The Macintosh, or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers, manufactured by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced on January 24, 1984, by Steve Jobs (see the lower photo) and it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature two old known then, but still unpopular features—the mouse and the graphical user interface, rather than the command-line interface of its predecessors.
Production of the Mac is based on a vertical integration model in that Apple facilitates all aspects of its hardware and creates its own operating system (called System Software, later renamed to Mac OS, see the lower image) that is pre-installed on all Mac computers. This is in contrast to most IBM PC compatibles, where multiple sellers create hardware intended to run another company's operating software. Apple exclusively produces Mac hardware, choosing internal systems, designs, and prices. Apple also develops the operating system for the Mac, currently Mac OS X version 10.6 'Snow Leopard'. The modern Mac, like other personal computers, is capable of running alternative operating systems such as Linux, FreeBSD, and, in the case of Intel-based Macs, Microsoft Windows. However, Apple does not license Mac OS X for use on non-Apple computers.
Apple Macintosh GUI
The Macintosh project started in the late 1970s with Jef Raskin (1943–2005) (see the nearby image), an Apple employee, who envisioned an easy-to-use, low-cost computer for the average consumer. He wanted to name the computer after his favorite type of apple, the McIntosh, but the name had to be changed for legal reasons. In September 1979, Raskin was authorized by the management to start hiring for the project, and he began to look for an engineer who could put together a prototype. Bill Atkinson, a member of Apple's Lisa team (which was developing a similar but higher-end computer), introduced him to Burrell Smith, a service technician who had been hired earlier that year. Over the years, Raskin assembled a large development team that designed and built the original Macintosh hardware and software; besides Raskin, Atkinson and Smith, the team included Chris Espinosa, Joanna Hoffman, George Crow, Bruce Horn, Jerry Manock, Susan Kare, Andy Hertzfeld, and Daniel Kottke.
The Macintosh Plusu001a Place in History. Apple Computers released its Macintosh Plus computer in 1986, the third of its line. It formed one of the first waves of personal computers although its initial price tag kept it out of reach of all but dedicated computer nerds. An original 128k Mac, truly rare items and prototypes can command hundreds to thousands of dollars. For most systems, sentimental values tend to be higher than resale prices. Here's how you can determine how much your old Mac is worth: Jason Ponic's Apple Computer Market Guide compiles resale prices for various models of vintage Apple.
The first Macintosh board, designed by Burrell Smith, had 64 kilobytes (KB) of RAM, used the Motorola 6809E microprocessor, and was capable of supporting a 256×256 pixel black-and-white bitmap display. Bud Tribble, a Macintosh programmer, was interested in running the Lisa's graphical programs on the Macintosh, and asked Smith whether he could incorporate the Lisa's Motorola 68000 microprocessor into the Mac while still keeping the production cost down. By December 1980, Smith had succeeded in designing a board that not only used the 68000, but bumped its speed from 5 to 8 megahertz (MHz); this board also had the capacity to support a 384×256 pixel display.
Smith's design used fewer RAM chips than the Lisa, which made production of the board significantly more cost-efficient. The final Mac design was self-contained and had the complete QuickDraw picture language and interpreter in 64 Kb of ROM and 128 KB of RAM. Though there were no memory slots, its RAM was expandable to 512 KB by means of soldering sixteen chip sockets to accept 256 Kb RAM chips in place of the factory-installed chips. The final product's screen was a 9-inch, 512x342 pixel monochrome display, exceeding the prototypes.
The design caught the attention of Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple. Realizing that the Macintosh was more marketable than the Lisa, he began to focus his attention on the project. Raskin finally left the Macintosh project in 1981 over a personality conflict with Jobs, and the final Macintosh design is said to be closer to Jobs' ideas than Raskin's. After hearing of the pioneering GUI technology being developed at Xerox PARC, Jobs had negotiated a visit to see the Xerox Alto computer and Smalltalk development tools in exchange for Apple stock options. The Lisa and Macintosh user interfaces were partially influenced by technology seen at Xerox PARC and were combined with the Macintosh group's own ideas.
