The last 30 years have been interesting ones for Apple Computer , with the company moving from a Los Altos , Calif. , bedroom to a broad campus in Cupertino . How did the company get from there to here ? Here are three decade ’s worth of events that avail shape Apple , turn it into the troupe we know today .
Which of these events were the most vital 1 in Apple ’s history?Apple Confidential 2.0author Owen W. Linzmayer list his choices for the 30 most pivotal events of the past 30 class in this Macworld UK article .
1976
Jan : Steve Wozniak , 26 , work at Hewlett - Packard while next Apple cofounder Steve Jobs , 21 , labors at Atari .
March : Wozniak and Jobs create the Apple I — a reckoner lap board without a keyboard , a case , speech sound , or graphics .
AprilWozniak and Jobs form Apple Computer Company on April Fools ’ Day . The Apple I debuts in Palo Alto , California , at the Homebrew Computer Club .
In Other News : The United States celebrates its bicentenary ; Jimmy Carter defeat Gerald Ford in the U.S. presidential election ; Viking I land on Mars .
1977
February : Michael Scott becomes Apple ’s Chief Executive .
AprilApple unveils the Apple II — the first PC with color graphics — at the first West Coast Computer Faire . It includes a keyboard , a power provision , and a snazzy case .
April : Rob Janov , an art director at Regis McKenna , Apple ’s public - relations agency , designs the fellowship ’s novel logo : a silhouette of a bitten apple with six colour stripes .
JuneThe Apple II becomes available to the public . It let in 4 K of standard retention , two game paddles , and a demo cassette ( price : $ 1,298 ) .
In Other News : Elvis Presley dies ; the TV miniseriesRootsdraws an audience of 130 million ; the New York Yankees win the first of two consecutive World Series championship over the Los Angeles Dodgers .
1978
March : Apple introduce interface poster for unite its computers to most printers .
JuneThe Apple Disk II , a miniature floppy - platter private road , unveiling at the Consumer Electronics Show ( cost : $ 595 ) .
In Other news program : Sony introduces the Walkman ; the comic comic strip “ Garfield ” debuts;The Star Wars Christmas Specialairs on television receiver for the first — and only — time .
1979
MaySoftware Arts unveil VisiCalc , an electronic spreadsheet . One of the first “ slayer apps , ” it help goad sales of the Apple II .
May : Apple employee Jef Raskin proposes a new project : an all - in - one computer aimed at the average someone .
September : Apple ’s board sanction a formal research project for Raskin ’s proposal .
November : Steve Jobs and software engineer Bill Atkinson visit the Xerox PARC research laboratory in Palo Alto , California . More Apple employees will visit a month afterwards . The visits will urge development of both the Lisa and the Macintosh .
In Other News : Susan B. Anthony dollar debuts ; Voyager I photographs Jupiter ’s band ; ESPN begins disseminate .
1980
March : Apple FORTRAN is introduced . It becomes a catalyst for high - level expert and educational applications .
MayAt the National Computer Conference , Apple harbinger the Apple III , which feature a new operating system , a built - in disk controller , and four peripheral expansion slot . Rushed production and piteous direction from Steve Jobs lead to missed ship dates , carrying into action problems , and dissatisfactory sales ( price : $ 4,300-$7,800 ) .
December : Apple lead public . Morgan Stanley and Hambrecht & Quist subvent an IPO of 4.6 million part of Apple common stock priced at $ 22 per share . It ’s the largest initial public oblation since Ford ’s , in 1956 .
In Other word : Ronald Reagan is elect president ; Ted Turner launches CNN ; the United States defeats the Soviet Union in the “ Miracle on Ice ” plot at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid .
1981
January : Steve Jobs joins Raskin ’s Macintosh project .
February : Chiat / Day let Apple ’s advertising account after it buy Regis McKenna ’s ad military operation .
March : Mike Markkula replaces Mike Scott as president ; Jobs come through Markkula as chairperson . Scott becomes vice chairperson .
July : Apple launches a television ad safari with talk - show innkeeper Dick Cavett as its spokesman .
September : Apple ’s first mass storage system , the 5 Bachelor of Medicine ProFile hard disk , is introduce ( monetary value : $ 3,499 ) .
In Other News : U.S. hostages are freed from Iran ; Walter Cronkite signs off asCBS Evening Newsanchor ; MTV debuts .
1982
July : orchard apple tree rolls out the Apple Dot Matrix printing machine ( damage : $ 2,195 ) .
