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P4 verification: turn document holder into a real documentation page (what the document is, what it covers, what it does not, citing pages)
Author is William B. Sanders (title page), not James D. Sadler; extent 117 pp.; contents with page numbers; the book does print a spec list (p. 49); remove false 'cites' entry (Macintosh 128K does not link here); cite
 
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'''''The Apple Macintosh Primer''''' by '''James D. Sadler (DATAMOST)''', Reston Publishing Company, a Prentice-Hall company, © 1984 DATAMOST, Inc., ISBN 0-8359-0233-1. The scan is '''113 pages'''.
'''''The Apple Macintosh Primer''''' is a 1984 book by William B. Sanders, published by DATAMOST, Inc. of Chatsworth, California, through Reston Publishing Company, a Prentice-Hall company. ISBN 0-8359-0233-1.<ref name="tp">William B. Sanders, ''The Apple Macintosh Primer'' (DATAMOST / Reston Publishing, 1984), title page and copyright page (PDF pp. 3-4).</ref> The text runs to 117 numbered pages; Open Library gives the same extent.<ref name="ol">Open Library, [https://openlibrary.org/books/OL11492027M ''The Apple Macintosh Primer'', record OL11492027M]. Retrieved 2026-09-30.</ref>


'''This is not an Apple publication.''' It is a third-party book, and it is a '''secondary source''': where it disagrees with Apple's own service documentation, the Apple document wins.
Sanders wrote it before the Macintosh was released. His acknowledgements say there were no articles, user groups or books to draw on, and that Guy Kawasaki and Cary Clark of Apple supplied the hardware and software and answered his questions.<ref name="ack">Sanders, ''The Apple Macintosh Primer'', Acknowledgements (PDF p. 5).</ref> The copyright page thanks Apple for technical information and the photographs, and states that "Apple Computer, Inc. was not in any way involved in the actual writing of this book".<ref name="tp" /> The preface gives the book two purposes: to teach new owners to operate the machine and use MacPaint and MacWrite, and to help prospective buyers decide whether to buy one.<ref name="pref">Sanders, ''The Apple Macintosh Primer'', Preface, pp. 11-12 (PDF pp. 10-11).</ref>


== What it covers ==
== Contents ==
A beginner's introduction written '''before the
Page numbers are from the book's table of contents.<ref name="toc">Sanders, ''The Apple Macintosh Primer'', Table of Contents (PDF pp. 6-9).</ref>
Macintosh was publicly released'''. The acknowledgements record the problem and the access: there were
* Preface, p. 11
no user groups, articles or books to draw on, and Guy Kawasaki and Cary Clark of Apple supplied the
* Chapter 1: Overview of Mac, p. 13
hardware, software and answers. The copyright page states that '''"Apple Computer, Inc. was not in any
* Chapter 2: What Can You Do With The Mac?, p. 33
way involved in the actual writing of this book"''', while acknowledging that Apple supplied technical
* Chapter 3: Cranking Up The Mac, p. 55
information and the photographs.
* Chapter 4: Keyboard-Mouse Connection, p. 73
* Chapter 5: Graphics with MacPaint, p. 79
* Chapter 6: Word Processing with MacWrite, p. 101


== What it does not contain ==
== Hardware content ==
* '''Nothing serviceable.''' No specifications, no procedures, no part numbers, no diagrams.
Chapter 2 has a one-page list of "Technical Data" (p. 49): a 68000 at 7.8336 MHz, 128K RAM, 64K ROM, a 400K 3½-inch drive with a connector for a second, a built-in 9-inch monochrome monitor, four-voice sound with eight-bit digital-to-analogue conversion, a 58-key keyboard, a battery-backed clock and the port list. The resolution is misprinted as "512 X 842".<ref name="tech">Sanders, ''The Apple Macintosh Primer'', "Technical Data", p. 49 (PDF p. 47).</ref> The following pages list the software and add-on hardware announced for the Macintosh at the time, from Apple, Microsoft, Lotus, Tecmar and others.<ref name="soft">Sanders, ''The Apple Macintosh Primer'', "Software" and "Hardware", pp. 50-52 (PDF pp. 48-50).</ref>


