Beige Toaster

What Does Beige Toaster Mean?

Beige toaster is a slang term for the original Apple Macintosh computer, a major landmark in personal computing that revolutionized consumer technology in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The term refers to the unique color of the computer shell, as well as its boxy, rectangular shape.

Advertisements

Techopedia Explains Beige Toaster

The early Apple Macintosh computer had a shape unlike any other popular consumer home computer of any era. The computer tower was built into the single shell that also held a display screen. That resulted in a tall, thin, elongated case, to which users attached a keyboard, mouse and other accessories. User data was introduced through floppy disks inserted into the front of the computer.

While “beige toaster” is a derogatory term for the Apple Macintosh, this computer enjoyed years of popular use as the first generations of users came to familiarize themselves with desktop computing. While the design may not have looked impressive by modern standards, it was practical in many ways. Eventually, these designs gave way to newer designs, many of which separated the computer tower from the display monitor, and modernized the color and shape of the various hardware components.

Advertisements

Related Terms

Related Reading

Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…