March 13, 1981: A Case to Be Made

The original design of the Mac called for a lunchbox style machine with a fold-up keyboard. The design was conceived by Jef Raskin but was less inspired than his other ideas. While Steve Jobs was initially fond of the form factor he later decided a case redesign was in order.

Wanting something radically different, Steve recruited the designer of the Apple II case to come up with something for the Mac. Discussions ofwhat the case should look like were intense and broad ranging, even to the point of including comparisons to exotic cars.

A vertical design was eventually adopted, an unusual move for the time. The new design dictated a detachable keyboard but also minimized the Mac’s footprint. Once the basic design was agreed upon, refinements could be made until the classic Mac shape finally emerged. The process that ended with the creation of the now instantly recognizable icon began this month in 1981.