Jean-Louis Gassée]] had steadfastly refused to lower the profit margins on Macintoshes. Finally, there was a component shortage that rocked the exponentially-expanding PC industry in 1989, forcing Apple USA head Allan Loren to cut prices, which dropped Apple's margins. |
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[[File:Macintosh classic.jpg|thumb|The [[Macintosh Classic]], Apple's early 1990s budget model]] |
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Apple's response to this was to introduce a range of relatively inexpensive Macs in October 1990. The [[Macintosh Classic]], essentially a less expensive version of the Macintosh SE, was the least expensive Macintosh offered until early 2001.<ref name="lesscostlyMacClassic">{{cite news |last=Fisher |first=Lawrence M. |date=October 15, 1990 |title=Less-Costly Apple Line To Be Presented Today |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFD9163CF936A25753C1A966958260 |url-status=live |access-date=January 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914072656/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/15/business/less-costly-apple-line-to-be-presented-today.html |archive-date=September 14, 2022}}</ref> The 68020-powered [[Macintosh LC]], in its distinctive "[[Pizza box form factor|pizza box]]" case, offered color graphics and was accompanied by a new, low-cost 512×384 pixel monitor.<ref>{{cite mac|model=[[Macintosh LC]]|appleNumber=SP205|everyURL=mac_lc/stats/mac_lc.html|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref> The [[Macintosh IIsi]] was essentially a {{nowrap|20 MHz}} IIci with only one expansion slot.<ref>{{cite mac|model=[[Macintosh IIsi]]|appleNumber=SP199|everyURL=mac_ii/stats/mac_iisi.html|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref> All three machines sold well,<ref>{{cite news |last=Fisher |first=Lawrence M. |date=January 18, 1991 |title=I.B.M. Surprises Wall Street With Strong Quarterly Net; Apple Posts 20.6% Rise |work=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE2DA163BF93BA25752C0A967958260 |access-date=January 16, 2008 |archive-date=September 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914072656/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/18/business/ibm-surprises-wall-street-with-strong-quarterly-net-apple-posts-20.6-rise.html |url-status=live }}</ref> although Apple's profit margin on them was considerably lower than that on earlier models.<ref name="lesscostlyMacClassic2">{{cite news |last=Fisher |first=Lawrence M. |date=October 15, 1990 |title=Less-Costly Apple Line To Be Presented Today |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFD9163CF936A25753C1A966958260 |access-date=January 16, 2008 |archive-date=September 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914072656/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/15/business/less-costly-apple-line-to-be-presented-today.html |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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Apple improved Macintosh computers by introducing models equipped with newly available processors from the 68k lineup. The [[Macintosh Classic II]]<ref>{{cite mac|model=[[Macintosh Classic II]]|appleNumber=SP204|everyURL=mac_classic/stats/mac_classic_ii.html|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref> and [[Macintosh LC II]], which used a {{nowrap|16 MHz}} 68030 CPU,<ref>{{cite mac|model=[[Macintosh LC II]]|appleNumber=SP206|everyURL=mac_lc/stats/mac_lc_ii.html|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref> were joined in 1991 by the [[Macintosh Quadra]] 700<ref>{{cite mac|model=[[Macintosh Quadra]] 700|appleNumber=SP235|everyURL=mac_quadra/stats/mac_quadra_700.html|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref> and 900,<ref>{{cite mac|model=Macintosh Quadra 900|appleNumber=mac_quadra/stats/mac_quadra_900.html|everyURL=mac_quadra/stats/mac_quadra_900.html|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref> the first Macs to employ the faster [[Motorola 68040]] processor. |
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[[File:Powerbook 100 pose.jpg|thumb|The [[PowerBook 100]]]] |
