The early years
In 1976, 21 year old Steve Jobs convinced computer Engineer Steve Woz Wizniak to quit his job, and together in Job’s Cupertino, CA home they began work on an inexpensive, simple to use computer. Unlike IBM and other industrial PC makers, Jobs and Wizniak wanted to focus on the consumer PC segment.
The Apple I was released on April First and sold for $666.00 at the local electronics store. Within a few short years, Apple would revolutionize the computing world.
Apple II, released a year later in 1977, improved several aspects of the original model as well as offering features to make it more attractive to non-computer users. It was this model and its subsequent iterations that turned the garage hacks into millionaires.
80’s and 90’s
Fast forward to the 1984 Super bowl and a Ridley Scott directed commercial for the company. The advertisement depicted George Orwell’s 1984 dystopian with IBM as big brother and Apple as the female heroine. The PR spread like wildfire, and it established a motif that would run through Apple’s marketing through to their present day battles with Microsoft.
The late 80s and early 90s saw the company take on new investors and a board of directors. Struggling to form an identity, and losing Steve Jobs for several years, saw the company lose its profitability for a time.
By August 15, 1998, things began to change. Apple released their iMac and its success exorcised the demons of the failed Apple Portable and the Newton PDA.
A company for the New Millennium
The new millennium saw Apple’s redesigned operation system make its first release. Mac OS X harnessed the power of UNIX while offering a more streamlined, user friendly GUI. Paired with iMac the company returned to profitability.
Later that year the first iPod portable digital audio player was released, marking a landmark for the company. The phenomenal success of the iPod laid the foundations for future products including the Apple iPhone, MacBook and Apple iPad.
Key Products in Apple Today
While the Apple II and Macintosh computers played an important role in the history of Apple, the iPod, Iphone and Ipad, along with their software platform itunes, represent the key products for Apple in the modern marketplace.
In June 2010 the iPhone 4 broke records with over 600 000 registered preorders. Furthermore, the company claims to have sold 18.6 million iPhones in the first three months of 2011, as the companies stock continues to rise.
With some 46,600 employees worldwide, a significant rise from 32,000 in 2008, Apple continues to boost its profile in the U.S. and abroad. Apple’s second fiscal quarter earnings, which came out in April 2011, posted revenues of $24.67 billion with a net of $5.99 billion. By way of comparison, Microsoft’s net income was only 5.23 billion. Truly, one can understand why consumers and investors alike are so fond of the company which has revolutionized technology in several meaningful ways.
About the author: Matt Fuller writes about various technologies ranging from free dating sites, social networking, free online dating and social platforms including dating websites and chat room and virtual technology.