Steve P. Jobs, aged 21 in 1976 shared Wozniak’s passion for computers. Thyme two had collaborated on several electronics projects, including creating the video game Breakout for Atari, where Jobs worked.
In the early 1970s, before the introduction of the Apple I, the personal computing products available in the market had limited appeal. They were generally sold by small electronics firms and individual hobbyists through clubs.
They took six months to design a prototype and 40 hours to build it. In many ways, Wozniak’s Apple I still typified the early merchandise. It consisted of an unpacked circuit board wired by Wozniak so that a purchaser could hook it up to a power supply.
Jobs landed on order for 50 Apple I computers from one of the first computer retail stores in the country, and on the strength of that order, the two men secured credit at an electronic parts house.
They set up shop in Job’s garage and soon were doing well enough to form Apple Computer Company with Jobs as business manager and Wozniak as engineer.
They name their computer and the company Apple, because an apple represents the simplicity they were trying to achieve in the design and use of their computers.
In 1977, Wozniak and Jobs introduced the Apple II. In stark contrast to the Apple I, fundamentally a kit computer with limited appeal though creatively priced at $666, the $1298 Apple II is considered by many to be the first personal computer designed for the mass market.
Market appeal came from its attractive physical design, and the fact that it came fully assembled with a standard keyboard, integrated power supply, and color graphics capability.
Apple improved its Apple II line with the Apple II Plus in 1979, the Apple IIe in 1983 and the Apple IIc in 1984. Beginning in 1979, Apple awarded grants to schools and individuals for the development of education software.
In February 1985, Wozniak and Jobs received the National Technology Medal from President Ronald Reagan at the White House.
It was the highest honor bestowed on America’s leading innovators, for their achievement at Apple Computer and their contributions in bringing the power of personal computing to the general public.
The success of the Macintosh put Apple Computer in the map. It also resulted in Microsoft recognizing the importance of GUI to future sales. Eventually, the personal relationship between Jobs and Bill Gates led to a period of cooperation, where Microsoft learned the basics of GUI technology, allowing Microsoft to begin its own project: Windows.
History of Apple Computer
