By Ever since the 20th century, computers and computer-related tasks started to gain popularity, this combination between hardware and software becoming the most used device all over the world, in order to accomplish various tasks.
But the year 1984 is one truly special when it comes to the ‘important’ history of computers, when Steve Jobs introduced a totally new concept, meant to become the personal computer. Therefore, home computing became available for the first time, in the form of The Macintosh (128k). Of course, nowadays, Apple and Macintosh occupy a big part of our lives, mixing with lifestyles and cultures, thus is can be confusing to think of the 128k Macintosh computer as a ‘primitive’ machinery.
Nevertheless, in 1984, the Macintosh Innovations really blew minds. What’s more, those innovations not only are still resembled today in most devices, but have also suffered radical upgrades; what now seems modern and amazing actually has its bases in those Macintosh Innovations that were first developed in 1984.
Mouse
The Mouse Pointer was a feature implemented since 1960, but it didn’t represent much back then. It was the Mac that exploited this particular feature and made it the mainstream feature for computers we all know today. Since early home computers were primarily used with command prompts and text-based user interface, the Mouse greatly improved the functionality of computers, offering the flexibility it needed to make computing easier. The Mouse was an important step forward for computers since it only requires point-and-click in order to interact, rather than the ‘old’ command prompt system.
Graphical UI
Until the proper release of Macintosh computers, the computing experience was basically text-based, pretty straightforward with nothing out of the ordinary that could offer flexibility. Once the first Mac computer was released in 1984, all changed as well, with a new graphical user interface becoming available at an affordable price too. Worth noticing at this point is the fact that every modern GUI used in home computing today has its roots in this first graphical UI used by the first Macintosh computer of 1984.
Entertainment
In the beginning of home computing, ‘old’ computers were used only for certain (serious) tasks, such as research, business and projects. The Macintosh computer was the first to offer a new concept to home computing: entertainment. Implementing such a feature, the Mac computer was the first that could offer fun activities for the masses, redefining the usefulness of a personal computer.
Sleek Design
Early computers were simply based on functionality. It was the Macintosh computer that offered the concept of sleek design and style. Therefore, the Mac computer was the first to implement a compact and sleek design in a manner that the device was asking for the proper attention.
It is quite astonishing how a few ideas implemented in the first Macintosh computers of 1984 became a huge part of our lives today, with updates being made every day.