Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

Poker Mac Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

My First Mac

Two Years on a $5 Mac

Dan Sniadoski - 2001.10.31

Back in 1993 I had many friends who were (and still are) Mac users. I had also used computers of many platforms in school (everything from DOS and Windows to an SGI), but my field of study, Industrial Design, pressed people to work primarily in Windows with AutoCAD.

One day I noticed that a friend's roommate, who had just moved in, had received a special delivery that I had nearly tripped over. What I later discovered was a Mac 512 upgraded to a Plus, was literally being used as a doorstop. Until that day I had only ever seen an all-in-one Mac (of any kind) at school.

After nearly killing myself going into the apartment, he said, "Oh, don't mind that thing. Just The Macintoshkick it out of the way."

The first thing I said in response was, "Does it still work?"

At the time, I was computerless. I needed something to draft up stuff for class. A typewriter would have sufficed, but something like this would have really helped, as I could stick my work on a floppy and take it to school to print.

I asked him what he wanted for it. He said he wasn't sure, so I replied, "How about the $5 in my pocket, as it's obviously in the way." That night I took home a Mac Plus with 2 MB of RAM, a working external 20 MB, and about 130 floppy discs full of shareware and old games (most of which didn't work).

Over time, the display started to give out. The lower half would condense upward to the middle of the screen, while the top part would retain it's original proportions. It was really weird to watch this happen. The funny thing was, if you slapped the right side just right (not the left), it would bounce back and stay for a couple more hours.

Today the old Plus is long dead and buried. That screen problem just wouldn't go away, and one day it just went black. It lasted until August 1995, almost two years to the month from the day I bought it.

Most people I know say their first computer was the most expensive they ever purchased. They always look shocked when I tell them mine cost $5, fully loaded.

Links for the Day

Recent Content

Recent Deals

Go to the My First Mac index.

Custom Search

Amazon.com

Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Video Cards
Email Lists

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ
Abandonware
   Petition
Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
B&H
MacMall
TechRestore
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link

Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We recommend Firefox for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox than any other browser.

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.