From the Pages of PC Magazine: How We Covered Apple's Greatest Hits and Misses

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PC Magazine’s original mission statement, back in 1982, didn't involve the wide-ranging tech coverage we do today. Our inaugural issue bore the tagline "The Independent Guide to the IBM Personal Computer." Apple products didn't fit the bill, but the company was ultimately too big a presence in the computing world to ignore.

As early as our July 23, 1985 issue, the print magazine featured a 23-page analysis titled "IBM vs. Apple: Is Mac Ready for Business?" We debated the utility of Apple's early printers and frequently referenced major Apple products that predated our founding, such as the Apple II, which launched nearly five years before our first issue.

Over the decades, Apple stopped being the niche outsider, and our own scope expanded to encompass phones, tablets, services, and more. We've been there for the company's industry-defining highs and the stock price-plummeting lows. With the recent successful launch of the MacBook Neo, it’s clear this story is still being written.

So, to celebrate Apple's 50th birthday, we went digging through the archives for some of the best and worst Apple products we've reviewed or otherwise written about. Here are some of the many Apple devices—both wins and failures—we've covered over the years.

Apple II (1977)

We didn't actually review the Apple II, since it came out a few years before PC Magazine's print debut, but it still had a place on our pages, even when we were exclusively covering IBM-compatible desktops. Even that first issue (February-March 1982) included an op-ed from editor Jim Edlin (a self-described Apple-to-PC convert), a full article about the resale value of old Apple II systems, and an interview with Bill Gates in which he mentioned the Apple II as a benchmark for the nascent industry.

LaserWriter (1985)

Back when printers were our bread and butter—PC Magazine devoted whole issues to printer testing and reviews, making us an authority in the growing space—we reviewed the Apple LaserWriter, a high-quality laser printer in an era when dot-matrix printers were still big.

Though the printer was sold for an eye-watering $6,995, it featured built-in AppleTalk support and could be shared across a network of up to 16 users, giving it an effective per-user cost of under $450. Paired with some excellent word processing software (Aldus PageMaker) and early WYSIWYG editing, it proved revolutionary. By providing professional-grade typography, accessible software, and features that made it friendly to small business, the LaserWriter helped usher in the desktop publishing boom.

But the big thing for our editors? It also worked with Adobe PostScript and could connect to a PC via serial port. According to reviewer Chris Petzold in our September 1985 issue, "the LaserWriter can give you some of the best-looking Times New Roman and Helvetica fonts you've ever seen from a laser printer or any other computer printer." It apparently was the first Apple product to receive a PCMag Editors’ Choice award.

Mac Portable (1989)

When PCs started going portable, we were there. As part of a massive testing roundup of 73 portables (ranging from suitcase-like luggables to notebook-esque early clamshell designs) in the March 1990 issue of PC Magazine, we reviewed the Apple Macintosh Portable. It had a 600-by-400 monochrome, non-backlit active-matrix LCD that was "hard to read in low lighting." It also boasted a 16MHz 68HC000 processor with 1MB of RAM, a choice of trackball or a 10-key numpad, a 3.5-inch floppy drive, an SCSI port, two serial ports, and weighed nearly 16 pounds. Not bad for a machine powered by lead-acid batteries.

"Technically, the Macintosh Portable is impressive," wrote Frederic E. Davis, then the director of PC Labs. "But its price, weight, expensive RAM, and nonbacklit screen are all significant drawbacks."

And it sold for $6,500—or at least, the first units did. Sales didn't break 10,000 in the first quarter of release, and Apple started discounting it by $1,000 or more before the year was out. It was a certified flop for Apple, but it did pave the way for something great: The Apple PowerBook.

PowerBook (1991)

In 1991, the Apple PowerBook took a different path. Designed in collaboration with Sony, it set the template for early laptop concepts with a clamshell design, a pointing device in the palmrest, and a keyboard moved back closer to the screen and the hinge.

When reviewer Lori Grunin reviewed the PowerBook 170 in our August 1992 issue, she noted that the laptop "contains many of the world's best components." With a larger display, a slimmer and lighter design, and better battery management, the PowerBook was a surprise commercial hit, generating over $1 billion in its first year.

"After the disappointingly overpriced and oversized Mac Portable," Grunin wrote, "it's no wonder that many Mac users have gone mobile with the PowerBook 170 and PowerBook 140 (6.8 pounds each) and the 5.1-pound PowerBook 100."

