I think the subtitles were on the original Mac commercial. Or am I wrong?
I don't remember, to be honest. I was 9 at the time! :O) Most of the versions on YouTube don't have subtitles, so I would imagine the original did not have subtitles. I think it helps to have subtitles, as I had a hard time hearing the narration, otherwise.
A bit of trivia on this commercial (which is my personal fav ). The commercial was directed by Ridley Scott of 'Alien' fame. An extensive Wikipedia article provides lots of details.