Apple's Mac turns the big 4-0. How a bowling-ball-sized computer changed the tech game

When a 28-year-old brash, bow-tie-wearing Steve Jobs unveiled the Macintosh PC on Jan. 24, 1984, few people knew how much one consumer tech product would change our lives. 

It delivered a bunch of firsts: the first mouse, the first built-in screen, and the first time we could interact with a machine through graphics like icons and pictures (graphical user interface or GUI) rather than typing a bunch of complicated commands.

It’s not a stretch to say our world hasn’t been the same since Jobs pulled that extra-large, bowling-ball-sized PC out of a bag on center stage for the big reveal four decades ago. (You can watch the entire video of the event on the Internet Archive website. This moment comes at about 45 minutes into the presentation.)

Of course, we didn’t know it then. 

94% of households have at least one personal computer

I was only 12. Our family already had a fancy electric typewriter and a new VCR. We even picked up a coveted dual cassette telephone answering machine. We were so cutting edge already, so future-forward, why would we need to own a personal computer?!  

As Apple’s Macintosh hits this midlife milestone, officially turning 40 years old this month, nearly every single household in America – some 94% – has at least one personal computer in their home. There’s a lot more if you consider we’re basically all packing a full-fledged PC in our pocket or purse now, too, thanks to our smartphones. 

You might be hard-pressed to find a lot of “influencers” on TikTok who remember life before PCs or even why it matters. But there are still plenty of us around who realize how one gadget can change how we do our jobs and live our lives – not all that different from the first motorized car. It ushered in the “before” and “after” times of mainstream consumer technology. 

In many ways, it’s similar to what artificial intelligence and machine learning are doing to our gadgets now. The changes don’t happen overnight, but one day, we wake up and realize everything’s pretty different. 

That’s what happens when we turn 40, too – and a lot of that change is for the better. We gain more wisdom and life experience, know ourselves better, and fit more comfortably in the world around us. 

Can the same be said of consumer technology today? The leaders at Apple think so. Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak told The Verge that the Mac is still “the foundation of Apple” and “defines who we are.” 

Will the Feb. 2 launch of the $3,500 Apple Vision Pro provide the foundation for the next 40 years?

I don’t know yet. I’m also not sure it checks all the boxes of what’s historically made an Apple launch a massive hit. To be fair, I haven’t tested it out yet and can’t afford to buy one – the same way my family couldn’t afford the $2,495 “mainstream price point” of the first Mac (equivalent to $7,400 today). 

But already missing for me is the laser focus on product creation, reveal, and the overall mastery of marketing that was so uniquely and magically part of Steve Jobs' Apple. 

Reading the 1984 Mac press release and watching the grainy video reveal on the first Macintosh is like a speed-dating master class on getting it all “just right.” It also shines a spotlight on what’s missing now. And not just with Apple, but across the entire industry. 

1. Define the person who needs this gadget

Nearly every gadget that comes my way these days arrives with a slick pitch and mess of marketing speak that says absolutely nothing.

What matters out of the gate is so simple, yet so difficult for companies to get right: Tell me what it is, what it does (in plain speak, no spec-jargon and eye-rolling hyperbole), and why it matters to the person you want to buy it, not to the person or company trying to sell it. 

The original Mac press release lays it out perfectly, 

“Macintosh is aimed at a broad group of business people, professionals and college students. These people perform tasks that are similar in one important respect: they all involve working at a desk and transforming information and ideas into memos, reports, budgets, plans and analyses.”

Target demographic defined. 

2. What common problem does it solve? 

Now, what’s the problem this singular device solves? Here’s another snippet of the original release: 

“The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that while there are 25 million of these 'knowledge workers' in the United States alone, only 5% currently use desk-top computers. Apple market research indicates that the majority are unable or unwilling to invest the 20 to 40 hours it takes to master conventional computers and the additional three to 10 hours' learning time required for each new application program.”

The release goes on to point out that the Macintosh takes only “a few hours” to learn, and that its “operation mirrors the activities that are carried on by people at their desks. Papers can be shuffled on screen, documents revised or discarded, charts drawn--all with a few simple commands executed with the mouse.”

3. Does it work the way we do?

Another stellar move marked by the Mac is making machines work like people do rather than the other way around. This is another of the toughest concepts for new product makers to grasp, but Apple did really well with the introduction of the mouse. 

“Users tell Macintosh what to do simply by moving a 'mouse'-- a small pointing device--to select among functions listed in menus and represented by pictorial symbols on the screen. Users are no longer forced to memorize the numerous and confusing keyboard commands of conventional computers. The result is radical ease of use and a significant reduction in learning time. In effect, the Macintosh is a desk-top appliance offering users increased utility and creativity with simplicity.”

Before the mouse, we clacked away on hammer-thumbed keyboards to get anything done. 

The size was also pretty amazing, but Jobs' description of it made it even more of a stand-out feature:

​​"Macintosh easily fits on a desk, both in terms of its style of operation and its physical design. It takes up about the same amount of desk space as a piece of paper. With Macintosh, the computer is an aid to spontaneity and originality, not an obstacle. It allows ideas and relationships to be viewed in new ways. Macintosh enhances not just productivity but also creativity."

4. How can the average person afford it? 

That’s the one problem the original release did not solve exactly. It hinted at it being similarly priced to other luxury goods and even admitted it wasn’t priced for families quite yet, with just 10% of expected sales going to “home users.” 

“Many office users are expected to carry Macintosh computers home for work, and this is expected to fuel home sales as family members and others are exposed to the computer.”

To be fair, I couldn’t afford the earliest iPhones or iPads either, but now can’t imagine life without – well – my iPhone. 

While the exact future of consumer tech is still fuzzy at best, the significant impact of the Mac is clear. Also certain? Big change is once again underway – and it’s likely to improve our lives in some ways and make it more complicated in others.

I still plan to be around in 40 years. Oh, sure, I’ll be a whole lot older, but hopefully wiser too. And just like that original Mac from 1984, I’ll likely still be of some use, so let’s make a pact now – to revisit this topic then. 

Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning consumer tech columnist and on-air correspondent.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.

Contact her at [email protected].