Thirty years ago today, Steve Jobs presented Apple's first Macintosh computer.

With its 9-inch, black-and-white monitor and graphical user interface, the Macintosh 128K represented a turning point for technology, and a first step for what has become one of the most popular electronics makers in the world.

Released initially as the Apple Macintosh, the machine's 128K title was based on its 128 KB of DRAM, running alongside a Motorola 68000 microprocessor. It shipped with three applications: System 1.0 (the first System and Finder app), word processor MacWrite, and drawing tool MacPaint—a pittance by today's standards.

But when Jobs turned on his Macintosh three decades ago, to the tune of the Chariots of Fire theme song, the computer really spoke for itself—literally."Hello, I'm Macintosh. It sure is great to get out of that bag," the computer said robotically, earning applause from the crowd. "Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking, I'd like to share with you a maxim I thought of the first time I met an IBM mainframe: NEVER TRUST A COMPUTER YOU CAN'T LIFT."

Standing at 14 inches tall, the computer took up about the same amount of desk space as a piece of 8.5-by-11 paper. Though it weighed a lot more: The standalone machine was 16.5 pounds, but with the optional carrying case, it landed at a hefty 22 pounds.

For more, see A Look Back at 30 Years of the Mac and 30 Years After '1984': A Look Back at Apple's Mac Commercials. And watch Jobs blow away a crowd of thousands with the first Macintosh computer unveiling in the video below.