Did You Know? : The origin of the Macintosh

Jef Raskin began his career at Apple in 1978, heading up its Documentation and Manuals department as manager of publications. With a series of qualifications to his name including a master’s degree in computer science, he quickly gained authority at Apple. In 1979, Raskin pulled together a small team and produced a working prototype of a computer aimed at the mass market that offered an all-in-one solution, as easy to use as a toaster.

As an ode to the company he worked for Raskin named the project “Macintosh” after his favourite apple, the McIntosh. Raskin opted for Macintosh to avoid any legal conflicts with an audio equipment manufacturer of the same name.

When asked later whether this legal sidestep was a success, Raskin said “It was not. Apple even had to pay the raincoat manufacturer for use of the name, I have no idea why.”

Regardless of the name and legal ramifications, a computer revolution had begun…