Welcome to Macintosh

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The term "Welcome to Macintosh" comes from the boot-up splash screen of the original Macintosh computer, made by Apple Computer, Inc. (now just Apple, Inc.).

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It was unique for its time as most of the prevailing computer operating systems had conventional prosaic text reports of the booting process, while Macintosh introduced the user to a unique experience.

After powering the Macintosh on, a Happy Mac icon would appear, followed by a white box containing the phrase "Welcome to Macintosh". This would then be followed by the appearance of icons that represent the various system extensions, then the loading of the Finder (software) user interface.

The "Welcome to Macintosh" box first appeared in the original Mac OS (v.1?) and lasted through System 7.6.1. Mac OS 8 Introduced a new splash screen that stated simply "Mac OS".

The usage of the term "Welcome to Macintosh", and not Welcome to The Macintosh was intentional. In this case Macintosh is a Proper Noun[1]. It reflects Apples belief that Macintosh has a personality, so it should be referred to as if it were a person: For example, "Let me introduce you to Michael." Not, "Let me introduce you to the Michael."[2]

Further evidence of the Mac's personality is the Happy Mac icon that is first to appear when a Mac is powered on, which then progressed into the Mac logo of the 1990s.

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[1] Genesis and History of the Macintosh Project
[2] Proper Noun
Happy Mac