Apple II Becomes a Popular Home Computer
Apple's first foray into the personal computer market was with the Apple II, released in 1977. At the time, computers were large, expensive, and difficult to use. The Apple II was the first computer to be able to be used as a home computer, and it became an instant hit. The Apple II used an 8-bit processor and had a total of 64 kilobytes of RAM. It had an optional 5.25-inch floppy disk drive and was expandable with a variety of external peripherals. The Apple II was a huge success and it paved the way for Apple's next computer, the Macintosh.
The Apple Lisa
The Apple Lisa was the company's next computer, released in 1983. It was the first computer to have a graphical user interface (GUI) and it used a mouse for input. The Lisa also used a Motorola 68000 processor and had 1 megabyte of RAM. The Lisa was expensive and it was not a commercial success. However, the Lisa was the precursor to the Macintosh and it was responsible for introducing the concept of GUI to the world.
The Macintosh 128K
The Macintosh 128K was the first true Macintosh computer, released in 1984. It was based on the Lisa, but it used a more powerful Motorola 68000 processor and had 128 kilobytes of RAM. The Macintosh 128K had a 9-inch monochrome screen and a single 3.5-inch floppy disk drive. It was the first computer to use the mouse and the graphical user interface, and it was an instant hit. The Macintosh 128K was the first of the "true" Macs and it laid the groundwork for the future of Apple computers.
The Macintosh 512K
The Macintosh 512K was released in 1985, and it was the first Macintosh with more than 128 kilobytes of RAM. It was based on the Macintosh 128K, but it had 512 kilobytes of RAM and a 10-inch monochrome display. The Macintosh 512K was an upgrade over the 128K and it was popular with power users and businesses. The 512K was the first Macintosh to have an external hard drive, and it was the first to support the Apple LaserWriter printer.
The Macintosh Plus
The Macintosh Plus was released in 1986 and it was the first Macintosh with a built-in hard drive. The Plus used a Motorola 68000 processor and had 1 megabyte of RAM and a 10-inch color display. It also had an external SCSI port for connecting peripherals and it was the first Macintosh to come with an internal floppy disk drive. The Macintosh Plus was an upgrade over the 512K and it was the first Macintosh to be successful in the business market.
The Macintosh SE and Macintosh II
The Macintosh SE and Macintosh II were released in 1987 and 1988, respectively. The SE was based on the Plus and it had an upgraded processor and double the RAM. The Macintosh II was an entirely new machine and it was the first Macintosh to support color graphics. The Macintosh II used a Motorola 68020 processor and had up to 16 megabytes of RAM. It was expandable with up to seven NuBus expansion slots and it was the first Macintosh to have an internal hard drive.
The Macintosh Portable
The Macintosh Portable was released in 1989 and it was the first Apple laptop. It used a Motorola 68020 processor and had up to 8 megabytes of RAM. It had a 12.5-inch monochrome display and a built-in trackball for input. The Macintosh Portable was bulky and heavy, but it was the first Apple laptop and it laid the groundwork for the company's future laptop computers.
The Macintosh Classic
The Macintosh Classic was released in 1990 and it was the first Macintosh to use a Motorola 68030 processor. It had up to 4 megabytes of RAM and a 9-inch color display. The Classic was an upgrade over the SE and it was the last of the "classic" Macs before Apple switched to the PowerPC processor. The Classic was a popular machine and it was the precursor to the PowerPC-based Macs.
Conclusion
The Apple Macintosh was a revolutionary computer when it was released in 1984. However, it was the culmination of years of research and development, beginning with the Apple II and continuing through the Lisa, the Macintosh 128K, the Macintosh 512K, the Macintosh Plus, the Macintosh SE, the Macintosh II, the Macintosh Portable, and the Macintosh Classic. Each of these machines laid the groundwork for the Macintosh and helped to make it the success that it is today.