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Apple released its first portable computer, the [[Macintosh Portable]] in 1989. Although due to considerable design issues, it was soon replaced in 1991 with the first of the [[PowerBook]] line: the [[PowerBook 100]], a miniaturized portable; the {{nowrap|16 MHz}}68030 [[PowerBook 140]]; and the {{nowrap|25 MHz}} 68030 [[PowerBook 170]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Polsson, Ken |title=Chronology of Apple Computer Personal Computers |url=http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/applehis/appl1990.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212193823/http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/applehis/appl1990.htm |archive-date=December 12, 2007 |access-date=November 18, 2007}}</ref> They were the first portable computers with the keyboard behind a palm rest and a built-in pointing device (a [[trackball]]) in front of the keyboard.<ref>{{cite web |author=Jade, Kasper |date=February 16, 2007 |title=Apple to re-enter the sub-notebook market |url=http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/02/16/apple_to_re_enter_the_sub_notebook_market.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223060041/http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/02/16/apple_to_re_enter_the_sub_notebook_market.html |archive-date=December 23, 2007 |access-date=December 24, 2007 |publisher=AppleInsider}}</ref> The 1993 [[PowerBook 165c]] was Apple's first portable computer to feature a color screen, displaying 256 colors with {{nowrap|640 × 400}}-pixel resolution.<ref>{{cite mac|model=PowerBook 165c|appleNumber=SP148|everyURL=powerbook/stats/mac_powerbook165c.html|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref> The second generation of PowerBooks, the 68040-equipped [[PowerBook 500 series|500 series]] released in 1994, were the first laptops in the world to have a [[trackpad]], built-in Ethernet, and integrated stereo speakers.<ref>{{cite mac|model=PowerBook 520|appleNumber=SP160|everyURL=powerbook/stats/mac_powerbook520.html|access-date=November 12, 2010}}</ref> |
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In 1991, [[System 7|Macintosh System 7]] gained 32-bit support, improved its handling of color graphics, memory addressing, and networking, and gained [[virtual memory]] and [[co-operative multitasking|cooperative multitasking]]. Also during this time, the Macintosh began to shed the [[Snow White design language|"Snow White" design language]], along with the expensive consulting fees they were paying to [[Frog Design]]. Apple instead brought the design work in-house by establishing the [[Apple Industrial Design Group]], which took on responsibility for crafting a new look for all Apple products.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kunkel |first=Paul |url=https://archive.org/details/DTCA3DOC-230_industrial_design |title=AppleDesign: The work of the Apple Industrial Design Group |date=October 1, 1997 |publisher=[[Graphis Inc.]] |others=Rick English (photographs) |isbn=1-888001-25-9 |location=New York City}}</ref> |
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=== 1994–1998: Switch to PowerPC and search for a new OS === |
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Intel had tried unsuccessfully to push Apple to migrate the Macintosh platform to Intel chips. Apple concluded that Intel's [[complex instruction set computer]] (CISC) architecture ultimately would be unable to compete against [[reduced instruction set computer]] (RISC) processors.<ref name="web.archive.org2">{{cite web |title=John Sculley admits Intel blunder – Mac – Macworld UK |url=http://macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=7045 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071208100556/http://macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=7045 |archive-date=December 8, 2007 |access-date=2014-04-14}}</ref> Though the [[Motorola 68040]] offered the same features as the [[Intel 80486]] and could on a clock-for-clock basis significantly outperform the Intel chip, the 486 can be clocked significantly faster without suffering from overheating problems, especially the clock-doubled i486DX2 which runs the CPU logic at twice the external bus speed, giving such equipped IBM compatible systems a significant performance lead over their Macintosh equivalents.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 1992 |title=CISC: The Intel 80486 vs. The Motorola MC68040 |url=http://textfiles.meulie.net/computers/486vs040.txt |access-date=May 20, 2013 |archive-date=July 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729120833/http://textfiles.meulie.net/computers/486vs040.txt |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=68040 Microprocessor |url=http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/68040/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517121248/http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/68040/ |archive-date=May 17, 2014 |access-date=October 2, 2014}}</ref> Apple's product design and engineering did not help matters as they restricted the use of the '040 to their expensive Quadras for a time while the 486 was readily available to OEMs as well as enthusiasts who put together their own machines. In late 1991, as the higher-end Macintosh desktop lineup transitioned to the '040, Apple was unable to offer the '040 in their top-of-the-line PowerBooks until early 1994 with the [[PowerBook 500 series]], several years after the first 486-powered IBM compatible laptops hit the market which cost Apple considerable sales. In 1993 Intel rolled out the [[Pentium]] processors as the successor to the 486, but the Motorola 68050 was never released, leaving the Macintosh platform one CPU generation behind. In 1994 Apple abandoned Motorola CPUs for the RISC PowerPC architecture developed by the [[AIM alliance]] of Apple Computer, IBM, and Motorola.