The Macintosh 128k (see the lower image) was announced to the press in October 1983 and was introduced in January 1984. It came bundled with two applications designed to show off its interface: MacWrite and MacPaint. Although the Mac garnered an immediate, enthusiastic following, some labeled it a mere 'toy.' Because the machine was entirely designed around the GUI, existing text-mode and command-driven applications had to be redesigned and the programming code rewritten; this was a time consuming task that many software developers chose not to undertake, and resulted in an initial lack of software for the new system. In April 1984 Microsoft's MultiPlan migrated over from MS-DOS, followed by Microsoft Word in January 1985. In 1985, Lotus Software introduced Lotus Jazz after the success of Lotus 1-2-3 for the IBM PC, although it was largely a flop. Apple introduced Macintosh Office the same year with the lemmings ad.
Apple Macintosh
For a special post-election edition of Newsweek in November 1984, Apple spent more than $2.5 million to buy all 39 of the advertising pages in the issue. Apple also ran a 'Test Drive a Macintosh' promotion, in which potential buyers with a credit card could take home a Macintosh for 24 hours and return it to a dealer afterwards. While 200000 people participated, dealers disliked the promotion, the supply of computers was insufficient for demand, and many were returned in such a bad shape that they could no longer be sold. This marketing campaign caused CEO John Sculley to raise the price from $1995 to $2495.
In 1985, the combination of the Mac, Apple's LaserWriter printer, and Mac-specific software like Boston Software's MacPublisher and Aldus PageMaker enabled users to design, preview, and print page layouts complete with text and graphics, it was an activity to become known as desktop publishing. Apple os download for mac. Initially, desktop publishing was unique to the Macintosh, but eventually became available for IBM PC users as well. Later, applications such as Macromedia FreeHand, QuarkXPress, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator strengthened the Mac's position as a graphics computer and helped to expand the emerging desktop publishing market.
The limitations of the first Mac soon became clear: it had very little memory, even compared with other personal computers in 1984, and could not be expanded easily; and it lacked a hard disk drive or the means to attach one easily. In October 1985, Apple increased the Mac's memory to 512 KB, but it was inconvenient and difficult to expand the memory of a 128 KB Mac. In an attempt to improve connectivity, Apple released the Macintosh Plus on January 10, 1986 for $2600. It offered one megabyte of RAM, expandable to four, and a then-revolutionary SCSI parallel interface, allowing up to seven peripherals—such as hard drives and scanners—to be attached to the machine. Its floppy drive was increased to an 800 KB capacity. The Mac Plus was an immediate success and remained in production, unchanged, until October 15, 1990; on sale for just over four years and ten months, it was the longest-lived Macintosh in Apple's history.
At its introduction, the Macintosh was targeted for two primary markets: knowledge-workers and students. Referring to the telephone as the first desktop appliance, Steve Jobs hoped that the Macintosh would become the second desktop appliance. As Bill Gates stated, To create a new standard takes something that's not just a little bit different. It takes something that's really new, and captures people's imaginations. Macintosh meets that standard.
Through the second half of the 1980s, the company built market share only to see it dissipate in the 1990s as the personal computer market shifted towards IBM PC compatible machines running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows.
How Much Is My Old Mac Worth?
The Vintage Mac Museum tends to get several emails per month from people with older model Macinti, looking to sell their systems and wondering how much they're worth. Being familiar with old Macs and visible on the web, I understand why folks are asking me this question. But this can be a tough value to determine, there isn't a blue book or single exchange available for old Macs.
'I am the original owner of the Bondi Blue iMac Rev C, which is usable and in excellent shape for it's age. The serial number sticker attached to the case shows date of 1/7/1999. Does this mac have collector value?'
'Since I want to give some money to a friend of mine for Christmas, I have decided to sell my Macintosh IIsi computer. Unfortunately, I am not sure what a fair price would be. Can you please give me some advice?'
As of this writing (2011), on average I'd say most old Macs are worth about $100. Many less than that. An original 128k Mac, truly rare items and prototypes can command hundreds to thousands of dollars. For most systems, sentimental values tend to be higher than resale prices.
