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What is the first of your first Mac you owned?
- Thread starter princealfie
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I bought a second hand Performa 630CD in 1997 from a business I was doing tech support for. It cost me the grand total of £50 
. They'd decided to ditch all their Macs and move to Windows, so I had the choice of that or one of many LCIIIs. Took the 630 because of the CD drive, upped the RAM from 8MB to 36MB and used it for the next two and a half years, eventually replacing it with a lime iMac DV400. The thing I most remember is playing Civ 2 on it
Before that I'd used Macs at university LCs, LCIIs and 6100s; but that was the first one I'd actually owned.
. They'd decided to ditch all their Macs and move to Windows, so I had the choice of that or one of many LCIIIs. Took the 630 because of the CD drive, upped the RAM from 8MB to 36MB and used it for the next two and a half years, eventually replacing it with a lime iMac DV400. The thing I most remember is playing Civ 2 on it Before that I'd used Macs at university LCs, LCIIs and 6100s; but that was the first one I'd actually owned.
Maybe the LISA?
1984
------
After a friend showed me a PC , I decided it was not user friendly.
Went to a business fair to buy a word processor and saw the 9 inch B/w MacIntosh
$ 2,400 for 128K !
3.5 floppy
no hard drive
no modem
no camera
no networking
printer was the only peripheral one could buy (Image writer)
Came with MacWrite/MacPaint.
Then Microsoft releases Multiplan (Spread sheet)
Learned the hard way not to upgrade (Going from 128K to 256 to Mac Plus etc.etc., rather wait and buy new
Amazing what you get now 26 years later for less than half the price and people are whining about processors
core duo vs. i5/7 and speed.
First Macintosh was March 7, 1984 128K Mac.
Did my own 1024K upgrade board, added a hacked 800K floppy later.
My original setup was the Mac 128K and the Imagewriter 1. It was magical at the time.
Anyone remember Thunderscan? It was an insert you put into the Imagewriter and it woukld scan pictures. I spent hours scanning with that device.
It is amazing to think with a 128K ram, 400K floppy I could hold an OS, some apps and scan simple greyscale images.
After that, I have had a long string of Macs of various types. Most hated Performa 6320. It was a POS.
Did my own 1024K upgrade board, added a hacked 800K floppy later.
My original setup was the Mac 128K and the Imagewriter 1. It was magical at the time.
Anyone remember Thunderscan? It was an insert you put into the Imagewriter and it woukld scan pictures. I spent hours scanning with that device.
It is amazing to think with a 128K ram, 400K floppy I could hold an OS, some apps and scan simple greyscale images.
After that, I have had a long string of Macs of various types. Most hated Performa 6320. It was a POS.
First Mac
Macintosh Classic (around 1990, still around at home). My father had the original one, without HD, just floppy
than:
Power Book 160 (sold), Performa 6300 (mother board failure), Power Mac G3 (to my ex), Power Mac G5 (at work), MacBook (now with my mother), PowerBook G4 (also with my parents), MacBook Pro (1st gen, home compute with 23 ACD), MacPro (2x2.93 Quad core Xeon, current work computer) and MacBook Air (current laptop)
Macintosh Classic (around 1990, still around at home). My father had the original one, without HD, just floppy
than:
Power Book 160 (sold), Performa 6300 (mother board failure), Power Mac G3 (to my ex), Power Mac G5 (at work), MacBook (now with my mother), PowerBook G4 (also with my parents), MacBook Pro (1st gen, home compute with 23 ACD), MacPro (2x2.93 Quad core Xeon, current work computer) and MacBook Air (current laptop)
Yes, still have Thunderscan (and nevr threw out that 128K. Don't kno wwhat to do with all of these.
also have Mac Plus, worst IMO was the II and performa series.
Even have some clones given to me by a friend named ??? star when it was allowed.
Mac SE/30 as my username suggests! Still have it.
