History of Apple Inc.

Study Notes

Founding of Apple

Apple was founded on April 1, 1976, by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in a garage in Palo Alto, California.
The company was founded with the financial help of Ronald Wayne, who later sold his 10% stake for $800.

Early Days

Steve Jobs met Steve Wozniak at Atari, where they both worked as video game programmers.
Steve Jobs traveled to India for eight months to study Buddhism, and upon his return, he worked again at Atari.
Steve Wozniak had the knowledge to make a computer, and Jobs saw an opportunity to make money by creating a personal computer.

Apple I

Apple I computers were launched in 1976, selling for $666.66 each, without a monitor, keyboard, or case.
The Apple I was sold to The Byte Shop, and Jobs and Wozniak received 45% each of the profit, while Wayne received 10%.

Apple II and III

Apple II was launched in 1977, with its own monitor, open architecture, and colorful graphics, and was very successful.
Apple III was launched in 1980 in collaboration with IBM.

Graphical User Interface

In 1983, Steve Jobs launched the Apple Lisa, the first personal computer with a graphical interface, but it was a commercial failure due to its high price and limited applications.

Macintosh and John Sculley

In 1984, Apple launched the Macintosh 128K, which was successful initially but later dropped in sales due to its high price, low speed, and software limitations.
John Sculley, president of PepsiCo, was appointed as CEO by Steve Jobs, but the two had differing visions, leading to Jobs' departure from Apple in 1985.

NeXT and Return to Apple

Steve Jobs founded NeXT and developed the NeXTSTEP Operating System, which was later bought by Apple for $430 million.
In 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple as CEO and led the company's turnaround.

Resurgence of Apple

In 1998, Apple launched the iMac, which sold over 800,000 units in the first five months.
In 2001, Apple launched the iPod, and in 2003, they launched iTunes, which became the market leader.
In 2007, Apple launched the iPhone, and in 2010, they launched the iPad.

Post-Steve Jobs Era

Steve Jobs passed away in 2011 due to pancreatic cancer, and Tim Cook took over as CEO.
Under Tim Cook, Apple launched Siri in 2011 and the Apple Watch in 2015.
As of 2021, Apple is one of the most valuable companies in the world, with a net value of $65.34 billion and a market capitalization of $2.08 trillion.

Description

This quiz covers the founding of Apple, early days of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Apple I, II, and III, graphical user interface, Macintosh, and the resurgence of Apple. Learn about the company's history, from its inception to becoming one of the most valuable companies in the world.