It has been 15 years since the last black and white compact Mac was sold (the Mac Classic II was discontinued in late 1993) and amazingly the shape of the original Mac is still in use. With or without the Apple logo, everyone knows what it represents.
I have seen it on greeting cards, on a banner at a local school in the computer lab, on products (I think it was TechTool that used a Classic on their box) and even on programs (MacTracker uses a Classic as its icon despite the fact that it covers much more recent models). Some people still think of the Classic/SE when they hear "Mac".
I still use my SE (which was actually sitting in a closet for two years until recently) and still find it to be the most "Maclike" of all the computers I have (with the LC coming awfully close). The monochrome screen, square mouse, unit form factor, floppy drive placement, and old-fashioned operating system (the SE is running System 6) all make me think of a "real Mac".