With perhaps the most fan fare ever for a new product introduction,
the Macintosh computer is introduced in January of 1984. The infamous 1984 commercial was played to us for the first time
at the Flint Center in Cupertino amid much excitement. There was
total silence during the commercial and an uproar of applause that
did not stop until several minutes afterward. The announcement was
awe producing, especially when after the commercial the Macintosh
actually introduced itself with the spoken words “Hello,
“. That Macintosh introduction was a lasting impression.
The commercial was almost pulled from the Superbowl airing by Apple,
thank goodness it wasn’t because it really upped the level for
new commercials from that point forward. We couldn’t wait for
it come on again during our Superbowl party to see the expressions
on our friends faces. To which we were amazed as some of them did
not “get” the commercial.
Macintosh changes the whole idea of a personal computer in 1984 with a built in handle. A personal computer that you could actually carry with you from the office and take your work home! It contained everything in one concise unit.