Macintosh

Macintosh refers to a range of personal computers manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. in Cupertino?, California, and commonly called Macs.

The GUI operating system, originally simply refered to as the Macintosh operating system, or informally, the Mac OS, officially became the Mac OS.

Apple has been in the forefront of bringing innovations to the personal computer world by embracing new technologies in their Macintosh computers. Even though Apple didn't invent these new technologies, many of them were introduced as standard features on Macintosh which acted as a market mover as Apple created enough critical mass for after-market vendors to follow suit. For example, USB was on the shelf for quite a while until Apple made it the default keyboard, mouse and peripheral connection for the iMac, and it became widely accepted when a wave of third party USB devices followed. After Macintosh took the lead, other PC manufacturers also adopted the USB standard due to the abundance of USB devices.

PC innovations introduced or popularized by Macintosh:

• [Graphical User interface]?, icons, the desktop, etc.
• Use of mouse and other pointing devices on personal computer
• WYSIWYG
• Long file names
• PostScript Laser printer
• [Desktop Publishing]?
• SCSI
• first to make audio (both speakers and microphone) a built-in computer feature
• spanning the window desktop over multiple monitors
• Ethernet support comes as standard feature
• USB, though designed for PC, but was put in popular use by Apple leading the first step.
• firewire also known as IEEE 1394 (in PC world) or iLink (by SONY)
• riddance of floppy drive in standard computer configuration.
• RISC architecture
• Aesthetic industrial design applied on Computer hardware.

Obviously, we need a lot of information here from Mac aficionados!

List of Models of Macs, grouped by CPU

(incomplete, possibly with errors)
(a full list of Macintosh models and specifications may be found at http://www.info.apple.com/applespec/applespec.taf)

68000

• Macintosh (with 128K RAM, hence also unofficially and retrospectively referred to as Macintosh 128)
• Macintosh "Fat Mac" (upgraded version of original Macintosh with 512K RAM)
• Mac Plus
• Mac SE
• Mac Portable

68020

• Mac II

68030

• Mac IIcx
• Mac IIfx
• PowerBook? 100, 165, 190

68040

• Quadra
• PowerBook? 500 series

PowerPC 601

• Power Mac 6100
• Performa 6116

PowerPC 603

PowerPC 604

G3 (PowerPC 701?)

• iMac
• iBook (original)
• iBook (new "dual USB")
• G3 Tower ("Beige")
• G3 Tower ("Blue and White")

G4 (with Altivec) (PowerPC 750?)

• G4 Tower
• G4 Cube

See also MacOS, PowerPC, Power Macintosh and Motorola 68000

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Links:

• [Apple's web site]
• [Jef Raskin's take on the invention of the Macintosh Computer]

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(macintoshor mackintosh,) A type of raincoat invented by the Scot Charles Macintosh (1766-1843).

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A particular species of apple fruit is the McIntosh, not spelled the same as the computer. See McIntosh.

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[McIntosh Labs]? is a designer and manufacturer of high-end audio systems. The company was compensated by Apple Computer for the use of its similar trademark.

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/Talk