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Step 1
This is the original 1984 Macintosh computer with an external drive.Do a little research into the history of Apple. The partnership of Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs working in a garage to produce the first Apple, the first personal home computer, is the stuff of legends, now, but the later aspects are worth knowing, too. The serendipity of Apple workers taking a tour of the Xerox plant and seeing the “what you see is what you get” graphical user interface is what led directly to the creation of the first Mac. The WYSIWYG GUI was revolutionary at a time when all computers were text driven. Apple didn’t invent it, but its leaders did see its potential. It also eventually led Bill Gates to switch from his clunky Disk Operating System (DOS) to Windows, which despite lawsuit results to the contrary, owes its look and feel to the Mac.
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Step 2
Apple's advertisement for the iMac touted its color and departure from the norm.Decide what type Mac you want to collect. If you want to collect laptops, chances are you will find more models in usable condition than if you seek desktop models. Of course, if you just want to collect the models without needing them to work, either will do.
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Step 3
The original Mac Portable was heavier than a desktop model, but just as fast. It had a 10-hour battery.Start with the Mac Portable from 1989 if you’re collecting laptops. It actually weighed more than a desktop model and cost $7,300 retail. It ran on System 6.0.4 to 7.5.5, so it can’t run most modern programs even if you can find one that works. If you want to start with early portables that work and run at least System 9, get an early Powerbook such as the 1400. Other portables that still are usable today include: the Duo 2300c, 2400c, 3400c and the 5300. They are based on the 603 processor. For G3s, there are the Kanga, WallStreet, WallStreet II, Lombard and Pismo. These are the internal Apple code names that everyone uses because otherwise they’re all called G3 Powerbooks.
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Step 4
The Color Mac Classic II was the last "squatting cyclops" Mac.To collect desktop models, start the most famous Mac design, the “squatting cyclops.” The original Macintosh was released in 1984 with 128K of RAM. Apple kept the basic look for the basic Mac until the Color Classic II in 1993. Most of them had tiny black and white screens and one or two 3.5-inch floppy drives. The Mac SE/30 was the first with one floppy drive and a built-in hard drive (30 MB).
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Step 5
The Mac II still works with older software.Start looking at more recent models if you want Macs more compatible with today’s models. Quadras and Performas may not have the classic looks of the squatting cyclops, but they will run newer programs. For example, some people like the original version of the game Sim City, but it won’t run on newer Macs. It will run on older ones, if you still have the original software.
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Step 6
The Mac Cube was a radical design for a computer.Don’t forget all the “weird” Macs like the Cube, the Clamshell laptop and the original multicolored iMacs. Some people not even interested in computers collect these as works of art.
