The Macintosh was born out of a shared humanist approach to design by Steve Jobs and Hartmut Esslinger beginning in 1982. In 1981 fewer than 3% of the US population owned a computer, so Apple deliberately turned its attention away from the business market, and towards the personal market instead. The Macintosh, with its all-in-one beige box, minimal detailing and 9inch screen, was therefore conceived as a product that would be easy to use and small enough to suit the home enviroment. Essentially, the design of the Macintosh, with its user-friendly interface, played a key role in breaking down the fear that potential users felt about computers.
Apple designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, tablets, personal computers, as well as portable and wearable devices. The company also offers software and related services, accessories, and third-party digital content and applications. The PowerBook 170 was the only first generation PowerBook to sport an active matrix screen. It was the first PowerBook with a standard internal modem as well, although it was discontinued after only one year on the market since many features needed troubleshooting. Apple released two special editions of the PowerBook 170: a multicolored version for the Japan LPGA and a white “10th Anniversary Mac” version in 1994.