Before 1975
1950: Steven Wozniak was born;
1955: Steven Jobs was born;
1972: Steven Jobs dropped out of Reeds College, which he attended for only one semester. After completing high school, Jobs regularly attended lectures at HP. That year he became a summer associate at HP. He then met Steven Wozniak, a fellow HP employee and UC dropout. At this time, Wozniak was well known for selling homemade devices for free remote calling. Jobs helped Wozniak sell many of these devices.
Early 1974: Jobs became a video designer at Atari. He used the money he saved to take a trip to India, where he sought spiritual enlightenment.
Fall 1974: Jobs returns from India and begins attending meetings of Wozniak's Homebrew Club. At the time, Wozniak was passionate about creating electronic devices, and Jobs had already begun to look at the market prospects for personal computers. Jobs persuaded Wozniak to develop a personal computer with him.
1975-1979
1975: In Jobs' bedroom, Jobs and Wozniak begin development of the Apple I;
1976: Development of the Apple I is completed, and they build a prototype of the Apple I in Jobs' garage. Wozniak introduces his Apple I to HP, but no one at HP is interested in his computer. After being rejected, Jobs thought they should make their own Apple I. Jobs sold his Volkswagen car and Wozniak sold his programmable HP computer. They raised $1,250 and began producing Apple I motherboards;
April 1, 1976: Apple Computer was founded by Wozniak, Jobs, and Ron Wayne***, who designed Apple's first logo;
May 1976: Apple I sold for $666.66 a unit. 666.66 dollars each, and a computer store (Byte Shop) buys 50 Apple I's;
Summer 1976: Ron Wayne leaves Apple Computer;
Fall 1976: Wozniak completes development of the Apple II.
1977: Rob Janov designs Apple's second logo, the one that remains in use today (only the rainbow colors were removed in 1998.) Mike Markkula injects $92,000 into Apple. the Apple II is released, and it sells for $1,295;
June 17, 1978: Steve Jobs' daughter Lisa Nicole is born. An Apple computer is later named after her (Apple Lisa);
1979: The Apple II+ is released, with a price tag of $1,195;
Summer 1979: Development of the Apple Lisa and Apple Macintosh begins.
1980-1989
1980: the Apple III is released, with a price tag ranging from $4,340 to $7,800 depending on configuration. Apple stock goes public and becomes a huge success;
1981: Steve Jobs joins the Macintosh project team. mike Markkula becomes president of Apple Computer.
February 1981: Wozniak is injured in an airplane accident, after which he temporarily leaves Apple and the Macintosh project team (he never returns to the Macintosh project team). Wozniak marries and returns to the University of California to pursue degrees in electrical engineering and computer science;
August 1981: IBM introduces its first personal computer, the IBM-PC, which is a huge success, despite being second to the Apple II and Apple III;
November 1981: Apple Computer Co. Ltd. and Beetlejuice Records reach a secret agreement that allows Apple Computer to use the "Apple" name on its computer products.
1982: The Lisa database is completed and ready for release. Apple's advertising agency, Chiat/Day, completes the Macintosh TV spot ("1984").
1983: The Lisa database and Apple Iie are released, priced at $9,998 and $1,395, respectively.Apple becomes the fastest growing company in history.
Spring 1983: The commercial "1984" is re-produced for the Macintosh.
April 1983: John Sculley, former president of PepsiCo, becomes president and CEO of Apple.
June 1983: Stephen Wozniak returns to Apple.
December 1983: The Apple III+ is released, with its $2,995 price tag. During the same period, sales of IBM-PCs surpassed one million units;
1984: Apple commercial "1984" opens in theaters across the United States;
January 22, 1984: "1984" is released in Super Bowl XVIII. Super Bowl XVIII;
January 24, 1984: The Apple Macintosh is released, complete with a new revolutionary operating system (using the Macintosh graphical user interface) with easy-to-understand "trashcan" and "sticky notes";
January 24, 1984: The Apple Macintosh is released. "The Macintosh became a milestone in the history of the computer industry;
Mid-1984: The Pentagon banned the Macintosh from being sold in ****ist countries. At this time in the former Soviet Union, the technology used in the Maintosh remained unknown.
