The history of Mac computers is marked by innovation, technological advancements and a profound impact on the computing industry.
From humble but hopeful beginnings in the 1970s, the Macintosh line of computers has pushed boundaries of design, user experience and technological prowess to become iconic and often imitated.
In early 1984 Apple’s vision of a user-friendly personal computer resulted in the launch of the original Macintosh. The Macintosh 128K, often referred to as the “Mac,” featured a graphical user interface and a mouse, setting a new standard for personal computing.
In the early 1990s, Apple transitioned to the PowerPC architecture, a collaboration between Apple, IBM and Motorola. This transition led to significant performance improvements, setting the stage for Apple’s expansion into new markets, including professional multimedia and design.
The launch of Mac OS X in 2001 marked a pivotal moment in the history of Mac computers. The Unix-based operating system brought enhanced stability, performance, and a modern user interface to the Mac lineup, solidifying Apple’s position as a leader in software innovation.
In 2006, Apple announced its transition from PowerPC processors to Intel processors, a move that not only bolstered performance but also facilitated the seamless integration of Windows through Boot Camp. This transition opened new possibilities for users and developers and contributed to the growing popularity of Mac computers.
The introduction of the unibody construction in MacBook Pro models showcased Apple’s commitment to design and engineering excellence. The unibody design not only improved durability but also set a new standard for aesthetic appeal and build quality in the industry.
Apple’s focus on display technology culminated in the introduction of the Retina display in 2012. Offering exceptional pixel density and image quality, the Retina display redefined visual clarity and became a hallmark feature of Mac computers, setting them apart from the competition.
The launch of the M1 chip in 2020 marked a significant technological leap for Mac computers. As Apple’s first custom silicon for Mac, the M1 chip delivered exceptional performance, power efficiency, and integration, further solidifying Apple’s position as a pioneer in processor architecture.
When it comes to computing devices, Apple has long been at the forefront of innovation and design. From sleek hardware to intuitive software, Apple computers are known for their exceptional performance and user experience. Let’s delve into some of the top features.
One of the key features of Apple computers is the macOS operating system. Known for its stability, security and user-friendly interface, macOS provides a seamless computing experience. Features such as Siri integration, iCloud synchronization, and Continuity features (which allows seamless work across Apple devices) contribute to the overall appeal.
Apple’s Retina display technology is renowned for its stunning visual clarity and sharpness. Whether it’s the vibrant colors, high resolution, or wide viewing angles, the Retina display enhances the overall user experience, making it a standout feature of Apple computers.
Apple is synonymous with elegant and robust design. From the slim and lightweight MacBook Air to the powerful and stylish MacBook Pro, Apple’s attention to detail in design and build quality sets its computers apart.
The trackpad and keyboard on Apple computers are designed to offer a superior user experience. The trackpad, equipped with multi-touch gestures, provides precise control and navigation, while the keyboard offers a comfortable typing experience. Features such as the Touch Bar on certain MacBook Pro models further enhance functionality and user interaction.
Whether it’s the speed and responsiveness of the latest M1 chip or the extended battery life that allows users to work uninterrupted for hours, Apple computers excel in delivering high performance and long-lasting battery power.
Apple’s ecosystem is designed to work seamlessly across its range of products. Features like Handoff, AirDrop, and Universal Control allow for effortless sharing and continuity between Apple computers and other devices such as iPhones and iPads.
Apple places a strong emphasis on security and privacy. With features like FileVault encryption, Gatekeeper app security, and the privacy-focused approach to user data, Apple computers provide a secure computing environment, giving users peace of mind.
Apple’s strong customer support and extensive software ecosystem contribute to the overall appeal of its computers. Whether it’s access to a wide range of productivity and creative apps through the App Store or the reliable customer service offered through AppleCare, users of Apple computers benefit.
You can make an animated GIF on your iPhone or Mac out of any Live Photo or video in your photo library or saved on your computer. You don’t need to download any apps — simply add a shortcut, and you can make a GIF directly from the share sheet.
If you need an actual GIF file, there’s still a pretty easy way to make them on your phone or Mac. I’ll show you how.
If you’re trying to listen to podcasts or music on your iPhone, it can be annoying when your AirPods keep switching to other devices, like your Mac or iPad.
Personally, I don’t mind this behavior. If I’m sitting at my Mac, I want to use the Music and the Podcasts apps on the Mac. But a lot of people consider their iPhone their primary device — and always want to play audio from their phone, no matter which other device they’re using.
