Steve Jobs and early Mac memories recalled by a former PCMag editor

A former PC Magazine editor recounts firsthand experiences with the original Macintosh team in 1983, interactions with Steve Jobs, and later coverage of Apple through milestones such as the iMac, iPad 2, and the transition to Apple-designed processors.

A former PC Magazine editor shares recollections of early visits to Apple's Cupertino campus and later interactions with Steve Jobs. He first saw the Macintosh in 1983 and met several engineers who worked on its hardware and software. He reviewed one of the first Macintoshes and later served as PC Magazine's editor-in-chief from 1991 to 2005. The piece follows key product moments from MacPaint and the Mac II to the iMac, the iPad 2, and Apple's shift to its own processors. Key details: - In 1983 the author met engineers including Burrell Smith, Andy Hertzfeld, Chris Espinosa, and Bill Atkinson and saw MacPaint, which stood out for its ease of use. - The Macintosh was positioned as a more accessible graphical computer than earlier systems; the entry price then was $2,495, while the Lisa had cost about $10,000. - The author received an early Macintosh as a review unit and noted its 32-bit processor and graphical interface as distinguishing features. - About a year after the Mac launch, the author met Jobs and Adobe founders John Warnock and Charles Geschke; Apple bundled PostScript with the LaserWriter, which helped start desktop publishing. - The author recalls giving Jobs a PC Magazine lifetime achievement award in 1997, Jobs's later return to Apple and the 1998 iMac launch, and attending events through the iPad 2 introduction in 2011; he also notes the later transition of Macs to Apple-designed processors under Tim Cook. Summary: These recollections describe hands-on encounters with early Macintosh development and decades of coverage that followed. The author reports ongoing use of both Windows and Mac devices and expresses continued interest in Apple's future direction. Undetermined at this time.