The Influence of Apple’s Mac in the Computer Industry

Apple was born on April Fools Day in 1976, with the release of Apple1, the first ever personal computer to have a single circuit board. Since that day, Apple have continued to be leaders in innovation. Although their market share in the computer industry still falls short, with HP and Dell remaining ahead on sales, Apple have led the way in terms of development since their conception.

Apple were the first company to...

Release a personal computer that used a mouse, voice feedback and GUI, or graphical user interface, technology. This revolutionised the personal computer business, and very soon PCs were aping Macintosh in an effort to keep up. Apple also eschewed the traditional 5¼ inch disks, releasing their machine with only a 3½ inch drive. While PC developers originally thought this an unnecessary move, they soon realised that a smaller disk drive meant it was possible to create smaller PCs, and the 3½ inch drive very soon became the industry standard.

Desktop Publishing

Was made possible in the first instance by Apple’s release of an affordable laser printer that was small enough to live on top of a desk, along with the Aldus Pagemaker program. Their printer was only a fifth of the price of those on the market when it was first released. Once again PC manufacturers were having to play catch up.

The CD-ROM drive as standard was also Apple’s brainchild

PC companies had never installed a CD drive in any machines meant for home use, and yet it was the addition of this drive that brought computers into the mainstream. The ability to use multimedia on a personal computer was the push needed to get consumers to see the benefit of having a computer in their own home. Yet another time the PC developers dismissed an idea as too costly, then had to follow in the footsteps of Apple Mac when they saw the popularity.

Then came the dawning of the iMac

For the first time in history, aesthetics were playing a role in home computing. Not only was the iMac the first machine to install USB ports as standard, but it came in a style and range of colours never before seen. Suddenly, everybody wanted one, and the PC had to radically re-think its appearance as a direct result.

Even in areas where Apple haven’t led the way, they have constantly come up with ways to adapt quickly. With an Office for Mac promo code, Apple customers can download discount versions of Windows most popular application straight to their Mac. The influence of Apple in relation to their market share is phenomenal – while they may not yet lead the market, they are the driving force behind it, leading the way in terms of innovation for almost forty years.

This post was provided on behalf of Migen Blog