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.
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.