# History of Apple Computer ## Founding (1976) Apple was founded on April 1, 1976, by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in Los Altos, California. Wozniak designed the Apple I, a single-board computer, which Jobs sold to hobbyists through the Homebrew Computer Club. Wayne sold his 10% stake back to the other two founders just twelve days later for $800. ## The Apple II and early growth (1977–1980) The Apple II, released in 1977, was one of the first successful mass-produced personal computers, with a color display and an open architecture that encouraged third-party software. VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet program, launched on the Apple II in 1979 and drove sales into businesses and homes. Apple went public in December 1980, creating more instant millionaires than any IPO before it. ## Macintosh and Jobs's departure (1983–1985) The Lisa (1983) introduced a graphical user interface and mouse to Apple's lineup but was too expensive to succeed commercially. The Macintosh, launched in January 1984 with the famous "1984" Super Bowl ad directed by Ridley Scott, brought the GUI to a mass audience. Internal power struggles with CEO John Sculley led to Jobs's resignation from Apple in 1985. ## The wilderness years (1985–1996) Without Jobs, Apple released successful products like the PowerBook laptop line and the System 7 operating system, but also struggled with an expanding, inconsistent product line and rising competition from Microsoft Windows. Jobs founded NeXT and separately Pixar during this period. Apple's market share and financial health declined through the mid-1990s. ## Jobs's return and turnaround (1996–2000) Apple acquired NeXT in 1997 for its operating system technology, bringing Jobs back as an advisor and soon interim CEO. Jobs killed off unprofitable product lines, struck a controversial investment deal with Microsoft, and introduced the iMac in 1998, a colorful, all-in-one computer that revived the company's fortunes and design identity. ## The iPod and digital lifestyle era (2001–2006) Apple launched the iPod in 2001 and iTunes Music Store in 2003, transforming the company into a consumer electronics and media powerhouse well beyond computers. Mac OS X, released in 2001, gave the company a modern, Unix-based operating system foundation still in use today. ## iPhone and iPad (2007–2011) The iPhone, introduced in January 2007, redefined the smartphone and became Apple's most important product. The App Store followed in 2008, creating a new software economy. The iPad launched in 2010, establishing the modern tablet category. Steve Jobs died on October 5, 2011, shortly after resigning as CEO; Tim Cook succeeded him. ## The Tim Cook era (2011–present) Under Cook, Apple became the first U.S. company to reach $1 trillion (2018), then $2 trillion (2020), and later $3 trillion in market capitalization. Key milestones include the Apple Watch (2015), AirPods (2016), the transition to Apple Silicon chips in Macs (2020), and the Vision Pro headset (2024). Apple has increasingly emphasized services revenue (Apple Music, iCloud, Apple TV+) alongside hardware, and has faced growing regulatory scrutiny over the App Store and antitrust issues worldwide.