Apple Inc.

	Main Article	Discussion	Related Articles  [?]	Bibliography  [?]	External Links  [?]	Citable Version  [?]
	This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer. [edit intro]

Apple Inc. (formerly known as Apple Computer) is an American corporation that primarily specializes in the creation of software, computers, and consumer electronics. The company's most notable products are the Macintosh line of computers, the Mac OS X operating system, the iPod media player, the iPhone, and the iPad.

Company history[edit]

Apple was founded by "the two Steves", Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976 in California as Apple Computer, Inc. The first product was a kit computer that sold in small numbers to hobbyists. After the release of the Apple II in 1977, Apple became one of the top three popular manufacturers of early personal computers (along with Commodore and Tandy) before the IBM PC and its clones caught on in the mid-1980s.

Apple's most significant and enduring achievement was the development of its Macintosh line of computers, released in 1984, which were the first mass-produced and successful systems with a mouse-driven graphical user interface (GUI). Apple desktop computers to this day still carry a variation on the name "Mac."

The success of Microsoft's Windows operating system, which provided a graphical interface for IBM PC-compatible computers, began to erode the distinctive characteristics of the Macintosh in the early 1990s. The release of Windows 95 was one of many factors that resulted in Apple's low point around 1996.

On January 9th, 2007, Steve Jobs announced Apple would remove the "Computer" from its name at the MacWorld Expo to reflect the company's diversification into consumer electronics markets.^[1]

Consumer loyalty[edit]

Apple has long benefited from an unusually high level of consumer devotion and product loyalty. This phenomenon is often referred to as the "Cult of Mac."

Apple Store[edit]

In 2001 Apple began building retail store locations around the world as an additional channel to sell their products and to offer live support. The stores are characterized by the same clean and simple design approach Apple applies to it's product lines.

References[edit]

Related Topics[edit]

• Microsoft
• Linux
• IBM

Subtopics[edit]

• Apple I
• Apple II
• Apple Lisa
• NeXT, a company founded by Steve Jobs after he left Apple
• iPod, Apple's portable music player
• iPhone, Apple's self-acclaimed next generation mobile device
• Mac OS X, Apple's current operating system
• Macintosh
• Steve Jobs

External Links[edit]

• Apple's Legal Woes
• Stock Option scandal
• All Macintosh models and peripherals produced - an overview