<ref>{{cite web |author=Hormby, Thomas |date=January 3, 2005 |title=Apple's Transition to PowerPC put in perspective |url=http://www.kaomso.com/FullStory.php?TheStory=78 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050221094423/http://www.kaomso.com/FullStory.php?TheStory=78 |archive-date=February 21, 2005 |access-date=December 24, 2007 |publisher=Kaomso}}</ref> The [[Power Macintosh]] line, the first to use the new chips, proved to be highly successful, with over a million PowerPC units sold in nine months.<ref>{{cite web |author=Polsson, Ken |date=December 16, 2007 |title=Chronology of Apple Computer Personal Computers |url=http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/applehis/appl1994.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212193828/http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/applehis/appl1994.htm |archive-date=December 12, 2007 |access-date=December 24, 2007}}</ref> In the 1990s, there were significant debates on the relative merits of [[Reduced instruction set computer|RISC]] versus [[Complex instruction set computer|CISC]] chip technologies, with the former used by Intel, and the latter used by PowerPC.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Markoff |first=John |date=1994-03-11 |title=Chip Makers' Competing Creeds |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/11/business/chip-makers-competing-creeds.html |access-date=2022-10-04 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004230720/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/11/business/chip-makers-competing-creeds.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, in the long run, spurning Intel for the PowerPC was a mistake as the commoditization of Intel-architecture chips meant Apple could not compete on price against "the Dells of the world".<ref name="web.archive.org2" /> |
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Notwithstanding these technical and commercial successes for the Macintosh, the falling costs of components made IBM PC compatibles cheaper and accelerated their adoption, over Macintosh systems that remained fairly expensive. A successful price war initiated by [[Compaq]] vaulted them from third place to first among PC manufacturers in 1994, overtaking a struggling IBM and relegating Apple to third place, with about 7% of market share.<ref name="Money.cnn.com">{{cite magazine |last=Kirkpatrick |first=David |date=April 1, 1996 |title=Fast Times at Compaq with Eckhard Pfeiffer at the Wheel, Compaq is Passing Other PC Makers; The Company Recently Hit a Speed Bump, But the Future's So Bright the CEO Has to Wear Shades |url=http://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1996/04/01/210990/ |magazine=Fortune |access-date=November 16, 2012 |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225112659/https://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1996/04/01/210990/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">Eva Heller, ''Psychologie de la couleur, effets et symboliques'', 119.</ref><ref name="Fisher">{{cite news |last=Fisher |first=Lawrence M. |date=August 16, 1994 |title=Company News; Wide Range Of Price Cuts by Compaq |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/16/business/company-news-wide-range-of-price-cuts-by-compaq.html |access-date=September 28, 2022 |archive-date=March 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314072734/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/16/business/company-news-wide-range-of-price-cuts-by-compaq.html |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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Starting in December 1994, started licensing Mac OS 7 to other manufacturers like Power Computing and Radius, in an attempt to replicate Windows 95's success and create a Macintosh-compatible market that increase Macintosh's market penetration.