The background of the Apple computer

The Apple computer was introduced on April 1, 1976. Steven Wozniak, a Hewlett-Packard employee, and high school dropout, dabbled in computer design and came up with the design for the Apple I. His high school friend Steven Jobs, who was also a dropout, worked for Atari and persuaded him to start a business with him to promote the new computer, which eventually gained popularity in 1977 with the introduction of the Apple II. When the Apple III was introduced in 1980, their business had thousands of employees.

This marks the start of the most innovative computer in history's arduous, but incredibly successful, journey. The early Mac's user-friendly interface, which included elements like the trash can, windows, drag-and-drop file transfer, and plug-in/play interoperability, significantly outstripped PC developers' efforts. One can only interpret Bill Gates' instruction to his R&D team to "Make it like the Mac!" as the utmost praise. In side-by-side tests using intricate processing procedures in Photoshop with huge files, the quickest PC was even today's Mac G4, which has a velocity engine and 128-bit-wide architecture. In all facets of the computing world, the Mac is a more efficient and cost-effective platform.

* Barbarians By Jennifer Edstrom and Marlin Eller; Henry Holt and Company, Inc., New York, NY 1998; led by Bill Gates.

** A technology consulting company established in San Francisco with a focus on improving computer productivity is called Norris and Wong. They create unique applications for a select audience on both Macs and PCs. They conducted a very thorough analysis comparing Macs and Windows in the following areas: 1) Adding and removing applications, 2) Organizing the desktop for convenience, 3) Hard disc space management, 4) Adding and upgrading hardware components, 5) Backing up files, 6) Troubleshooting system conflicts and other issues, and 7) Recovery from system failures. The Macintosh had MAJOR benefits in every situation. "These differences will translate into considerable FINANCIAL SAVINGS and PRODUCTIVITY gains for Macintosh consumers," they write in their conclusion.

In no way does this page attempt to recount the extensive history of Apple's development. These computers are some of the more ground-breaking examples of Apple's work that you may find here.

In 1976, Apple The MOStek 6502 chip was the sole component of the Apple I's the circuit board. Although the tape interface had to be built yourself, it was supplied separately. the initial expense of $666.66
1983 • Lisa

With a GUI, the first personal computer (Graphical User Interface). It had a Motorola 68000 processor running at 5 MHz, 1 MB of RAM, two 5.25′′ 871k floppy drives, an external 5 MB hard drive, and an integrated monochrome monitor measuring 12′′ by 720 pixels. Starting price: $9,995.
Apple /e in 1983.

one of the best-selling Apple computers of all time. It had a 1.02 Mhz 65C02 processor, 64K of RAM, 32K of ROM, BASIC (an assembly language interface), and several other hard-coded choices. Cost at first: $1,395.

 

1984 • Mac 128k the first inexpensive computer with a GUI and a new Motorola 68000 CPU running at 8 MHz. It had a tiny beige casing, a built-in black and white monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, and the first personal computer's 400k 3.5" floppy drive. Cost at first: $2,495.
1989 • Mobile
the first attempt by Apple to create a Macintosh that is more transportable. It could accommodate up to two Super Drives and had a bay for a 3.5" half-height drive. It was extremely pricey because of the active matrix screen (later illuminated). Price at launch: $6,500.
Color Classic 1993
Similar to the Classic II but with a color screen, a bigger ROM, and a different-looking chassis. available as the Performa 250 as well. Cost at first: $1,390.

 Power Mac 9600, 1997 The 9600 was designed to make it's inside easier to reach. It utilized 233, 200, or two 200 Mhz 604e processors. Initial costs for the dual 200Mhz setup are $4,700, the single 233Mhz is $4,200, and the single 200Mhz is $3,700.

Power Book G3 in 1998 A 233, 250, or 292 Mhz PPC750 CPU with either a 12′′ passive-matrix screen, a 13.3′′ TFT active matrix screen, or an amazing 14.1′′ TFT active matrix screen were among the built-to-order possibilities for the G3 Series. All models featured two RAM slots that accepted industry-standard RAM modules (the same as those found in the majority of IBM Thinkpads), hardware 2D and 3D Graphics acceleration, a VGA port, 4Mbps IrDA, two PC-card slots (the first on a PowerBook), and an S-Video output on the 13.3- and 14.1-inch models.

A battery or a variety of 3.5′′ extension devices, such as floppy or zip modules, could be placed in either of the G3 Series' two drive bays, which also had two drive slots. Larger 5.25′′ devices could also fit in the right drive bay. Initial price: $2,299 for a 233 Mhz computer with a 12′′ screen and no floppy drive, and $7,000 for a fully loaded model.

1999 • G4 AGP-based graphics, AirPort compatibility, a faster memory bus, DVD-ROM or RAM standard, an internal FireWire port, two distinct USB buses for a combined 24 Mbs, a 2X (133 Mhz) AGP slot, and up to 1.5 GB of RAM are all features of the G4 AGP, which is based on the Unified Motherboard Architecture. Additionally, the G4 AGP debuted "graphite," a new professional color. Price at launch: $2499 for the 450 Mhz model with a 20 GB hard drive and 128 MB of RAM, and $3499 for the 500 Mhz model with a 27 GB hard drive and 256 MB of RAM (both included internal Zip drives).

 

2000 • G4 Cube The G4 Cube, which was housed in an 8x8x8 cube, combined power, and elegance while giving up expandability to achieve its small size. While the Graphics was able to fit into a 2x AGP slot, there were no PCI slots and no place for full-length AGP cards. It had a 450Mhz G4 processor, a 20 GB hard disc, a 56k modem, 64 MB of RAM, three RAM slots, an AirPort slot, two USB and FireWire ports, an Apple Pro Mouse, an external USB amplifier, a set of Harman Kardon speakers. $2299 for the 500 Mhz G4 with a 30 GB hard drive and 128 MB of RAM, and $1799 for the base model.

