Term Paper on "History of Apple Computers"

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[EXCERPT] . . . .

History Of Apple Computer

Apple Computer was in the forefront of the personal computer revolution in the 1970s and 1980s. In the period, Apple introduced the first integrated personal computer named Apple I, and other successful modes such as Apple II and Mac that set the standards of user-friendliness in PCs. Since that time, the company has seen a number of ups and downs. It has made several wrong turns, lost a significant share of the PC market, and gone into red for long periods of its operation. Apple, has, however been down but never out. It has bounced back from the brink several times by introducing innovative products such as the stylish iMac computer, the iTunes music store, and the market-leading iPod line of portable music players. Today, Apple Computer has the unique distinction of being the only surviving company from the early days of PCs. In this paper I shall trace the fascinating history of Apple Computers starting with the beginning, the introduction of Apple II, Lisa and Macintosh, Job's departure from Apple, Apple's slump, the return of Jobs and Apple's revival, and finally Apple's success in the digital music market.

The Beginning

The Apple Computer Company came about as a result of collaboration between two exceptionally talented and innovative young men, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. Both were college drop-outs who had take up jobs with Hewlett Packard and Atari respectively in the mid seventies. The two Steves had been friends since they met in 1971 and both were computer hobbyists in their spare time. At the time, computers meant bulky and expensive mainframes that were used for handling statistical data and for solving some financial and engineering problems. It required trained computer operators for running the computer, as it only "understood" special computer language such as COBOL and FORTRON. ("History of..." Wikipedia)

In 1975, Jobs and Wozniak realized that there was a vast market for a compact and inexpensive computer. Legend has it that they sold their prized possessions to raise $1,300 to assemble the first prototype Apple I in Jobs' garage. The pair quit their jobs and launched Apple Computers on April 1, 1976 with the unveiling of the prototype Apple I at a meeting of a computer hobbyist group in Palo Alto, California. ("Steve Wozniak" Wikipedia) The computer, mounted on plywood with all the components visible, was the first single circuit board computer and came with a video interface, 8k of RAM and a keyboard. It incorporated inexpensive components such as the 6502 processor and a dynamic RAM. A local computer dealer called "The Byte Shop" saw the product and ordered 50 units for $500 each, providing the computers were delivered in an assembled form within one month. Wozniak and Jobs took up the challenge and delivered the computers in time. They then went on to build and sell 200 Apple Is over a ten-month period, for the price of $666.66 each. (Bellis, para 4 & 5).

Apple II

Apple Computer was incorporated in 1977 and in the same year the Apple II computer model was released. Also based on the 6502 processor, it was the first personal computer to come in a plastic case and include color graphics. The original Apple II came with an audiocassette drive for external storage and 4 kb of RAM. These were later replaced with a floppy disk drive and 48 kb RAM. Due to several unique features such as its unmatched backward compatibility, and room for upgradation, the Apple II was hugely successful and survived longer than any other computer platform from the early days. (Sanford)

Apple III, Lisa and Macintosh

Apple III was introduced in June 1980. It was designed to be Apple's business offering, but flopped badly as it was expensive (priced initially between $4,340 and $7,800) and had many problems. A redesigned Apple III+ replaced it in 1983 but it too failed due to the bad reputation of Apple III and the line was discontinued in 1985.

Lisa, named after Steve Jobs' first daughter, was a revolutionary PC when the project was started in 1978. It was a powerful personal computer with a graphical user interface (GUI) that… READ MORE

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