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Today in Apple history: Apple outwits Mac clone-makers with Mac OS 8 |url=https://www.cultofmac.com/470235/tiah-apple-outwits-clonemakers-mac-os-8/ |access-date=2022-10-04 |website=www.cultofmac.com |archive-date=March 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309011023/https://www.cultofmac.com/470235/tiah-apple-outwits-clonemakers-mac-os-8/ |url-status=live }}</ref> One reason was to increase Apple's market share, with Macintosh clones acting as entry-level option, with Apple hoping that customers would eventually switch to more powerful proper Macintoshes. Another motivation for allowing Macintosh clones was to increase the userbase of Mac OS, making the platform more attractive for third-party developers. The [[System 7|Mac OS 7]] licensing program was sold for a flat fee to manufacturers, and a [[Royalties|royalty]] paid to Apple (initially US$50, equivalent to $97 in 2022) for each clone computer they sold. This generated quick revenues for Apple during a time of financial crisis. |
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However, Apple had created too many similar models that confused potential buyers. At one point, its product lineup was subdivided into Classic, LC, II, Quadra, [[Macintosh Performa|Performa]], and [[Macintosh Centris|Centris]] models, with essentially the same computer being sold under dozens of different names.<ref name="Apple Computer2">{{cite web |author=Apple Computer |date=June 19, 1995 |title=Macintosh Centris, Quadra 660AV: Description (Discontinued) |url=http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=12707 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707153455/http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=12707 |archive-date=July 7, 2011 |access-date=December 24, 2007 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> Many of these products were more expensive than Macintosh clones, which began to cannibalize Apple's sales. Apple's [[market share]] further struggled due to the release of the [[Windows 95]] operating system, which unified Microsoft's formerly separate MS-DOS and Windows products.Windows 95 significantly enhanced the multimedia ability and performance of [[IBM PC compatible]] computers and brought the abilities of Windows close to parity with Mac OS. |
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Apple soon realized they were losing money on every clone sale, due to cannibalization and the high cost of developing Mac OS .<ref name=":0" /> When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 following the company's purchase of NeXT, he ordered that the OS that had been previewed as System 7.7 be branded [[Mac OS 8]], a name Apple had previously wished to preserve for the never-to-appear next generation [[Copland (operating system)|Copland OS]]. Mac OS 8 was a commercial success,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Today in Apple history: Mac OS 8 becomes instant smash hit {{!}} Cult of Mac |url=https://www.cultofmac.com/439189/today-in-apple-history-mac-os-8-is-an-instant-smash-hit/ |access-date=2022-10-04 |website=www.cultofmac.com |archive-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004224750/https://www.cultofmac.com/439189/today-in-apple-history-mac-os-8-is-an-instant-smash-hit/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and allowed Apple to back out of the clone licensing program, since their licensing deal with Macintosh clones had only covered System 7.<ref name=":0" /> The decision caused significant financial losses for companies like [[Motorola]], who produced the [[Motorola StarMax|StarMax]]; Umax, who produced the SuperMac;<ref>{{cite web |author=EveryMac.com |date=October 27, 2009 |title=Umax Mac Clones (MacOS-Compatible Systems) |url=http://www.everymac.com/systems/umax/index-umax-supermac-mac-clones.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008142632/http://www.everymac.com/systems/umax/index-umax-supermac-mac-clones.html |archive-date=October 8, 2009 |access-date=November 11, 2009}}</ref> and [[Power Computing Corporation|Power Computing]], who offered several lines of Macintosh clones.<ref>{{cite web |author=EveryMac.com |date=October 27, 2009 |title=PowerComputing Mac Clones (MacOS-Compatible Systems) |url=http://www.everymac.com/systems/powercc/index-power-computing-mac-clones.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091126011017/http://www.everymac.com/systems/powercc/index-power-computing-mac-clones.html |archive-date=November 26, 2009 |access-date=November 11, 2009}}</ref> These companies had invested substantial resources in creating their own Mac-compatible hardware.<ref>{{cite web |title=Umax gets new mac license |url=http://windowsitpro.com/windows-server/umax-gets-new-mac-license-motorola-drops-new-box |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626164537/http://windowsitpro.com/windows-server/umax-gets-new-mac-license-motorola-drops-new-box |archive-date=June 26, 2015 |access-date=June 25, 2015}}</ref> |
