What was your first Mac?

[Gregg2]

My first Mac was the iconic Macintosh TV.

Macintosh TV - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It was a novelty item, sure, but it fit our needs at the time. I connected a VCR (look it up if you don't know what that is) and an Iomega Zip Drive (ditto) as well as a Stylewriter II printer, and a modem (ditto again). We used it much as you use a DVR these days, as well as for the modest word processing needs we had and spreadsheets - using the versatile ClarisWorks Suite of apps.

Alas, it was quickly replaced with a G3 as the Internet outpaced the modest specs the Mac TV had. Quirky as it is, one thing I really liked about it at the time was the black casing, and matching keyboard and mouse. It was an expensive first foray into computing, but I'm feeling very nostalgic at the moment.

 

[mike.coulter]

Mine was my G4 iMac, I had tried my friend's G5 and fell in love with OSX.

 

[C0ncreteBl0nde]

@Gregg2 said: "I connected a VCR (look it up if you don't know what that is)"

🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

 

[IvyKing]

It was a novelty item, sure, but it fit our needs at the time. I connected a VCR (look it up if you don't know what that is) and an Iomega Zip Drive (ditto) as well as a Stylewriter II printer, and a modem (ditto again).

I remember VTR's: Sony had one for sale at ~$1,000 in late 1965 when the lowest priced new cars could be had for ~1500.

 

[stanza.richi]

The one that I still have: MacBook Pro Retina 13” Late 2013.

 

[2024]

Mac Classic II if I recall correctly, used for DTP with QuarkXpress way back when. (I think I still have all the Quark install floppies too.)

 

[WriteNow]

first Mac was the iconic Macintosh TV.

I remember reading about that computer in some Macintosh magazine about the time it came out.

Alas, it was quickly replaced with a G3 as the Internet outpaced the modest specs the Mac TV had.

It looks like from what I see online that the Macintosh TV had a 68030 processor. I can't speak about that specific computer but I can remember that the Performa LC III equivalent I had was not particularly fast. It was barely fast enough, I thought, to handle the demands of System 7. A slightly slower on paper Macintosh IIsi was better, but that was better because I had it running System 6. A G3 would have been much, much faster.

I connected a VCR (look it up if you don't know what that is)

I remember those.

Some days, I feel like I should be old enough to remember when the Ford Model T was new!

 

[ger19]

I had an Apple IIc in college and then an MacBook Air early 2000’s but my first Mac is the M1 iMac that I have now. I got it for a good price after they discontinued the M1. It’s working great for my light duty use. I really like how well my iMac, iPhone and my iPad all sync up.

 

[WriteNow]

I remember VTR's: Sony had one for sale at ~$1,000 in late 1965 when the lowest priced new cars could be had for ~1500.

I'm not surprised. The technology would have been very, very new at that time. I sometimes watch old TV shows from the 60s, which sometimes show technology that today is considered obsolete, but back then would have been cutting edge, like videotape recorders and the IBM Selectric typewriter, just the name two examples.

A bit more on topic for this forum, I sometimes watch 80s programming, which may show a Macintosh Plus, which in 2025 has long been hopelessly obsolete, but is piictured in that TV show as the current hot cutting edge computer.

Now as I think of it, the fact that I can remember when the Macintosh Plus was a relevant new computer makes me feel old!

 

[mkush]

My first Mac was THE first Mac: 1984 original 128K. It forever changed me. I was 14 and my parents generously decided to let me get one, along with an ImageWriter. The computer was $2500, the printer $500. The first place my dad and I went wanted a deposit to order us one, so we (he) walked out. We ended up in a cool little Apple-only shop that I wish still existed. A couple of years later it was motherboard upgraded to a Plus. After that I worked at Burger King all summer to save up for my first hard disk: a 30MB external SCSI. That was COOL.

 

[WriteNow]

We ended up in a cool little Apple-only shop that I wish still existed.

I know that feeling!

I remember the store where I got my first Macintosh, which was an Apple only specialist. It was fun going into the store, where one could see the latest hardware and the shelf after shelf of software to choose from. It gave a feeling of endless possibilities, at least if you could afford it!

One salesperson always remebered me, and good advice sometimes.

They closed at some point during the 90s, perhaps partly due to the changing computer world, not least of which was the financial trouble that Apple found itself in, with a big question mark about whether Apple would survive long term.

A couple of years later it was motherboard upgraded

I also remember that era when Apple frequently provided logic board upgrades.

Sometimes, of course, they were a poor value (like the LC II ugrade), but some were apparently very good values (like the LC III upgrade).

 

[mkush]

Sometimes, of course, they were a poor value (like the LC II ugrade), but some were apparently very good values (like the LC III upgrade).

In college, I even motherboard upgraded my LaserWriter IISC to a IINT. Also upgraded an 030 NeXT cube (bought cheap from Businessland when they went out of business) to an 040.

 

[WriteNow]

In college, I even motherboard upgraded my LaserWriter IISC to a IINT. A

I had half forgotten about the LaserWriter logic board upgrades. I think The Macintosh Bible even joked a bit about the upgrades for the LaserWriter II series. Some joke about about a brain transplant IIRC.

Now I'm reminiscing about The Macintosh Bible. I had a copy of one of the second edition. I absolutely loved that book--both for helpful advice and how much fun it was to read.

NeXT cube

You had a NeXT Cube? I'm envious!

A NeXT computer strikes me as being one that would be absolutely fascinating to have experienced first hand.

 

[Gregg2]

I remember reading about that computer in some Macintosh magazine about the time it came out.


