About Apple Inc. – Facts & Details about Most Innovative Company on Earth

Apple is one of the world’s most valuable technology companies.

As other big tech players such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google race to catch up with Apple’s pace of innovation by creating their own smartphones and investing heavily in research and development (R&D), Apple remains steadfast with its commitment to investing in people’s creative energy through its “Think Different” campaign launched in 1997.

History of Apple Inc.

1976 – 1999, Apple Inc is founded

• After Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak created the first personal computers, they founded Apple in 1976 on a vision of personal computers for everyone.
• The company launched the Apple II — one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products — in 1977, then the Macintosh in 1984.
• Apple became a public company in 1980 and Jobs became a multimillionaire at age 25.

2000 – 2003, Steve Jobs comes back to the company

In 2000, Steve Jobs was hired to take over as interim CEO. He then became the permanent CEO.

Apple had several successful products in the 1990s: the PowerBook laptop, the iMac computer, and others. But by 2000, Apple was in trouble. It needed a new direction.

Steve Jobs came back to Apple after being fired in 1985. This is something that does not happen often in business! But it worked well for Apple’s shareholders and customers.

Jobs decided that Apple should focus on creating well-designed consumer products that were easy to use and appealing to consumers’ emotions (as opposed to their rational thinking). He also wanted to create an environment at Apple where people would be willing to take risks and have fun while working hard together on innovative products.

2004 – 2007, Apple becomes a computing giant

• The iPod is released in 2001. It’s a portable music player that stores and plays up to 1000 songs. It has the ability to download songs directly from iTunes, Apple’s online music store launched earlier in 2003.
• The iPhone is released in 2007, a mobile smartphone device with multi-touch screen technology, an internet browser, and an MP3 player. It runs on OS X (based off of Unix) instead of another operating system like Symbian or Windows Mobile.
• The iPad is released in 2010 as a tablet computer which can play music and other media files, run apps and games, surf the web, read e-books, and do so much more. It revolutionizes computing by being one of the first full touchscreen computers for regular consumers.

2008 – 2011, iPhone and iPad are released

• In 2008, Apple released the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.
• In 2009, Apple released the iPhone 3GS.
• In 2010, Apple released the iPhone 4 and iPad.
• In 2011, Apple released the iPhone 4S and iPad 2.

2012 – 2015, Steve Jobs passes away, Apple remains innovative

• In 2012, Tim Cook continued Apple’s innovation with the introduction of the iPad Mini and a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display. But now that Steve Jobs was gone, could Apple stay on top?
• By late 2012, two years after Steve Jobs passed away, critics were beginning to wonder if Apple had lost its innovative touch. The company introduced new products like the iPhone 5 and the iPad Mini but lacked innovation in other areas.
• In 2013, Cook further divided the iOS operating system into separate versions for iPhones and iPads; developers responded negatively to this change because it forced them to create separate apps for each platform.
• By 2014, some customers began saying they felt “Apple fatigue” due to an overwhelming number of product releases coupled with disappointing changes (like iOS 8).
• In 2015, analysts cited a lack of innovation as one of several reasons that stock in Apple dropped by 36 percent from its September peak. Despite these concerns about sales and innovation, Apple remained the most valuable brand in the world—according to Forbes magazine—with a brand value over $140 billion.

Also Read: Apple iPhone 12 Technical Specification

2016-2019, Current CEO Tim Cook’s vision for Apple

When Tim Cook took the reins in 2011, he already understood that Apple was at a crossroads. The company had to decide whether to continue down the path of Steve Jobs’ vision (Apple’s co-founder and former CEO) or branch out into new areas of business. In 2016, Apple decided to do both.

In addition to focusing on its services business (iTunes, App Store, etc.), Apple began emphasizing how it’s unlike every other tech company in Silicon Valley: It cares about privacy and security. Its devices have built-in privacy protections that prevent data theft by outside parties and companies. With this approach, Apple has won over consumers who are fed up with companies like Google and Facebook abusing their personal information for profit.

This strategy has worked for Apple so far; sales for its watch and AirPods have exploded since 2016 because of great consumer reviews over the products’ design and quality, as well as their reliability when it comes to privacy settings. Additionally, since sustainability became an important issue for many people in 2018, Apple began focusing on making its devices more environmentally friendly by reducing e-waste created by old iPhones and making them easier to recycle than ever before.

Lastly, after being criticized for years about how inaccessible some of its features were on its older devices (for example, not having screen readers), Apple started implementing more accessibility features across all of their products so that they could be used by everyone regardless of physical ability or disability (e.g., screen readers).

Also Read: Meet Apple Partners and Apple Experts – iFuture

Important Facts about Apple Inc.

• Formerly known as Apple Computer Company (1976–1977) & Apple Computer, Inc. (1977–2007)
• Apple was founded 46 years ago in Los Altos, California, U.S. – April 1, 1976
• Apple’s Headquarter – 1 Apple Park Way, Cupertino, California, U.S.
• Number of retail store locations as of 2022 – 518
• Revenue 2021 – US$365.82 billion
• Net income 2021 – US$94.68 billion
• Number of employees 2021 – 154,000

FAQs & Information About Apple Company & It’s History