Macintosh Computer Day Date in the current year: January 24, 2024

The first digital computers were rather large and were used by various organizations for work purposes. The mass production of personal computers, i.e. computers designed for individual use, became possible in the 1970s due to the invention of the microprocessor and the microcontroller.

The first truly successful personal computers, collectively referred to as the “1977 Trinity” were released in 1977: the Commodore PET 2001 manufactured by Commodore International, the Apple II manufactured by Apple Computer, and the TRS-80 (later renamed the Model I) manufactured by Tandy Corporation. The arrival of mass-market, ready-assembled computers made them available to a wider range of people.

In 1979, Jef Raskin started the Macintosh project at Apple to implement some of his ideas regarding personal computers. It was named after the McIntosh Red apple cultivar; the name was deliberately misspelled to avoid conflict with McIntosh laboratory, a hi-fi equipment manufacturer. Raskin’s goal was to create a personal computer with a user-friendly interface that would be easy to use right off the bat. During the early phase of the project, Steve Wozniak was heavily involved; when he was injured in an airplane accident, Steve Jobs took managerial lead over the project.

The first Macintosh computer, the Apple Macintosh (later rebranded as the Macintosh 128K), was introduced to the general public on January 22, 1984 by a television commercial directed by Ridley Scott that alluded to George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. It aired during the telecast of Super Bowl XVIII. The computer went on sale two days later, on January 24, 1984.

The Macintosh 128K was the first successful all-in-one desktop PC that had a graphical user interface, built-in monitor, and mouse. The Macintosh II was released in 1987, bringing color graphics. The Macintosh series and the Apple II series were sold alongside each other until 1993, when the Apple II was discontinued.

The name “Macintosh” was eventually shortened to Mac. Today, the Mac is Apple’s family of personal computers that includes the entry-level laptop MacBook Air, the high-end workstation laptop MacBook Pro, the all-in-one desktop computer iMac, the entry-level compact form factor desktop computer Mac Mini, the compact form factor workstation Mac Studio, and the powerful professional workstation Mac Pro.

Even though the Macintosh 128K was not the first personal computer and even not the first Apple computer, its release was a milestone in the history of modern technology. That’s why Macintosh Computer Day is celebrated by tech enthusiasts around the globe. You can join the celebration by learning more about the history of the Mac computers, considering the purchase of a new Mac computer, and spreading the word about the holiday on social media with the hashtag #MacintoshComputerDay.