Apple was founded as a company on April Fool's Day, 1976. David Pogue chronicles those five decades in his terrific book, "Apple: The First Fifty Years". Reading its pages, I became increasingly nostalgic because there is no company (or collection of products) that has shaped my view of technology or affected my life as much as Apple.
I was introduced to the Apple IIe in my student-teaching days (early 1980's), when I taught classes in Logo at the Wheeler School. I recall reading the friendly user manuals as well as Seymour Papert's incredible book, "Mindstorms"(free download). My role was to explain the system and provide support, but the kids did the teaching by programming the 'turtle' and telling it what to do. The computers and the company seemed to espouse an optimistic sensibility: the technology was accessible, egalitarian, and consequential.
Before I finished my architecture degree at RISD, the School asked me to install their new Graphics Lab. The Lab consisted of a small number of Macintosh Plus computers and a LaserWriter printer. For this project, I had to not only figure out the computers and the graphics software (installing fonts!), but how to network everything – a skill I would take into professional practice.
(I have this vague memory of naming the Macs Huey, Dewey, and Louie after the drones from the movie "Silent Running"; the printer may have been the Valley Forge. It was a long time ago. By contrast, the Architecture Department had MS-DOS PC's with Wordstar; there was no CAD for PC's yet. I did learn to use those, and may have been one of their heaviest users. But they weren't 'fun', though we did race the office chairs from the Computer Room down the hallway cause the building sloped to the river.)
The Mac was a revelation: its GUI, its mouse, its industrial design. Though strapped for funds, I desperately wanted and bought one after graduation. I carried my MacPlus to work in my 'MacPack' (backpack) and installed a Thunderscan device in my ImageWriter. I used these in some of my earliest professional projects, writing planning studies for the State and the City. At home, I spent hours organizing my life with Hypercard stacks, as well as playing Dark Castle,
In addition to architecture, I was configuring and connecting computer equipment at various firms around Boston. And I was active in the Boston Computer Society, teaching classes in MS Word and helping to run the BBS (bulletin board system). Realizing there was much more money in tech than architecture, my 'hobby' became my job and my career: system and network administration, interactive software, educational technology.
I remember those fledgling days affectionately, when computers drove curiosity, creativity, and new opportunities. Above all, the community that grew around the tech was generous, more 'socialist' than 'capitalist'. As activists for the BCS, it felt like we were at the center of a new movement: attending Macworld Expos, showing off the latest shareware, trading swag, and exchanging power-user tips (like how to use ResEdit).
sketch on my iPad Pro: "Generosidade", Machado de Castro, c1802, Palaçio de Ajuda
With the company's fiftieth birthday Apple turns decidedly middle-aged. It may still have a fandom, but chiefly it has stockholders. It is such a big business. Nowadays, personal computers are commodities with spec sheets and prescribed expectations. The customer base is no longer a community – people freak out when Siri can't tell what time the game starts.
On the other hand, Apple's gestation was in the 'hobbyist culture' of the Homebrew Computer Club, that's where Apple and its 'cult' of users inherited their world-changing, 'crazy ones' ethos. For my part, I still love their 'insanely great' products (below), but then I don't use or expect anything from Siri or any of the vulturous social media apps. Faced with a world full of addictions and complaints, I wonder if Apple (or any company) will ever recover that glorious, youthful, rebellious spirit. That's what makes me nostalgic, that and all the grey hair.
A list of all my Apple products through the years – updated from a decade ago, and basically the same as two years ago:
> MacPlus (4MB RAM, 20MB HD, MacPack)> ImageWriter (wide carriage)> Outbound System "Wallaby" (loaner)> Mac IIci> Newton Message Pad (original)> Pippin (developer edition)> PowerBook G3 Series> iBook (Tangerine)> PowerMac G4 (w Cinema Display)> PowerBook G3 (Pismo)> 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)> 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)> 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)Magic Mouse (black, USB-C)> retired, no longer possessed* replacement unit, same spec
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