Apple history

A look at how the portable Mac has evolved over the years

From the PowerBook of 1991 to the latest MacBook Pro, Apple has a long history of bringing out laptops that set the standard for the industry. We look back at the humble beginnings of the first portable Macs, right up to today’s stunning Retina display machines. Welcome to the world of the mobile Mac.

October 1991

In an effort to address size and weight concerns with the Macintosh Portable, Apple released the lighter PowerBook range.

October 2004

Upgrading the iBook to a PowerPC G4 processor, Apple opted for a complete redesign, featuring an opaque white case.

February 2008

Steve Jobs introduced the MacBook Air by taking it out of a manila envelope to demonstrate that it was the thinnest laptop in the world.

March 2016

The 2016 MacBook Pro featured a revolutionary Touch Bar above the keyboard, but has been criticised for requiring many adaptors.

September 1989

Apple released its first laptop 27 years ago. Priced at $7,300 the Macintosh Portable ran System 6.04, had a 16MHz 68000 CPU and 1MB of SDRAM. It used double-sided floppy discs and had a 40MB hard drive.

June 1999

The iBook G3, with its iconic clamshell design is released. It features a PowerPC G3 processor. It’s innovative design included a carrying handle. It was the first mainstream computer sold with built-in Wi-Fi.

May 2006

As part of the transition to Intel processors, Apple ditched the iBook and PowerBook ranges and introduced the MacBook and MacBook Pro.

March 2015

The MacBook (Retina) had a similar look to the MacBook Air, but offered a stunning high-resolution Retina Display.

June 2017

Apple releases its latest MacBook Pro and MacBooks. The 2017 models feature Kaby Lake processors.