# When Did Apple Take Off And Become Cool? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 25, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104 "2011-08-25T23:44:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/1 "2011-08-25T23:44:30Z")
I can’t really remember. When did it become the “in thing” to own Apple products. Was it the iMac introduction? Or was it the iPod introduction that made them the “in thing” or “the alternative” to go to? I know they always had a steady base of users and supporters but it didn’t seem like they were always the cool way to go ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/2 "2011-08-25T23:45:41Z")
when the iPod supported Windows. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/3 "2011-08-25T23:52:30Z")
Apple is still around? Can I buy the parts and build one cheaply like I did my last 50 computers? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/4 "2011-08-25T23:53:23Z")
Apple had been very popular among people in creative fields for a long time, but really was just a niche player among the general computer-using market. I agree that it was probably the iPod which moved it into general-market popularity. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/5 "2011-08-26T00:10:20Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Apple is still around? Can I buy the parts and build one cheaply like I did my last 50 computers? Yes you can: > **[OSx86 10.6 (Snow Leopard)](https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/178-osx86-106-snow-leopard/)** > > Discussion on OSx86 10.6 ---
**Author:** ![busterpickle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@busterpickle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterpickle)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/6 "2011-08-26T00:15:52Z")
It really was when the iPod was made available for Windows did the name “Apple” become mainstream as a brand name more than anything. The computers, I am counting laptops/desktops/etc and not internet devices and phones, still represent a miniscule share of the market. Maybe 3%, 5% on a good day and when a journalist in favor of Apple (and right before the quarter ends) will say that 5%. I guess if count the iPad as a computer, which is pushing it, the share jumps to 10%. Before then, as kenobi had said, Apple was relatively limited to some niche markets, notably in A/V as they really did have a leg up on that. ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/7 "2011-08-26T00:23:21Z")
1982 when the apple II came out and around 1983 when the IIe arrived. the first reliable PC for home use. but shortly after, IBM came up with its PC with the keyboard in the form we know. it is superior to the apple for things like editing word processors, programs and spreadsheets. the battle span into new products and processing power: mini apple (III) and the ibm mini. then portable versions, then came the ibm pc 286. when the full-powered mac came out in 1984, it bombed at the start but slowly recovered. more powerful prcessors and hard drives shited the battle to software. windows 95 is really just mackintosh 88. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/8 "2011-08-26T00:25:44Z")
> [@electronbee](#): > > Maybe 3%, 5% on a good day and when a journalist in favor of Apple (and right before the quarter ends) will say that 5%. I. The share of web browsing clients on Mac OS X is 7.4% world wide and Mac is 10 percent of new US sales. > **[Usage share of operating systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_systems)** > > The usage share of an operating system is the percentage of computers running that operating system (OS). These statistics are estimates as wide scale OS usage data is difficult to obtain and measure. Reliable primary sources are limited and data collection methodology is not formally agreed. Currently devices connected to the internet allow for web data collection to approximately measure OS usage. > As of March 2025\[update\], Android, which uses the Linux kernel, is the world's most popular ope... ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/9 "2011-08-26T00:31:55Z")
> [@electronbee](#): > > The computers, I am counting laptops/desktops/etc and not internet devices and phones, still represent a miniscule share of the market. Maybe 3%, 5% on a good day and when a journalist in favor of Apple (and right before the quarter ends) will say that 5%. I guess if count the iPad as a computer, which is pushing it, the share jumps to 10%. [10.7% (table 2)](http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1744216) based on “desk-based PCs, mobile PCs, including mini-notebooks but not media tablet such as the iPad.” According to that - Gartner, not a journalist - Apple is the third largest PC vendor in the USA behind HP and Dell. Worldwide it’s lower. What’s your cite for the 3-5% figure? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/10 "2011-08-26T00:33:11Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > Yes you can [build a Mac yourself cheaply]: > [OSx86 10.6 (Snow Leopard) | InsanelyMac](http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showforum=178) Not at that site, you can’t. That is a forum, not a parts warehouse. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/11 "2011-08-26T00:36:00Z")
