Mac nostalgia: View and download the first “Macworld” issue from 1984

Macworld, The Macintosh Magazine debuted in North America in April 1984, just three months after the first Apple Macintosh was introduced. On the cover of the first issue, Steve Jobs is seen behind three Macintosh computers, each with a few usage examples on each screen. MacPaint can be seen in the middle with a preview image of the program. The magazine itself contains an introduction to the system, an article about the mouse and its use, details about various programs, a ten-page making-of of the Macintosh and more. In total there are over 140 pages to discover.

First “Macworld” edition for nostalgia for the 40th Mac birthday

As already shown yesterday, the Mac has turned 40 years old. The perfect opportunity to read up on the history of the iconic Apple computer. Anyone who knows English can do so in the first issue of Macworld magazine from April 1984. You will find this in the Internet Archive.

The link takes you directly to a reader where you can leaf through the magazine. If the font is too small, you can zoom in on the view at the bottom right or put it in full screen mode. You can find the report “The Making of the Macintosh” starting on page 126. On the right under the reader view you will also find download options to save the magazine locally as ePub, PDF and other formats.

More Macworld magazines and interesting contributions from Sir Apfelot

As shown in the Mac 40th anniversary post linked above, there is much more to discover besides the original Macintosh from 1984 when you look at Apple's history over the last 40 years. You can go on an extensive journey through time, among other things with this Macworld collection which offers you dozens of magazines as free, digital material. The scans are also located in the Internet Archive and can be downloaded from there.

But here in the Sir Apfelot blog you will also find numerous articles with a wide variety of topics from Mac and Apple history. A good starting point for your discovery tour is the anniversary article linked above. However, if you have already read this, I would of course be happy to give you further post examples. Have fun browsing, remembering and discovering:

• The Origins of MacPaint: What Was QuickDraw on the Apple Mac?
• Living history: Apple and Steve Jobs Easter eggs in current macOS versions
• Legacy Macs: The rich history of Apple computers
• Use Mac systems from 1984 to 2000 in the browser (incl. file exchange, apps and games)
• “The Apple Store Time Machine” Mac App: Explore four Apple Stores on opening day

Johannes Domke

After graduating from high school, Johannes completed an apprenticeship as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which resulted in his independence. For several years he has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others. His articles include product introductions, news, manuals, video games, consoles, and more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.