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Power Computing, who were presenting at Macworld alongside Apple, handed out flyers to Apple users that read: "We demand choice," and attempted to apply pressure on Apple. Power Computing's board refused to take Apple to court, leading Apple to buy Power Computing's clone division for $100 million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Today in Apple history: Beginning of the end for clone Macs |url=https://www.cultofmac.com/440940/today-in-apple-history-beginning-of-the-end-for-clone-macs/ |access-date=2022-10-04 |website=www.cultofmac.com |archive-date=August 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805234444/https://www.cultofmac.com/440940/today-in-apple-history-beginning-of-the-end-for-clone-macs/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Apple allowed Umax to continue selling Macintosh clones until their license expired, as they had a sizable presence in the lower-end segment that Apple did not. In September 1997 Apple extended Umax's license allowing them to sell clones with Mac OS 8, the only clone maker to do so, but with the restriction that they only sell low-end systems. Without the higher profit margins of high-end systems, however, Umax judged this would not be profitable and exited the Macintosh clone market in May 1998, having lost US$36 million on the program.<ref name="Apple Confidential">{{cite book |last=Linzmayer |first=Owen |title=Apple Confidential 2.0 |publisher=[[No Starch Press]] |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-59327-010-0 |oclc=921280642}}{{page needed|date=June 2020}}</ref>{{Rp|page=256}}<ref>{{cite web |date=January 25, 2014 |title=Apple Squeezed Mac Clones out of the Market |url=http://lowendmac.com/2014/apple-squeezes-mac-clones-out-of-the-market/ |quote=Umax stretched out its license as long as possible, and Apple even offered Umax the chance to continue in the sub-$1,000 market, but without the more profitable high-end models, the SuperMac division would not be viable. Even though Umax was the lone cloner to acquire a Mac OS 8 license and actually shipped some computers with OS 8, it was too little, too late. On May 27, 1998, Umax threw in the towel, the last of the Mac clone makers to fall. A handful of staffers kept SuperMac support running until late December. |access-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-date=June 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626112621/http://lowendmac.com/2014/apple-squeezes-mac-clones-out-of-the-market/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Umax gets new mac license |url=http://windowsitpro.com/windows-server/umax-gets-new-mac-license-motorola-drops-new-box |quote=One of the two remaining Macintosh clone makers, Umax Data Systems, has announced that it has secured a new licensing agreement with Apple Computer that allows it to offer MacOS 8.0 with its systems. To get this license, Umax had to agree to pursue markets Apple will forgo, so Umax's upcoming MacOS 8 systems will target the low-end. |access-date=September 28, 2022 |archive-date=June 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626164537/http://windowsitpro.com/windows-server/umax-gets-new-mac-license-motorola-drops-new-box |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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== Software == |
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{{Main|Classic Mac OS}} |
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The original Macintosh was the first successful personal computer to use a [[graphical user interface]] devoid of a [[command line]]. It uses a [[desktop metaphor]], depicting real-world objects like [[Computer file|documents]] and a [[Trash (computing)|trash can]] as [[Icon (computing)|icons]] on-screen. Now known as the [[classic Mac OS]], the [[Classic Mac OS|System]] software was introduced in 1984 with the first Macintosh, renamed [[System 7#Mac OS 7.6|Mac OS]] in 1997, and continued to evolve until version [[Mac OS 9|9.2.2]]. |
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Originally, the hardware architecture was so closely tied to the [[classic Mac OS]] system that it was impossible to boot an alternative operating system. The most common workaround was to boot into Mac OS and then to hand over control to a Mac OS-based [[bootloader]] application. Used even by Apple for [[A/UX]] and [[MkLinux]], this technique was formerly used for convenience on many [[Old World ROM]] systems due to bugs in the firmware implementation. |
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== Market share<!-- preferable to add things to History, for context, than here. e.g. if we can show "Apple responded to falling market share this by [doing X]", then it belongs in Histor, not here. --> == |
