Apple through the years: the rise of one of the world’s biggest brands

Tech giants, Apple, are one of the largest companies in the world in more ways than one: net worth, brand loyalty, the list goes on…

Here is a brief overview of Apple’s history — a timeline which illustrates how they grew to obtain the global presence they have today.

1976 Steve Jobs and Stephen Wozniak set up Apple in the garage in Jobs’ parents’ back garden. They sold various personal items in order to get the venture started. Wozniak built the Apple I by hand and Jobs suggested selling it — it went on sale in July 1976 at a price of $666.66.

1977 In June, the Apple II went on sale after being manufactured in Silicon Valley (and then in Texas). The Apple logo on the computer’s casing was rainbow striped because of its colour graphics. The Apple I was discontinued in October. Michael Scott named CEO.

1980 On December 12, Apple launched its initial public offering of its stock. There were 4.6 million shares going at $22 each, and they sold out almost immediately. The IPO generated the highest amount of money since Ford Motor Company’s IPO 24 years earlier, creating approximately 300 millionaires — the most any company had produced at that time. By the end of the day, Apple was left with a market value of $1.778 billion.

1984 On January 24, Jobs unveiled the Macintosh, a personal computer with a nine-inch monitor and a handle built in for easy transportation. It’s initial selling price was $2,495, and Apple sold 70,000 units in less than four months. It was eventually rebranded as the Macintosh 128k, and went on to have a huge impact on future technology.

1985 After several heated disagreement with CEO at the time, John Sculley — some of which are said to have been about disappointing sales figures — Jobs resigned when the board removed him as head of the Macintosh division and made him chairman.

1990 The Macintosh Classic was the first Macintosh product to launch with a starting price of $1,000 — they were able to do this after keeping manufacturing costs low. Sculley introduced the Classic on December 12, saying they ‘redesigned these computers from the ground up with the features customers have told us they value most’. Apple spent $40 million marketing the Classic to first-time buyers, and soon had difficulty keeping up with demand.

1997 Jobs officially re-joined Apple as interim CEO after having an influence over changes made to the board. He also announced that Apple had accepted $150 million investment from rivals, Microsoft. Apple was at an all-time low and Jobs wanted to be the one to turn it around.

1998 Apple’s announcement of the iMac caused controversy and anticipation; they positioned it as the most original new computer since the original Mac. Build with translucent, blue side panels, the iMac took a more modern appearance than previous Apple products.

2001 In 2001, Apple saw two milestones: the introduction of the iPod and the opening of its first retail store. At the time, iPods were only compatible with Macs, so sales were slow (until 2004). Its first retail stores opened on May 19 — one at Tysons Corner in McLean, Virginia, and the other at the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California.

2006 The original MacBook was released on June 28, available in black or white. The aluminium case we all know MacBooks to have today didn’t come until two years later.

2007 As Apple continued branching out into different forms of technology, they took the decision to changes their office name from ‘Apple Computer Inc.’ to ‘Apple Inc.’ in order to reflect their diversification. In 2007, Jobs also introduced the iPhone in a keynote address at the Macworld Conference & Expo held in San Francisco.

2010 Apple launched the iPad in America in April after unveiling plans to introduce a new tablet computer device the previous January. The device was widely praised, and labelled as a strong competitor for laptops and netbooks.

2011 After years of ill health, Jobs stepped down from his position as CEO in August. He died just two months later, in October 2011. Apple’s present CEO, Tim Cook, had already assumed his position by the time Jobs passed away.

2014 In May, Apple bought out headphone giants, Beats Electronics, for $3 billion, leading to much speculation about their future position in the music industry.

2015 After many rumours, Apple announced Apple Music, a new streaming service which would allow users exclusive access to content and features, including personalised playlists. It launched on June 30.

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