The Mac at 40: Apple's iconic PC enters a new decade

1/25/24 7:00PM

Feeling old yet?

‍On Wednesday, the Apple Mac, or Macintosh as it was known until circa ‘99, officially hit 40 years old — a milestone for the revolutionary personal computer that will undoubtedly have a few of its early adopters feeling their age this week.

The Steve Jobs-developed Apple Macintosh 128K hit stores on January 24th, 1984, branded as a means to transform computing from a pursuit reserved for experts to a “computer for the rest of us”, with an iconic and Orwellian Super Bowl ad directed by Ridley Scott airing 2 days before the launch.

‍Small Mac

‍Apple’s longest-running product has been on quite a journey since that first computer, as different iterations of the Mac have attracted wide-ranging audiences, from college students to rival company CEOs. Today, the Mac range is obviously not a core focus like the iPhone, but the category remains crucial for maintaining the all-important ecosystem, ensuring all of your Apple devices integrate seamlessly. And, while it's easy to dismiss 8% of Apple’s revenue on paper, Macs still represents an eye-watering $29bn in sales.

The earliest Mac set customers back $2,495 at the time — or some ~$7,000 in today’s money — suggesting there may be a substantial future for Apple’s new Vision Pro, which starts at $3,499.

Meta posts record revenue but misses on earnings

The company reported earnings Wednesday.

Rani Molla9h

Rani Molla

15h

It turns out Tesla’s Cybercab might need to have a steering wheel and pedals after all

Tesla’s Cybercab was supposed to be a steering-wheel-less alternative to its affordable mass market car.

Matt Phillips10/28/25

Intel romps amid reported attempt to poach a 21-year Taiwan Semiconductor veteran

A report in the Taiwanese press that Intel is attempting to recruit a recently retired top Taiwan Semiconductor executive, Wei-Jen Lo, to lead R&D at Intel’s troubled foundry division may account for the bump in Intel shares Tuesday, one analyst told us.

A synopsis of the report from technology analysis and news outlet TrendForce News notes:

“If confirmed, the move could have significant implications for TSMC and the broader Taiwanese semiconductor industry, especially as Intel aggressively expands its foundry business with support from Washington and backing from tech giants like NVIDIA and SoftBank, the report adds.”

But some skepticism about Lo, 75 years old, returning to Intel, where he worked before joining TSMC in 2004, is also warranted, TrendForce says:

“Industry insiders cited by the report say it is unlikely he would join Intel again, given TSMC’s non-compete rules, Intel’s status as a direct competitor, Lo’s advanced age, health considerations, and his long-standing loyalty to TSMC founder Morris Chang. On the other hand, some industry observers warn that Lo, a U.S. citizen, would be difficult for TSMC to restrict, even with non-compete clauses.”

Intel shares have doubled over the last three months, since the US government took a 10% stake in the company in August. Intel is the best-performing stock in the S&P 500 over that period.

Intel Reportedly Eyes Retired TSMC Veteran Wei-Jen Lo, Advanced Node Pioneer, to Lead R&D

“If confirmed, the move could have significant implications for TSMC and the broader Taiwanese semiconductor industry, especially as Intel aggressively expands its foundry business with support from Washington and backing from tech giants like NVIDIA and SoftBank, the report adds.”

But some skepticism about Lo, 75 years old, returning to Intel, where he worked before joining TSMC in 2004, is also warranted, TrendForce says:

“Industry insiders cited by the report say it is unlikely he would join Intel again, given TSMC’s non-compete rules, Intel’s status as a direct competitor, Lo’s advanced age, health considerations, and his long-standing loyalty to TSMC founder Morris Chang. On the other hand, some industry observers warn that Lo, a U.S. citizen, would be difficult for TSMC to restrict, even with non-compete clauses.”

Intel shares have doubled over the last three months, since the US government took a 10% stake in the company in August. Intel is the best-performing stock in the S&P 500 over that period.

Rani Molla

Eye on AI

10/28/25

All eyes on Google Search revenue

It’s hard to tell what’s happening with Search.