From the “cold” and even a little scary object used especially in offices, to the “warmer” computer to be used not only for work, but also at home and by anyone, including children and the elderly. So 40 years ago, Tuesday 24 January 1984, the Macintosh, the first computer that told you “HI” (hello) as soon as you turned it on, which revolutionized the image, the shape and also the way of use: “pfor everyone”computers, also becoming an appreciated design object.
Happy birthday
The first fundamental point, which “Apple” enthusiasts certainly remember, is the fact that the Macintosh was the first “intuitive” computer that could be used immediately, as soon as the cardboard packaging was removed and the plug was inserted, without having to first take courses or read voluminous instruction booklets. A date, that of January 24, 1984, which marked a real revolution not only for information technology, but, one might venture, also for humanity, placing the possibility of taking a step forward by speeding up one’s life and gaining access to knowledge previously held by a small number of people.
The presentation
The presentation in the conference room of a public school in Cupertino, near the Apple headquarters, also remained historic. He was on stage Steve Jobs then 29 years old and far from what years later, leaving her as his legacy, he pronounced the famous phrase “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish” (be hungry and be crazy), but with a “lust” for success and an incredible ability to show how revolutionary his product was.
A video, taken by one of those present, shows how Jobs was a genius not only in creation but also in dissemination: “You’ve seen some photos of the Macintosh, but I’d like to show it to you in person“, he said, then showing a parallelepiped closed in a backpack. The wonder weighed 8 kilos and had no parts to assemble, complicated wires or pieces to add. Then Jobs leaves the word to “him”, because just as if it were something alien that object “spoke”.
He, the true magician, had no choice but to pamper it by describing its beautiful writing characters, its rounded and non-aggressive shapes like those of other computers and the colours, even if there were only 2, white and purple, a true revolution which also made it a design object. “It’s nice to finally be out of that backpack, I wanted to tell you to never trust a computer that you can’t carry”, said that caring dad about his precious creation.
Think about the result and not the price
It seems crazy now, with the strict commercial restrictions, yet Jobs, before presenting the product, which was certainly not easy to create, told his collaborators not to worry about the cost: “NDon’t compromise, think about the product, profits will follow“, a madman or a visionary in light of the progress made by Apple over the last 40 years.
Never stop in the face of failure
Another revolutionary thing, which we should learn from today, was to never give up in the face of failure. The Mac, the one taken out of Jobs’ backpack, was not as successful as one might think. It’s true that he was helped by advertising that should be studied now in marketing courses, but in the end he sold 70,000 units in the first four months, fewer than expected, for reasons ranging from memory to price to software. But it was precisely this first failure that made him become great.
The TV commercial
It was Ridley Scott the author of the titled Mac TV commercial 1984loosely based on the novel by George Orwell and to the film Blade Runner directed by the same director two years earlier. It was shown during the commercial break of Super Bowl on January 22nd 40 years ago. It featured an athlete throwing a hammer at a giant-screen TV image of a dictator, the Big Brother. “You’ll understand why 1984 won’t be like 1984“, he said, rightly, at the end. And this really deserves to be revisited.