The Mac (called Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and built by Apple. Macs are known for their ease of use[1] and distinctive aluminium, minimalist designs. Macs have been popular among students, creative professionals, and software engineers. The current Mac lineup consists of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops, and the iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio and Mac Pro desktop computers. Macs run the macOS operating system.
The first Mac was released in 1984 under the name Macintosh, and was advertised with Apple's now-famous 1984 ad. The Mac has undergone four major transitions: from Motorola 68000 to PowerPC processors, from Classic Mac OS to Mac OS X, from PowerPC to Intel x86 processors, and from Intel to Apple silicon processors. Today, Macs share the same ARM-based Apple silicon architecture as iOS devices; the performance and power efficiency of Macs with Apple silicon chips have been universally praised by critics.
The Macintosh name was conceived in 1979, when Apple employee Jef Raskin envisioned an easy-to-use, low-cost computer for the average consumer, and wanted to name the computer after his favorite type of apple, the McIntosh (/ˈmækɪnˌtɒʃ/MAK-in-tosh).[2] Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak stated in a 2013 interview that he and Raskin had been leading the initial design and development phase of the Macintosh project until 1981 when Wozniak experienced a traumatic airplane crash and temporarily left the company, at which point Wozniak's early business partner and fellow Apple co-founder Steve Jobs took over.[3] In 1983, Apple licensed the rights to the Macintosh name from audio equipment manufacturer McIntosh Laboratory, and in 1986, bought the trademark outright.[4]: 87
The first Macintosh, unveiled in 1984, was the first successful personal computer with a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI).[5] Jobs partially took the inspiration for the GUI from Xerox PARC, an R&D institute that had partnered with Apple.[6] The Macintosh was pivotal in starting the desktop publishing revolution, thanks to PageMaker and Apple's LaserWriter printer.[7] It had an all-in-one design, and was described as a "revolution" by the New York Times.[8]
In 1994, Apple's marketshare fell to 8.5% compared to market leader Compaq's 10.3%.[14] That same year, Apple abandoned Motorola CPUs in favor of the RISCPowerPC architecture developed by the AIM alliance of Apple, IBM, and Motorola.[15] The Power Macintosh line, the first to use the new chips, proved to be highly successful, with over a million PowerPC units sold in nine months.[16] Apple had to compete against Macintosh clones, hardware manufactured by companies to whom Apple had licensed System 7, which cannibalized the sales of Apple's higher-margin Macintoshes.[17] Even after the transition to the superior PowerPC architecture in the mid-1990s, the lower prices of Wintel PCs, poor inventory management, and the release of Windows 95, contributed to a sustained decline in Macintosh sales.[17][18][19]
1998–2005: Return of Jobs and revival
For years, Apple had "desperately" tried to develop a successor to the aging Mac OS, which lacked proper multitasking and memory protection, and was prone to crashes.[20] Apple decided to acquire another company to form the foundation of their next OS,[21] and settled on acquiring NeXT in 1997. NeXT had been founded by Steve Jobs following his departure from Apple in 1985, and had developed the Unix-based NeXTSTEP operating system.[22] Though Jobs initially returned under an advisory role, he was appointed Apple interim CEO on September 16, 1997.[23] To turn the company around, Jobs improved Apple's operations, including inventory turnover,[24] and controversially shut down the Advanced Technology Group, which had created QuickTime, QuickDraw 3D, and OpenDoc.[25] Jobs also simplified the complex Mac product line down to only four products, in order to "put the A-team" on each one: the consumer-oriented iBook (released in 1999) and iMac, and the high-performance PowerBook and Power Mac.[24][26] All were successful due to their high performance, competitive prices, and appealing designs, and helped return Apple to profitability.[27] Apple also stopped licensing Mac OS to Macintosh clone manufacturers,[28]: 256 and changed the lineup's name from Macintosh to Mac.[29]
iMac G3 marketing heavily emphasized its design and Internet capabilities.