"With prices starting at $1,599 for the PowerBook 100," Grunin added, "it looks like Apple has successfully inspired another case of Mac envy."

Newton MessagePad (1993)

Long before the iPhone or the iPad, there was the Newton. The Apple Newton MessagePad was a top-of-the-line personal digital assistant (PDA). In addition to cool features like a stylus, handwriting recognition, and gesture controls, it also used an ARM 610 RISC processor, marking Apple's first foray into the ARM platform and away from the standard desktop OS, paving the way for future major innovations.

We didn't give anyone an Editors’ Choice award in October of 1993, because we declared the PDA category "too immature" for an award. Comparing the Newton to other pen-based PDAs, reviewers Christopher Barr and Michael Neubarth wrote, "Although the Newton's handwriting recognition engine is the best we've seen—it translates cursive writing and printing, or any combination of the two—it remains far from perfect."

While it pioneered the idea of the post-PC device, its reliance on short-lived AAA batteries, lack of included desktop connectivity, and $699 starting price made it a tough sell. In 1998, the product line was discontinued.

Pippin (1996)

Remember when Apple made a game console? That's OK, almost nobody does. In 1996, Apple was trying to make a standalone game system built on Mac OS and using the PowerPC processors used in Mac systems. But it was also a play for licensing and partnerships, with Bandai helping to design the outer casing for Apple's internals, and other companies lined up to make Pippin boxes for Japan, Canada, and the US markets.

We didn't actually review the device, but we did talk about how excited we were for the Pippin as a Net-terminal to connect to the TV. Senior editor Sebastian Rupley wrote in February 1996, "With the company's sub-$1,000 Pippin system, you'll be able to browse the Web using your TV and a handheld controller."

But the Pippin never made much of an impact. It launched against machines like the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn, and in early 1997, production was halted due to poor sales; unsold units were shipped back to Japan, where at least a few people had bought them.

iMac G3 (1998)

Shortly after Steve Jobs's return to Apple, he tapped Jony Ive to design the Apple iMac, a bold new all-in-one PC. The stunning teardrop design, translucent plastic construction that showcased the internal components, and the impressive ease of setup grabbed the attention of the PC industry. The bright-colored desktop turned heads in the PC Labs, too—in fact, we still have one kicking around the office purely for nostalgia's sake!

In our 1998 First Look at the iMac, we praised the easy setup, the impressive (if small) display, and had to explain the lack of a floppy disk drive. But the real head scratcher was the inclusion of a newfangled USB port, which replaced the SCSI/ADB combination used on prior Macs.

In 1998, the machine was a finalist for the Technical Excellence awards, and by the time the iMac DV Special Edition came out in 1999 (this time in a cool translucent graphite gray color), we included it in a roundup of the best PCs for Every Budget, highlighting it as a great choice for low-end video editing, even if we considered the performance lackluster.

In our second look at the machine, in January 1999, editors Tom Pope and Nick Stam felt compelled to point out how much we'd liked it the first time around: "We thought the iMac looked very good the first time. Now that it's been in use for a couple of months—in office settings as well as homes—with no significant problems and with more peripherals available to fill the gaps left by its design, we consider the iMac to be one of the standout computer products of the year."

iMac 'Puck' Mouse (1998)

Despite the iMac's success, one peripheral stood out like a sore thumb: the hockey puck mouse.

The round mouse that came with the iMac received mixed reviews. The translucent plastic construction gave users a glimpse of the circuit board and trackball inside, which was cool, and the color-matched design was a great visual counterpart to the stylish iMac, but actually using the thing was lousy.

The round shape wasn't ergonomically ideal, the USB cable was too short, and the single mouse button wasn't clearly marked, leading to some user confusion. We never devoted a full review to the mouse, but as editor Tom Pope noted in our 1998 First Look with the iMac, "It's round, so accidentally pointing it in the wrong direction is easy."

Power Mac G4 Cube (2000)

Hot on the heels of the iMac came the Power Mac G4 Cube, a desktop with an even more ambitious design. This was a mini PC before the category even existed, an 8-inch cube encased in clear acrylic that ran silently without a fan. It's arguably a design masterpiece—it was a finalist in the design category of our Technical Excellence Awards in 2000—but it flopped hard.

The design was stunning, but divisive. The Cube was positioned between the consumer-friendly iMac and the professional-grade Power Mac G4 desktop tower, but lacked a clear market.

