The Mac at 40: Our favourite Apple computers of all time
40 years ago, the very first Apple Mac computer was released. The Apple Macintosh 128K arrived on 24 January 1984, revolutionising personal computing and becoming the firstly commercially successful computer with a graphical user interface. "40 years ago Mac revolutionised personal computing and today the Mac lineup continues to push the limits of computing, empowering all kinds of people to do their life’s best work," Apple shared in a press release, along with a brand new graphic (above).
The rest, of course is history – including the minor detail of Apple becoming the world's richest company. From the iPhone to the upcoming Vision Pro (via the beloved iPod), Apple has come to be known for much more than computers. But the Mac started it all – and over the last four decades Apple has given us a truly wild variety of products under the Mac moniker. Here are 6 Creative Bloq editors on their favourite Mac. And if you're in the market for the latest and greatest, check out the best MacBook Pro deals available now.
01. M1 MacBook Air (2020)
"My 13-inch MacBook Air was a lifesaver during university. As a commuter, it was light enough to travel with and reliable enough to be a faithful companion during my studies. Practicalities aside, there’s something rather professional about rocking up to a lecture with a sleek MacBook Air – it’s certainly a chic way to look like you’re taking notes."
- Natalie Fear, Staff Writer (For more info, check out our M1 MacBook Air review)
02. iMac G3 / iBook G3
"My choice of my favourite Mac ever has nothing to do with performance. In fact, I never owned either of my picks so can't speak for how they ran (and I would only have used them for MySpace anyway). I simply lusted after them in a state of longing only achieved by teenagers. Of course, it's the see through iMac G3 and clamshell MacBook. They are iconic designs, maximalist in a way Apple has left behind, and that haven't been replicated since by any computing brand."
- Georgia Coggan, Editor
03. M2 Mac Mini (2023)
"I totally ignored the Mac mini for the last decade, until I got a recent Mac mini M2 in for review. I just love it as a PC. It looks lovely on my desk as it’s small and discreet, does a really great job with its lightning fast M2 chip, and it’s an absolute bargain! Definitely not what you can you say about most Apple products."
- Beren Neale, Deals Editor
04. M3 iMac
"I'm really not an Apple fan, but if I had to choose a Mac to purchase today it would be one from the latest collection of colourful iMacs sporting the 4.5K retina displays. I need a reliable monitor for photo editing as a photographer, and these 24-inch canvases are ideal for working with vivid colours. The M3 chips pack power for running multiple software like Photoshop and Lightroom too."
- Beth Nicholls, Ecommerce Writer
05. Power Mac 7200 (1997)
"My first-ever computer was a Power Mac 7200 I got for my 14th birthday in 1996, and to this day it remains my favourite Mac ever. It was wondrously powerful (for its time), with a whopping 8MB of RAM and even had a CD-ROM drive, and it also gave me unrealistic expectations for gaming on Macs from then on, as I played both Myst and sci-fi epic The Daedalus Encounter to oblivion on it."
- Erlingur Einarsson, Reviews Editor
06. iMac G5 (2004)
Like most people, I have the fondest memories of my first Mac. I'd never seen an all-in-one until I started using this in 2005, and even now I think it has one of the sleekest designs in Apple history. Back before the company became known for all manner of slates and silvers, Apple was all about white – and this felt like the iPod in computer form. Thankfully, the most recent iMacs are bringing back some of Apple's retro aesthetic sensibilities.