From wikipedia: In a January 2009 Macworld feature commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Macintosh, three industry commentators -- Adam C. Engst of TidBITS, John Gruber of Daring Fireball, and John Siracusa of Ars Technica -- chose the SE/30 as their favorite Mac model of all time. "Like any great Mac," wrote Gruber, "the SE/30 wasn't a terrific system just when it debuted; it remained eminently usable for years to come. When I think of the original Mac era, the machine in my mind is the SE/30."
[edit]
From wikipedia: In a January 2009 Macworld feature commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Macintosh, three industry commentators -- Adam C. Engst of TidBITS, John Gruber of Daring Fireball, and John Siracusa of Ars Technica -- chose the SE/30 as their favorite Mac model of all time. "Like any great Mac," wrote Gruber, "the SE/30 wasn't a terrific system just when it debuted; it remained eminently usable for years to come. When I think of the original Mac era, the machine in my mind is the SE/30."
[edit]
First Mac (Apple) was an old Apple II that was given to my poor family by a generous family friend when I was about 8 years old. Second Apple computer and first true Mac was a Mac SE 30 classic that was another hand me down. My first new mac for my family was the Macintosh Perform 631CD with its then blazing fast 68LC040 CPU!! it also booted Windows 95 natively with an Intel 486 in the PDS slot! I felt like the coolest geek as a high school freshmen back in the mid 90s with that baby.
I took a long break from the mac world up until 2001 when I was in college and purchased my very first "New World" Power PC imac. It was a Kiva Class mid or late 2001 Graphite Gray imac running a PowerPC 750FX @ 700Mhz. From There I went on to a couple "desk lamp" G4 imacs. Also owned a used G3 AIO Power Mac and a used Dual Processor Digital Audio Class Power Mac.
Last Power PC based mac was the Quad 2.5Ghz Power Mac of 2005, the finest PowerPC machine ever built. Newest Mac is a MBP 2.66Ghz C2D that I bought new in mid 2009. This however was not my first Intel based Mac. My first was an imac original core duo machine that ran at 2.0 Ghz that I purchased as a refurb back in 07. I gave that machine to my brother though as it was too slow to suit my needs.
Future Mac plans... involve replacing my PowerMac over the next year or so with whatever best 27 inch+ imac is available at that point in time. Replacing my MBP over the next year or two with whatever best 15" option is available. Most immediate purchase is on my iphone 4 which I eagerly await to ship next week. The next purchase will be the next gen ipad hopefully in the next 6-9 months.
I took a long break from the mac world up until 2001 when I was in college and purchased my very first "New World" Power PC imac. It was a Kiva Class mid or late 2001 Graphite Gray imac running a PowerPC 750FX @ 700Mhz. From There I went on to a couple "desk lamp" G4 imacs. Also owned a used G3 AIO Power Mac and a used Dual Processor Digital Audio Class Power Mac.
Last Power PC based mac was the Quad 2.5Ghz Power Mac of 2005, the finest PowerPC machine ever built. Newest Mac is a MBP 2.66Ghz C2D that I bought new in mid 2009. This however was not my first Intel based Mac. My first was an imac original core duo machine that ran at 2.0 Ghz that I purchased as a refurb back in 07. I gave that machine to my brother though as it was too slow to suit my needs.
Future Mac plans... involve replacing my PowerMac over the next year or so with whatever best 27 inch+ imac is available at that point in time. Replacing my MBP over the next year or two with whatever best 15" option is available. Most immediate purchase is on my iphone 4 which I eagerly await to ship next week. The next purchase will be the next gen ipad hopefully in the next 6-9 months.
I still have a "512K Fat mac". It has not hard disk, just one floppy drive and the 10" black and white screen. I think it cost $3,000 in the day. I have it stored in a shipping case along with some software and spare parts.
What did I think about it? I liked the ease of use and the graphic arts software. But at work I had a Sun Workstation. It also had a mouse and a windows but the Sun had a 21" color screen, much more RAM, Ethernet networking and a big hard disk. In the PC world I think the "AT" has just coming out and ran DOS "Windows" would not be available for some time to come. At that time, I had just graduated a few yars back with a degree in EE and computer enginering and was ppretty much impressed with how Apple could keep the cost doown to what I thought was "nothing" by putting all the functions in firmware. I was also impressed with how Sun used every hardware trick in the book to get such good performance from the same MC68000 processor. They used the same CPU but there was far more than 10X performance difference. Both designs were "extrema" but in opposite directions
I liked the Mac but it was primitive compared to the Sun Workstation but it was only 1/10 the price too. I used it strictly for graphic arts and word processing.
