Happy Birthday, Macintosh, you weren't a sure thing

Apple's portable desktop was quite a surprise and departure from all that came beforeI don't remember the day the Macintosh launched.On January 24, 1984, I was still in college, consumed with papers, tests, grades, finding a way to speak to that girl in Tower B, and missed one of the most monumental launches in tech history.To be fair, personal computers weren't all that interesting or sexy back then. Functions we take for granted are described in terms now reserved for explaining "Bitcoin" to aging parents: "The entry-level personal computer also supports a cut-and-paste feature that allows data from one display window to be electronically transferred to another.”Despite its ability to open multiple "windows," the first Macintosh did not even support multi-tasking (the Lisa did).Apple and Jobs has big dreams for the Macintosh but also recognized the enormous risks of so much investment (a reported $50 million alone on advertising) and attempting things like a just-in-time supply chain (maintaining just weeks of inventory to build and deliver new Macs), something that had never been tried before in computer (or most) American manufacturing."Our whole premise for the Macintosh is based on the fact that current technology is not sufficient to reach the tens of millions of people who need personal computers," Jobs told ComputerWorld on in January 1984, adding, "If the people in this industry do not require radical technical innovation, then this company will not be here in two years' time."Apple's controversial decision not to support IBM compatible systems directly (there was software that allowed Macs and Lisa computers to act as sort of dummy DOS terminals) did raise some eyebrows. Macintosh meets that standard," said, yes, Bill Gates at the time.With a proprietary OS, almost no software ready at launch (it did have MacWrite and MacPaint, which was described as "a clever graphics package that uses the Mac's high-resolution screen to the fullest"), and no clear path between it and more established computing options, Macintosh was anything but a sure thing.In those early days, though, Apple moved quickly.