We’ve Come Far Since Macworld 1989

When it comes to computers and digital devices, it’s often tough to see how things evolved unless you were living through it. This video, on YouTube but also where I originally found it at the Internet Archive of a Computer Chronicles show from Macworld 1989, will give you a sense of how tiny, incremental changes were big news at an event like this one.

The new “030” chip (the processor in a new Mac SE/30) to “accelerator cards” to “color output” was that big news which, watching this video now, seems like a big snooze! It does, however, show how tiny incremental changes led to where we are today.

While I wasn’t at this particular Macworld (I was at several both before and after this one) it was an exciting event and the show was packed with vendors who sold lots of gear to go with the Macintosh.

A review of the annual west coast Macintosh trade show from San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center.

Guests: Charlie Jackson, Silicon Beach; Roy Endres, Multi-Ad Creator; John Warnock, Adobe Systems; Brian Welter, Altsys

Products/Demos: Claris MacWrite II; Silicon Beach Supercard; Texas Instruments Action!Tektronix Quick Inkjet; Kodak Color Video Printer; Thunderware Lightning Scan; Dove Marathon 030/SETPS Smartcard ADBMicrotech R45 Cartridge Drive; Ricoh Erasable Optical Drive; Activision Manhole; Nexsys Gas Plasma Display; Berkeley Systems Outspoken