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The various Apple IIs were roughly $1300 machines but then Apple didn't really put out a sequel at that price for a decade with the Mac Classic. Instead releasi

The various Apple IIs were roughly $1300 machines but then Apple didn't really put out a sequel at that price for a decade with the Mac Classic. Instead releasing hugely expensive and incompatible machines like the III, Lisa and the Mac lineup. Amazing that Apple survived, at all. Equally weird that, despite inflation, Apple's cheapest ever computer is the current $599 Mac mini.

DaoVeles 2y ago
There is a lot to be said for luck. Bill Gate said it himself, there where other folks that had much better technology but the luck just worked in Microsoft's favor. That and a lot of anti-competitive behavior. A bit the same with Apple, there were many others that had the opportunity but it just never worked out due to the flows of the market.
- joezydeco 2y ago
  Well-connected parents can help as well.
LeoPanthera 2y ago
> Amazing that Apple survived, at all. They coasted on the success of the Apple II for a long time. It's difficult to overstate how popular they were in American schools. For over a decade, "a computer" was an Apple II. They didn't stop making the IIe until November 1993. It was the BBC Micro of the USA.
- mettamage 2y ago
  > They coasted on the success of the Apple II for a long time. It's difficult to overstate how popular they were in American schools. For over a decade, "a computer" was an Apple II. The hype! I can feel it now, despite not ever having lived during that time. Damn, that gives a good tangible vibe of how strong that success was. Haha, thanks for the comment!
  - thrownblown 2y ago
    the hypercard!
- nunez 2y ago
  I vaguely remember using Apple IIs in elementary school in 1997-ish
spolitry 2y ago
Eh, computers have always been getting cheaper due to technology advances. The Mini is a rare for Apple low end computer without a monitor, which goes against Apple’s traditional core business proposition: simplicity in product experience.
- ghaff 2y ago
  I'm glad they kept the Mini around. I don't have a current one but I won't buy another iMac. My current is getting to end of life (from 2015). Nothing wrong with it but it will stop getting security updates at some point and I hate junking the monitor.
JumpCrisscross 2y ago
> Apple's cheapest ever computer is the current $599 Mac mini I'd argue it's the $429 iPhone SE [1]. [1] https://www.apple.com/iphone-se/ https://www.apple.com/iphone-se/
- mrguyorama 2y ago
  Out of all possible smartphones, iPhones are the LEAST "general purpose computer"
  - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
    > iPhones are the LEAST "general purpose computer" Who are you quoting?
- ASalazarMX 2y ago
  It's different category of computer, designed as an appliance, like my car stereo, which is also a computer. The value of Apple computers is that they're more general-purpose than a gated cell phone. If you insist on including the iPhone, you might as well include the $39 Airpods case, or the $9 lightning to headphone jack dongle.
  - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
    > value of Apple computers is that they're more general-purpose than a gated cell phone Philosophically, yes. Practically, even a locked-down iPhone can do vastly more than a general-purpose computer could in the 1980s. (Particularly when you consider it has access to VMs on the web and now emulators.)
pajko 2y ago
At that time compatibility was not an important aspect. For example only almost 2 years passed between the release of C64 and the Plus/4, yet the machines represent different worlds without any compatibility, and we are not even talking about the VIC-20 and the C16. The C128 had a 99% compatible C64 mode but in turn had a more limited number of SW available (that's the other side of the story - if you provide compatibility, old software will be used and maintained instead of starting new developments, and if no new software is developed for a platform it's dead). These systems were anything but cheap, and once you have bought a computer, you'd locked yourself to the platform.

DaoVeles 2y ago

There is a lot to be said for luck. Bill Gate said it himself, there where other folks that had much better technology but the luck just worked in Microsoft's favor. That and a lot of anti-competitive behavior. A bit the same with Apple, there were many others that had the opportunity but it just never worked out due to the flows of the market.

joezydeco 2y ago
Well-connected parents can help as well.

LeoPanthera 2y ago

> Amazing that Apple survived, at all. They coasted on the success of the Apple II for a long time. It's difficult to overstate how popular they were in American schools. For over a decade, "a computer" was an Apple II. They didn't stop making the IIe until November 1993. It was the BBC Micro of the USA.

mettamage 2y ago
> They coasted on the success of the Apple II for a long time. It's difficult to overstate how popular they were in American schools. For over a decade, "a computer" was an Apple II. The hype! I can feel it now, despite not ever having lived during that time. Damn, that gives a good tangible vibe of how strong that success was. Haha, thanks for the comment!
- thrownblown 2y ago
  the hypercard!
nunez 2y ago
I vaguely remember using Apple IIs in elementary school in 1997-ish

spolitry 2y ago

Eh, computers have always been getting cheaper due to technology advances. The Mini is a rare for Apple low end computer without a monitor, which goes against Apple’s traditional core business proposition: simplicity in product experience.

ghaff 2y ago
I'm glad they kept the Mini around. I don't have a current one but I won't buy another iMac. My current is getting to end of life (from 2015). Nothing wrong with it but it will stop getting security updates at some point and I hate junking the monitor.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago

> Apple's cheapest ever computer is the current $599 Mac mini I'd argue it's the $429 iPhone SE [1]. [1] https://www.apple.com/iphone-se/ https://www.apple.com/iphone-se/

mrguyorama 2y ago
Out of all possible smartphones, iPhones are the LEAST "general purpose computer"
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago
  > iPhones are the LEAST "general purpose computer" Who are you quoting?
ASalazarMX 2y ago
It's different category of computer, designed as an appliance, like my car stereo, which is also a computer. The value of Apple computers is that they're more general-purpose than a gated cell phone. If you insist on including the iPhone, you might as well include the $39 Airpods case, or the $9 lightning to headphone jack dongle.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago
  > value of Apple computers is that they're more general-purpose than a gated cell phone Philosophically, yes. Practically, even a locked-down iPhone can do vastly more than a general-purpose computer could in the 1980s. (Particularly when you consider it has access to VMs on the web and now emulators.)

pajko 2y ago

At that time compatibility was not an important aspect. For example only almost 2 years passed between the release of C64 and the Plus/4, yet the machines represent different worlds without any compatibility, and we are not even talking about the VIC-20 and the C16. The C128 had a 99% compatible C64 mode but in turn had a more limited number of SW available (that's the other side of the story - if you provide compatibility, old software will be used and maintained instead of starting new developments, and if no new software is developed for a platform it's dead). These systems were anything but cheap, and once you have bought a computer, you'd locked yourself to the platform.