Welcome to Macintosh (film)
Encyclopedia
Welcome to Macintosh is a 2008
documentary film
focusing on computer company Apple Inc. and its Macintosh
line of computers. The title comes from the original welcome message
shown during the start-up of Macintosh computers.
line of computers specifically. It discusses the company's employees and philosophy, and interviews people who were working at Apple when the Macintosh was first released.
noted that neither Steve Jobs
nor Steve Wozniak
, the founders of Apple Inc., appear in the film. However, several notable figures in the history of the Macintosh appear in the film, including Mac engineers Andy Hertzfeld
and Jim Reekes
, former Apple Evangelist Guy Kawasaki
, and Ron Wayne, a "short-lived but original co-founder of Apple Computer".
on November 29, 2008. The movie was released on DVD
on December 15, 2008, and includes three hours of extra and deleted scenes. In early 2009, the studio setup group screenings for the film with seven Mac and Apple user groups in seven American cities (Rockville
, Maryland
; Minneapolis, Minnesota
; Scottsdale
, Arizona
; Nashville
, Tennessee
; Washington, D.C.
; Indianapolis
, Indiana
; and Providence
, Rhode Island
), which include more than 700 people who signed up to attend the events.
Technology website Ars Technica
describes Welcome to Macintosh as a film that "mixes history, criticism and an unapologetic revelry of all things Apple", and wrote, "If you liked Pirates of Silicon Valley
or read Revolution in the Valley, then this film is for you." After watching the film, Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak was pleased with the results, and appreciated how "unbelievable" it was to see people "say that great of things about [him]". He also noted that the film was "so on the mark", and that it was the best independent film regarding Apple that he has seen.
2008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
focusing on computer company Apple Inc. and its Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
line of computers. The title comes from the original welcome message
Welcome to Macintosh
The term "Welcome to Macintosh" comes from the boot-up splash screen of the original Macintosh computer, made by Apple Computer, Inc. .- Abstract :...
shown during the start-up of Macintosh computers.
Plot
The film focuses on the history of computer company Apple Inc., and its MacintoshMacintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
line of computers specifically. It discusses the company's employees and philosophy, and interviews people who were working at Apple when the Macintosh was first released.
Production
Ars TechnicaArs Technica
Ars Technica is a technology news and information website created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, science, technology policy, and video games. Ars Technica is known for its features, long articles that go...
noted that neither Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
nor Steve Wozniak
Steve Wozniak
Stephen Gary "Woz" Wozniak is an American computer engineer and programmer who founded Apple Computer, Co. with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne...
, the founders of Apple Inc., appear in the film. However, several notable figures in the history of the Macintosh appear in the film, including Mac engineers Andy Hertzfeld
Andy Hertzfeld
Andy Hertzfeld is a computer scientist who was a member of the original Apple Macintosh development team during the 1980s. After buying an Apple II in January 1978, he went to work for Apple Computer from August 1979 until March 1984, where he was a designer for the Macintosh system software...
and Jim Reekes
Jim Reekes
Jim Reekes was a programmer at Apple Computer for 12 years. His work has significantly affected operating systems, most notably System 7 and QuickTime. He also is responsible for creating many of the system sounds for the Macintosh operating system...
, former Apple Evangelist Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki is a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, bestselling author, and Apple Fellow. He was one of the Apple employees originally responsible for marketing the Macintosh in 1984. He is currently a Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures, and has been involved in the rumor reporting...
, and Ron Wayne, a "short-lived but original co-founder of Apple Computer".
Release
Welcome to Macintosh was shown at five film festivals. The film's studio released a trailer on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on November 29, 2008. The movie was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on December 15, 2008, and includes three hours of extra and deleted scenes. In early 2009, the studio setup group screenings for the film with seven Mac and Apple user groups in seven American cities (Rockville
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
; Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
; Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
; Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
; Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
; Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
; and Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
), which include more than 700 people who signed up to attend the events.
Technology website Ars Technica
Ars Technica
Ars Technica is a technology news and information website created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, science, technology policy, and video games. Ars Technica is known for its features, long articles that go...
describes Welcome to Macintosh as a film that "mixes history, criticism and an unapologetic revelry of all things Apple", and wrote, "If you liked Pirates of Silicon Valley
Pirates of Silicon Valley
Pirates of Silicon Valley is a 1999 made-for-television film directed by Martyn Burke and based on the book Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine. The film documents the impact on the development of the personal computer of the rivalry between...
or read Revolution in the Valley, then this film is for you." After watching the film, Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak was pleased with the results, and appreciated how "unbelievable" it was to see people "say that great of things about [him]". He also noted that the film was "so on the mark", and that it was the best independent film regarding Apple that he has seen.
See also
- Pirates of Silicon ValleyPirates of Silicon ValleyPirates of Silicon Valley is a 1999 made-for-television film directed by Martyn Burke and based on the book Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine. The film documents the impact on the development of the personal computer of the rivalry between...
, a 1999 film about the Microsoft versus Apple rivalry - The Social NetworkThe Social NetworkThe Social Network is a 2010 American drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. Adapted from Ben Mezrich's 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires, the film portrays the founding of social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits...
, a 2010 film about the founding of FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as... - BabbageBabbage (film)Babbage is a short film, made in 2008, about the Victorian computing pioneer Charles Babbage. It was shown at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival....
, a 2008 short film about computing pioneer Charles BabbageCharles BabbageCharles Babbage, FRS was an English mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer... - Revolution OSRevolution OSRevolution OS is a 2001 documentary film that traces the twenty-year history of GNU, Linux, open source, and the free software movement.Directed by J. T. S. Moore, the film features interviews with prominent hackers and entrepreneurs including Richard Stallman, Michael Tiemann, Linus Torvalds,...
, a 2001 film about the history of open versus closed sourceOpen-source softwareOpen-source software is computer software that is available in source code form: the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, improve and at times also to distribute the software.Open...
software