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List Your 30 Years of Mac

rezwits

rezwits

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 10, 2007
879
453
Las Vegas
I put together my time capsule of Macs these last 30 years.

It all started for me one day while going to computer store where I would buy Atari 2600 games, and seeing the Lisa :( then I saw the $9,995 price! I told my mom I understood there was no way I could get the Lisa, but could I at least get a Commodore Vic 20. We couldn't find one and the only thing for sale was a Commodore 64. After that I struggled to get into the computing world but eventually things worked out one day! Especially, when I got a Macintosh Iix for $2,000 from the want ads! YES!

All Good Times! (List your timeline for fun) It's interesting to me...

Commodore 64
Apple IIe
ImageWriter
SE/30
Personal LaserWriter NT
Macintosh IIx
ImageWriter II
Quadra 840av
PowerBook Duo 210
PowerBook 520
PowerBook 520c
PowerMac G3/266
PowerBook G3/400 (FireWire/Pismo)
PowerBook G3/400 (FireWire/Pismo) #2
PowerMac G4/466 Dual
PowerMac G4/466 Dual #2
PowerMac G4/533 Dual
PowerMac G4/533 Dual #2
PowerMac G4/1.25 Dual
PowerBook G4 (12-inch, 1.33GHz)
PowerMac G5/2.5 Quad
Mac Pro 2.66 Quad (2006)
Mac Pro 2.66 Quad (2006)
MacBook 2.0 GHz (13-inch, Late 2006) Black
MacBook Pro 2.26 GHz (13-inch, Mid 2009)
MacMini 2.0 (2009)
Mac Pro 2.66 8-core (2009)
MacBook Pro 2.2 GHz (17-inch, Early 2011)
MacBook Air 1.7 (11-inch, Mid 2012)
Chillin . . . :p
 
Well, I'm a bit younger than most, but my timeline goes something like this

Mom's HP Pavilion
Some windows computer
Some windows computer
White iMac, 2006 20" 2.16gHz
MacBook Pro Late 2008, 15" 2.66gHz

not a very long list... yet! :D
 
First use - 1985 original / First buy - 2005 Mini/ Second and current - 2009 Mini

I first used the original Mac at university, where they had a lab full of them. It was all quite instinctive. We also had to learn to do some things on IBM clones using MS DOS or some such. I wondered why.

After graduating into the 1987 economic crisis, I went back to working on farms. There was not much call for a computer when building fences, shearing sheep and driving tractors…. and still isn't.

It was about a decade before I had anything to do with computers again, when I did battle with Window's '95 and then '98. I started teaching, but still use was sporadic until I came to my present job in 2003, and an office with Windows XP on its computers.

I wanted to do more work at home, so needed a computer, but didn't want a laptop. But neither did I want a large desktop….. I had not (and still have never) owned anything that cannot be carried easily on a motorcycle.

When the Mini came on the market in 2005 it fitted my criteria, and I was back to Mac.

In 2009, when the HDD and the power supply failed that first Mini didn't seem worth repairing. I bought my second Mini, which I am still using.
 
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Our household mac timeline

It all strarted in 2002:
Powerbook G4 Titanium 667MHz

Then:
Powerbook G4 Aluminium 1.67GHz
Macbook CoreDuo White

Now:
iMac 24" 3.06GHz
MacMini i5

And later this year:
MacBook Pro 15"Retina

:apple:

For the forseeable future i will be spending my computing euros at Apple!
 
rezwits said:
I put together my time capsule of Macs these last 30 years.

It all started for me one day while going to computer store where I would buy Atari 2600 games, and seeing the Lisa :( then I saw the $9,995 price! I told my mom I understood there was no way I could get the Lisa, but could I at least get a Commodore Vic 20. We couldn't find one and the only thing for sale was a Commodore 64. After that I struggled to get into the computing world but eventually things worked out one day! Especially, when I got a Macintosh Iix for $2,000 from the want ads! YES!

All Good Times! (List your timeline for fun) It's interesting to me...

Commodore 64
Apple IIe
ImageWriter
SE/30
Personal LaserWriter NT
Macintosh IIx
ImageWriter II
Quadra 840av
PowerBook Duo 210
PowerBook 520
PowerBook 520c
PowerMac G3/266
PowerBook G3/400 (FireWire/Pismo)
PowerBook G3/400 (FireWire/Pismo) #2
PowerMac G4/466 Dual
PowerMac G4/466 Dual #2
PowerMac G4/533 Dual
PowerMac G4/533 Dual #2
PowerMac G4/1.25 Dual
PowerBook G4 (12-inch, 1.33GHz)
PowerMac G5/2.5 Quad
Mac Pro 2.66 Quad (2006)
Mac Pro 2.66 Quad (2006)
MacBook 2.0 GHz (13-inch, Late 2006) Black
MacBook Pro 2.26 GHz (13-inch, Mid 2009)
MacMini 2.0 (2009)
Mac Pro 2.66 8-core (2009)
MacBook Pro 2.2 GHz (17-inch, Early 2011)
MacBook Air 1.7 (11-inch, Mid 2012)
Chillin . . . :p
Click to expand...