December : Apple becomes the first PC Godhead to strive $ 1 billion in annual sale .
In Other News : An artificial heart is transplanted into a human being for the first sentence ; the space bird Columbia fill out its first charge ; Joe Montana leads the San Francisco 49ers to their first Super Bowl title .
1983
January : orchard apple tree introduces the Lisa ( price : $ 9,995 ) .
April : Apple hires John Sculley , former president of Pepsi - Cola , as its novel President of the United States and CEO .
May : Apple joins the Fortune 500 .
November : AppleWorks , an integrated parcel containing word processing , spreadsheet , and database lotion , hits the market .
December : Apple releases the ImageWriter printing machine ( Leontyne Price : $ 675 ) .
In Other News : Sally Ride becomes the first U.S. woman cosmonaut in space ; the compact disk is introduced ; Tokyo Disneyland , the first Disney theme park outside the U.S. , open up .
1984
January : The landmark “ 1984 ” commercial introduces the Macintosh during Super Bowl XVIII ( won by the Los Angeles Raiders ) .
January : The Mac make its debut at Apple ’s yearly shareholder meeting ( price : $ 2,495 ) .
January : The first issue ofMacworld , featuring Steve Jobs on the cover , hits newsstands ( terms : $ 4 ) .
Jan : Microsoft unloose Word 1.0 for Mac .
September : Apple ships the Macintosh 512 K ( price : $ 3,195 ) .
In Other word : Federal regulators break up Bell System ; President Reagan is re - elect , kill Walter Mondale ; the Supreme Court govern that tap telecasting shows on VCRs is not a violation of copyright law of nature .
1985
January : The first Macworld Expo is hold at San Francisco ’s Moscone Center .
January : Apple releases the Apple LaserWriter ( terms : $ 7,000 ) .
April : Malus pumila introduces the ImageWriter II , the HD-20 hard disk , and the Apple Personal Modem .
April : FileMaker 1.0 , developed by Nashoba Systems and issue by Forethought , makes its Mac entry .
April : Apple releases System 2.0 .
April : Apple formally discontinue the Lisa , now named the Macintosh XL .
July : Aldus give up PageMaker , a page - layout program that show in the screen background - publishing era .
September : Microsoft present Excel for Mac .
In Other News : Microsoft ship Windows 1.0 ; Coca - Cola changes the normal of its voiced drinkable , releasing “ New Coke ” ; the Leontyne Price of a first - class postage stamp postage stamp rise 2 cents to 22 cents .
1986
Jan : orchard apple tree releases System 3.0 .
January : Malus pumila releases the Macintosh Plus . The first Mac to admit a SCSI larboard , it was drive at respond charge that the original Mac was n’t expansible ( price : $ 2,600 ) .
In Other News : Steve Jobs vest $ 10 million in a Lucasfilm segmentation diagnose Pixar ; a Mac Plus reach a memorable cameo inStar Trek IV : The Voyage Home ; the first Nintendo video games get in in the U.S.
1987
January : New desktop communication products let in the AppleShare file - host software ( cost : $ 799 ) and the AppleTalk PC Card ( monetary value : $ 399 ) .
March : The Macintosh II — which is both the first color Mac and the first NuBus Mac — debuts ( price : $ 3,989-$5,498 ) .
marching music : Apple releases arrangement 4.0 .
April : QuarkXPress debuts .
JulyMicrosoft releases PowerPoint 1.0 . The Mac rendering of the presentation software appear some three years before its Windows opposite number .
October : Malus pumila discharge organisation 4.2 and Finder 6.0 , combining both in System 5.0 .
In Other newsworthiness : The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummet nearly 23 percent in a individual day on Black Monday ; 93,173 people serve WrestleMania III at the Pontiac Silverdome , the big indoor gathering in U.S. history ; the world population tops 5 billion .
1988
Jan : Microsoft launches Windows 2.03 , feature Mac - alike icons and overlapping window .
March : Apple files a federal lawsuit against Microsoft claiming right of first publication violation .
June : Apple publish System 6.0 .
In Other News : George Bush defeats Michael Dukakis in the U.S. presidential election ; Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson is denudate of his 100 - meter - dah gold ribbon after test positive for steroid ; U2 wins an Album of the Year Grammy for “ The Joshua Tree . ”
1989
February : The Beatles ’ Apple Corps transcription society sues Apple Computer for merchandising products with euphony - synthesize capableness , take a violation of a 1981 trademark - coexistence pact . It wo n’t be the last legal difference between the two Apples .
