History of Apple Inc.

Current Apple Inc. logo, introduced in 1998, discontinued in 2000, and re-established in 2014[1]

Apple Inc., originally Apple Computer, Inc., is a multinational corporation that creates and markets consumer electronics and attendant computer software, and is a digital distributor of media content. Apple's core product lines are the iPhone smartphone, iPad tablet computer, and the Mac personal computer. The company offers its products online and has a chain of retail stores known as Apple Stores. Founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne created Apple Computer Co. on April 1, 1976, to market Wozniak's Apple I desktop computer,[2] and Jobs and Wozniak incorporated the company on January 3, 1977,[3] in Cupertino, California.

For more than three decades, Apple Computer was predominantly a manufacturer of personal computers, including the Apple II, Macintosh, and Power Mac lines, but it faced rocky sales and low market share during the 1990s. Jobs, who had been ousted from the company in 1985, returned to Apple in 1997 after his company NeXT was bought by Apple.[4] The following year he became the company's interim CEO,[5] which later became permanent.[6] Jobs subsequently instilled a new corporate philosophy of recognizable products and simple design, starting with the original iMac in 1998.

With the introduction of the successful iPod music player in 2001 and iTunes Music Store in 2003, Apple established itself as a leader in the consumer electronics and media sales industries, leading it to drop "Computer" from the company's name in 2007. The company is also known for its iOS range of smartphone, media player, and tablet computer products that began with the iPhone, followed by the iPod Touch and then iPad. As of June 30, 2015, Apple was the largest publicly traded corporation in the world by market capitalization,[7] with an estimated value of US$1 trillion as of August 2, 2018.[8] Apple's worldwide annual revenue in 2010 totaled US$65 billion, growing to US$127.8 billion in 2011[9] and $156 billion in 2012.[10]

  1. ^ Anisimova, Milena (March 8, 2022). "Apple Logo History: All About Apple Logo Evolution". The Designest. Archived from the original on June 24, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "Apple Computer Company Partnership Agreement" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 28, 2019.
  3. ^ "FAQ". Apple Investor Relations. Apple Inc. Apple Corporate Info. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  4. ^ "Apple Computer, Inc. Finalizes Acquisition of NeXT Software Inc". Apple Inc. February 7, 1997. Archived from the original on July 24, 2001. Retrieved June 25, 2006.
  5. ^ "Apple Formally Names Jobs as Interim Chief". The New York Times. September 17, 1997. Archived from the original on November 17, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  6. ^ Norr, Henry (January 6, 2000). "MacWorld Expo/Permanent Jobs/Apple CEO finally drops 'interim' from title". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  7. ^ "Financial Times". Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  8. ^ "Apple is first public company worth $1 trillion". BBC News. August 2, 2018. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  9. ^ Goldman, David (February 29, 2012). "At $500 billion, Apple is worth more than Poland – Feb. 29, 2012". Money.cnn.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  10. ^ "2012 Apple Form 10-K". October 31, 2012. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2012.