With Apple’s official announcement of their forthcoming media event, speculations are at an all time high regarding potential product and software updates in the coming week. Needless to say, attention has quickly diverted from the company’s successful mobile devices, to what originally made it famous–the Mac. Since the Mac and OS X will likely take the spotlight at next Wednesday’s media event, we thought that it would be appropriate to wax nostalgic about some of our favorite Macs from over the years. Unlike previous lists, this one is ranked chronologically and not by which machine is necessarily the best or most popular.
10. Liam – Apple ][ Plus:
Liam recalls: “It maybe wasn’t my favorite, but my first Apple was a ][ Plus my parents bought in 1982. It was my first intro to computers and I still think about it a lot.” In many ways the precursor to the Macintosh 128k, the Apple ][ was a runaway hit for Apple throughout the 1980’s and into the early 1990’s. Though the more advanced Macintosh eclipsed it to some degree when it debuted in 1984, the various renditions of the ][ were a steady bestseller for the company.
9. Don – Macintosh SE/30:
Though he states it’s among several, Don’s all time favorite is the Macintosh SE/30. The machine, which debuted in early 1989, is remembered by many as the fastest model in the original Macintosh family. With a processor clocking 16MHz, the SE/30’s memory was notorious for being unofficially expandable up to 128MB. An unfathomable amount of RAM in 1989, the iPhone 4 includes now four times that (512MB) by default.
8. Morgan – Macintosh Color Classic:
Morgan says: “I still have a special place in my heart for the Color Classic. Even though is wasn’t very powerful, it was the last of the compact Macs, and was very well designed.” Released in February of 1993, the Color Classic was the first compact Mac with a color screen. Though the Retina Display on the iPhone 4 boasts almost twice the resolution of the Color Classic’s screen, in ’93 the 512 × 384 resolution on the 10” display was state of the art.
7. Ed – G4 Cube:
Ed writes: “The iconic Power Mac G4 Cube is my favorite Mac of all time. It was a small, square 450 or 500 megahertz G4 PowerMac encased in an acrylic shell, topped by a DVD slot and an oval vent. The Cube was designed for (well-heeled) Mac users that needed more power than was available in a G3 iMac, but didn’t need the expandability of a G4 tower. The Cube lacked power and expandability, but made up for it with style and elegance. I think it’s still Apple’s coolest-looking, most futuristic computer. It would fit right in on the Discovery One with Dave and Hal 9000. In that sense, the Cube was a computer before its time and it was retired after just a year on the market. The Mac mini is often viewed as a resurrection of the Cube, but it’s just not the same. Viva la Cube!”
6. Mike C – iBook G3 Dual USB:
Mike writes: “Boasting an enormous upgrade from it’s predecessor, I feel this is where Apple’s notebook line started appealing to consumers more.” In retrospect, Mike is absolutely right. In terms of consumer hardware, the redesigned iBook G3 was a huge leap ahead of its colorful forebear. Contributing to the iBooks steady success, the G3 would go one to be a favorite among students and consumers alike. Succeeded by the faster iBook G4, the iBook line holds fond memories for many Mac users in the early to mid 2000’s.
5. Kali – iMac G4:
Kali’s pick is the iconic iMac G4. She writes: “Although I absolutely love my new 27” iMac, I’m partial to my iMac G4 (aka the “Half Dome” or “Basketball” iMac) as my favorite Mac that I’ve owned. It was the first major redesign of the iMac, replacing the all-in-one HEAVY predecessor G3s. It was also the first one I bought myself (albeit used, about two years after it came out), and I upgraded it as much as it could be upgraded—bigger hard drive, LightScribe SuperDrive, both RAM slots, etc…
The fact that the flat screen was adjustable pretty much any way you wanted, it was easily transported and it was still a convenient all-in-one design made it such an iconic design. I plan on keeping mine, even though it’s beyond obsolete for my needs now, because I think it’s a solid piece of Apple history and has served me well.”
4. Ben – 1st Generation MacBook Pro 15”:
Of all the Macs I’ve used over the years, the first generation 15” MacBook Pro is my favorite. I remember eagerly awaiting the transition to Intel in late 2005. While many of my friends unknowingly snatched up what would be the last of the G4 era notebooks, I patiently sidelined hoping the rumors of an Intel based OS X 10.4 were true. Perhaps my fond memories of this machine are derivative to the many experiences it weathered alongside me in college. Though I’ve since upgraded to a unibody Pro, I still hold the original in high esteem.
3. David – 1st Generation White MacBook:
David reports his trusty 1st generation white MacBook was a “strong machine through college, top case cracks and all!” The MacBook family, which superseded the iBook line, marked Apple’s first implementation of Intel processors in consumer machines. Jump ahead four years, and the MacBook line is still running strong. Though the range of models available (originally three) has been condensed to just one, the MacBook is still a bestseller.
2. Katie – 1st Generation MacBook:
Further attesting to its popularity, Katie’s favorite is also the 1st Generation MacBook. She writes: “I was so impressed with the sleekness of the laptop and the fact that it came with a remote AND and iSight camera. For me, that changed everything!” The MacBook was among the first notebooks to come equipped with a built-in webcam. This inclusion single handedly gave rise to the video chatting craze and inspired many PC manufacturers to begin including webcams in their portable offerings as well.
1. Carl – 27” iMac:
Herald by many as the greatest iMac Apple has ever released, the 27-inch behemoth is a favorite among several members of the Small Dog crew. South Burlington technician Carl writes: “Dude! Going from an eMac to this beast is world changing!” The 27-inch really is a well rounded machine that fits a variety of different uses. The elegant display is certainly among the initial draws to the machine, but it also packs powerful and upgradable performance. With some of the highest end graphics Apple has ever implemented into a consumer machine, this iMac is a entertainment and productivity powerhouse!
Though I wasn’t able to poll the entire Small Dog crew on their favorite machines, this week’s TopTen.plist definitely captures a nice sample of both old and new Macs. Apple’s product history is rich and diverse, and it seems as a result of keeping their product lines fairly small, each machine or generation of machines tells a unique story. Here’s hoping they continue the trend next Wednesday!
What’s your favorite Mac of all time? Any particular memories you associate with it? Predictions for Wednesday? Feel free to comment and let us know!
Image Credit: Wired