The iMac G3 all-in-one computer was introduced in 1998. Its translucent and colorful plastic case is considered an industrial design landmark of the late 1990s, and is credited to Apple design chief Jony Ive.[30][31][32] It was first available in Bondi Blue;[30][33] the second revision came in Blueberry, Grape, Tangerine, Lime, and Strawberry colors.[32] The iMac's colorful appeal, ease-of-use, and Internet capabilities were central to its marketing,[34] leading the Associated Press to call it "futuristic" and "eye-catching".[35] The iMac did away with the SCSI and proprietary ADB connectors, in favor of two USB ports.[36] It replaced a floppy disk drive with a CD-ROM drive for installing software.[37] The iMac proved to be wildly successful, with 800,000 units sold in 139 days.[38] It made the company an annual profit of US$309 million in 1998, Apple's first profitable year since 1995.[24] However, the iMac's bundled USB Mouse was widely criticized for its non-traditional "hockey puck" shape.[39]
The iMac's aesthetic was applied to the new Power Mac G3 "Blue and White" in 1998, and the iBook in 1999, which completed Apple's four-product computer lineup.[26] The iBook was marketed as "iMac to Go", and was the first notebook to have Wi-Fi.[26][40] More than 140,000 preorders were placed for the iBook before it began shipping in September 1999,[41] and by October it was already the highest selling portable computer in the U.S.[42] In 2000, Apple released the Power Mac G4 Cube;[43] despite its innovative design, it was initially priced US$200 higher than the comparably-powerful and more expandable Power Mac G4, while also not including a monitor, resulting in slow sales, and its eventual discontinuation in 2001.[44]
At Macworld 2001, Steve Jobs unveiled a new "digital hub" strategy, making the Mac the centerpiece for users' digital lives.[50] Over the following years, this effort culminated into the iLife software suite, which included iTunes, iMovie, GarageBand, iDVD, and iWeb, allowing consumers to easily listen to music, edit videos, create songs, burn homemade films to DVDs, and create websites respectively.[51] iTunes's "Rip, Mix, Burn" ad campaign was criticized by some, who claimed it encouraged media piracy.[52] iTunes was later expanded with the launch of the iTunes Music Store in 2003, rapidly taking over the market and profoundly changing the music industry, which had been beset by widespread piracy.[53]
Apple continued to launch more Mac models, such as the education-oriented eMac, the PowerBook G4, and the Power Mac G5.[54] The iMac G3 was later succeeded by the flat-panel iMac G4, and the iMac G5, both of which dropped the array of colors in favor of white polycarbonate.[31] On January 11, 2005, Apple announced the Mac Mini, priced at US$499, which aimed to attract desktop users on Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems to Mac.[55]
2005–2011: Transition to Intel processors and unibody redesigns
At Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2005, Steve Jobs announced that all Macs would switch from PowerPC to Intel processors, revealing that Mac OS X had been internally developed to run on both the Intel and PowerPC architectures since 2001.[56] The transition aimed to make the company's computers more power-efficient and competitive with Wintel PCs.[57] The PowerPC G5 chip's heavy power consumption and heat output (the Power Mac G5 even required liquid cooling in higher-tier models[58]) had prevented its use in Mac notebooks and the Mac mini, which remained on the previous-generation PowerPC G4 chip. The transition allowed Apple to add more powerful multi-core processors and increased battery life on its notebooks. The Rosetta translation layer enabled users to continue running PowerPC-based apps on Intel Macs, until its removal in Mac OS X Lion.[59]
As part of the transition, the PowerBook line was renamed to MacBook Pro, the iBook line was renamed to MacBook, and the Power Mac line was renamed to Mac Pro. The MacBook and MacBook Pro additionally gained built-in iSight webcams, as well as the magnetic MagSafe charging port.[60] The Intel transition led to a continuous increase in the Mac's market share.[61] Intel chips also allowed users to run Microsoft Windows natively on Mac hardware; Apple released a public beta of Boot Camp in April 2006, a utility that allowed users to install Windows XP on their Mac.[62] Later versions added support for Windows Vista and Windows 7.[63]