June : Microsoft release berth 1.0 .
September : Apple releases the Macintosh Portable ( price : $ 6,500 ) .
In Other news show : The Berlin Wall falls;Seinfelddebuts , as doesThe Simpsons ; “ Dilbert ” set out appearing in syndication .
1990
February : Adobe introduces Photoshop .
March : The Macintosh IIfx debuts ( price : $ 10,000-$12,000 ) .
November : Michael Spindler becomes Apple ’s president .
In Other News : The first known WWW page is written ; Buster Douglas knocks out Mike Tyson to pull ahead the heavyweight boxing title ; the first McDonald ’s in Moscow opens .
1991
March : low-spirited - monetary value printer , include the StyleWriter and the Personal LaserWriter LS , debut .
May : Malus pumila announce QuickTime , a new system of rules - package computer architecture for the consolidation of dynamic media .
May : scheme 7.0 ships .
OctoberThe PowerBook 100 first appearance ( terms : $ 2,500 ) .
Powerbook 100
In Other intelligence : The Soviet Union breaks up ; Nirvana releases its“Nevermind ” record album ; Gopher , a user - well-disposed Internet Interface , debuts at the University of Minnesota .
1992
April : Microsoft expel Windows 3.1 ; it became one of the first wide used PC GUI operating systems .
May : IBM , Motorola , and Apple team up to make the PowerPC family of single - microchip , reduced statement solidifying computing gadget ( RISC ) microprocessors .
In Other tidings : Bill Clinton defeat President Bush ; the Toronto Blue Jays become the first Canadian team to advance a World Series title ; Johnny Carson steps down asTonight Showhost .
1993
June : Michael Spindler becomes chief executive officer . John Sculley bear on as Apple chairman .
August : orchard apple tree launch the Newton MessagePad handheld .
August : A federal judge push aside Apple ’s Windows 2.03 lawsuit against Microsoft . The decision is upheld on appeal .
October : John Sculley renounce . Mike Markkula is elected chairman .
In Other News : Mosaic , a programme for graze the World Wide Web , is released ; Michael Jordan begins a year - and - a - one-half - long “ retreat ” from professional basketball ; Dominos Pizza abolish its 30 - minutes - or - your - pizza - is - gratuitous guaranty .
1994
Power Mac 6100
March : PowerPC C.P.U. make their Mac debut , with the spillage of the Power Mac 6100 ( monetary value : $ 1,700 ) .
marching music : Apple foretell that Copland , its next - genesis operating system , will embark in 1995 and be followed by another OS , code - name Gershwin , in 1996 . It does n’t and it wo n’t .
November : The Mac tops the 100MHz mark , with the PowerPC 601 - power Power Mac 8100 .
In Other news show : project skater Nancy Kerrigan is snipe before the Olympian trials ; Major League Baseball player go on smash , canceling the World Series;ERandFriendspremiere on NBC .
1995
February : The Supreme Court decline to look back Apple ’s right of first publication - misdemeanor case against Microsoft , finish the seven - year effectual difference .
May : The Power Mac 9500 ship ( price : $ 5,300 ) .
June : Apple launches eWorld , an online service . After failing to catch on , eWorld shuts down in March 1996 .
September : Apple ’s 1995 financial - year sales event top $ 11 billion .
October : The first multiprocessor Mac ships — but not from Apple . DayStar Digital ’s DayStar Genesis MP 528 features four 132MHz PowerPC 604 processors ( price : $ 10,000 ) .
In Other News : Microsoft give up Windows 95;Toy Storyhits theater ; Pixar go public , with Steve Jobs ’ shares deserving an forecast $ 1.17 billion ;
1996
February : Gil Amelio becomes the chairman and CEO of Apple , supervene upon Michael Spindler .
February : Apple attempts to enter the high - end server market place with the web Server 500 and 700 .
May : Internet Explorer 2.0 — the first Mac version of Microsoft ’s Web web web browser — ship .
August : Apple draw into the multiprocessor plot with the dual-180MHz Power Mac 9500 . Apple wo n’t release another treble - processor auto for four years .
August : Apple ends development of Copland and Gershwin .
December : Apple buy Next and its atomic number 76 , NextStep .
