Apple Incorporated

If you are an old timer like me you were there at the beginning of the computer revolution. My children tell me I am a rare bird however, because I not only build computers, but I understand networking and such and create websites. The funny part of all this is I never thought anything I was doing was special. What I did find out was many other people my age didn’t keep up with technology and even have a problem using a flip phone. I have fixed many of my neighbors’ systems when things went wrong and usually the fault was created by misuse of some kind. While I do understand computers and use the newest equipment I am still amazed at how the Apple Corporation has dominated the tech area. Early in its existence Apple was able to gather a core of worshipers. They were totally loyal to Apple and it seemed every time a new apple device or operating system came out they had to have it. In the old days Apple was not running their computers using the same hardware as Microsoft and others.

When I talk about Apple in its early days I am not talking about a company which made different devices, it made a computer and as with other companies that was that. Apple has been around since 1976 and has become a much different company than when it first started. It somehow survived when companies such as Commodore launched the famous Commodore 64, the largest selling computer in history and the Amiga, an advanced computer system which seemed to be light years ahead of anything else when it came out. I remember when Amiga users used to think tApple must be putting something in the Kool-Aid to keep their army of users so loyal when the Amiga seemed to be so much more advanced. As time went by, Commodore shot itself in the foot and eventually there was no more Amiga. Even though it was a superior machine a lot of hanky panky was going on with the company, along with very bad management. While this was going on, Apple kept plodding along and improving its product.

One of the wonders to me was the fact Apple was surviving even though it was not generally accepted in the business world. They had come up with the bright idea of selling computers to schools at a low price or even giving them away for free. This created a cadre of future Apple customers. The idea was brilliant and seemed to offset the fact if it wasn’t Microsoft and it was not going to be a business computer. Apple had decided to license the right to build Apple clone computers, but this didn’t last long. Companies like Franklin Computers made some of them. I guess Apple either felt they were not up to their specs or the competition was not worth the fees. In any case this right didn’t last very long. Another amazing fact was the Apple Computer could not run Microsoft software, but they eventually came out with software which would allow most Microsoft and other software designed for the Microsoft operating system to run on Apple Computers, but it ran slower. Today many say with the faster computers, running this type of software on Macs works a lot better. A couple of ways to run Windows on a Mac are through software called Boot Camp or through a virtual machine. I use a virtual machine to run Linux on my Windows computer.

Everyone knows about Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak developing the Apple computer, but somehow poor Ronald Wayne has been mostly forgotten by history. In the years from 1991 to 1997 Apple hit a low point and could have gone out of business, but they held on. They had come out with a lot of devices such as the Newton, Apple’s first Personal Digital Assistant also known as a PDA. It was a flop along with many other devices. Even the Apple range of computers began to fail because of all the different models and different price ranges which confused the customer base. Their reputation suffered and eventually their CEO was fired and Michael Spinder became the new CEO. Apple had to develop new computer platforms, because their current one didn’t multitask and was outdated. It took until 1997 for Apple Corp. to gain back profitability. A new computer came out named the IMac. It was an all in one machine and featured modern components. It sold over 800,000 units in the first five months. In 2001 Apple released the IPod digital audio player. In the next six years it sold 100 million of these units. It had opened its first Apple Retail Store and also it’s ITunes Store and was selling songs for 99 cents each and it integrated with the IPod. The ITunes Store became the market leader in online music services.

One of the things which is most loved by Apple aficionados is the design of Apple products. Their devices are sleek, easy to use and usually on the cutting edge. Some have said the department designing the Apple devices is just as responsible for the phenomenal sales record of Apple as the technology department. I think I have to agree with this statement somewhat. There is no doubt the IPod was one of the sleekest devices around when it came out. Apple just continues to come out with products people love. The IPhone is a great example of this and is one of the bestselling smart phones in the world. I personally am not a fan and prefer the Android system. I can’t help but feel the high price on the IPhone is not warranted, but I have to admit if the price was the same for both and the phones were of equivalent capability it might be a hard choice.

The Apple watch has hit the market with a bang, but we are still not sure how it is selling. Apple tablets have taken the market by storm and Apple Corporation has become the second largest technology company, behind only Samsung. At the rate they have grown they might even surpass Samsung in the near future. Some people think Apple might be at its peak now and will never be able to remain on the top of the heap, because they believe Steve Jobs who died in 2011 was the genius behind the company. They are yet to be proven correct. Only time will tell what devices they may come out with which may shape our lives or if they will slip into oblivion as so many other computer companies have. The thing in their favor is the fact they are they are a powerful technology company today, not just a computer company.