== Pages that cite this document ==
The book has no service procedures, schematics or parts information. Apple's repair documentation for the early compact Macintosh is in [[:Category:Apple Service Source]].
* [[Macintosh 128K]] &mdash; as a pre-release account of the machine
 
== Related titles on this wiki ==
* [[Using & Programming The Macintosh 1984]], another book from the Macintosh's first year


<pdf> File:The_Apple_Macintosh_Primer_1984.pdf </pdf>
<pdf> File:The_Apple_Macintosh_Primer_1984.pdf </pdf>


Download: [[:File:The_Apple_Macintosh_Primer_1984.pdf|The_Apple_Macintosh_Primer_1984.pdf]] (5.8 MB)
Download: [[:File:The_Apple_Macintosh_Primer_1984.pdf|The_Apple_Macintosh_Primer_1984.pdf]] (5.8 MB)
== References ==
<references />


[[Category:Apple Documentation]]
[[Category:Apple Documentation]]

Latest revision as of 18:22, 30 September 2026

The Apple Macintosh Primer is a 1984 book by William B. Sanders, published by DATAMOST, Inc. of Chatsworth, California, through Reston Publishing Company, a Prentice-Hall company. ISBN 0-8359-0233-1.[1] The text runs to 117 numbered pages; Open Library gives the same extent.[2]

Sanders wrote it before the Macintosh was released. His acknowledgements say there were no articles, user groups or books to draw on, and that Guy Kawasaki and Cary Clark of Apple supplied the hardware and software and answered his questions.[3] The copyright page thanks Apple for technical information and the photographs, and states that "Apple Computer, Inc. was not in any way involved in the actual writing of this book".[1] The preface gives the book two purposes: to teach new owners to operate the machine and use MacPaint and MacWrite, and to help prospective buyers decide whether to buy one.[4]

Contents

[edit | edit source]

Page numbers are from the book's table of contents.[5]

  • Preface, p. 11
  • Chapter 1: Overview of Mac, p. 13
  • Chapter 2: What Can You Do With The Mac?, p. 33
  • Chapter 3: Cranking Up The Mac, p. 55
  • Chapter 4: Keyboard-Mouse Connection, p. 73
  • Chapter 5: Graphics with MacPaint, p. 79
  • Chapter 6: Word Processing with MacWrite, p. 101

Hardware content

[edit | edit source]

Chapter 2 has a one-page list of "Technical Data" (p. 49): a 68000 at 7.8336 MHz, 128K RAM, 64K ROM, a 400K 3½-inch drive with a connector for a second, a built-in 9-inch monochrome monitor, four-voice sound with eight-bit digital-to-analogue conversion, a 58-key keyboard, a battery-backed clock and the port list. The resolution is misprinted as "512 X 842".[6] The following pages list the software and add-on hardware announced for the Macintosh at the time, from Apple, Microsoft, Lotus, Tecmar and others.[7]

The book has no service procedures, schematics or parts information. Apple's repair documentation for the early compact Macintosh is in Category:Apple Service Source.

[edit | edit source]

Download: The_Apple_Macintosh_Primer_1984.pdf (5.8 MB)

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 William B. Sanders, The Apple Macintosh Primer (DATAMOST / Reston Publishing, 1984), title page and copyright page (PDF pp. 3-4).
  2. ↑ Open Library, The Apple Macintosh Primer, record OL11492027M. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  3. ↑ Sanders, The Apple Macintosh Primer, Acknowledgements (PDF p. 5).
  4. ↑ Sanders, The Apple Macintosh Primer, Preface, pp. 11-12 (PDF pp. 10-11).
  5. ↑ Sanders, The Apple Macintosh Primer, Table of Contents (PDF pp. 6-9).
  6. ↑ Sanders, The Apple Macintosh Primer, "Technical Data", p. 49 (PDF p. 47).
  7. ↑ Sanders, The Apple Macintosh Primer, "Software" and "Hardware", pp. 50-52 (PDF pp. 48-50).
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