The MacBook Air was introduced at Macworld 2008, and was touted as the "world's thinnest notebook" at launch.[64] As a result of its ultra-light form factor, the first-generation MacBook Air's specifications were compromised compared to other MacBooks, featuring a slower low-power Core 2 Duo chip, no user-replacable battery, fewer ports, slower hard drive, and no optical drive.[65] Despite these shortcomings, the first-generation MacBook Air launched at a steep price of US$1,799, and did not garner significant popularity until later revisions introduced better performance and lower prices.[66]
In October 2008, the second-generation MacBook Pro switched to glass and a new, sturdier aluminium unibody design.[67] These materials are billed as environmentally friendly.[68] Design chief Jony Ive guided products towards a minimalist and simple feel,[69] including the elimination of replaceable batteries in notebooks.[70]
Following the release of the iPhone, Apple began a multi-year effort to bring many iPhone innovations "back to the Mac", including multi-touch gesture support, instant wake from sleep, and flash storage.[71] Multi-touch technology was integrated into all Apple pointing devices for the Mac, namely MacBook trackpads, the Magic Mouse, and the Magic Trackpad.[72]
On February 24, 2011, Apple became the first company to release a computer that supported Intel's new Thunderbolt connector.[73] Using the same physical interface as a Mini DisplayPort, and backwards compatible with that standard, Thunderbolt 1 boasted two-way transfer speeds of 10 Gbit/s.[74]
Following a period of ailing health, Jobs resigned as CEO on August 24, 2011, and Tim Cook was named the new CEO of Apple.[75] At WWDC 2012, the MacBook Pro with Retina display was announced, with a thinner body, faster CPUs and GPUs, a higher-resolution Retina display similar to the iPhone's, the MagSafe 2 charging port, and quieter impeller fans on the 15” model.[76] It received mostly positive reviews, with Nilay Patel of The Verge calling it “one of the best displays to ever ship on a laptop”.[77] In November 2012, the iMac was redesigned to feature significantly thinner side edges, faster processors, and the removal of the SuperDrive.[78]
On WWDC 2013, the new Mac Pro was unveiled, with Phil Schiller saying “Can't innovate anymore, my ass!” in response to critics stating that Apple could not innovate without Jobs.[79] It had an entirely new design, being much smaller, with a glossy dark gray cylindrical body, with the components of the Mac organized around a central fan. It was praised for its power and "futuristic" design, with some pro users criticizing its lack of upgradability and the removal of expansion slots.[80]
The iMac was refreshed with a 5K Retina display in 2014, making it the highest-resolution all-in-one desktop computer at release.[81] The MacBook was re-introduced in 2015, with a completely redesigned aluminum unibody chassis, a 12” Retina display, fanless low-power Intel Core M processor, a much smaller logic board, a new Butterfly keyboard, a single USB-C port, and a solid-state Force Touch trackpad with pressure sensitivity. It was praised for its portability, but criticized for its lack of performance, the need to use adapters to use most USB peripherals, and a high starting price of US$1,299.[82]
In 2015, Apple began a service program to repair a widespread GPU defect in the 2011 MacBook Pro 15”, which could lead to graphic artifacts or prevent the machine from working entirely.[83] The same year, the MacBook Pro was updated to have more battery life, faster flash storage and the same Force Touch trackpad as the MacBook.[84]
2016–2019: Neglect of pro users and reliability issues
The 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. These generations of MacBooks had keyboards that were widely seen as unreliable.
