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Steve Jobs Debuts Apple's First Macintosh Computer Ad

The Mac Turns 30 Today! Watch the First Commercial

Can you believe it? The Macintosh computer debuted 30 years ago today. If we only knew then how much it would shake up the world.

Many people first heard about the personal computer in a commercial that aired during the Super Bowl. The ad, titled "1984," was directed by Ridley Scott and conceived to echo George Orwell's 1984 novel. It was a little bizarre but still reflected the exciting time in computing, as IBM had the market cornered and Steve Jobs was definitely ready to make an impact.

Before the ad, though, came a presentation Steve Jobs gave back in 1983. Turns out the keynote address pretty much followed the same format as his later talks: blaring pop music (only back then, he had the words to "What a Feeling" changed to include Apple), black turtlenecks, and the debut of a product ad, which in this case was the very first Macintosh.

Here's the first commercial in its entirety.

And his groundbreaking presentation that's just as worthy.

Happy birthday, Mac!

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