If you want your iPhone to retain supreme control over your ears, here’s how to disable AirPods auto-switching.
The M4 MacBook Air is the best mobile computer for most people, and a sweet new deal drops both the 13-inch and 15-inch models to low, low prices. You can snag the 13-incher for only $799 or the 15-incher for only $999.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over, but you can still find wickedly good deals for a beautiful and powerful Apple laptop.
If you want to know the fastest and easiest way to send someone photos, videos, files and so, so much more, you should know how to AirDrop. There’s no need to send an iMessage — Apple’s slick AirDrop feature will immediately send and open the content on someone else’s iPhone (or other Apple device). There’s no middle step.
AirDrop works iPhone-to-iPhone, iPhone-to-Mac, iPhone-to-iPad, Vision Pro-to-Mac — any combination and permutation of two Apple devices. And, if your friend has a Google Pixel 10, you can AirDrop with them, too!
Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about how to take advantage of AirDrop.
This Cyber Monday, you can find stellar discounts on a new MacBook. With Intel Macs aging out, there’s no better time to upgrade to the latest models that run on far-superior Apple silicon processors.
Whether you’re looking at the base MacBook Air or a specced-out MacBook Pro, you can rack up hundreds of dollars in savings by upgrading this week.
Take a look at these Cyber Monday deals on MacBooks and get ready to make your next big move.
A great way to personalize your computer is to change your Mac icons. New in macOS Tahoe, you can give each folder a custom color or symbol.
In fact, you can change any icon on your Mac to customize it to your taste. That includes any app, folder, disk or file icon. For instance, I didn’t like the yellow icon of my external hard drive — so I changed it to blue. I’ve also edited a few app icons for better consistency in my Dock.
I’ll show you how to do it yourself.
Bloom is a Finder replacement that will completely change how you work with files on your Mac.
With a refined interface that makes it feel like a native Mac app, it offers advanced features like a customizable multi-pane layout and enhanced file operations. After using Bloom for several weeks, I’m hooked. It speeds up basic tasks and makes file management on my Mac much easier.
Here’s everything this productivity-boosting Finder replacement can do.
November 18, 2003: Apple debuts a new iMac G4 sporting a 20-inch screen, the company’s biggest flat-panel all-in-one computer ever.
The introduction makes an already superb Mac even better. Somehow, though, the additional screen real estate makes the new Mac weigh twice as much as the 17-inch model.
November 17, 2020: Apple releases the first three Macs powered by the company’s new M1 chip. The Apple silicon processor sparks a renaissance at Apple, with the excellent new computers surprising nearly everyone with their bold mix of power and efficiency.
The switch to Apple silicon could not have come soon enough for Apple. The era of Intel-powered Macs began promisingly enough, but went out with a long whimper. The stark contrast in Apple’s commitment to the platform, and the unbelievable value the new Mac models offered, made the Apple silicon era a golden age for the Mac.
November 16, 1982: Intent on giving his company’s upcoming personal computer a memorable name, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs pens an impassioned plea to audio company McIntosh Laboratory. In the letter, he asks permission to use the name “Macintosh.”
You can probably guess how the resulting discussions turned out!
Not too long ago, the Mac was in a truly bad place — and then Apple silicon came along and radically reinvented the computer. With Apple’s destiny entirely within its own hands, rather than hamstrung by Intel processors, we’ve seen what Cupertino is capable of: delivering absolute computing magic on a regular, annual cycle, across its entire lineup.
With the first three Apple silicon Macs turning 5 on November 17, it’s worth reflecting on how the past half-decade has radically reinvented the Mac.
Spotlight on the Mac is a universal search bar, available everywhere, ready to quickly launch an app or find a file. And in macOS 26 Tahoe, Apple supercharged Spotlight by adding many advanced features.
Spotlight has a new visual interface for browsing apps on your Mac. It’s also a powerful tool for running Shortcuts and actions inside the apps you use. And, finally, it’s a clipboard manager, too.
Here are the ins and outs of Spotlight on the Mac.
Shortcuts are more innovative than ever in iOS 26, thanks to Apple Intelligence. They now support LLM-based actions and automations that can make quick work of various time-consuming tasks. You can streamline audio transcription, movie streaming, food tracking and more.
Best of all, Apple users are sharing an increasing number of user-created shortcuts that you can try out for free. I compiled a list of the 13 most exciting shortcuts powered by Apple Intelligence to give you a taste of just how useful they can be.
