The Macintosh turns 30. This is the computer that started it all, changed everything and kicked off the era of the personal computer.

The Mac has grown up quite a bit. But to trace its history, you'll have to look all the way back in 1979. It was the day Steve Jobs visited Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center.

Apple was finishing up a successor to the successful Apple II: Lisa, but Jobs was eager to find the next great thing. When he saw Xerox's Alto computer in action, he knew what had to be done.



This is actually the computer that started it all. As one of the first computers with a graphical user interface (GUI) and the first one to use the "desktop" metaphor, the Xerox Alto was a personal computer built years before people even knew such a thing existed.

The Alto's GUI came with such recognizable features as icons, windows (with scrolling!), folders, ethernet-based local networking, a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) text editor, and a cut/copy/undo feature. There was also a neat little device called a mouse.

Good artists copy. Great artists steal. Check out Apple's tribute