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Macintosh Launch 1984

Apple unveiled the Macintosh January 24, 1984. Washington Apple Pi was central to the Mac's Washington-area introduction — Pi hosted Steve Wozniak unveiling the Macintosh at the Departmental Auditorium (12th-14th & Constitution Ave NW, DC) on January 28, 1984, just four days after the official launch.

The Pi coverage sequence

  1. 1984-01 — V06 N01 — RSVP card on inside cover; editorial begs members to register because non-member crowds expected
  2. 1984-02 — V06 N02 — ★ The Mac Launch Issue: three feature articles back-to-back: - Tom Warrick "The Macintosh: A First Look" — "The Macintosh is a Lisa at an Apple ][ price." - Robert C. Platt "MacSoftware: More than Fast Food" — survey of launch software - Tom Riley "The Macintosh as Viewed by an Engineer" - Bernard Urban "Whither Apple?" editorial - Peter E. Rosden "A 68000 Bit Co-Processor" — technical companion
  3. 1984-04 — V06 N04 — Bart Cable "Wozniak Brings Mac to DC: A Reprint" — recap of the Jan 28 unveiling
  4. 1984-05 — V06 N05 — Ellen L. Bouwkamp launches SigMac News column (institutional commitment to ongoing Mac coverage); first Mac↔Apple II file transfer piece (Donald C. Schmitt); first Mac BASIC speed benchmarks (David Morganstein + Dave Weikert)
  5. 1984-07 — V06 N07 — Steve Hunt + Don Landing launch Mac Q&A column
  6. 1984-12 — V06 N12 — ★ Fat Mac 512K upgrade coverage ("The Mac Upgrade")

Why this matters

The Macintosh launch fundamentally bifurcated Pi: from a single-platform Apple II user group, Pi became a two-platform organization within months. The institutional adaptations — separate Mac columns, separate Mac Q&A, separate SigMac, separate Mac library — all date from 1984.

The Jan 28 Wozniak event is one of the most historically important single Pi meetings — Pi hosted the Mac's Washington DC public debut.

Connections