The Mac isn’t carrying its weight. In fact, it’s Apple’s lowest-selling product line, sitting behind even the Apple Watch. And despite macOS being a standout platform, it lags far behind Windows where it matters: worldwide adoption.
Apple needs a fresh angle, and the rumored budget MacBook might be the first real chance to rewrite the Mac’s trajectory.
When Apple needs to install a security patch onto an iPhone, iPad or Mac, it now does so without requiring the user to do anything — or even be aware of the update. The new Background Security Improvements feature delivers “additional security protections between software updates,” according to Apple.
It’s a feature of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1 and macOS 26.1, but users have the option to deactivate it.
November 8, 1984: After initial Mac sales prove disappointing, Apple CEO John Sculley dreams up the “Test Drive a Macintosh” marketing campaign to encourage people to give the revolutionary new computer a chance.
The promotional strategy advises people to drop into their local retailer and “borrow” a Macintosh for 24 hours. The idea is that, by the time potential customers need to return the Mac, they will have built up a bond with it — and realized they can’t live without one of Apple’s computers.
While 200,000 would-be customers take advantage of the offer, Apple dealers absolutely hate it.
The iPhone App Store is now accessible on a Mac. And iPad users can research what macOS applications are available. Anyone can see what Apple Watch apps are available. All of these are possible now that Apple finally put the App Store on the web Monday.
It’s long overdue, and still missing a feature many users would like.
November 3, 2010: Apple prepares to launch the Mac App Store, publicly accepting app submissions from registered developers — and kicking off a gold rush among coders.
After witnessing the enormous sums of money raked in by early entrants in the iOS App Store, the easy-to-use digital storefront that revolutionized software distribution on the iPhone, developers flood Apple with new Mac apps.
October 21, 1991: Apple launches its PowerBook 100 series Macs. The lightweight laptops quickly become one of the most important tech gadgets of all time.
These devices will almost single-handedly turn notebook computers into mainstream technology. Apple’s subsequent success in this category — whether it’s the current MacBooks or even the rise of mobile devices like the iPhone — owes a huge debt to the PowerBook 100 series.
The new MacBook Pro M5 is here, and it might be Apple’s most powerful laptop ever.
But with prices starting at $1,599, getting the device you want can feel like a serious investment.
That’s where Upgraded comes in. It’s a new way to get the tech you need without paying thousands upfront. Instead, you pay monthly with the option to upgrade every two years.
With Upgraded, you can get the new M5 MacBook Pro starting at just $52.17 per month and as low as 0% APR. Get the M5 MacBook Pro from $52.17 per month.
October 19, 1992: Apple launches the Mac IIvx, the first Macintosh computer to ship with a metal case and, more importantly, an internal CD-ROM drive.
The last of the Macintosh II series, the Mac IIvx experiences one of the more notorious price adjustments in Apple history. Within five months of shipping, Apple slashes the computer’s launch price of $2,949 to $1,899. That’s one way to reward early adopters!
The Apple M5 chip jumped from rumor to reality Wednesday with the launch of MacBook Pro and iPad Pro models running the new cutting-edge processor. But so far, there’s been no official mention of an M5 Mac mini, M5 MacBook Air, M5 Studio or M5 iMac.
Here’s when the next generations of these Macs are rumored to reach customers, along with the probable launch dates of the M5 Pro and M5 Max versions of the MacBook Pro.
October 17, 1996: Apple launches its Performa 6360 Mac in North America, sold elsewhere as the Power Macintosh 6300/160.
An impressive multimedia Mac, the Performa 6360 comes bundled with a TV/video card. It also lets users make phone calls, listen to CDs, and watch television — all of which seemed amazingly futuristic at the time. As Macs went, it was pretty affordable, too.
October 10, 1993: Apple ships its Macintosh Color Classic II, the last of the 9-inch compact Macs.
Also known as the Performa 275, the Color Classic II will eventually become something of a collector’s item, since Apple released it only in Canada, Asia and Europe.
Shockingly, many of the amazing discounts on Apple gear that we saw during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days remain available for anyone who blinked and missed them. Some disappeared, but some actually got better!
We double-checked the deals early Thursday. Below, you can see all the best Prime Big Deal Days sales still going on Apple gear, from AirPods to iPads to MacBooks to the Studio Display. And that includes Apple audio subsidiary Beats, too.
Be aware that Amazon’s pricing often changes, and we have no idea how long any of these amazing Apple deals will last.