The fourth generation MacBook Pro was released at an Apple Special Event in October 2016, with a thinner design, the replacement of all ports with four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, the addition of the "Butterfly" keyboard, a P3 wide color gamut display, and the replacement of function keys with an OLEDTouch Bar. It was released to mixed reviews, with most reviewers criticizing the Touch Bar, which made it harder to use the function keys by feel, as it had no tactile feedback.[85][86] The Thunderbolt 3 ports and need to buy "dongles" were also a source of frustration for many users, especially pro users who rely on USB-A devices and SD cards.[86] A few months later, many users reported a problem with stuck keys and letters being skipped or repeated.[87]iFixit identified the cause as being dust or food crumbs getting under keys and jamming them. Due to the Butterfly keyboard being integrated into the upper case of the laptop, the keyboard can only be serviced at an Apple Store or authorized service center.[88][89]
After years had gone by without the Mac Pro getting any meaningful updates, in an unusual move, Apple executives admitted in 2017 that the 2013 Mac Pro did not meet expectations, and that they had designed themselves into a "thermal corner", preventing them from releasing a planned dual-GPU successor.[90] The yearslong keyboard issue on MacBook Pros, Apple's abandonment of the Aperture pro photography app, and the lack of Mac Pro upgrades led declining sales, and a widespread belief that Apple was no longer commited to pro users.[91] Apple also unveiled their future pro product roadmap, announcing the future iMac Pro as a stopgap, and revealing an expansible next-generation Mac Pro.[92][93] The iMac Pro was revealed at WWDC 2017, with Intel Xeon W processors and Radeon Vega graphics.[94]
In 2018, Apple refreshed the MacBook Pro with faster processors and a third-generation Butterfly keyboard, and redesigned the MacBook Air with a Retina display, Butterfly keyboard, Force Touch trackpad, and Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports.[95] The third-generation Butterfly keyboard added silicone gaskets in the key mechanism, to prevent dust and small objects from obstructing keys, but many users continued to experience issues.[89] In response, Apple launched a program to repair affected Butterfly keyboards free of charge.[96] Higher-end models of the 2018 MacBook Pro 15” had another flaw where the Core i9 processor would get uncomfortably hot, resulting in rapid thermal throttling to the point it was slower than the 2017 15” MacBook Pro with a lower-tier Core i7 CPU.[97] Apple patched this issue by releasing a macOS supplemental update, blaming a "missing digital key" in the thermal management firmware.[97]
The 2019 revisions of the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air replaced the unreliable Butterfly keyboard with a redesigned scissor-switch Magic Keyboard.[98] The Touch Bar and Touch ID were also made standard on all MacBook Pros, and the Esc key was detached from the Touch Bar and returned to being a physical key.[99] At WWDC 2019, Apple unveiled a new Mac Pro, with a far more upgradable design, introducing a new expansion module system (MPX) and an optional Afterburner card.[100] Almost every part is user-replaceable, with iFixit giving it a 9/10 repairability score.[101] It received positive reviews, with reviewers praising its power, modularity, quiet cooling, and inceased focus on pro workflows.[102]
2020–present: Transition to Apple silicon processors
iMac with M1 chip, praised for its new design and fast performance
In April 2018, Bloomberg reported that Apple was planning to replace Intel chips with ARM processors similar to those used in its phones, causing Intel's shares to drop by 9.2%.[103]The Verge, commenting on the rumors, stated that such a decision made sense, as Intel was failing to make significant improvements to its lineup, and could not compete with ARM chips on battery life.[104]
At WWDC 2020, Tim Cook announced the transition to Apple silicon, built upon an ARM architecture, over a two-year timeline.[105] Apple also unveiled a Developer Transition Kit (DTK) for developers to port their apps to ARM, and the Rosetta 2 translation layer enabling Intel apps to run on Apple silicon Macs.[106] This represents the Mac's fourth major transition.[107] On November 10, 2020, Apple announced their first system-on-a-chip designed for Macs, the Apple M1,[108] and a series of Macs to ship with the M1: the MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and the 13" MacBook Pro.[109] These new Macs received immensely positive reviews, with most reviewers praising areas such as longer battery life, lower heat output, and improved performance compared to previous generations.[110]
The iMac Pro was quietly discontinued on March 6, 2021 after only receiving two minor updates.[111] On April 20, 2021, a new 24” iMac M1 was revealed, featuring seven new colors, thinner white bezels, and an enclosure made entirely from recycled aluminum.[112] On October 18, 2021, Apple announced new 14" and 16" MacBook Pros featuring a notch, mini-LED 120 Hz ProMotion display, MagSafe, HDMI, and SD card ports. They can be equipped with either an M1 Pro or M1 Max chip.[113]