Sales fell far short of expectations, and the acrylic enclosure showed visible mold lines that some mistook for cracks, further affecting sales. But the real blow for this design darling was the price. At $1,799, it was more expensive than the G4 tower but lacked expansion options and was deemed too premium for most buyers.

iPhone (2007)

The first iPhone wasn't perfect, but it was undoubtedly a success. The touch screen, the media capabilities, the easy syncing with Mac or PC—it was a clear win. But our review also pointed out that it had crummy call quality, lousy business email, and a virtual keyboard that wasn't as intuitive as later versions.

As reviewers Sascha Segan and Tim Gideon said in their 2007 review, "When you boil it down, the Apple iPhone is an iPod with Internet, YouTube, beautiful graphics, a camera, and a huge screen—and oh yeah, it can also make calls and check e-mail."

But here's the kicker: "When Apple eventually releases an iPod with all these features except the phone, it will blow away the competition. As it stands right now, the iPhone is a truly amazing (and expensive) toy."

What can we say? Not every success looks great when you first encounter it. Still, we gave it 4 stars. In fact, in our December 4, 2007 issue, we highlighted Steve Jobs in the Technical Excellence Awards as Person of the Year/Innovator, specifically calling out "the Apple iPhone, which lifted the cell phone's interface out of the dark ages and into the 21st century."

MacBook Air (2008)

When the MacBook Air was introduced in 2008, it was touted as the thinnest laptop ever. The 3-pound laptop was lighter and slimmer, but lasted only three hours in battery tests. It wasn't just a resounding success; it defined the ultraportable laptop for the next couple of decades.

Laptop lead analyst Cisco Cheng praised the design and the full-size display, but wasn't impressed by the limited port selection and the battery, which wasn't user-upgradable. We gave it 3.5 stars, saying, "Though the MacBook Air definitely has some shortcomings, it is hands-down the thinnest and prettiest laptop out there." And in the end, that was all it needed to change the industry.

It wasn't the first or only ultraportable—we did a roundup of five ultraportables the very next month (May 2008), including the Air—but the MacBook Air got the glamor shot for the article. And, if we're honest, it's been the poster child for the ultraportable category ever since.

Magic Mouse (2009)

Eventually, Apple figured out how to make a great mouse. It just took until 2009, with the Magic Mouse, which combined a low-profile wireless mouse with capacitive touch technology, rendering the familiar mouse in a buttonless glass form. When we reviewed it in 2009, we loved the sleek, minimalist design and the "magic" of multitouch gestures, such as two-fingered swipes and quick switching between right- and left-handed modes. The sharp, precise laser sensor and seamless Bluetooth pairing were additional standout features.

Our review says that the Magic Mouse can "do tricks no other mouse can, and it's easily the most attractive input device you'll find." Another unambiguous success for Apple. But it wasn't perfect—it was powered by two non-rechargeable AA batteries, putting a damper on the whole wireless angle—and the next update would fix one problem but only introduce a new one: a charging port on the bottom of the mouse that renders the Magic Mouse 2 unusable while charging. Even after Apple updated the Magic Mouse 2 with a new port (switching from Lightning to USB-C), it frustratingly kept the bottom-side charging port.

iPad (2010)

When the first iPad arrived, people clowned on the name, mocked the lack of multitasking, and complained about other features that weren't present, including a front-facing camera. But right from the start, our reviewer, Tim Gideon, knew it would "undoubtedly be a driving force in shaping the emerging tablet landscape."

Our 4.5-star review highlighted the sleek design, touch-screen accuracy, and app selection. Sure, it lacked Flash support, a camera, multitasking, and didn't come with earbuds or a case/cover, but it set the bar high.

iPhone 5 (2012)

The sixth iteration of Apple smartphones, following the iPhone 4s, was the first iPhone developed completely without Steve Jobs's oversight. With a thinner, lighter, aluminum design and a bigger, better display, it wasn't just an outstanding 4.5-star Editors' Choice product. It was also one of our Best of the Year products for 2012.

As our reviewer Sascha Segan wrote at the time, "With a sublime, but familiar design inside and out, a speedy new processor, fast LTE, and the best apps in the business, the new iPhone is like the old iPhone, just much better."

Apple Maps (2012)

Oh, Apple Maps. You had the whole iPhone install base as your chance to show up Google for navigation. And you flubbed it. When we reviewed the app in 2013, it was riddled with inaccuracies, lacked real-time traffic info, and experienced frequent glitches. It was enough that the app, while safe to use while driving, just couldn't top Google Maps. All of this was compounded by a lack of map data.

