On January 24, 1984, Steve Jobs hosted a first keynote at the Boston Computer Society General Meeting in San Francisco. For the occasion, the co-founder of Apple lifted the veil on a product that has redefined the codes of computing.
With the Macintosh, the Apple company has simply moved the PC from the professional era to the personal one. For this, the computer offered a graphical interface accessible and controllable using a device in the hands of everyone today: the mouse.
With a single button, it allowed you to click on the files and folders available on the Desktop, but also to double-click or drag and drop icons. A big step forward when we know that computers of the time were mainly controlled using complex text commands.
The Macintosh also had a practical design with an integrated 9-inch screen and a handle allowing it to be carried anywhere. An additional commercial argument for the Californian company, which wanted to put its computer in the hands of everyone.
As at present, Apple positioned its product in the high-end segment with a price of $2,495 at the time, or approximately €6,700 today.
After a launch advertising campaign with a budget of $800,000, including a legendary spot directed by Ridley Scott, inspired by the novel 1984 and broadcast during the Super Bowl, Apple managed to sell more than 372,000 copies of the Macintosh during its first year on the market.
A new era with the iMac
Fired by Apple’s board of directors in 1985, Steve Jobs made his comeback with the iMac in 1996 to turn around the company. The Macintosh thus made a comeback with a brand new colorful design and it enjoyed greater success with 5 million copies sold in two and a half years.
The Apple firm will then continue with new Mac models, then gain popularity with the iPod, the iPhone and even the iPad.
However, Macs have not been as popular with Apple in recent years, despite the arrival of models with Apple Silicon chips.
In 2023, they represented only 10% of the company’s revenues, or $29.3 billion out of $387 billion in overall revenue.
A renewal with the Vision Pro mixed reality headset?
The time has now come for a new attempt at revolution at the start of 2024. On February 2, the Vision Pro, the first space computer from Tim Cook’s company, will begin its marketing in the United States.
It remains to be seen whether this mixed reality headset will be as successful as Macs over the past 40 years.