Compact Mac · The Beige Era · 1984
Macintosh 128K
Launched by the "1984" Super Bowl ad, the original Macintosh put a friendly face on computing. 128 KB was cramped even then, but the graphical desktop would outlast everything.
The computer that made the GUI mainstream: menus, windows, icons and a mouse, for the rest of us.
Macintosh 512Ke (1986)
▶ Watch the keynote where it was unveiled →
Preserved
Not mine, but too good to leave out: an original 1984 Macintosh I found behind glass in a museum, kept just as it shipped.
Macintosh 128K: key facts
When was the Macintosh 128K released?
The Macintosh 128K arrived on January 24, 1984. Apple discontinued it in October 1985.
How much did the Macintosh 128K cost?
The Macintosh 128K launched at $2,495 in 1984, about $7,560 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What specs stand out?
Key specs: Motorola 68000 at 7.83 MHz, 128 KB RAM, 9" monochrome, 512×342 (1-bit) display, 400 KB floppy, 2 serial, mouse.
Why does the Macintosh 128K matter?
The computer that made the GUI mainstream: menus, windows, icons and a mouse, for the rest of us.
Full specifications
| CPU | Motorola 68000 · 7.83 MHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 1 |
| Memory (RAM) | 128 KB |
| Storage | — |
| Display | 9" monochrome, 512×342 (1-bit) |
| GPU | Bitmapped framebuffer |
| Ports | 400 KB floppy, 2 serial, mouse |
| Weight | 7.5 kg |
| Dimensions | 34.5×24.6×27.6 cm |
| Operating system | System 1.0 |
| Released | January 24, 1984 |
| Discontinued | October 1985 |
| Launch price | $2,495 |
How the Macintosh 128K compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 131,000× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 7.83 MHz, the clock is roughly 409× slower than a single performance core of a 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro, and that is before counting cores, width and IPC.
Launched at $2,495 in 1984, about $7,560 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Method note: clock comparisons use frequency only; price conversions use US CPI.
Sources
Specs checked against Apple technical specifications archive, EveryMac, Mactracker, Wikimedia Commons image credits.
Did you know?
The team’s signatures are moulded inside the case; Jobs wanted artists to sign their work.
Related Compact Mac models
Open the Macintosh 128K in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-08-11