My First Mac

Macs Get the Job Done

Todd H. Cheong - 2000.04.05

My first Mac was an SE. It had 1 MB of memory, no hard drive, and no printer. I don't even remember which version of OS it was running on, but it did its job.

It was a warm Fall afternoon in 1987. I was a freshmen at Drexel University, where all incoming freshmen were recommended to buy a computer. If I remember correctly, I think I paid close to $2,000 for SE - with just the mouse the keyboard, and some software (MacWrite, MacPaint, Excel, MacPascal or something like that, and HyperCard). I used every program that came with it. It did its job well, extremely well. The machine was solid and very capable tool for college students back in late 80's.

I used that SE until early 90's when we bought Quadra 610 with DOS card and a 19" grayscale monitor. We used that 610 to design flyers, brochures, and newsletters until our work became more complex. Then we bought Power Computing's Power Center Pro 210, and a G3 upgrade card later on that year.

You ask, "What ever happened to that SE?" Well, I still have the SE, but it no longer functions. I still have 610, which we upgraded to a 6100 and planning to upgrade to a G3. After years of abuse, my 6100 still serves me very well - it does what it is supposed to do.

I don't think it needs bells and whistles like those Wintel machines. This is Macintosh: it doesn't need bells and whistles to sell itself.