Here's how you can determine how much your old Mac is worth:
Jason Ponic's Apple Computer Market Guide compiles resale prices for various models of vintage Apple equipment. It's a nicely compiled resource, most values seem fairly representative of eBay market rates.
eBay is the largest market and a good resource to help determine Mac prices. There are two types of sellers listing this type of equipment, professional sellers and closet cleaners. The professional seller is going to ask the most, these are good upper bound prices for insurance purposes. The closet cleaner just wants to get rid of his/her old stuff at a fair price, these are the more practical values. Check Completed Listings to see what things have actually sold for (or not), rather than the initial asking values. Heavier items may have lower values unless they're very rare, due to higher shipping costs.
craigslist is the classified ads of the web, broken down by city. Search for your model in your local version as well as those for other major cities (e.g., New York, Boston, San Francisco) You'll quickly get an idea what average prices are and who is still thinking their $1500 computer is still worth $1000 7 years later. Craiglist by design is a local service, so selling your Mac across the country this way is not typically viable.
Mac of All Trades and PowerMax tend to be a good resources for current retail market values. These vendors buy some used systems, usually at one-half to two-thirds of retail value .
Mac Pc Price
Average out the values you find to determine an approximate worth. You also need to factor in the rarity of the particular model, and the relative availability based on your location. Here in the Boston area there is no shortage of old computers, with many colleges, high tech companies, the MIT Flea and a vibrant local craigslist. But if you don't live in a major metro area or are looking for something less common, you can wind up paying multiple times what someone else might for the same item.
Such I suppose, is how the market works.
As of this writing for both the Mac IIsi and the iMac G3 I'd estimate about $50 each, I see these models selling on my local craigslist regularly. A rev A bondi blue iMac might be worth twice that. A G4 Cube or PowerMac G5 can go for $250. If you have an working Mac 128k you can probably get $1000 on eBay. For a Mac Plus in a carry bag, don't expect more than $100. If you have the original packaging that can increase the value.
You can often get more money for old Macs – if they aren't rare models – by breaking them down and selling them for parts. The whole is usually worth less than the sum of its parts when reselling on eBay.
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The Vintage Mac Museum is a private, working collection of the pre-Intel Apple Macintosh and related memorabilia. We provide old Mac file transfer and conversion services, along with research into old Mac technologies for patent searches or academic purposes.
This thread is closed and new comments have been disabled. Thanks for your interest!
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I have a very lightly used PowerBook G3/400(Firewire/Pismo) that I would love to sell to a collector. It has a 10 GB HD and an airport card. What's a fair price? Anyone interested? I'm on Cape Cod.
I have a macintosh powerbook duo 2300 with docking station and monitor,original mouse and key board with working printer. Everything works. I wish a computer lover would take it off my hands instead of it going in the trash :(
Hi im a huge apple collector I would love to have it if you still got them i have many vintage mac desktops but no apple laptop and I can always find good homes even for dated computers I am also a big mac collector I also have a rare next station color with cd rom and sound.
I have the original Apple Macintosh Classic. I purchased it in 1983 from University of Pennsylvania, about six months before they were released to the public in January 84. When the 512 upgrade and external Drive came out, it was like heaven.
So it's had another memory upgrade but I don't remember exactly how much. It's it's in my basement. I haven't fired it up in years but I imagine it should work. Are you interested? Since I'm not really a collector, it probably should be in the hands of someone that would appreciate and maybe even use it.Dear stpworld,
In my basement there's still a 1985 128K Macintosh.
In it's company there an Imagewriter, a travelbag and some of the original boxes.
If interested I can send pictures.
I live in the Netherlands so the equipment is for 220V.The equipment has not been used for 15 or 20 years, but was put in storage in working condition. Please contact me at FreddeVet @ koebongerd.nl
Ok I have an old Macintosh Centris 610 floppy drive. Is this even in great working condition worth anything? If you collect then you maybe can tell me if its worth anything and have no use for it so if you want make me an offer. Have alot of floppys and programs for it monitor and everything but no printer
Hi ! I have a 1999 blue and clear G3 with the heavy blue and clear 21″ studio monitor. Any interest in either?