In Other News : Bill Clinton wins a 2nd terminal figure , defeating Bob Dole ; Jeff Goldblum saves the daytime with the assistant of a PowerBook 5300 inIndependence Day ; broadcasters and electronics makers agree on a high - definition telly banner .
1997
Jan : Steve Jobs returns to Apple as an advisor .
January : Malus pumila unveils design for a young OS that incorporates NextStep ; it ’s code - named Rhapsody .
May : To strike out its 20th day of remembrance as a company , Apple expel the 20th Anniversary Macintosh ( price : $ 10,000 ) .
The twentieth Anniversary Mac
May : Apple announces plans to spin out off Newton as a completely possess subsidiary .
July : Gil Amelio quit from Apple .
August : The satellite - beamed picture of Bill Gates share the Macworld Expo stage with Jobs , as Microsoft and Apple announce a five - year technology bond .
August : Mac OS 8 ship .
August : MacworldandMacUsermerge into a individual magazine .
September : Jobs becomes Apple ’s interim CEO .
September : In a move that defeat off the Mac clone food market , Apple corrupt Power Computing for $ 100 million .
In Other News : The first “ Harry Potter ” account book is published in the U.K. ; the Pathfinder space probe lands Mars ; the television ratings system debuts on broadcast and cable web .
1998
FebruaryApple regroup Claris into a standalone subsidiary called FileMaker . It also ends Newton developing .
MayApple unveils a revised OS scheme , change the name of its next - coevals OS to OS X.
June : Umax take out out of the Mac - clone market place .
August : orchard apple tree ships the first iMac ( price : $ 1,299 ) .
In Other News : Microsoft releases Windows 98 ; the New York Yankees win the first of three consecutive World Series titles;Titanicwins a phonograph record - draw 11 Academy Awards .
1999
January : The Power Mac G3 follow out ( price : $ 1,599-$4,999 ) .
Power Mac G3
Jan : The iMac add raw flavors — blueberry bush , tangerine , grape , calcium hydroxide , and strawberry , to be exact . In the next few years , Apple ’s consumer bank line will go through numerous color teddy , include indigo plant , sage , ruby , blow , and ( inexplicably ) Blue Dalmatian .
April : Apple issue Final Cut Pro .
September : The iBook hit the market ( monetary value $ 1,599 ) .
September : The G4 chip shot becomes the processor for Power Macs ( cost : $ 1,599-$3,499 ) .
October : OS 9 ships .
In Other news show : Noah Wyle star as Steve Jobs in the goggle box moviePirates of Silicon Valley ; Napster debuts ; Wayne Gretzky retires .
2000
Jan : Steve Jobs drops the “ interim ” ticket from his chief operating officer title and shows off OS X ’s Aqua port in populace for the first metre .
July : The Power Mac G4 Cube debuts ( price : $ 1,799-$2,299 ) .
September : The public gets its hands on a beta version of OS X.
In Other News : George W. Bush ( eventually ) wins the U.S. presidential election ; America Online buy Time Warner for $ 165 billion ; a judge harness that Microsoft violated the Sherman Antitrust Act .
2001
January : The PowerBook G4 Ussher in Apple ’s shining - alloy feel ( Mary Leontyne Price : $ 2,599-$3,499 ) .
March : OS X debuts .
July : The G4 Cube becomes Apple ’s considerably - looking failure : the company stop output .
September : The new operating organisation make a bad needed update with OS X 10.1 .
October : Apple enters the portable - music business , unveiling the first iPod music player .
In Other News : Wikipedia go online ; Microsoft releases Windows XP ; The first of threeLord of the Ringsmovies pip theaters .
2002
January : The flat - panel G4 iMac entry ; Apple sound out the CRT officially numb ( toll : $ 1,299-$1,799 ) .
January : OS X becomes the default operating arrangement for all new Macs .
April : To appeal to teaching customers , Apple announce the eMac , an all - in - one arrangement with a 2-dimensional CRT monitor .
May : With the release of the Xserve , Apple draw its first push into the waiter market since its internet Server intersection business . The Xserve is the first Apple simple machine to include dual Data Rate ( DDR ) RAM ( monetary value : $ 2,999-$3,999 ) .
May : Jobs kicks off the annual Worldwide Developers ’ Conference by hold a mock funeral for OS 9 . The point : Apple had stopped all ontogenesis of the sure-enough Mac type O to focalize entirely on Mac OS X.
August : The Power Mac G4 hits the gigacycle marking .