It was Not untill Mac OS X and the G5 that Apple caught up with Sun
I pretty much missed the whole Microsoft Windows era, never had a need for it.
First one I owned was a Mac SE/30. I still have it, I turn it on from time to time...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_SE/30
Then a 145B Powerbook
BW G3
Powerbook G3 Bronze Keyboard
iBook G3
iBook G4
Alu Powerbook G4 (Wine spill killed it... )
iMac G5 17" ambient light sensor. (Cats liked the smell of it for some reason and kept peeing on it... Causing it to die "like tears in rain..."
Macbook (wife using now)
Alu iMac 20" 2.5 (using now)
15" MBP 2.5 (everyday at work)
iPad Wifi
waiting on iPhone 4... Seriously, it's faster and more powerful than probably the first 5...
That's a lot of years and $$$! Good times.
Coachingguy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_SE/30
Then a 145B Powerbook
BW G3
Powerbook G3 Bronze Keyboard
iBook G3
iBook G4
Alu Powerbook G4 (Wine spill killed it...
)iMac G5 17" ambient light sensor. (Cats liked the smell of it for some reason and kept peeing on it... Causing it to die "like tears in rain..."
Macbook (wife using now)
Alu iMac 20" 2.5 (using now)
15" MBP 2.5 (everyday at work)
iPad Wifi
waiting on iPhone 4... Seriously, it's faster and more powerful than probably the first 5...
That's a lot of years and $$$! Good times.
Coachingguy
A mac plus when I was in 7th grade was my first. It ran system 6!! Then went to the mac Classic II, the LC520 (all in one--was FANTASTIC!). After that was a G3 266 Desktop, then the imac G5, and now a 24" imac Core2Duo! The G3 is still going..gave it to a friend and he upgraded it to put OS X on it.
What was it like to get your first Mac in your life? Mine was a tangerine iBook 300mhz that was given to me by a friend back in Philadelphia when he upgraded to a Powerbook G4 15" back in 2003. Stories would be great!
My first mac was an Apple IIe, single 5 1/2 Floppy and an Green Monitor. My mother bought it for me, so I could study for the SAT. The Apple IIe came in a bundle. It had PFS: File, Database and Write, and of course the SAT study exam. As far as Games it had Castle Wolfenstein, Bard's Tale I, Apple Panic, Gato (by Spectrum Holobyte), later on I bought Police Quest I and Sid Meier's Pirates!.
I tought myself Assembler and Turbo Pascal in that computer.
Shortly after, a friend of mine in the Boyscouts, hooked me up with Conan: Hall of Volta, Elite, Spies Demize, Stellar 7, Ultima I, II, III, Seven Cities of Gold, Wasteland, Zork and Choplifter... My favorite game of them all (and of all time) was Elite... I also had a couple of applications more: Publish It, Locksmith, Merlin and The Print Shop.
I never used the SAT program, ever. Yet I got perfect SAT scores when I took the exams. To this day, assembler still is my favorite programming language.
I had the 24" White iMac which was brilliant up until the day it died, on Bank Holiday Monday, end of May just gone.
It's been replaced with the core 2 duo 27" iMac in my sig but before these 2 I was a rock solid PC user.
It's been replaced with the core 2 duo 27" iMac in my sig but before these 2 I was a rock solid PC user.
Mac SE Twin-floppy with hard drive upgraded to 45 MB! (yes, that is mega-bytes) The standard hard drive was only 20 MB. I think it had 2 MB RAM, but I'm not sure. It had a 9" black and white screen, keyboard and mouse. It cost over $2,000 as i remember, and that's over 20 years ago!
