This Month in STEM - Remembering the Release of Macintosh
Jan 24, 2023
With the month of January comes the anniversary of the release of Apple’s Macintosh in 1984. During the SuperBowl that year, a commercial was shown that promoted the new computer. Along with other ways of marketing the product, the Macintosh became popular quickly, and approximately 70,000 computers were sold within the first one hundred days after its release.
The Macintosh’s graphical user interface, or GUI, was unique for its time. A GUI was a new way for users to interact with their computers, using things we take for granted today like graphical icons and a mouse. As a result, the education, desktop publishing and graphic design worlds quickly adopted this new product, which was selling for $2,500 at the time.
Today, Apple products have greatly progressed. Under the leadership of Steve Jobs, products like the iPod and iPad were produced. He intended for Apple’s products to be user friendly and long-lasting! Devices like iPads have been helpful in the education world, as it allows our students to engage with all types of applications and technology that advance their critical thinking skills.
Some of the other products offered by Apple include the Apple Watch, iPhone, MacBook and MacBook Air. These devices continue to remain among the most popular of today’s technological gadgets. And what’s more – Apple is also responsible for producing a variety of apps and programs with its products. One such application is XCode, a professional-grade integrated development environment, or IDE. Including these applications for free as part of the operating system also opens the door to learning how to build the apps themselves.
When your child gets started with Excalibur STEM, they are practicing with lessons that could one day be used for a career with companies like Apple. Understanding the basics of computer programming, learning different text-based programming languages, and working with hardware are all significant skills to have to earn a job in the tech world.
We always say that you do not have to be a computer programmer to benefit from our lessons since they help foster 21st century skills, like problem-solving and critical thinking. These essential skills can and will be used in our students’ future no matter what they end up doing. That being said, many individuals have built successful, long-lasting and profitable careers working for Apple. So, if your child does want to get into the tech world, working with our lessons has an even greater benefit!
Be sure to check out our Subscription offers today to get your child started with our programming and tech lessons. You never know - your student might end up being the next Steve Jobs!
Credit for post information given to Computer History Museum.
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