Our first computer was the Vic 20. That thing was rubbish!

I've been a PC man since then until finally making the jump in late 2012 with the (then) newly released iMac. Still going strong today and I couldn't imagine ever going back.
 
1983 - Sega SC-3000 computer
1988 - 99 - Amiga Computer > Windows Computer
1999 - Blue and White G3
and the rest is in my signature.

The reason I changed from Windows to Mac?

A friend had a Mac and it was easy to fix yourself in comparison to a Windows machine. I wanted to do video editing and I wanted a system that I could buy in English. It wasn't really possible to easily do that on a Windows machine at that time for me in Japan. So I got a mac and liked it far better than windows, but it wasn't until OS X came out that I loved it.
 
LCIII
Macintosh Preforma
iBook G3
iMac first gen Intel (shared this with my mum and sister, so not entirely mine)
Macintosh Classic
iMac G3
13" Polycarbon MacBook
13" MacBook Pro
iBook G3 (another one)
13" MacBook Air

Most of the older ones were handed down, since I wasn't even alive when some of them were made :p
 
For me, the following path along the Macintosh highway.

TRS Color Computer
IBM XT
IBM Clone
Macintosh SE
Bondi Blue iMac
G4 Cube
G4 PowerMac
iBook
G4 PowerBook
G5 Powermac
white Macbook
15" Macbook Pro
15" Macbook Pro unibody
13" Macbook Pro
Retina Macbook Pro
 
In approximate chronological order, my mac usage:

Mac Plus (Uni)
IIfx (Uni)
SE/30 (Flatmates)
7100, LCIIs, Quadras, 8100, Powerbook 165 (Uni)
Performa 475 (Mine, my first! Sold)
Powerbook 5300c (Mine! Sold)
Powerbook 1400cs (Mine! Still boots...:))
Powermac 7200/75 (Mine! Sold)
Beige G3/233 (Work)
IIci (Work, but then given to me! Thrown in a dumpster...:eek:)
Powermac g4/533 (A freebie I picked up. Died:mad:)
Mac Mini C2D 2.0GHz (2009, My main machine now:))
Powermac g4 867 (Mine! Still works:))
Mac mini C2D 2.26 (Mine! A machine for second location. Died:mad:)
Macbook pro 2.4GHz (Mine! Sold)
Powermac g5 Dual 2.0 GHz (Mine! Still works and in daily use :D)
Macbook Air i5 (Mine! Still using...)

That's a longer list than I thought it would be. So, never used a Pro, or owned an iMac or owned a G3. The fastest mac I've used is probably my current Air. The worst purchase was the 7200/75, cost me an arm and a leg and was so crash-prone. Probably the best purchase was the Mac mini (Still using now, has been a real workhorse). Here's to the next 30 years! ;)
 
Macintosh Color Classic
iBook G3
iMac G4
Power Mac G5
Late 2009 White MacBook
Late 2010 iMac
Late 2011 MacBook Air

I doubt I'll be buying any more though.
 
Mac SE w/ Imagewriter (Both still work)
Mac LC
Mac //si
Performa something or other
Performa something or other
iBook G3
iMac G3
PowerBook G4
Mac mini G4
iMac G5
MacBook late 2008
 
I'm a relatively new Mac user. I didn't get my first Mac until August 2007 when the aluminum iMac came out. I love it and it is one of my main computers.
 
In order of when I got them:

2004 iBook G4
2005 "Sunflower" iMac G4
2008 Macbook (Aluminum)
2007 Mac mini
2013 Hackintosh

Some of the dates might be off by a year or two, but close enough. :)
 
I couldn't even possibly list every machine I've ever owned. My dad has worked at private schools all my life, and he'd find old computers in closets and just the general ones being thrown out to replace newer ones, so I've had tons of desktops, tons of laptops, and for a few months one of the really old consoles.

But I'll tell you the back story of why I use Macs...

So like I said, my dad has worked in private schools all my life, and in the 80's. He started out as a janitor, and he used to setup/startup the Apple computers for the school. He always liked them, and even took a sticker from one of the boxes and stuck it on his checkbook. Apple's name as just growing then, and every time he'd go to the store, they'd ask him about it. They thought he was a programmer or something. :D

Apple //e (or one of the variations) - So this was the first Apple computer I ever saw. I was two at the time, and don't remember much of it, other than the floppy drives, some paint program that looked like MacPaint (probably was MousePaint), and two Garfield games:


I was kinda too old for them, but I remember seeing my mom playing them. I mostly stuck to painting. Two years old and had my own desk though, hahaha.

PowerBook 180c - My dad found this in a closet and gave it to a friend to give to his daughter for college. They gave it back four years later, and I've had it ever since. It doesn't power on anymore, but I plan to do something with it... Someday.

15" MacBook Pro (Late 2006) - The first Mac we actually ever bought. Mostly for getting me through photography and journalism in high school.

