
Personal Computers – Hardware Review – Apple Weighs in With Macintosh (1984) - bananacurve
http://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/24/science/personal-computers-hardware-review-apple-weighs-in-with-macintosh.html?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.z_sma=SC_PCH_20140124&bicmp=AD&bicmlukp=WT.mc_id&bicmst=1388552400000&bicmet=1420088400000
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jdmitch
_> "The roughly 17-pound Macintosh comes in a square bushel-basket-size canvas
tote bag with an oversized zipper. The preproduction version I saw did not
sport the Apple-with-a-bite logo. The addition of this emblem could well turn
the bag into a classic status symbol, and even if the computer stayed home,
the bag would accompany people on the move, stuffed with picnic goodies or
laundry._

It seems that their packaging was spot-on even then!

and reading this feels like trying to describe to a fish what walking is:

 _> "As to the mouse, it is part and parcel of the Mac revolution, and it will
probably be the reason you either sign up for or turn your back on this
machine. To a large extent, the Macintosh works with what has been termed a
''finder environment.''

YOU find either a word or an icon or pictogram on the screen representing what
you want the computer to do, then slide the mouse on your desk to move the
cursor into position over that screen object, then press the button on the
mouse to activate that particular part of the program."_

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fit2rule
I remember my first encounter with a Macintosh.. it seemed so mystical and
full of deep .. inner .. beauty .. compared to the machines I was used to
(CP/M and hokey 8-bit boxen) at the time. The funky little mouse didn't really
impress at first, but .. it seems I instantly forgot it, and it melted away.
The fine dots .. the little 'bong' .. it was a real treat. It always seemed to
have an air of dignified whimsy.

~~~
foz
Encountering my first Mac is a memory I will never forget. I also remember
being blown away by the crisp screen, the soft feel, and overall polish of the
thing. What made the biggest impression on me however, was the interface. I
could not stop moving, resizing, minimizing windows. Playing with the
preferences and making my own patterns. It was like someone handed me a
finely-crafted interactive journal, where I could personalize everything.
Being able to explore the fonts and move icons around was astounding. It was a
whole new experience. I went home that night, and with paper and pencil began
to draw graphical UIs with windows, something I continued doing for many
months, until I finally had access to a real Mac.

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bane
I remember being blown away by the almost print quality of the black and white
display on the original Macintosh computers. My family was in printing, and I
grew up with an appreciation of finely printed black ink on white paper.
Seeing things move on such a crystal clear display, even if it was smaller
than a piece of paper, seemed like the future. Even without color, I often
preferred to mess around with my friend's Mac (even with the limited
entertainment software collection available at the time) than with their other
computers.

~~~
ChuckMcM
This was what struck me the most about it as well. Stuff on the screen
_looked_ typeset whereas there really wasn't a way to get that look on the PC.
I wasn't then (and still am not :-) a 'typography' person, but I could see the
difference. For folks where this was important, that sold them on the Mac.

Interestingly this was also a selling point of the Xerox Dandelion series
machines that were running Star. And while I believe, as do others, that Steve
was influenced by his tour of PARC and seeing this, unlike him I didn't
recognize it for what it was.

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JasonFruit
This pegged it:

> The fundamental difference between the Mac and other personal computers is
> that the Macintosh is visually oriented rather than word oriented.

That is the crux of what Apple brought to people with the Macintosh, why they
love it, and why I wish it never existed.

~~~
Tloewald
It's not really visual vs. word it's recognize vs. memorize. If the mac had no
icons but simply had text labels (which was pretty much Raskin's design) it
would still have been revolutionary (modulo stolen from Xerox etc.)

