The Apple Macintosh personal computer is known for its incredible design and market-leading functionality. Yet before there was ever an Apple Macintosh in the market there was a McIntosh apple. Read on to learn the fascinating story of how the Apple Mac got its name.
To tell this story we have to go all the way back to1777. It was on this year that John McIntosh was born. McIntosh (a Scottish name) was born in America but moved to Canada after a family argument. He tried his hand at farming but had bought a piece of land that was not that appealing. One day when he was clearing his land he found some small apple trees hidden in the long grass. He was astounded. While finding apple trees may not sound incredible now, at that time apples were not grown in North America. The majority of apples eaten were imported from Europe. John tried to use the trees he found to grow more and more trees. In his efforts, he killed all but one.
This last tree was not just his last hope but it was the last tree of that variety in the known world. Luckily McIntosh managed to save this tree and make many more from it. Today the McIntosh apple is one of the most popular varieties in the world yet it all came from that one apple tree.
Years later as Steve Jobs was trying to find a name for his company, he settled on Apple because of his fondness for the fruit and how it was at the center of creation in both biblical terms (Adam and Eve) and in science (Newton’s gravity). In 1981 an Apple engineer needed a name for the first personal computer. He decided to go with his favorite variety of Apple. He chose McIntosh. He must not have loved it that much as he got the spelling a little wrong. Imagine if he had preferred the Pink Lady apple?