> [@AndyLee](#): > > I can’t really remember. When did it become the “in thing” to own Apple products. [Right here.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhsWzJo2sN4) ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/12 "2011-08-26T00:39:07Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Not at that site, you can’t. That is a forum, not a parts warehouse. [Here ya go.](http://lifehacker.com/5672051/how-to-build-a-hackintosh-mac-and-install-os-x-in-eight-easy-steps) Includes links to where you can buy parts and everything, for EZ convenience. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/13 "2011-08-26T01:06:41Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Not at that site, you can’t. That is a forum, not a parts warehouse. Mac parts are no different from any other parts, last I heard Foxconn (manufacturer of many a $30 motherboard) is making motherboards for Apple, I could build you a mac tomorrow, only difference is, apple sends out the attack lawyers if a I start loading mac OS on non apple branded hardware and advertising it. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/14 "2011-08-26T01:35:06Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > I could build you a mac tomorrow, only difference is, apple sends out the attack lawyers if a I start loading mac OS on non apple branded hardware and advertising it. Well, there ya go. IBM hasn’t complained about the hundreds of PC clones I have built and Microsoft doesn’t seem to mind my installing Windows (or Linux) on the hardware of my choice. As far as I’m concerned, Apple doesn’t exist unless I can buy their products for less than I can build them myself. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/15 "2011-08-26T01:45:27Z")
Is this General Questions or As Far As Musicat is Concerned? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/16 "2011-08-26T01:46:42Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Well, there ya go. IBM hasn’t complained about the hundreds of PC clones I have built and Microsoft doesn’t seem to mind my installing Windows (or Linux) on the hardware of my choice. As far as I’m concerned, Apple doesn’t exist unless I can buy their products for less than I can build them myself. How does that have anything to do with what the OP is asking? As for the OP, I think Apple got a big jump back when the original Mac was introduced. Remember the 1984 Superbowl ad? But then MSFT introduced windows, and the differences narrowed. Apple got “way cool” when they got into non-computer products like the iPod, and then that seems to have spread to MacBooks, etc. And then the iPhone really did it. But Apple has always been popular with the artsy set and in education. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/17 "2011-08-26T01:51:28Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > How does that have anything to do with what the OP is asking? I think Apple may or may not be cool, but to me, they’re irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/18 "2011-08-26T01:55:00Z")
The Mac OS definitely got a boost when Vista came out (and people realized how much it sucked). ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/19 "2011-08-26T02:02:49Z")
I’ve seen plenty of mac fanboys shit on a PC thread but this is the first time I’ve seen a PC fanboy shit in a mac thread. Anyway, here’s my memory of it (which I’m sure is biased). Back in the days of the 8 bit computers, the Apple II was one of the best machines of its day. This was back in the wars of the 8 bit computers. Later machines like the Commodores would come along with better sound and graphics, but for a time, the Apple was a top of the line system. It wasn’t really a “cool” thing though like it is today, but it had a huge share of the market, which is something it hasn’t had since. Apple kinda foundered a bit until they came out with the Mac. The early Mac had much better graphics than the early PC (which isn’t saying much - most of the older 8 bit computers had significantly better graphics and sound capabilities than the early PCs). It wasn’t any real surprise then that Macs became used for cool things like graphics design, which is a field still dominated by Macs due mostly to inertia. It took quite a few years for the PC to catch up to Macs in terms of the user interface and its sound and graphics capabilities, but PCs did take off for home use. Macs still weren’t cool though, but they were popular, more so in some crowds than others. Apple already had a lot of niche markets in “cool” areas though. Macs didn’t really become cool (as I recall it) until the iMac. Unlike other computers of the time, the iMac was designed to look cool instead of just being a boring box. A lot of the PC crowd made fun of it at the time for its looks too, but that’s when Macs first were something that people went ooh and aah about when you saw one sitting on a desk. Apple has been very focused on having cool looking things ever since then. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104/20 "2011-08-26T02:32:39Z")
> [@mac\_bolan00](#): > > 1982 when the apple II came out … Actually, it was [1977](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II_series). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-apple-take-off-and-become-cool/594104.md?page=2)