The Mac at 25

This month marks the 25th anniversary of the Apple Mac. But Apple’s innovation goes back further, 7 years further, to April 1, 1976, when it introduced its first single-board Apple computer. That would make this year the 33rd anniversay, never quite as catchy as 25. Ashley Laurel Wilson, at our sister newssite CIO, has put together a great slideshow that vividly shows Apple’s advances, and missteps, in computer design over the years. Mercury News reporter John Boudreau has a succinct but detailed account of the Mac’s debut, its “wilderness years,” and eventual emergence as both a cultural icon and marktet success. Wonderfully, it includes a link to a series of anecdotes and recollections on www.folklore.org, about the original Macintosh and the people who created it. Most of them by far are written by Andy Hertzfeld, one of the main authors of the original Macintosh software. There’s also a set of photo galleries to go with these characters. And there’s recent history, too: Mac specialist Ryan Faas has his take on Apple’s 5 “biggest moments” in 2008. And Macworld.com asked 5 Macfans to name “The Best Mac Ever.” Are you Mac user? Why? What was the first Apple or Mac you bought?