In Pictures: The History Of The Apple Mac On Its 30th Birthday

Today marks the 30^th anniversary of the release of the first Apple Macintosh computer, which debuted on 24 January 1984, having been announced to the world two days previously in the famous Ridley Scott-directed ‘1984’ Superbowl commercial.

The Mac wasn’t the first computer to be sold to the public with a GUI (graphical user interface), but it was the arguably the most influential, bringing new capabilities to graphic designers, music producers and publishers.

It cost a not insignificant $2,495 when it hit the market, complete with a nine inch monitor capable of a 512 x 342 resolution, 400kb of storage, a Motorola 68000 7.8336 MHz processor and 128kb of RAM.

Apple Mac at 30

Indeed, its memory was not enough to support the multimedia capabilities that later Macs would become famous for and the original Mac was succeeded by the Macintosh 512k later that year.

While Apple’s iPhone and iPad ranges command more column inches, there are still plenty of people, particularly in the creative industries, who swear by their Macs. Apple has even created a website celebrating the occasion, with testimonies from composer Hans Zimmer, musician Moby and Myst developers Robyn and Rand Miller among others.

Later models have become more noted for their innovative designs, including the original iMac all-in-one and the more recent cylindrical Mac Pro, but do you remember more obscure entries in the series, such as the Macintosh TV?

To celebrate the start of the Mac’s fourth decade we’ve assembled a gallery of the most important Apple Macs to be released over the last thirty years.

If you think you know your Apple history, try our quiz!