Chances are, the device you're reading this article on takes cues in some way from Apple's original Macintosh, which was released 40 years ago today. Before the Macintosh debuted on January 24, 1984, most computing devices still used text inputs rather than graphical user interfaces. The computer mouse, ubiquitous today and has inspired other pointing methods such as trackpads and touchscreens, wasn't popular either. These mainstays of modern computing weren't popularized until Apple released the Macintosh four decades ago.

But the Macintosh took a rather unusual route to becoming a computer system that changed an industry forever. For one, neither Apple nor its co-founder Steve Jobs invented the mouse or the GUI. Apple also missed its price targets for the Macintosh 128K and equipped it with meager specs and features. The computer didn't reach its second birthday before being discontinued and replaced. Regardless, on the Macintosh's 40th anniversary, let's take a look at the computer that single-handedly shifted the computing market in the 1980s.

The unsung heroes of the Macintosh

Xerox's PARC and the Apple Lisa both helped set the table for the Mac

The creation of the Macintosh stretches back to 1979 when two projects at Apple started in parallel. Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple who was not CEO at the time, visited Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). After visiting Xerox PARC, Jobs was stunned by Xerox's graphical user interface used to interact with the company's prototypes. Jobs set up visits for Apple employees to see the GUI for themselves and wanted Apple to go all-in on the GUI. On these same visits, Apple saw the computer mouse in action.

At the time, Xerox didn't fully understand the breakthrough it had. It also might not have thought current-generation computing hardware could power a GUI. For reference, Xerox's prototype device — the Xerox Alto — needed a custom microprocessor to run the experimental GUI. But Jobs was captivated by the GUI and turned his ongoing Apple Lisa project into building a computer with a GUI and a mouse. The Apple Lisa was the first computer from Cupertino to ship with the GUI and a mouse, not the Macintosh. However, the former was a commercial failure, partly due to its exorbitant price tag.

While all this was happening in 1979, Apple engineer Jef Raskin started the Macintosh project, named after his favorite apple. An interesting note about the Macintosh name is that it was never intended to be the final product name and rather was a placeholder. Raskin wanted the Macintosh to be an ultra-low-cost computing device and targeted a price point of around $500. That would be about $2,245.58 today. He also developed early plans for the Macintosh with a text-based interface and no mouse.

Engineers on the Macintosh team created a logic board for the premium Motorola 6800 processor used in the Apple Lisa. The result was a prototype, like a mix of an Apple II and an Apple Lisa. Jobs was interested in this development and jumped on the Macintosh team, eventually leading Raskin to depart in 1981. Eventually, Jobs was able to turn the Macintosh into a more marketable, and cheaper, version of the Apple Lisa. A lot of credit goes to Jobs for the Macintosh, but Xerox's PARC, the Apple Lisa, and Raskin were instrumental in creating the new device.

The Macintosh wasn't perfect

It was expensive, supported limited apps, and had meager performance

It might be hard to conceive today, as the Mac is the only line of computers Apple has released for decades, but the Macintosh wasn't an immediate hit. There were a few reasons for that, starting with the price. Jobs pushed the performance thresholds of the Macintosh, which raised the cost considerably compared to Raskin's original concept. Apple's then-CEO John Scully also put millions into marketing the device, including creating an iconic advertisement based on George Orwell's 1984. Both of these factors led to Macintosh retailing for $2,495 in 1984, equivalent to $7,500 today.

The advertisement was just one part of the hype around the Macintosh in 1984, leading to good initial sales. People were interested in the Macintosh's GUI, and Apple released two applications that made great use of it: MacWrite and MacPaint. Apple sold 50,000 machines by April 1984, making the Macintosh the first commercially successful computer with a GUI, built-in screen, and mouse.

As the system got older, sales waned. People became discontent with the single floppy drive and the lack of supported applications for Apple's new GUI. There were also performance concerns, and the Macintosh wasn't very upgradeable. Apple later offered an upgrade to 512KB of RAM for $995, but this was just a logic board swap rather than a true memory upgrade. If you're curious, here are the specs for the Macintosh 128K:

The computer was affectionately named "the Mac," a name that stuck longer than the original Macintosh branding did. While a lot of people liked the Macintosh 128K, it didn't take long for PC manufacturers to make competing all-in-one systems with GUIs. Apple's competitors undercut the Macintosh's price, which led the computer to face an inflection point.

How we got to where we are today

The Macintosh evolved into the desktops and laptops we use now

During the late 1980s and the better part of the 1990s, the Macintosh was struggling. At this point, the Macintosh had already influenced the mainstream computer market. The original Macintosh 128K proved that there was a demand for an all-in-one, easy-to-use computer. Apple was still creating new computers, such as the Macintosh Portable, an early precursor to the PowerBook and MacBook lineups. But whether the Mac itself would survive was up for debate. This was also when Jobs left the company, choosing to pursue other endeavors, like NeXT computer.

Apple bought NeXT in 1996 and its founder, Jobs. He returned to his post as CEO of Apple and immediately began work on a new project. Jobs recognized that Apple needed another breakthrough, like the original Macintosh 128K was. That computer was the iMac G3, a fun and colorful all-in-one system that ran on Mac OS 8.1. It was a massive hit, and the rest is history. The best Macs today can still be traced back to the iMac G3 and to the Macintosh 128K. Even operating systems like Windows 11 similarly reflect the GUI that the Macintosh popularized.

Whether you love or hate the Mac, the 40th anniversary of the Macintosh marks a milestone for the computer that changed an industry.