About this episode
This episode tells the story of the Macintosh, its iconic status, and its impact on Apple and the world.
The Macintosh wasn't a hit, at least not in its first incarnation. But it was still unquestionably one of the most iconic computers ever made — and it came with one of the most iconic ads ever made, too. In this episode, David Pierce, Nilay Patel, and Daring Fireball's John Gruber tell the story of the Macintosh, from its beginnings as a lark inside Apple to its dramatic unveiling to its somewhat middling reception. Not long after the Macintosh came out, Steve Jobs was run out of Apple, but the ideas in this computer eventually took over the company. And the world. Help us decide where Macintosh ranks among Apple's 50 best products ever. Version History is also on video! Check us out on YouTube. Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
People in this episode
Hosts: David Pierce, Nilay Patel
Guest: John Gruber
Topics covered
- Macintosh
- Apple history
- iconic computers
- Steve Jobs
- technology
Keywords
- Macintosh
- Apple
- Steve Jobs
- technology history
- iconic ads
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Apple, The Verge
Products: Macintosh
More episodes of Version History
- Western Electric 500: Monopoly phone · April 12, 2026 · 1h 16m
- Amazon Echo: Always listening · April 5, 2026 · 1h 13m
- Vocoder: Magic mic · March 22, 2026 · 1h 21m
- Clubhouse: Pivot to audio · March 15, 2026 · 1h 2m
- Furby: Talk Furbish to me · March 8, 2026 · 1h 15m
- TiVo: Press pause · January 11, 2026 · 1h 6m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Version History podcast page.