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The Macintosh has always had relatively low market share within the personal computer market,<ref name="arstech2">{{cite web |last=Reimer |first=Jeremy |date=December 14, 2005 |title=Total share: 30 years of personal computer market share figures |url=https://arstechnica.com/features/2005/12/total-share/5 |access-date=April 16, 2015 |website=[[Ars Technica]] |archive-date=April 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414084448/http://arstechnica.com/features/2005/12/total-share/5/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="libes198509">{{cite news |author=Libes, Sol |date=September 1985 |title=The Top Ten |pages=418 |work=BYTE |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1985-09/1985_09_BYTE_10-09_Homebrewing#page/n401/mode/2up |access-date=October 27, 2013}}</ref><ref name="kennedy198504162">{{cite news |author=Kennedy, Don |date=April 16, 1985 |title=PCs Rated Number One |pages=42 |work=PC Magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rtmJgtfaxz8C&pg=PA42 |access-date=October 28, 2013 |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126074255/https://books.google.com/books?id=rtmJgtfaxz8C&pg=PA42 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="sandler1984112">{{cite news |author=Sandler, Corey |date=November 1984 |title=IBM: Colossus of Armonk |pages=298 |work=Creative Computing |url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/creative/v10n11/298_IBM_colossus_of_Armonk.php |access-date=February 26, 2013 |archive-date=September 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928013638/http://www.atarimagazines.com/creative/v10n11/298_IBM_colossus_of_Armonk.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="sanger19850805">{{cite news |author=Sanger, David E. |date=August 5, 1985 |title=Philip Estridge Dies in Jet Crash; Guided IBM Personal Computer |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/05/us/philip-estridge-dies-in-jet-crash-guided-ibm-personal-computer.html |access-date=October 19, 2013 |archive-date=December 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205224753/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=technology&res=9803E7D61038F936A3575BC0A963948260 |url-status=live }}</ref> though it found success among students, teachers, creative professionals, and segments of the scientific community,<!-- e.g. Mathematica -->. |
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For most <!-- all? check sources -->of their history, Macintoshes were more expensive than competing PCs. Apple's decision to design its own hardware, rather than solely licensing it like Microsoft did with Windows, inherently put Apple at a market share disadvantage. The Macintosh was also hobbled with an aging OS, which Apple [[Copland (operating system)|unsuccessfully]] tried to replace over many years due to project mismanagement and [[feature creep]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shankland |first=Stephen |title=Mac's new OS: Seven years in the making |url=https://www.cnet.com/culture/macs-new-os-7-years-in-the-making/ |access-date=2022-10-04 |website=CNET |language=en |archive-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004224750/https://www.cnet.com/culture/macs-new-os-7-years-in-the-making/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Codist: Software Project Disaster Types: #6 The Big Bang |url=http://thecodist.com/article/software-project-disaster-types-6-the-big-bang |access-date=2022-10-04 |website=thecodist.com |archive-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004224751/http://thecodist.com/article/software-project-disaster-types-6-the-big-bang |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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== References == |
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{{reflist}} |
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== External links == |
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* {{Cite web |last=Raskin |first=Jef |year=1996 |title=Recollections of the Macintosh project |url=http://mxmora.best.vwh.net/JefRaskin.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928072214/http://jef.raskincenter.org/published/holes.html |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |access-date=November 27, 2008 |website=Articles from Jef Raskin about the history of the Macintosh}} |
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{{Apple hardware before 1998}} |
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[[Category:Macintosh computers]] |
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[[Category:History of computing hardware]] |
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