40 years ago, on January 24, 1984, Steve Jobs launched the very first Macintosh

L'ordinateur légendaire d'Apple fête ce mercredi 24 janvier ses 40 ans d'existence.  MAXPPP – FILIP SINGER

Apple's legendary computer is celebrating its 40th anniversary this Wednesday, January 24. A revolution for the world of computing introduced by Steve Jobs.

~60>7.5 kg, 34.5 cm high, 24.4 cm wide and 27.7 cm deep. 40 years ago today, on January 24, 1984, the very first Apple Macintosh was born, a compact computer integrating a 9-inch screen and a floppy disk drive, with a RAM of 128  KB.  

The announcement of its advent had been made two days earlier, during the broadcast of the Super Bowl in an advertisement directed by Ridley Scott. "On January 24, Apple Computer will introduce the Macintosh. And you will see why 1984 will not be like "1984'", said the spot, in reference to the novel "1984" by George Orwell.

Innovative design and ease of use

It stands out for its innovative design, ease of use, and the integration of hardware and software within a single machine. With a price displayed at 2,500 dollars at the time (the equivalent of 6,700 euros today), the device is positioned in the premium segment, a constant in Apple's history. However, it remained more affordable than its main competitor, the IBM PC, which cost $3,270 at the time (currently $10,000, €8,800).

While it has changed a lot since the 1980s, Apple's legendary device, which Steve Jobs initially wanted to call "Bicylette" laid the foundations of modern computing: a screen, a desktop and icons managed using a mouse. 

More than 21 million copies sold in 2023

Forty years later, the Mac is still a flagship product in the Apple range. In 2023, sales of the computer which have elapsed to 21 .7 million copies brought in $29 billion for Apple.