The Mac Turns 30

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Apple's Lisa was the first computer to use a Graphical User Interface (GUI).

Image: SSPL

By Karissa Bell2014-01-24 13:14:41 UTC

Friday marks exactly three decades since Steve Jobs launched the Apple Macintosh, two days after the now-iconic 1984 commercial teased the computer to the world during Super Bowl XVIII.

Three decades and hundreds of Macs later, Apple is not only still cranking out innovative machines in personal computing, but has outlasted many of its original competitors.

See also: 8 Vintage Mac Reviews That'll Make You Appreciate Modern Tech

“Every company that made computers when we started the Mac, they’re all gone,” Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing Philip Schiller told Macworld . “We’re the only one left. We’re still doing it, and growing faster than the rest of the PC industry because of that willingness to reinvent ourselves over and over.”

Although Apple is now better known for its mobile products, such as the iPhone and iPad, its most recent computers continue to garner positive reviews, including the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and iMac. The company also recently launched an all-new Mac Pro, its top-of-the-line machine whose performance is meant for the high demands of professional video editors.

Apple made several personal computers before the original Macintosh, but it's the machine that launched the brand, and it stuck. The Mac was the first consumer personal computer to feature a graphical user interface and was arguably the most important release in consumer PC market. Recently, a prototype of the original Mac popped up on eBay, which attracted bids as high as $100,000.

To celebrate its milestone, Apple released this reminiscent video on Friday.

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Topics: 1984, apple, Apps and Software, Dev & Design, mac, macintosh, Tech