 

Titanium G4 Powerbook from 2001 The PowerBook G4's sleek new Titanium enclosure, which was only 1′′ thick and.7′′ thinner than its predecessor, the PowerBook G3 with FireWire, was built around a new low-power G4 chip called the PPC 7410. The PB G4 included a single battery bay, a wide-aspect 15.2" screen with a native resolution of 1152768 pixels, a fixed, 6x slot-load DVD-ROM drive in place of a removable drive bay, and these features. A 400 Mhz model with 128 MB of RAM and a 10GB hard drive costs $2,599, while a 500 Mhz model with 256 MB of RAM and a 20GB hard drive costs $3,499 at launch.

 

Flat-panel iMac from 2002 The G4 processor, 15- or 17-inch LCD screen, and CD-RW/DVD-R Super Drive enable the iMac's Flat Panel screen to spin and change angles with ease. The remainder of the computer is housed in the 10.6" semi-sphere. Initial price ranges are as follows: $1299 for a 700Mhz G4 Processor, 128 MB of RAM, and a 40 GB ATA-66 hard drive with CD-RW; $1499 for a 700Mhz model, 256 MB of RAM, a 40 GB hard drive, and a CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo Drive; and $1799 for an 800Mhz model, 256 MB of RAM, a 60 GB Gateway already uses a similar design.

 

2003 Updates: G5 Apple's eagerly anticipated fifth-generation PowerPC-based computer was the PowerMac G5. Apple made a significant decision to abandon Motorola and switch to a processor created by IBM. Motorola was at least a year away from releasing its fifth-generation PowerPC CPU because of long-standing delays in both chip design and shipment. The PowerPC 970 CPU (commonly known as the G5) was the result of close collaboration between Apple and IBM for almost a year, and the 64-bit PowerMac G5 represented a significant advancement in both the processor and machine architecture.

The PowerMac G5 was the first 64-bit consumer-level desktop computer ever sold, and it was housed in a cutting-edge new aluminum shell. It had a 1.6 or 1.8 GHz single processor or two 2.0 GHz processors. The motherboard was enhanced with several features, such as PCI-X slots, an 8X AGP slot, a Serial-ATA bus, and up to 8 GB of RAM. The front-side bus speed, which was boosted to 1.0 GHz, or half the processor speed, was the most astonishing of all. In comparison to the preceding PowerMac G4 model, this marked an advance of more than six times.

 

• Xserve G5 in 2004 The PowerMac G5's architectural advancements were transferred to the Xserve range via the Xserve G5. The Xserve G5 contained significantly faster data and memory buses, larger and faster RAM, FireWire 800 and USB 2.0, Serial ATA and PCI-X compatibility, as well as one or two 2.0 GHz PowerPC 970FX processors. The inclusion of the PowerMac G5's cooling system resulted in one less drive bay being removed for ventilation, making this alteration to the Xserve G5 perhaps the most visible. A single 2.0 GHz CPU model with 512 MB of RAM cost $2,999, and a dual 2.0 GHz processor model with 1 GB of RAM cost $3,999. These were the only two configurations of the Xserve G5.

The Xserve G5 could also be configured as a Cluster Node. The low-end model received an upgrade to 1 GB of RAM in January 2005, while the high-end model received a speed bump to dual 2.3 GHz processors. Now that SuperDrives are available as a BTO, both models arrive with Combo CD-RW/DVD-ROM drives. The Xserve RAID was also upgraded; it could now support up to 14 modules of 250 GB drives, each on its own ATA-100 bus, for a total of 3.5 terabytes of storage.

 

2004 • iMac G5 The iMac G5 gave Apple's consumer desktop line G5 muscle. The iMac G5 was a miracle of miniaturization and was housed in an entirely new chassis that was reminiscent of Apple's Cinema Display range. The machine inside the two-inch-thin chassis was far faster and more sophisticated than its G4-based predecessor. The iMac G5 included a 64-bit G5 processor in addition to a much quicker memory bus, better graphics for the entry-level model, twice as much hard drive space for the high-end model, and a new audio connection that also served as an optical digital audio output.

 Three models of the iMac G5 were initially offered: a 17" LCD with a 1.6 GHz processor, an 80 GB hard drive, and 256 MB of RAM; a 17" LCD with a 1.8 GHz processor, an 80 GB hard drive, and 256 MB of RAM; and a 20" LCD with a 1.8 GHz processor, a 160 GB hard drive, and 256 MB of RAM.

 

Flat-panel iMac from 2004 The Mac mini was Apple's first significant entry into the low-end consumer market and the company's first consumer Mac without a monitor in more than six years. The Mac mini, which is only two inches tall and 6.5 inches broad and deep, contains an amazing feature set based on the fundamental motherboard design of the eMac (USB 2.0). The G4 Cube's shortcomings, which Apple was anxious not to replicate with the mini, were echoed in the rectangular case of the failed G4 Cube.

 The fundamental concept was straightforward: allow current PC owners to spend $500 to replace their PC while keeping their present monitor and USB peripherals. Although Airport Extreme and Bluetooth could be added as BTO options, neither stock configuration came with a keyboard or mouse. The sound-input jack, which was a staple of Apple's whole lineup at the time, was also absent from the mini. Apple utilized a 2.5-inch laptop hard disc and only one RAM slot to keep the size compact. There were two Mac mini models available at launch. The high-end 1.42 GHz model, with an 80 GB hard drive, cost $599, compared to the low-end 1.25 GHz model's $499 price tag. 256 MB of RAM came standard with both versions.