Power Macintosh G3 Desktop - Obtained when they cleaned out a classroom of old Macs
iMac G3 - Same as above

iBook 466 - I bought it off eBay after I totaled my 2006 MacBook Pro. :eek:

Power Mac G5 (1.8 original) - It was originally my photography teacher's. I used it from 2003 to 2008 in class, and now since 2009 after they threw them out and replaced them with new iMacs.

iMac G4 17" - Some kid brought it over to use in class when he was a student and left it there after he graduated. They threw it out the same year as the Power Macs. I use it as my main desktop machine now. :D

13" MacBook Pro (Late 2011) - The first Mac I bought with my own money. :p The hardest I've pushed it so far is rendering animation stills 24 hours straight in Maya. Could have probably cooked breakfast for 10 while it was happening. :D
 
who could afford the early Mac? :eek:

For a few years I would rent computer time on a Mac at Kinkos starting in late 1985. After a few years a friend bought a Mac SE and I mooched time on it. The next used-but-didn't-own were several configurations of the Mac ll. They were the Ci and CX if I'm remembering correctly, and we all drooled over the Mac IIfx that one of our clients had.

Finally bought a used Mac SE30 for a super price. That was followed by a Quadra 605, the first time I owned Mac purchased as a new computer. After that came a used Quadra 800.

Then the grape colored iMac G3, a G5 iMac and finally my current 4 year old iMac. I've kept the two previous iMacs for 5 years each so that would suggest something new in 2015.
 
Before the Mac:
Apple ][+
Apple //c

Macs:
Macintosh Plus
MacIIsi
Macintosh Quadra 800

eMac G4 1.25Ghz
MacBook 13" late 2006
MacBook Pro Unibody 15" late 2008

And looking forward for a new one this year!
 
Power Mac 6300 (1996)
Power Macintosh G3 (1998)
iMac 1999
iMac G3 (2003) - my favorite Mac - the lampshade iMac
iMac 2007
iMac 2009 (dud refurb bought in 2010)
iMac 2010

After the 1999 iMac was replaced, I average about 3.7 - 4.2 years on every Mac.

I love them, so easy to use. They've taken me through web design, content creation, enjoyment etc.

And as long as they continue to be, I will continue to use them. This is my 18th year of ownership and I'm looking forward buying a new one this year.
 
The first computer I used was older than me, so I don't really go back that far :p

1996 Performa 5400
2001 PowerBook G4 Titanium
2003 PowerBook G4 Aluminium
2006 MacBook Pro
2008 MacBook Pro
2010 iMac
2011 MacBook Pro

However, my dad had many old Macs (Macintosh Plus and Macintosh Color come to mind, along with many Quadras and Power Macintoshes). Unfortunately, I don't think I ever got to use them.

My earliest memory is playing Key Whack on OS 9, but apparently I did use OS 8 for a while (although I don't remember it!)

Still have the Performa (in the attic, not sure if it boots), the TiBook (dead :( ), the iMac and the 2011 MBP.
 
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Great Responses

Great responses from you guys!

Thanks, good reading and observations of how mac life is!
 
Compaq luggable w/ dual floppies and a hard card was my first computer.

Some DOS-based laptop, it was ok, ran an early Windoze, had a nice keyboard.

512k unenhanced, it was a tossup between that and a new used car... the Mac won.
Powerbook 170 - loved it, still drove that same old 1980 Datsun so I could pay for it.

IIci, IIcx at work - they were fabulous for their time.
Powerbook 520c at work when traveling, not a fan of that one

Powerbook 3400c at home - not a big fan of that one either, problems with bay-drives esp. the ZIPs.

clamshell ibooks, tangerine and a lime one - lots of fun and lasted a long time

assorted white ibooks - some of them actually still run at neighbors' kids' places; the last one I kept for a recipe server finally croaked.

G4 titanium 15" powerbook - used with MIDI and music-related peripherals, it still works but it's frozen in time with the dependencies.

G4 12" powerbooks - favorite machine for reliability and taking a joke in transport, this became the machine I used at home and also at work, no more bother w/ desktops.

black macbook - all time favorite after the G4

Macbook Pro mid 2010... well mine is either a lemon or it's just not a great iteration.
Macbook Air now we're talkin' nifty. Yes, lighter weight is a big plus for me.

Thinking about a newer MBP (but a refurb not current model: one more round wtih an internal optical for me), but haven't decided yet. My budget is shot after phone upgrade and doing iPad and mini iPad last year. Rice and damn few beans time! By time I get the money side squared away I might opt for a refurb of a later model. Still, right now I like the idea of 8GB RAM, 750GB drive to accommodate plenty data, all my music, lots of video and an optical drive for movies not sold in digital format. I often enough use CDs and DVDs anyway, and somehow an external reader with a laptop seems like a real pain in the neck.

==

My 512k Mac, which I got in 1985, still booted a couple years ago, haven't tried it again. The boot diskette must be getting pretty fragile by now so I figure don't mess with it and maybe it will boot one more time in 2015 for its 30th birthday party. Then it will become an aquarium (or a geranium pot).
 
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