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25 Years of the Mac

On the Mac’s silver anniversary, we look at where it’s been—and where it’s headed next.

It seems like only yesterday that Macworld released its first issue, with a youthful, besuited Steve Jobs peering over a trio of original Macs on the cover.

OK, maybe not yesterday. But those 25 years seem to have come and gone as quickly as so many Apple CEOs. And that quarter of a century has given us the countless advances and changes—in software, hardware design, operating systems, and more—that make the Mac what it is today. But that’s the old news. What’s more important is what your Mac will be like next year, or the year after that, or five years from now. How will Apple’s ongoing endeavors and other technological developments impact the devices you use in the near future?

In this series, we take a look at how some of today’s trends are driving the technology of tomorrow, as well as how some of the past 25 years’ significant events brought us to where we are today. We’ve also asked some longtime members of the Mac community to share their thoughts on various aspects of the last two and a half decades.

25 Years of the Mac

On the Mac's silver anniversary, we look at where it's been - and where it's headed next.

The Mac at 25
The Mac (and Macworld) turns 25 this Saturday. We celebrate the silver anniversary with a week’s worth of articles highlighting the Mac’s past—and looking ahead to Apple’s future.
The best Mac ever
For the Mac’s 25th anniversary, we polled five Mac luminaries to name the greatest system of all time. One Mac in particular got a majority of votes—but not without some dissenting opinions.
The Mac at 25: Interface design
Ever since Apple introduced the world to the mouse and the window-based graphical user interface in 1984, the company has worked tirelessly to develop a more efficient, yet more powerful, user experience. Rik Myslewski combs through recent Apple patent filings to look at ways interacting with your Mac could change in the future.
The Mac at 25: Processors
With the Mac approaching its 25th birthday, what does the future hold for the processors that power our favorite computers? Quite a lot, Rik Myslewski says.
Three things OS X could learn from the Classic Mac OS
Sure, Mac OS X is a state-of-the-art operating system. But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t stand to learn a lesson or three from its predecessor. John Gruber explains.
The Mac at 25: Portability
Apple’s laptop line has evolved a lot since the days of the first Macintosh Portable. As part of the Mac’s 25th anniversary, we look at trends in batteries and power-saving technologies that figure to prolong life on-the-go for Mac users.
Six things Apple needs to do right now
Sure, Apple has had a good 25-year run with the Mac. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. Andy Ihnatko offers up six items that should be at the head of Apple’s to-do list.
Four great Mac icons
As part of the Mac’s 25th anniversary, John Siracusa names four of the best Mac icons of all time.
The Mac at 25: Storage
Faster data connections and solid-state drives are the future in storage for your Mac. As the 25th anniversary of the Mac approaches, Rik Myslewski looks at how your machine will deal with data in the near future.
The six worst Apple products of all time
Sure, the Mac has been a landmark product. But not everything Apple touches turns to gold. Adam Engst looks back at a few of Cupertino’s less-inspired ideas.
The Mac at 25: Networking
Our 25th anniversary-inspired look at where the Mac is headed wraps up with Rik Myslewski analyzing the trends in networking technologies.
Five forgotten Apple products
The Mac may be celebrating its 25th anniversary, but some of the products Apple has made over the years wound up slipping through history’s cracks. Benj Edwards takes a closer look at five offerings out of Cupertino that you may have forgotten about.
The best Mac games of all time
As part of the Mac’s 25th anniversary, John Siracusa of Ars Technica looks back at the best Mac games of a bygone era.
How Mac gaming has changed
The Mac platform has evolved a lot in the last quarter-century. So have the games we’ve played on the Mac, as Peter Cohen explains.