Apple Inc. ("apple") is a corporation with a special reputation. Thanks to innovative technologies, exceptional quality and aesthetic design of its products, this company has become a real cult among consumers of electronics. Tablet and personal computers, telephones, audio players, and Apple software all enjoy the same popularity all over the world. How was this legendary corporation created? Who was the ideological inspirer of her appearance? What was Apple originally called? You will learn about all this from this article.
First name of the corporation
Apple's Apple logo has become one of the most recognizable in the world. Around her name goes a lot of rumors and legends. Among the most common versions there are some really interesting ones. There is no disagreement about how Apple was originally called. The officially registered first name of the company is Apple Computer. She existed under this name for 30 years, until she was renamed simply Apple. This step was quite logical, by that time the corporation was not only producing computers. But why the company got the "apple" name? This is a topic ahead.
Why Apple
According to one version, Steve Jobs decided to dwell on the “apple” name because it automatically fell on the first lines of telephone directories, immediately before the name of Atari, the manufacturer of computer games. In addition, the apple symbolized the environmental friendliness of the company's products. Apple was one of the first to recycle old computer components. All this is true, but if you look at the first logo of the corporation, then the questions about how Apple was originally called, why it was called that way, other answers will arise. The symbol of the corporation was a man sitting under a tree, over whose head an apple hung menacingly. The plot resembles the story of Isaac Newton, right? So, the name of the company hinted at the extraordinary ingenuity inherent in its creators. In addition, the name of the company traces biblical motives. A bitten apple symbolizes temptation. And the popular Apple product line, the Macintosh, was named after the sort of apples that its creator, Jeff Ruskin, preferred.
How it all began
The history of Apple is fanned by rumors and legends. It all started back in 1970, when two comrades, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, created a personal computer based on the MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor. It was essentially a motherboard and looked very unpresentable. However, enterprising friends, one of whom (Wozniak) was a gifted electronics engineer, and the second (Jobs) had an outstanding commercial streak, they managed to sell several dozen of their products. With the proceeds in 1976, on April 1, a new company for the production of personal computers was officially registered. About what Apple was originally called, we already know.
A computer in every home
In 1976, the first Apple 1 microcomputer was launched. Apple's original products were not revolutionary at all. In parallel with it, personal computers were produced by Tandy Radio Shack and Commodore. However, it was the creators of Apple who managed to make their products so bright and desirable for people that they were happy to buy them. Steve Jobs introduced the idea into the consumer’s mind that a personal computer is a must-have item in every home. He ensured that computers became interesting not only to professional electronic engineers, but also to ordinary people. Apple has managed to make its brand legendary. Second-generation computers manufactured by this company have become the best-selling computers on the globe. At the turn of the 1970s and 1980s, more than five million electronic machines sold under the Apple brand were sold.
Sales problems
In 1980, confusion and reeling reigned in the office where Apple was located. Steve Jobs had to lose forty employees of the company, as the release of third-generation computers was extremely unsuccessful. However, at the same time, the company made the largest initial public offering on the stock exchange in history. But this did not save the situation. The press predicted the imminent disappearance of Apple. In 1983, Scully John, a talented top manager who previously held a similar position at PepsiCo, was invited to the post of president of the company. Between the main ideological inspirer of the corporation, Steve Jobs, and the new leader, friction immediately began.
Company development in the 1980s
In 1984, Apple's original products expanded with the new 32-bit Macintosh line. The production and sale of such equipment for two decades determined the main activity of the company. She produced computers based on Motorola processors with the Apple operating system installed on them, compatible only with corporate products of the corporation. In addition, the company has traditionally had strong positions in educational and government organizations, design and publishing. A little later, Apple gained a leading position in the music industry. The company was the first to equip its technology with a computer mouse and graphical user interface. In 1985, Reagan awarded Wozniak and Jobs medals for the development of technological progress.
Steve Jobs
In 1985, another fateful event in the history of the corporation happened. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was forced to leave due to disagreements with management. This man was distinguished by frenzied enthusiasm, an unbearable character, wild unscrupulousness and incredible charm. He knew how to inspire the craziest enterprises. Only Jobs could convince the board to give $ 750, 000 to a newfangled director (Ridley Scott) for filming a movie advertising Apple III computers, and pay even more for one minute of super-expensive airtime during the broadcast of the American Football Super Cup. Original Apple products at that time were an order of magnitude worse than those of competitors. But they bought it! It took the consumer several months to understand that a bright mediocre computer with a black and white interface and only fifty programs was hidden behind a bright advertising wrapper. And the story of how crazy Jobs leaked to the Xerox PARC secret research center and brought out some revolutionary ideas from there (a computer mouse, text editor, etc.) is still the largest theft in the history of the computer industry. However, the methods used by Apple's legendary co-founder were too original. Therefore, when Apple III computer sales fell sharply, Steve Jobs was asked to leave the company.
Company development in the 1990s
Under the strategically correct and technically sound leadership of John Scully, Apple lasted for many years. The development of the company, however, slowed down every year. And by the end of the 1990s, her affairs became very bad. Within two years (from 1995 to 1997), losses from sales rose to 1.86 billion dollars. Apple was going through hard times. Her ideological mastermind, folly and adventurer Steve Jobs was invited to return. He took another giant step in the development of the company. He began to search for new markets not related to the production of computer equipment, and in this sphere he surpassed himself.
Multimedia Revolution in the 2000s
The chronicle of events at this time looks something like this:
- 2001 - iPod audio player - Apple introduced a portable media player to consumers. He struck the imagination of people with minimal size and impressive capabilities.
- 2003 - iTunes Store - the company opened an online multimedia store where you can download AAC media content played on Apple devices for a minimal fee.
- 2007 - iPhone - the company entered the market with its own mobile phone. This touchscreen smartphone was swept from the shelves for any money. It is very popular so far.
Our days
In the 2010s, Apple’s authority in multimedia technology became recognized and undeniable. In order to finally establish itself in this field, the corporation released in 2010 a tablet computer, the famous iPad. This product in terms of sales broke all records. Over 28 million tablets were sold in 28 days. For comparison: the first iPhones bought almost three times slower. They overcame the mark of one million in 72 days. Steve Jobs claimed that on the first day, 300, 000 iPads were sold, 250, 000 e-books and about 1 million apps downloaded. In the wake of an unprecedented demand for Apple products, its financial situation has improved dramatically. In 2011, it was recognized as the world's most expensive market capitalization corporation, overtaking the well-known oil company ExxonMobil. In 2012, Apple's stock price growth peaked at $ 705.07. However, by 2013, the company's market capitalization fell by 37.6% and is now constantly fighting for the title of the most expensive company in the world with ExxonMobil.
The company constantly surprises consumers with innovative products. In 2013, Apple released a 64-bit dual-core ARM microprocessor. In 2014, a new personal device appeared on the market - the Apple Watch.
Apple Headquarters
Cupertino, the city where Apple is located, is located in Silicon Valley. The corporate headquarters is sometimes also called the "campus" due to its large size and external resemblance to American campuses. It occupies approximately six dozen buildings. The six largest of them, on Infinite Loop, have their main offices. They are the face of Apple. Everything calls for “thinking differently”: light rooms clogged with cutting-edge technology, laboratories that test wireless communications, billboards and stands in light-flooded enormous vestibules. There are also gyms, a cafe and a shop selling branded products that are instantly bought up by clouds of tourists. The place where Apple is located will soon be replenished with a second campus, designed for 13 thousand people. It will look like a spaceship of silver light. It is planned to set up a park inside. This amazing project was developed with the direct participation of Steve Jobs.
