Apple released the McIntosh computer 40 years ago this week. It cost $2,495 (about $7,500 in today’s dollars), had 128k of memory (or 0.000131 Gigabytes), and no hard drive (you stored files on a floppy drive). Yet, even with these modest specs, the computer and the ad that introduced it were revolutionary.

Why the Macintosh Was Revolutionary

The Macintosh was revolutionary because of its graphical user interface, which used a mouse and provided a totally different way of interacting with a computer than the type-in-command method of using computers running MS-DOS (the operating system that powered PCs) — before the Mac, you had to type in codes and commands in blocky text to get anything done.

Plus, it looked different from other personal computers — it was smaller, had a built-in monitor, and, compared to the boxy PCs of the day, was really cool looking. Here’s what an IBM personal computer released in 1984 looked like (compare it to the Macintosh at the top of this blog post):

The 1984 Macintosh Superbowl Ad

How do you introduce a revolutionary product to the world? If you are Apple, you create a revolutionary advertisement and unveil it during the Superbowl. The ad features an Orwellian, dystopian world where a totalitarian leader has control over the masses, and then a woman (British athlete Anya Major) rebels by throwing the hammer against the leader’s screen. Here it is:

Of course, what the ad suggests is that those using PCs are like sheep, sleep-walking through life and that the Macintosh will allow you to break free and will allow you to be yourself. And all of this is conveyed without words.

The commercial was directed by Ridley Scott, the director of Alien and Blade Runner. The 1984 ad shook the advertising world as it set a new standard for creative excellence and was totally different than the type of commercials that were aired on TV up to that point. Plus, it told a story, which was not the way ads worked at the time. The 1984 ad was so different that it was discussed in the news — a first for a commercial.

Interestingly, the ad was only shown twice on television. First, in December 1983, right before the 1:00 am sign-off on a TV station in Twin Falls, Idaho, so that it would be eligible for advertising industry awards for that year, and then during the Superbowl. Plus, it appeared during movie previews in theaters for a few weeks.