20 Macs

The first Mac followed in the Lisa's footsteps and had a lot of limitations--but it changed the course of the computer industry forever.

Shelly Brisbin, John Siracusa, James Thomson, John Gruber, Harry McCracken, and Rick LePage

Apple's first attempt at the ultimate thin and light laptop was overpriced and underpowered. The second attempt resulted in the definitive Mac of the 2010s.

Christina Warren, Shelly Brisbin, Dan Moren, Stephen Hackett, John Siracusa, James Thomson, John Gruber, Harry McCracken, and Rick LePage

Apple's first metallic silver laptop set the company on a path that it's been on for two decades and counting, but it also proved that the company still had a lot to learn.

Christina Warren, John Siracusa, John Gruber, and Rick LePage

Slide projector sound by Paul Michael Browne via Freesound.

What's the best Mac of all time? It's an impossible question to answer. Yet three well-known Mac commentators all have the same answer.

John Siracusa, John Gruber, and Adam Engst

SE/30 chapter art by Wikimedia Commons user Danamania.

After a lot of speculation, Steve Jobs finally filled in the Mac's fourth product quadrant with a consumer laptop that was one of a kind. But what's a "consumer laptop," really?

Shelly Brisbin, Stephen Hackett, John Siracusa, James Thomson, John Gruber, and Harry McCracken

There may have never been a Mac more aligned with Steve Jobs's personal quirks than the Power Mac G4 Cube. It was a spectacular failure.

Quinn Rose, Shelly Brisbin, Stephen Hackett, John Siracusa, James Thomson, John Gruber, and Harry McCracken

One of Apple's greatest design triumphs was meant to set the company up for the next decade. Instead, it became a false start--and a rejected design direction ended up being more functional, if less inspirational.

Shelly Brisbin, Stephen Hackett, John Siracusa, James Thomson, John Gruber, Paul Kafasis, and Harry McCracken

For a couple of years in the mid-90s, the Mac market was enthralled by a clonemaker with great deals and riotous marketing.

Shelly Brisbin, John Siracusa, James Thomson, John Gruber, Rick LePage, and Mike Rosenfelt

Thank goodness there are second chances, because Apple's first attempt to make a portable Macintosh was as inauspicious at it gets.

Shelly Brisbin, Stephen Hackett, John Siracusa, John Gruber, and Harry McCracken

Brian Hamilton provided postproduction help. Thanks to Paul Kafasis for the inspiration for the Space Shuttle deep dive.

In an era where Apple liked to show concepts from its design lab in public, one weird Mac prototype somehow became a real product, and was unveiled at the end of the worst Apple keynote in history.

Christina Warren, Andy Ihnatko, Stephen Hackett, John Siracusa, James Thomson, John Gruber, and Rick LePage