It looks like from what I see online that the Macintosh TV had a 68030 processor. I can't speak about that specific computer but I can remember that the Performa LC III equivalent I had was not particularly fast. It was barely fast enough, I thought, to handle the demands of System 7.

Yes, I believe it was a 68030, but it only had 8MB of RAM. That's amazing to consider compared to the standard now.

 

[honcho]

Mine was a Pismo G3

I remember the Pismo well. I loved the tactile rubber feel of the exterior. The modular design was a delight. Slot in a floppy module, a ZIP drive, an extra HDD. I loved mine, perhaps more than the TiBook that replaced it.

 

[WriteNow]

Yes, I believe it was a 68030, but it only had 8MB of RAM. That's amazing to consider compared to the standard now.

True, but eight megabytes would have seemed like an impossible dream just a few years before the Macintosh TV launched.

My SE came with only one megabyte of memory, and the maximum that machine could take would have been four megabytes.

 

[WriteNow]

remember the Pismo well.

I never had a Pismo, but I certainly remember it.

It seemed like it was one of those laptops that everybody who ever had one absolutely loved. (Although I suppose saying this tempts fate, and we will have several posts that say: "I despised my Pismo!!!!!!!" LOL)

I remember that I was tempted to get a used Pismo towards the end of the era when the Pismo was still somewhat viably usable. But I never did, partly, because even then the prices were still pretty high.

 

[honcho]

I never had a Pismo, but I certainly remember it.

It seemed like it was one of those laptops that everybody who ever had one absolutely loved. (Although I suppose saying this tempts fate, and we will have several posts that say: "I despised my Pismo!!!!!!!" LOL)

I remember that I was tempted to get a used Pismo towards the end of the era when the Pismo was still somewhat viably usable. But I never did, partly, because even then the prices were still pretty high.

It was a great laptop. At the time, I was a magazine journalist. If I was abroad, I’d write my copy on it then I would develop my 35mm photos and have them scanned before sending them and my article back home using ISDN. At the time, it all felt so futuristic. The Pismo was a pleasure to own. The price was indeed high, though. I seem to recall mine cost about £3.5k which, 28 years ago, was a real chunk of change.

 

[VulchR]

... The price was indeed high, though. I seem to recall mine cost about £3.5k which, 28 years ago, was a real chunk of change.

I have never regretted spending more than average for computers. I would say for each one, including my first computer - a Compaq suitcase 'mobile' computer - I got my money's worth. My PowerBook 180 still boots and my SE30 lasted for 15 years before it gave up the ghost (my in-laws got it as a hand-me-down from me and mourned the day it finally crashed).

 

[SupremeAntBee]

That is my favorite design Apple has ever made. I have wanted one for years and finally bought a 15" this year. Unfortunately the GPU kicked the bucket, though, not much longer after I got it. I may put a raspberry pi inside to make it a nostalgic gaming machine.

I’m sorry to hear that your “dream Mac” went kaput on you. Your solution sounds like you will get many years of enjoyment from this beauty, by making it into something useful to you!😀

 

[rb2112]

24" imac in 2008. Was working on my degree and had an new windows machine (vista) that came with bloatware was just a bad experience. I had just attended a information-display seminar about getting the most screen real estate. Went and bought the 24" imac and loved the ability to work on such a large (ha!) screen and have the whole computer fit all in my small workspace. Just donated that computer last month.

 

[TumbleDryer]

When I started design college my parents bought me a Windows PC as a reward for getting into college. It was Bittersweet lol. The college had a brand new design department decked out with 20 brand new Bondi Blue iMac G3s with matching blue carpets and chairs, just walking into the room was inspiring. At first I preferred my HP Pentium 2 Box but after just a few months of Windows 95 I was sick of having to fix and workaround bugs, defrag the drive, reinstall windows when things decided they no longer wanted to work for no reason etc so I started using the iMacs more at college. It didn't take long for me to realise the huge difference in ease of use and lack of issues with MacOS 8.1 compared to Windows.

Eventually I saved enough money to buy a Graphite PowerMac G4 Tower on release day and 17" Studio Display (the giant bulbous see-through CRT one). With MacOS9 and then OSX it was clear this was the way to go. The whole experience being vastly superior to Windows.

 

[Wyvernspirit]

That is my favorite design Apple has ever made. I have wanted one for years and finally bought a 15" this year. Unfortunately the GPU kicked the bucket, though, not much longer after I got it. I may put a raspberry pi inside to make it a nostalgic gaming machine.

Consider this: https://juicycrumb.com/product/docklite-g4/?v=0b3b97fa6688#imac-model

You can then use it with a Raspberry Pi, a NUC, or even a Mac Mini. There are a lot of youtube videos of people putting a modern computer inside one of those and making it a relevant computer again.

 

[awshucks]

Consider this: https://juicycrumb.com/product/docklite-g4/?v=0b3b97fa6688#imac-model

You can then use it with a Raspberry Pi, a NUC, or even a Mac Mini. There are a lot of youtube videos of people putting a modern computer inside one of those and making it a relevant computer again.

Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve heard of them before and was interested, but unfortunately they do not have a version for the 15”. Maybe I’ll find some parts to do this one day, cause I’ve seen people do it before.

 

[dandeco]

Mine was an eMac from 2005, purchased off eBay in late 2009. I still have it in my collection of vintage Macs. Two years later I bought my first Intel Mac: a mid-2009 white MacBook (with 2.13 GHz Core 2 Duo processor and the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M GPU; I intentionally picked this one so I wouldn't have to deal with the older wimpy Intel graphics).