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First of my own, that I didn't have to share with anyone was a 14" iBook g4, last revision before intel. It was stolen. Sadness.
First of my own, that I didn't have to share with anyone was a 14" iBook g4, last revision before intel. It was stolen. Sadness.
I didn't actually "own" my first mac. It was loaned to me for a few months to do some basic editing work. It was an iMac DV and I was so impressed with it and OS X that it quickly became my primary computer. Everything was snappier, easier and strikingly more stable. I couldn't believe how archaic and un-refined it felt to use windows after that.
I had to return it but bought a G5 PowerPC just a few months later. It only took a few months to complete my transformation from tech-enthusiast to full-blown Apple fanboy.
I had to return it but bought a G5 PowerPC just a few months later. It only took a few months to complete my transformation from tech-enthusiast to full-blown Apple fanboy.
Mine was a Mac SE. Back then, a 20MB (yes, that's M as in Mega) hard drive was a $1000 option. I bought the version with dual floppies and eventually added a 100MB hard drive from APS for a mere $650. I couldn't believe the deal I got.
I got turned onto the Mac by a friend who had an original 128K Mac (later upgraded to a 512Ke Fat Mac). So we go wayyyyyy back.
BB
I got turned onto the Mac by a friend who had an original 128K Mac (later upgraded to a 512Ke Fat Mac). So we go wayyyyyy back.
BB
Apple II >< Mac
Good story, though I have to note that the Apple IIe was not a Macintosh. I'd give you credit if it was a Lisa, though.
BB
Good story, though I have to note that the Apple IIe was not a Macintosh. I'd give you credit if it was a Lisa, though.
BB
The one in my sig. Its the best mbp ever......apart from the 8600m gt failure rate, metal above the dvd drive corrodes, keyboard buttons sometimes don't register, expanding battery etc its still the best
Some good stories in here--brings back memories. Although did anybody use those SAT trainer programs, or were they just a clever ploy so that kids could convince their parents to buy them computers?
The first Mac I ever used was either an original or Mac Plus (not sure which) at a friend's house, but my family started with an LC with a 20MB hard drive, upgraded by my dad after a while to 12MB of RAM (of which it could only actually address 10, if memory serves).
(We'd had an Apple //c with the extra RAM card for a while prior to that, but that's not technically a Mac.)
Worked through a Centris 610 and Power Mac 6500/250, although that should have been an 8600--I bought one back when Apple couldn't actually ship a computer to save its soul, waited like 2 months for it to get delivered, and it had a bad serial port; my incompetent university repair shop took about a month to figure out that's what was wrong with it (I kid you not--and I told them when I handed it to them), so I returned it and got the cheaper 6500 since I didn't feel like waiting lord-knows how long for a replacement and Power Computing was backordered on their 604 systems for weeks as well.
My first Mac, as in the first one I bought myself and was the primary user, was where I started down the dangerous path of power user -- DP G4/533, followed by a pre-ordered 1st gen DP G5/2.0, pre-ordered 1st-gen 17" MBP, and i7 iMac.
The first Mac I ever used was either an original or Mac Plus (not sure which) at a friend's house, but my family started with an LC with a 20MB hard drive, upgraded by my dad after a while to 12MB of RAM (of which it could only actually address 10, if memory serves).
(We'd had an Apple //c with the extra RAM card for a while prior to that, but that's not technically a Mac.)
Worked through a Centris 610 and Power Mac 6500/250, although that should have been an 8600--I bought one back when Apple couldn't actually ship a computer to save its soul, waited like 2 months for it to get delivered, and it had a bad serial port; my incompetent university repair shop took about a month to figure out that's what was wrong with it (I kid you not--and I told them when I handed it to them), so I returned it and got the cheaper 6500 since I didn't feel like waiting lord-knows how long for a replacement and Power Computing was backordered on their 604 systems for weeks as well.
My first Mac, as in the first one I bought myself and was the primary user, was where I started down the dangerous path of power user -- DP G4/533, followed by a pre-ordered 1st gen DP G5/2.0, pre-ordered 1st-gen 17" MBP, and i7 iMac.