VOL 39: Apple Inc. History, Pre-foundation & Apple’s First Retailer-2
VOL 39: Apple Inc. History, Pre-foundation & Apple’s First Retailer-2
Apple Pre-Foundation
Hey Friends 🤓,
Trust you all had a great week 🤗?
This is the 2nd post in a blog series on Apple Inc. History, so for today, I'll begin at the company's inception.
Today at a Glance:
Quote of the WeekPre-foundationThe First Apple ComputerOrigin Of The Name AppleThe Byte Shop; Apple’s First RetailerPast Greats 👴Business & StartupsRandom FactsTweet of the Week
Quote of The Week
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”― — —
Henry Ford
Let’s sit back as we take a stroll down memory lane and brush up on how it all started for Apple.
Pre-foundation
The Two Steves
The founders of Apple Computer, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, are among the most well-known revolutionaries of the computing age. People's perceptions of what a computer could look like and what it could do to make their lives easier and their job more efficient were changed forever by their invention of the first true personal computer.
We all know Apple still remains one of the world's most popular brands of personal computing devices.
Steven Paul Jobs was born on February 24, 1955, in San Francisco, and was adopted by a couple in Los Altos, California, as an infant. When he was still in high school, he began attending lectures at Hewlett-Packard Co., he became particularly interested in the growing world of personal computers. This is where he met Wozniak and became friends with him.
Jobs and Woz (Steve Wozniak) were introduced in 1971 by Bill Fernandez, a mutual friend who later became one of Apple's first workers. Because of their shared affection for technology and pranks, the two Steves got along pretty smoothly.
He entered Reed College in Portland, Ore. in 1972, but he dropped out after one semester to work for Atari, a maker of video games. Stephen Gary Wozniak was born in San Jose, California, on August 11, 1950. He dropped out of the University of California, Berkeley, before completing his degree to work for Hewlett-Packard.
He and Jobs were active members of the Homebrew Computer Club in their hometown, where they debated and experimented with hardware and software, including video games. Both of them came to the realization that the personal computing revolution was about to heat up significantly.
The First Apple Computer
1976
So Wozniak independently built the first computer with a typewriter-like keyboard and the ability to connect to a regular television as a screen. The Apple I, as it was later known, was the forerunner of all modern computers, but Wozniak wasn't attempting to revolutionize the world with what he'd created.
He just wanted to brag about how much he'd accomplished with so few resources. Jobs observed Wozniak's computer and immediately recognized its brilliance. From there, Jobs became determined to start his own company to build computers for individuals, and he persuaded Wozniak to join him.
They sold some of their prized possessions – a Volkswagen minibus for Jobs and a programmable HP calculator for Wozniak – to raise $1300 to launch the company. In 1976, they built their first devices in Jobs' family garage.
The two Steves – Jobs and Wozniak – were Apple's most visible founders, but they were joined by a third co-founder, Ronald Wayne. Jobs brought in Wayne, his middle-aged friend at Atari to buy 10% of the company and stand by them. However, Wayne sold his stake 11 days later for $800, which is now worth more than $100 billion.
Yes, you read that correctly: 10% of Apple's current market value is around $100 billion!
Wayne had once started a slot machine company that failed, seeing Jobs planning to borrow and spend more money, Wayne became nervous, recalling the failure of his own company.
Apple then had been structured as a simple partnership rather than a corporation, the partners would be personally liable for the debts, Jobs and Wozniak had no personal assets, and Wayne was afraid potential creditors would go after him.
He later claimed he had no regrets.
He said, “I made the best decision for me at the time. Both of them were real whirlwinds, and I knew my stomach and it wasn’t ready for such a ride”.
The Origin of the Name "Apple"
Jobs and Wozniak had a day to come up with a name for the company, and they considered some traditional tech phrases, such as "Matrix," and some neologisms, such as "Executek," and some plain boring names, such as "Personal Computers Inc."
Jobs finally proposed the name "Apple Computer." He explained,
“I was on one of my fruitarian diets. I'd just returned from the apple farm. It sounded fun, spirited, and not at all intimidating. Plus it would also put us ahead of Atari in the phone book.”
He informed Wozniak that if they didn't come up with a better name by the next afternoon, they'd stick with Apple. That is exactly what they did.
The Byte Shop; Apple’s First Retailer
Jobs and Wozniak went back to Homebrew Computer Club shortly after they signed Apple into existence, they took the stage together for a presentation of their new product, and the audience was not very impressed.
But one important person stayed behind to hear more…
We’ll continue from here next week.
N.B: Some of these texts and quotes are from Steve Jobs's biography by Walter Isaacson.
PAST GREATS
HENRY FORD (1863 –1947)
One of America's most powerful industrialists, a business magnate, and the founder of the Ford Motor Company, as well as the principal developer of the assembly line method of mass manufacturing.
He transformed the vehicle from an expensive luxury into an affordable transport that significantly influenced the landscape of the 20th century by producing the first automobile that middle-class Americans could purchase.
His introduction of the Ford Model T automobile changed transportation and American industry forever. He rose to become one of the world's richest and most well-known people as the owner of Ford Motor Company. He is credited with "Fordism," the mass production of low-cost goods combined with high worker wages.
The automobile was not invented by Henry Ford. He didn't even come up with the concept of the assembly line. But, more than any other single person, he was responsible for transforming the automobile from an unknown utility invention into an innovation that profoundly shaped the 20th century and continues to have an impact on our lives today.
Henry launched a new era in American history: the automotive era, which he would completely control for the first two decades.
Business & Startups
Evarfinance is a Nigerian startup powered by the blockchain, that aims at helping individuals (remote workers) and businesses receive payments from anyone, anywhere in the world.
Evarfinance is that partner who helps drive seamless payments around the world by making cryptocurrency transactions simple. You are paid in stablecoins, and they assist you in transferring the funds to your local bank account.
You accept payments, market your products, and connect with clients wherever they are with Evarfinance. Users and clients do not need to be cryptocurrency experts; their services are similar to Stripe but for cryptocurrencies.
They are not fully live yet, but you can be part of their waiting list by clicking here
Random Facts
It’s still possible to visit the world’s first webpage on the internet. Click here to check it out.
Tweet of The Week
Enjoyed this piece? Please let me know by hitting the ❤ button. It brightens my day to see if my readers enjoy the content (it really does!). Thank you so much!
Enjoy your weekend.