2002 – 2006retired
EMac
“Built for classrooms, shaped like a friendly toaster, gone but never graded down”
“The operating system that taught the world to click, and never once apologized for it.”
Windows 98 arrived in May 1998 as the second entry in Microsoft's 9x line, the successor to Windows 95, and was honestly marketed as a 'tune-up' rather than a revolution. It was web-integrated, hybrid 16-bit and 32-bit, and built atop MS-DOS like its beloved predecessor. People loved it because it quietly made computing better: improved USB support, accessibility upgrades, and support for the shiny new DVD players of
It hung around until 2006 before being retired, and in the meantime it planted seeds that grew into everything Windows became. Disk Cleanup, Windows Update, multi-monitor support, and Internet Connection Sharing all debuted here, along with the Windows Driver Model that became the standard going forward. Not bad for a tune-up.
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“Built for classrooms, shaped like a friendly toaster, gone but never graded down”
“The colorful laptop with a handle, gone but still opening like a lunchbox in our hearts”
“White plastic, big heart: the people's Mac went home smiling.”