The Mac at 40

Forty years ago, Apple launched the Macintosh. Let's use the categories from the Upgrade podcast to look back and consider this break-through technology product:

First Mac Owned: (1986) MacPlus

It used to travel to work in an enormous squarish, dark-blue backpack, and also played a lot of Dark Castle.

Favorite or Best Mac: (2001) Power G4 "titanium"

It represented a huge design shift, the transition from a 4:3 to a 3:2 'wide' screen (Steve Jobs intro).

Favorite or Best Mac Software Ever: (1987) Hypercard and (1997) Riven

Hypercard was a creation tool for the early Mac that provided a platform for immersive games like Myst, and thus laid the foundation for its stunning sequel Riven.

Favorite or Best Mac Accessory: (2001) iPod (original) and (2005) iPod nano

The breakout device that took Apple to the next level (Steve Jobs intro); just a few years later the 'nano' was super tiny and portable (Steve Jobs intro).

Hall of Shame (worst accessory or Mac): (2001) iPod Earbuds

They had awful fit and came with little foam covers that held dirt and got lost, and yet somehow became iconic – did not like them (ended up with so many pairs that were never used).

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A list of all my Macintosh-related (Apple) products through the years – updated from a decade ago:

> MacPlus (4MB RAM, 20MB HD, MacPack)
> Outbound System Notebook (loaner)
> Mac IIci
> Mac Quadra 650 (w Radius VideoVision)
> PowerBook 170
> Newton Message Pad (original)
> PowerBook 180c
> Newton Message Pad 120
> Pippin (developer edition)
> PowerBook 3400c
> eMate 300
> Twentieth Anniversary Mac
> PowerBook G3 Series
> iBook (Tangerine)
> PowerMac G4 (w Cinema Display)
> PowerBook G3 (Pismo)
> PowerBook G4
> PowerBook G4 (DVI)
> iPod (original)
> iPod nano (gen 1)
> PowerBook G4-15 (Al)
> iPod shuffle (gen 1)
> iPod video (black)
> MacBook (polycarbonate, black)
> AppleTV (original)
> iPhone 3GS (black)
> AppleTV (black)
> MacBook Pro 15 (unibody)
> iPad (original)
> iPhone 4S (black)
> MacBook Air
> iPad (retina, black)
> MacBook Pro 15 (retina)
> iPad mini (black)
> iPhone 5S (black)
> MacBook (Al, 2nd gen, m7/8GB/512GB)
> iPhone 6S (Product Red)
> Apple Watch Series 2 (42mm, stainless)
> iPad Pro 9.7
> Apple Pencil (1st gen)
> BeatsX (White)
> iMac 5K
> iPad Pro 11 (A12X/256GB, grey) *
Apple Pencil (2nd gen)
Apple Watch Series 5 (44mm, stainless)
> iPhone 11 (256/Product RED)
Beats Fit Pro (Sage Gray)
MacBook Pro 14 (M1 Pro/16/512GB, grey)
iPad Pro 11 (A12X/256, new-old stock) *
iPhone 15 Pro Max (A17Pro/512/Blue Ti)
> retired, no longer possessed
* replacement unit, same spec