Everyone knows the brand called Apple. It is one of the biggest tech company in the world. It was established in 1976 and for 40 years it has churned out mind blowing innovations that has thrilled everyone across the six continents. Interestingly, Apple seems to be waxing stronger because there is no end in sight to its quality and innovation. It will therefore not be out of place to take a sneak peek at the history of Apple while pointing out some of few things you may not know about this flourishing and burgeoning tech giant.
April 1, 1976, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne formed Apple
The company was formed by three men – Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The two Steves were members of the Homebrew Computer Club. They agreed to establish Apple at Job’s garage on April 1, 1976 and this led to the floating of one of the most innovative technology and sophisticated companies in the world. However Ronald left after only 12 days, receiving $800.
Apple I was Apple’s first gadget
Apple I was the first gadget developed by Apple. They used the limited resources and technology knowhow available to them as at that time. So, it was not up to scratch but serve its purpose as a computer. Apple I computer sold for $666.66. Today, this same computer is sold for a mouthwatering sum of $200,000.
Apple goes public
Apple had crawled out of its humble beginnings in a garage to announce itself as a global player in technology. Sequel to this, they invited the public to invest in Apple on Dec 12, 1980. Apple’s shares cost $22 as at then. Today Apple is valued at $600 billion and its shares cost $109.99.
Apple vs. The Beatles battle over competing trademark
Yes! Apple had a legal battle with one of the greatest boy bands in the world-the Beatles. The Beatles accused Apple of using the logo and name of their record label, Apple Corp for Apple Computer-now Apple Inc. They reached an out-of-court settlement whereby Apple used the name strictly for their tech business while Apple Corp adopted it for their music. Despite this, there were several court cases but the legal battle was finally put to rest in 2007.
iPhone makes its debut
In 2007, Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple stepped out to unveil iPhone to the world. The quality and sophistication of these phones launched Apple as a serious tech company. Now several series of iPhone have been introduced. And last year, Apple sold 700 million iPhones. These is perhaps Apple’s biggest device so far.
Apple takes on the government
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) got a court injunction that ordered Apple to unlock an iPhone used by one of the shooters in the San Bernardino attack. This did not go down well with Apple has they decided to challenge the injunction. However, the FBI withdrew the case as they were able to unlock the phone with the help of a third party. Other tech companies supported Apple’s stance stressing that the FBI was looking to set a precedence that it could reference when such a situation or case arises again.