On March 8, 2022, the Mac Studio was revealed, featuring more powerful M1 Max or M1 Ultra chips, in a similar footprint to the Mac mini. It drew highly positive reviews for its flexibility and wide range of available ports.[114] Its performance was deemed "impressive", beating the highest-end Mac Pro with a 28-core Intel Xeon chip, while being signficantly more power efficient and compact.[115] It was introduced alongside the Studio Display, replacing the 27” iMac, which was discontinued on the same day.[116] On June 6, 2022, at WWDC 2022, Apple announced an updated MacBook Air based on a new M2 chip. It incorporates several changes from the 14" MacBook Pro, such as a flat, slab-shaped design, full-sized function keys, MagSafe charging, and a Liquid Retina display, with rounded corners and a notch incorporating a 1080p webcam.[117]
The original Macintosh was marketed at Super Bowl XVIII with the now-famous "1984" ad made by Ridley Scott, who had previously directed Blade Runner.[118] The ad alludes to George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, and symbolizes Apple's desire to "rescue" humanity from the conformity of computer industry giant IBM.[119] The ad was later considered a "watershed event" and a "masterpiece."[120] Before the Macintosh, high-tech marketing catered to industry insiders rather than consumers, and as a result, journalists covered technology like the "steel or automobiles", with articles written for a highly technical audience.[121] The Macintosh launch event "pioneered" event marketing techniques that have become "widely emulated" in Silicon Valley, by creating a mystique about the product and giving an inside look into a product's creation.[122] Apple also took a new "multiple exclusives" approach regarding the press, giving "over one hundred interviews to journalists that lasted over six hours apiece," and introduced a new "Test Drive a Macintosh" campaign.[123]
Apple's brand, which established a "heartfelt connection with consumers", is cited as one of the keys to the Mac's success.[124] After Steve Jobs's return to the company, he unveiled the "Think different" ad claiming the legacy of pioneers like Albert Einstein, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., with Steve Jobs saying: "if they ever used a computer, it would have been a Mac."[125] The "Think different" campaign was critically acclaimed and garnered several awards, including the 1998 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial.[126] Other successful Mac marketing campigns in the 2000s include "Switch" and "Get a Mac".[127][128]
Apple's design ethos holds a central role in Mac product marketing. By giving Macs iconic designs, Apple gives a "human face" to technology products.[129] The design of Mac products is a major focus of media coverage; for example, the original iMac (1998) was called "futuristic" and "eye-catching" by the Associated Press,[35] and its ease of use was central to its marketing.[130] For a long time, Apple has secured very prominent product placements of Macs in high-profile movies and shows, like Mission: Impossible, Legally Blonde, and Sex and the City.[131] Apple notably does not allow moviemakers to show villains using Apple products.[132]Apple TV+ shows feature MacBooks prominently.[133]
The Mac is known for its high brand loyalty. In 2022, the American Customer Satisfaction Index gave the Mac the highest customer satisfaction score, at 82/100.[134] Apple is currently in the fourth largest personal computer vendor, with 8.9% market share.[135]
Apple contracts hardware production to Asian original equipment manufacturers such as Foxconn and Pegatron, maintaining a high degree of control over the end product.[136] Apple is a highly vertically integrated company, making their own OS and designing their own chips.[137]
All current Macs use ARM-basedApple silicon processors, with the exception of the Mac Pro, whose Apple silicon version is still under development.[138] The MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro, the iMac, Mac mini, and Mac Studio use the Apple-designed chips, which have been praised for their performance and power efficiency. Rosetta 2 is a translation layer that allows Apple silicon Macs to run Intel apps, in order to maintain the broad array of software available for the platform. The Mac is the only mainstream computer platform to have successfully transitioned to a new CPU architecture,[139] and has done so three times.[140] All current Mac models ship with at least 8 GB of RAM,[141] and have high-speed Thunderbolt connectivity, also known as USB 4, with speeds up to 40Gb/s.[142] All of Apple's machines except the Mac Pro use integrated graphics built into the Apple silicon chip.[143] Apple's notebooks are charged with either USB-C or MagSafe connectors depending on the model.[144]
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^Noyer, Stanislas; Riche, Pascal. "iMac, le messie selon Apple". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
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