Apple Maps has improved considerably in its decade-plus of existence, but Google Maps is still the clear leader.

Mac Pro (2013)

A running theme for Apple is a tendency to prioritize conceptual design over basic functionality. Indeed, the company's biggest flubs most relate to this kind of aesthetic overreaching. But even when a product has problems, it can garner praise. The cylindrical Mac Pro from 2013 is the perfect example of this.

I reviewed this quirky desktop back when it was new and praised it for its "dramatic departure from boring, boxy designs." Sure, it looked a bit like a garbage can, but it delivered category-leading performance in benchmark tests, had some impressive features—like Thunderbolt connectivity and a slick internal design—all while staying whisper-quiet. Even though I had misgivings, I gave it an Editors' Choice award.

But that stovepipe design didn't actually handle heat as well as we thought, and the lack of internal expansion turned off many shoppers—even if the current Mac Studio still relies on a similar all-Thunderbolt approach to expansion and added functionality. But Apple not only abandoned the design, it basically gave a point-by-point counterargument to its own marketing when it announced the return of the tower-style with the 2019 Mac Pro.

Butterfly Keyboard (2015)

It's a little weird to look back at the short-lived Apple MacBook in light of the drastically cheaper and more consumer-friendly MacBook Neo—both 12-inch MacBooks that sit outside of the more premium MacBook Air and MacBook Pro model lines. But the biggest failure of that particular product wasn't the laptop itself, but a specific feature that also showed up on the more expensive Mac laptops.

The Butterfly Keyboard was introduced in 2015, and its keyboard-switch design was highlighted as an essential part of Apple's MacBook's slim, portable design. It was also the source of major consumer complaints: the new switch caused the keyboard to malfunction if even a trivial amount of dust got into the mechanism, and users reported missing inputs, repeated inputs, and uneven or sticky-feeling keys.

In our initial review of the 12-inch MacBook, we complained, "New keyboard and Force Touch trackpad take some getting used to." It wasn't the only thing holding back that product, but it was arguably a failure bigger than any one product. It got so bad that Apple offered free repairs to anyone with any of the products that featured it, including the MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models from 2015. And in 2018, the company faced a class‑action lawsuit that led to a settlement paying Apple customers as much as $395 over the bum switches.

AirPods (2016)

AirPods may look like just another pair of Bluetooth headphones to most, but in 2016 they changed the game. With the AirPods, Apple succeeded in making wireless headphones that just work, and added features that still exceed what most non-Apple competitors offer.

In our review, Tim Gideon wrote, "The Apple AirPods feel like a big step for wireless in-ear audio—but it's more about innovations and features and less about audio performance." While subsequent versions would improve specific features, the first entry in the product line was a solid success, with millions of sales making it Apple's most popular accessory. As the review said, "Apple gets so many things right that other manufacturers struggle with."

Apple M-Series (2020)

Technically, Apple Silicon has been a thing since the A4 chip debuted in the first iPad. But it was the leap to putting Apple's own chips into the Mac lineup that cemented Apple Silicon as a massive success. In 2020, the M1 chip offered dramatic improvements in performance-per-watt, delivering full-power performance while lasting for hours on a battery. The fanless version in the MacBook Air (2020) and Mac Mini (2020) allowed for near-silent operation and gave Apple seamless integration between hardware and software.

Across the board, reviewers hailed the M1 as a generational leap forward for PC performance and longevity, and that has only continued as Apple has updated the M-Series year after year.

MacBook Neo (2026)

The new MacBook Neo is shaping up to be a massive seller, with an ultra-low price to go with its ultraportable design and stripped-down feature set. Powered by an Apple A18 Pro iPhone chip and featuring the most repairable design in MacBooks, this MacBook delivers a great budget laptop without the usual compromises that cheap Windows laptops or Chromebooks have long forced people to accept.

We aren't sure it's a success yet, as it's only been on the market for the last few weeks, but, as editor Joe Osborne wrote in our review, "Apple actually pulled it off, a 100% new, no-nonsense 13-inch MacBook for $600." That's a remarkable achievement at a time when other tech products are getting more expensive, and the budget laptop space is contracting rather than growing.

From the Pages of PC Magazine: How We Covered Apple's Greatest Hits and Misses