Since its release in the mid-1980s, the Macintosh computer system and its creator, Apple, Inc., have maintained a group of diehard supporters whose dedication to the platform goes beyond simple fandom, but seems to exhibit almost cult-like characteristics. From the start, Apple's marketing has supported the dedication and perceptions of these followers; that Apple is the underdog and its users are unique and creative. Macintosh has surpassed the status as a product or a brand, but as a lifestyle and culture. Apple, through a highly successful marketing strategy, has used the methods of emotional and cultural branding to encourage people to use their products.

 

 

A brief history of Apple, Inc. and the Macintosh
Apple was cofounded in 1976 and incorporated in January 1977 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Mike Markkula (Baca, & Rizzo, 2008). The first products of the company, the Apple I, II, and III, were met with moderate success. After the failure of 1983's Lisa, the Macintosh was released in early 1984—with a now infamous commercial aired during the Super Bowl—as a revolutionary, affordable personal computer. After Jobs resigned in 1986, the company went through a decade of difficulty, with a series of failed CEOs and unsuccessful products. Jobs returned to the position of CEO in mid-1997 and has remained in that position since (Baca, & Rizzo, 2008). With the return of Jobs, Apple entered a period of tremendous commercial and technological growth that continues to this day, with the release of the incredibly successful iPod, iPad, iTunes store, iMac, and MacBook series. The corporation is now the top-valued technological company in the world, with a market value of over $290 billion, compared to Microsoft's $230 billion (Helft, & Vance, 2010).

The importance of Macintosh
At the time of the release of the Macintosh (Mac) in 1984, computers weren't very user-friendly. No mouse or desktop, just a keyboard and required knowledge of DOS commands--"another language...a very alien language" (Conan, 2004). The Mac, incredibly user-friendly, made the computer accessible to the average person.
In 1984, less than 10% of US households had a personal computer, but by 2003, over 60% of households had at least one computer at home (US Census Bureau, 2007).
The Mac was the first affordable personal computer to use a virtual desktop and mouse, thus making the system "far easier to use than any other system on the market" (Johnson, 1997). Dubbed "the computer for the rest of us," the system was designed "from the human interface out...what people needed and make it work that way," according to Jef Raskin, known as the father of the Mac (Conan, 2004).
A 1984 Popular Mechanics article describes the system as a great combination of "speed, power and almost unbelievable ease of use," then explains the simple task of using icons to save a document, noting that "you are now a Macintosh expert." It concludes with the advice "check out the Mac and see if it doesn't make computing fun" (Shapiro, 1984).
The product went on to be a tremendous success, and its desktop the standard on which computer platforms are based to this day. Personal computers, and the Internet by extension, have transformed the way modern society communicates, works, and runs, both individually and in the world as a whole. The ease-of-use and affordability of the Mac paved the way for this transformation.