10 Most Memorable Mac Computers of All Time

Mac 128K (January 1984)

The granddaddy of all Macs is, of course, the original Macintosh. By today’s standards, its specs are laughably anemic. But the beloved box of bits was a far more affordable implementation of the graphical user interface.

Mac II (March 1987)

The Mac II was a return to ideas popularized by the Apple II that the original Mac dispensed with expandability, modularity and color. The Mac II could be configured with a variety of floppy and hard drives, had six slots for expansion cards, and supported an external color monitor.

Mac Portable (September 1989)

The 16-pound behemoth had a handle, but its size dwarfed airplane tray tables and its weight strained the backs of even the mightiest road warriors. It cost $6,500, or $7,300 with a hard drive.

Mac LC (October 1990)

The Mac LC represented the first “low cost” Mac. Even though Apple emasculated this machine to hit the magic $2,500 price point, the “pizza box” sold well, especially in the education market.

Mac Color Classic (February 1993)

The iconic upright Mac case finally got color, glorious color, with the introduction of the Mac Color Classic, a lovable little computer that remains highly collectible today.

Twentieth Anniversary Mac (June 1997)

Apple released the Twentieth Anniversary Mac as the first desktop Mac to feature a color LCD, it was an impressive feat of industrial design, but its $7,500 price tag left most buyers with shock.

IMac (May 1998)

The iMac proved that Apple could once again lead the industry in innovation. Jonathan Ive’s translucent Bondi blue plastic case was copied shamelessly in computer and consumer devices worldwide, and the powerful iMac sold well to both old Mac fans and new Windows converts.

Book/300 (July 1999)

The iBook was another of Jonathan Ive’s babies. Although ridiculed as a Hello Kitty toilet seat, Apple’s first portable computer brought Wi-Fi to the masses with its optional AirPortwireless networking.

Power Mac G4 Cube (July 2000)

The Power Mac G4 Cube demonstrated that Apple was capable of a mental meltdown. The 8-inch cube looked cool, and it got a chilly reception. Sure, it had radical industrial design, but it was too expensive, underpowered and hard to upgrade.

PowerBook G4 (January 2001)

Apple has a hit-or-miss history with portables, but it crushed one out of the park with the introduction of the PowerBook G4. It had brute force and a good-looking titanium case