Apple was founded on April 1, 1976, by two college dropouts, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Nearly five decades later, Apple has transformed into one of the most valuable tech companies in the world. It's renowned for its iconic products, including the iPhone, Apple Watch, and MacBook. Jobs and Wozniak set out to revolutionise the way people perceived computers, striving to create devices that were compact and user-friendly enough for everyone to use at home or in the office. Their journey began with the development of the Apple I computer in Jobs' garage, where Wozniak took on the role of the primary engineer.
He designed the hardware, including the internal circuit boards, and created the operating system on his own. Together, they assembled an initial batch of 50 Apple I computers, which, despite its rudimentary design—lacking a case, power supply, display, and keyboard—gained considerable popularity.
First personal computer
Following this was the Apple II, which became the first personal computer capable of displaying color graphics, largely thanks to Wozniak's engineering prowess. Released shortly after Apple was founded, the Apple II quickly became one of the first mass-produced personal computers to achieve significant success.
Steve Wozniak departure
Wozniak also played a crucial role in the early Macintosh project; however, a plane crash during take-off sidelined him for several months, interrupting his work. As the 1980s unfolded and Wozniak made his recovery, Apple’s leadership began to deprioritize the Apple II series. Having invested so much time in its development, Wozniak found this shift disheartening.
At that point, Wozniak expressed a longing to return to hands-on engineering rather than focusing on management tasks, leading him to decide to leave the company.
Steve Jobs departure
Shortly after Wozniak's departure, Jobs brought in John Sculley from PepsiCo to take on the role of president. However, their relationship soured, ultimately resulting in Jobs leaving Apple in 1985.
After parting ways with Apple, Jobs launched a new venture called NeXT Software and acquired Pixar from George Lucas. Pixar subsequently produced blockbuster animated films like Toy Story and Finding Nemo. Meanwhile, while Apple managed to thrive in the late 1980s, it began facing challenges under Sculley’s leadership. A notable misstep occurred when Sculley turned down a proposal from Bill Gates to license Microsoft's software, which opened the door for increased competition as Microsoft's Windows operating system began to rival Apple’s products.
Steve Jobs second tenure at Apple
Apple's popularity started to wane after peaking in 1990, leaving many experts concerned about the company's future by 1996. In a pivotal moment in 1997, needing a new operating system, Apple acquired NeXT Software and welcomed Jobs back as interim CEO. He implemented several key changes, including a partnership with Microsoft to develop a version of Microsoft Office for Macs. This collaboration played a crucial role in revitalising Apple’s offerings, paving the way for the launch of the iBook and later the iPod, which became a top-selling music player.
Apple’s ground breaking products
In 2007, Apple revolutionised the market with the introduction of the iPhone, a groundbreaking touchscreen phone that swiftly became one of its best-selling products. The company also launched the Apple TV and rebranded itself, changing its name from "Apple Computer" to "Apple Inc." to better reflect its expanding product range. Other notable additions to their lineup included the iPad and Apple Watch.
Additionally, Apple ventured into services with offerings such as the Apple Card, Apple News, Apple Arcade, and Apple TV+ for streaming original content. Although Steve Jobs tragically passed away on October 5, 2011, Apple has continued to flourish under the leadership of CEO Tim Cook. In 2018, Apple became the first company to achieve a valuation of one trillion dollars, and just two years later, its worth climbed to two trillion dollars.
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