Do you remember the famous Super Bowl ad that launched the Macintosh in 1984?

The commercial aired on January 22, 1984, during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII (Los Angeles Raiders beat the Washington Redskins).

The ad, which went on to win numerous awards, is based on George Orwells book “1984,”  in which society is controlled by Big Brother and his Thought Police, forcing everyone to conform to governmental dictates. In the commercial, a rebel hurls a hammer at a huge screen featuring Big Brother droning on about information directives..  The ad was assumed to be a metaphor for the little guy (Apple) standing up to the big guy (IBM).

The Macintosh Superbowl ad has  consistently been lauded as a classic, winning critical acclaim over time. It is now considered a watershed event and an advertising masterpiece. The ad is widely regarded as one of the most memorable and successful American television commercials of all time.

Read more about the first Macintosh, and check out the video:

Remember the first Macintosh, released in January 1984?

We thought we’d just offer you a few tidbits about this groundbreaking machine.

• This Macintosh didn’t have a model number—it was simply the Macintosh. There was no name on the front. Early 128Ks simply said “Macintosh” on the back, while later ones were marked “Macintosh 128K” to distinguish them from the later Macintosh 512K (released in October 1984).
• The first Mac was quipped with 128 KB RAM, 64 KB ROM, a 3.5″ 400 KB floppy drive, a 1-bit 512 x 342 pixel b&w monitor, and a mouse
• The first Mac came with MacWrite and MacPaint
• This machine offered a totally graphical operating system
• It had two serial ports

What did the first Mac not have?

• A SCSI port
• 5.25″ floppies
• Backward compatibility with the Apple II, III, or Lisa.

Do you remember the Super Bowl commercial that launched the Macintosh? This ad helped Apple sell 70,000 Macintosh units during its first 100 days on the market.

Best Practices for Longer MacBook Pro and Air Battery Life

One of the questions we get all of the time at Austin MacWorks has to be how do you get the best performance and make your battery last as long as possible in your MacBook Pro or Air.

The Basics of the MacBook Pro Battery and Battery Calibration

With care, your MacBook or Air battery can last for 3-5 years, or to look at it another way, about 1000 charges. After a while, the total capacity of your  battery may become diminished, often lasting an hour less than when your first purchased your machine. If you suspect that your battery has become diminished, you can download the application Coconut Battery to give you a better handle on how much your battery has become compromised.

Calibrate your Battery

Over time due to chemical reactions taking place in the battery, your battery can loose a bit of its punch. Recalibrating your MacBook Pro or Air helps your battery meter correctly read the state of your battery.

The Rule of Recalibration

First of all, charge your MacBook Pro or Air battery to fullest, and then leave it that way for at least a couple of hours. Once the battery is fully charged,  unplug your Mac, and set the Energy Saver settings to so the machine won’t shut off or lower the monitor brightness. The point here is to to drain the battery completely, then let your Mac sit overnight once it’s drained. The next morning, charge the batter again to 100 percent.

More Best practices for Longer Battery Life

The rule of thumb is that batteries are like muscles; you need to work em’ or loose them. Use your MacBook or Air unplugged at least once a day. One of the worst things you can do to your battery is to leave your Mac plugged in all the time, doing so will shorten and/or harm your Mac’s battery.

The Battery Rules

Recalibrate your battery once a month
Never leave your MacBook Pro or Air plugged in all the time
Use the Battery even a little bit every day

You’re not going to find a tougher case to give you the most thorough protection for your iPhone 4 than the Otterbox Defender.  The Otterbox Defender is available now at Austin MacWorks and ready for you to wrap around your new iPhone 4. With a special coating on outside of the touch screen membrane that goes out of it’s way to resists finger prints and a new material that  eliminates static, bubbles and that “oil slick” appearance. The OtterBox Defender also features an inner felt liner that cushions your device with a textured silicone exterior for improved handling and grip. Included with the OtterBox Defender for iPhone for is a completely redesigned and stronger holster  that holds the device either face in or face out that also doubles as a stand for hands-free media viewing.
The OtterBox Defender case also accommodates most 3rd party chargers.

We think that Brenthaven Laptop cases are the best cases for your MacBook, MacBook Pro, iPad or iPhone. When customers come in to Austin MacWorks looking for the best protection for their Apple devices that also convey the style that your Apple computer deserves, we steer them towards Brenthaven.

We believe that Brenthaven sets the standard for superior protection from the drops, bangs and bumps of your digital lifestyle. Couple the style and protection of Brenthaven with their lifetime guarantee, Brenthaven is a no-brainer for the discerning MacBook and MacBook Pro user.

Austin MacWorks works hard to keep the latest Brenthaven cases in stock in Austin. Come check out the latest Brenthaven cases including x-ray friendly for the frequent traveler, soft cases, sleeves, backpacks, pro-style slimpacks and the latest iPad cases including the iPad 5-in-1 case.

Apple has upped the speed, processor and video cards in the upgraded line of iMac computers now available at Austin MacWorks. The new 21.5 inch iMac now comes standard with 3.06GHz Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive and an ATI Radeon HD 4670 video card for just 1199.00. The 27 inch iMac standard with a 3.20GHz Intel Core i3 chip, 4GB  of RAM, a 1TB  Drive and the ATI Radeon HD 5670 with 512MB of cache starting at just 1699.00. The 27 inch is also available with an assortment of upgrades including an i5 or i7 quad-core chip. Stop in today to Austin MacWorks and check out the latest line of the iMac computers from Apple.