Apple introduced the Macintosh computer in 1984.
The original Macintosh went on sale on January 24, 1984, as the Macintosh 128K. It was Apple's attempt to make personal computing more approachable through a graphical user interface, icons, windows, menus, and a mouse instead of relying primarily on typed commands.
The launch became one of the most famous moments in technology history. Apple's “1984” television commercial, directed by Ridley Scott, aired during Super Bowl XVIII two days before the computer went on sale. The Macintosh debuted at a retail price of $2,495 and included MacWrite and MacPaint, applications chosen to demonstrate its graphical interface.
The project began in 1979 under Jef Raskin, while Steve Jobs later became closely involved and pushed the team toward a more ambitious desktop computer. The name Macintosh came from the McIntosh apple variety, with its spelling altered partly to avoid a conflict with the McIntosh Laboratory trademark. The Macintosh was not Apple's first graphical computer—the Lisa preceded it—but it became far more influential and commercially recognizable.