On January 24, 2004 the Macintosh celebrated its 20th birthday. Unveiled two decades ago, "the computer for the rest of us" was the first consumer-level computer to include a graphical user interface and a mouse. The original all-in-one model had a peppy 8MHz processor, 128K of memory, 3.5" floppy drive that used 400K disks and an integrated black-and-white display. It sold for $2,495, which was rather pricey back in 1984. More legendary than the product itself is the advertisement that introduced it to the world.

Ridley Scott's Orwellian ad, in which a young women rises up against autocracy and conformity, stunned many viewers of that year's Super Bowl "1984" went on to win numerous awards and is still regarded as one of the most powerful advertisements ever made. Apple has posted an updated version of the commercial that gives the young woman something to listen to as she rails against big brother. You can view it at http://www.apple.com/hardware/ads/1984/. (from Mac Hot Tips email)

Funny how I'm older than Macs. I love Apple!