How Apple advertised its first Macintosh in the 1980s

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Apple computers are much more common today than they were 30 years ago. Macintosh has come a huge evolutionary path, making computers really mainstream. Advertising for the first Macs was not at all like modern ones, because then Apple had to tell potential buyers not only about the benefits of new computers, but also about such basic things as a desktop or working with a mouse. This is how it was.

In December 1983, several popular publications, including Time, ran an extensive promotional article about the Macintosh. Moreover, it was extensive in the literal sense of the word: it occupied no less than 18 pages. A few months later, in the fall of 1984, Apple sets a new record by purchasing the entire Newsweek special issue for its advertising. And this, for a second, 39 pages!

Thanks to the huge vintage MacMothership collection, we can see what the first Macintosh ad looked like. Here are four pages of the original 18-page ad published in December 1983.

Even then, Apple understood the importance of memorable product names. There were even several paragraphs on the first page devoted to this.

When the engineers finished the job, they showed us a personal computer that was so good it could practically shake your hand.

It was so easy to use that anyone could figure it out.

They did not call it QZ190 and Zipchip 5000.

It was named Macintosh.

Now we want to present it to you.

Next, Apple introduces us to how the mouse works. Despite the fact that the manipulator was invented in the early 1960s, it only became widespread with the release of the Macintosh.

The company paid a lot of attention to the "engine compartment" stuffing of the Mac. All key elements are described down to the smallest detail. It is noteworthy that a similar effect of a translucent body was later used by Apple in an advertising campaign for the first iMac.

Finally, there is a page on the advantages of the Macintosh graphical interface versus an IBM PC. It shows working with files, tables, graphs and terminal emulation. Apple did not forget to troll IBM, showing a blank screen in the third pair of pictures that demonstrate how to work with charts.

The original Macintosh is a very iconic product for Apple and the entire Apple community. Many stories and funny facts are associated with it.