I have a Macintosh Plus 1Mb(model no# 0001a) wondering if its worth anything
I have a 13 year old IMAC that I don't know what to do with. Should I scrap it for the guts.When we switched to an Emac it still worked.Let me know what you think
I have an original Mac which came off the assembly line with the Drexel University 'D' embossed on it. They were ordered in 1983 and delivered in April 1984. It has been updated to 512 and then 1024 (or was it 1 M?) Can you give me an idea of the value and where would be the best place to sell it?
I have a PowerBook 100, I would like to resurrect it but the hard disk is broken, any suggestion on how to replace it?
I am willing to buy an old Macintosh Classic of any sort (9″ screen) whether it is unfunctional or working, as long as there is minimal cosmetic damage, im looking around £20 – £50, just email me at josephross @ me.com if anyone is interested in selling one.
Hi if anyone has a macintosh Classic II or an LC II for sale please reply me I check often but they have to be working and have working sound but I do not need disks or keyboards or even cables I have it all I just wish to have a working one of either also they must be complete on the computer part no missing ram and no missing hd or floppy. stpworld2006 @ hotmail.com
I have a working Mac SE with a 30 gig hard drive, Apple mouse & 2 non Apple keyboards. Also a Macinosh PowerBook G3. All working would they be worth anything?
I have a Mac SE dual floppy in a soft 'carrying case' and a Mac portable with its original case (predates all the notebooks and laptops) and a StyleWriter printer. They were both working last time I used them, but it has been years… Do these have any resale value?
I have an original Macintosh 512k (not 512ke) in practically mint condition (still has Energizer clock battery from 1984). I have all the original documentation (including receipts and service documents) and all the original software. It has an Apple soft case and all the original peripherals. I also have the Apple ImageWriter that was sold with the computer. Does anyone have a guesstimate on value?
I have a MacTV with all the original stuff – is does not start – what is it worth?
We have a Macintosh Performa 640 CD. I use it as a word processor as we have a SCREWY Internet situation and it cannot or will not share the service with the crappy PC my husband prefers. I plan to get myself an iPad and call it MINE!! Is this Mac worth anything to anybody?
Carole
Lots of info about Macintosh. What does anyone know about the value of a Lisa? I have two of them and would like to see them go to a good home. The original cost was more than $10,000 each. One of them has a switch and wiring changes that allow it to 'turn into a MacIntosh with the flip of a switch.
Back to the Performa 640CD question: Is it worth anything? Is it worth bothering to sell on Craigslist? Your input is appreciated.
Thanks, CAROLE
Trying to find info on rarity of a M0420 Classic. Build date August 1990. Here is all I can find at all really. http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_classic/specs/mac_classic.html Any value to anyone? Only numbers on it are under the bar code. E03222ZM0435LL/A
My friend, Todd Boschee, is selling his Apple museum. It is the largest Apple Computer museum in Canada. It is located in Medicine Hat, Alberta. http://www.showmeapple.com
that would be worth much based on what you had describe it. but be cautious when dealing online a lot of scammers would try anything to get that vintage mac of yours. I suggest you search ebay for similar types and do some comparisons.
I have an Apple Performa 550 and I've been wanting to sale it. I know they're not worth a lot, but I was looking at the specs online and I noticed the manufacture date on mine. All of the introduction dates for the Performa I've seen say November 1993. Mine says manufactured in (September) 1993! Does that mean anything? Is it rare?
I have an old Mac 1mb supposedly it is signed on the inside by one of the original creators I'm not sure if that's Steve Jobs or not how can I find out? If it is signed by Steve Jobs how much would the computer be worth then?
I have an original Macintosh with a Drexel University D branded on the face of the case (yes, branded, before they started printing the blue D on them. I was a Drexel Student that bought one when the first Drexel let students buy them in 1984. I still have the original manuals and stickers unopened it the plastic wrap, and all of the original system and word, etc… disks. I also have the original external floppy drive.
Does anyone know how to remove the front cover to see if it is one that has the signatures?
The serial # is f424khnm001 – produced in 1984 @ Fremont, CA – 22564th unit made.
I m also curious how much it is worth.