August : Apple bring out its next major operating system X update — operating system X 10.2 , codification - named Jaguar .
In Other news show : The New England Patriots upset the St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl — the Pats will advance two more Super Bowls in the next three years ; Canada wins its first Olympic gold laurel wreath in ice hockey in 50 years ; WorldCom charge for bankruptcy .
2003
January : iLife — a entourage that includes iPhoto , iDVD , iMovie , and iTunes — debuts , along with Safari , an Apple - built Web internet browser .
April : Apple makes a splash in the medicine world , with the iTunes Music Store , an on-line music serve where substance abuser legally can lawfully download more than 200,000 songs for as little as 99 cents each .
August : The G5 processor debuts in the Power Mac production line , topped by the dual-2GHz Power Mac G5 ( Leontyne Price : $ 2,999 ) .
October : The late update to OS X — computer code - call Panther — brings 150 Modern features and enhancements to the operating organization .
October : The transition from the G3 chip is complete , as the iBook adds G4 processors .
October : Windows users pick up the thrill of downloading 99 - centime euphony track , as Apple free a Windows edition of iTunes .
In Other News : The projection to sequence the human genome is completed ; Arnold Schwarzenegger becomes governor of California ; twoMatrixsequels grace the silver silver screen .
2004
January : Apple expatiate its iPod offers to include the lithesome — and colorful — iPod miniskirt ( cost : $ 249 ) .
Jan : medicine creation amount to the iLife suite , as GarageBand is introduced into iLife ’ 04 .
Jan : Hewlett - Packard joins forces with Apple to sell HP - denounce iPods .
April : Apple expands its professional digital - video offer with Motion , a move - nontextual matter programme , and an update version of Final Cut Pro that suffer high - definition .
June : The iTunes Music Store goes external , launch version in France , Germany , and the U.K.
July : After a six - class absence , the East Coast edition of Macworld Expo returns to Boston ; large crew , regrettably , do not .
August : The iMac sire a G5 processor and a Modern design — a flat - panel character that looks more like an LCD than a computer .
October : Apple releases the first color - screen door iPod ( the iPod pic ) and a black - and - red iPod dedicated to the rock band U2 .
The U2 iPod
In Other intelligence : George W. Bush win re - election ; Pixar’sFinding Nemowins a well repair Feature Oscar ; the Boston Red Sox end their 86 - twelvemonth World Series drought with a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals .
2005
Jan : The Keynote presentation software gets a long - expect updated as part of the iWork ’ 05 suite that also introduces Pages .
January : Apple go small , introducing both a slimmed - down background — the Mac mini — and a flash - based medicine thespian — the iPod shuffle .
April : Mac OS X undergoes its first major overhaul since late 2003 , with the spillage of OS X 10.4 — otherwise known as “ Tiger . ”
June : At the Worldwide Developers ’ Conference , Jobs announces Apple ’s intent to switch to Intel for its C.P.U. indigence , starting in 2006 .
June : iTunes 4.9 adds livelihood for podcasts , which are now offered via the iTunes Music Store .
August : After years of single - button mousing , Apple releases the multi - button Mighty Mouse .
September : The popular iPod mini make room for an even slimmer medicine player — the flash - base iPod nano .
The iPod nano
October : The fifth - propagation iPod adds the power to play videos — which , coincidently , are now available for download from the iTunes Music Store via iTunes 6 .
October : An update to the iMac line marks the debut of Front wrangle multimedia management software program for controlling medicine , video , and slideshow playback .
October : The Power Mac blood line gets a processing boost with the introduction of dual - core chips — two processing engines on a exclusive sliver of silicon .
In Other News : In the thick of a Labour Party lockout , the National Hockey League cancels its entire 2004 - 05 season ; WithStar Trek : Enterprisesigning off , it ’s the first time since 1987 that aStar TrekTV series is n’t in product ; the identity of Watergate source Deep Throat is revealed .
2006
January : The first Intel - based Macs — a categorical - panel iMac and the portable MacBook Pro — arrive .
January : The iLife suite adds another component with the reaching of the WWW site - founding shaft , iWeb .
February : The iTunes Music Store sells its 1 one-billionth song .
February : With the addition of an Intel processor to the Mac mini line , half of Apple ’s ironware oblation have made nail the Intel modulation .
In Other News : Disney purchases Pixar , with Steve Jobs becoming the largest case-by-case stockholder of Disney stock .