Early 1985: Mac XL, Apple II enhancements released. Jobs leaves Apple, problems arise between Jobs and Sculley, Jobs thinks Sculley doesn't know anything about computers, and Sculley thinks Jobs' mismanagement is dangerous for the company;
May 23, 1985: Jobs tries to push Sculley out of office in a coup. He tries to gain control of Apple while Sculley is attending a conference in China. At the last minute, his plan is revealed to Sculley;
May 24, 1985: Sculley and Jobs have a heated argument, with Sculley asking the board to choose between him and Jobs;
May 31, 1985: Sculley removes Jobs from all power, retaining only his position as Apple's chairman. chairmanship, but Jobs could no longer influence any decisions;
Summer 1985: Sculley becomes the new leader of Apple Computer. At the same time 1,200 employees are laid off;
September 17, 1985: Steven Jobs officially resigns from Apple. He tells the Apple board that he plans to create a new company. He also informs them that five Apple employees will work with him to create the new company;
September 23, 1985: Apple files a lawsuit against Steven Jobs.
October 24, 1985: John Sculley signs Apple's worst contract ever. He agrees to allow Microsoft to use some of Apple's GUI technology if Microsoft continues to produce software for Apple (e.g. Word, Excel). If Sculley hadn't made this deal with Microsoft, Windows may never have gotten involved, because due to its similarity to macOS, it was clear that Apple would easily win any lawsuit against Microsoft.
Late 1985: Apple releases Macintosh Office and makes the first use of LaserWriter and AppleTalk networking technology in a bid to make the Mac more attractive to small businesses;
January 1986: Apple stops its case against Steve Jobs. Jobs agrees not to hire Apple staff for six months and not to create a computer company that competes with Apple Computer. Jobs creates NeXT Corp. Steven? Jobs purchases Pixar Computer Animation Studios from George Lucas for nearly $10 million;
September 1986: Apple IIgs are released with a price tag of $999;
1987: 10th anniversary of Apple's founding. the Mac SE and Mac II are introduced;
January 1988: Microsoft releases Windows 2.0.3;
March 17, 1988: Apple files a lawsuit against Microsoft and HP for copyright infringement because of the use of Mac-like icons in Windows 2.0.3;
October 12, 1988: The NeXT computer is released, which sells for $6,500 (configured with 25MHz, 8MB RAM, 250MB hard disk, FPU, Faxmodem, 17-inch monitor);
February 1989: Beatles Records sues Apple Computer for breach of an agreement they signed with each other in 1981, with the lawsuit claiming that Apple breached the terms of the agreement to produce computers with the ability to make synthesized music;
1989 September 1989: NeXTstep 1.0 is released;
1990-1999
1990: Windows 3.0 is released; NeXTstation is released; Apple introduces the Mac Iifx, Classic, LC, and Mac Iisi models;
1991: IBM and Apple form an alliance. Alliance: IBM develops RISC processors (i.e., PowerPC) for Apple; Mac Classic II, PowerBook 100, PowerBook 140, PowerBook 170, Quadra 700, and Quadra 900 released; Pixar Computer Animation Studios and Disney form a production partnership. Pixar produces films and Disney promotes them; Pixar and Disney*** share costs and profits;
October 9, 1991: Apple pays $26.5 million to Beetlejuice Records; legal action ends;
1992: NeXTstep 3.0 is released; Microsoft releases Windows 3.1;
1993: Pixar and Disney form a production partnership, with Pixar producing the films and Disney promoting them. >
February 1993: Steven Jobs fires half of NeXT's staff. He removes NeXT's hardware division and announces that NeXT will be dedicated to operating systems;
April 1993: The first series of PowerPC (601) processors are released by Motorola, running at 50MHz, 66MHz, and 80MHz; the last of NeXT's founding fathers leaves NeXT, and Steven Jobs becomes the sole leader of NeXT Computer (NeXT Corporation is renamed NeXT Computer Corporation);
June 1993: Michael Spindler replaces Sculley as Apple's CEO, with Sculley still serving as Apple's chairman of the board;
August 2, 1993: Apple releases the first PDA ( Newton MessagePad). Even though the Newton MessagePad outperformed its competitors' counterparts (e.g., Windows CE PDAs, Palm PDAs, etc.), its sales were still quite pathetic, the main problem being that handwritten text was often misinterpreted. Handwriting recognition was the key to the success of the Newton MessagePad. Apple's PDA division is dropped just four years after the release of the Newton MessagePad;
August 24, 1993: Court rules that Windows 2.0.3 does not infringe on the 1985 lawsuit against Apple and Microsoft;
October 15, 1993: Sculley resigns from his position at Apple to become chairman of the board and CEO of Spectrum;
March 14, 1994: Power Mac 6100, 7100, and 8100 series released;
June 1994: MacOS 7.5 is released, a major step for Apple from 7.1.2+SU3;
Summer 1994: Apple begins licensing MacOS;
December 13, 1994: Apple releases Pippin, a home multimedia system for online gaming, learning, and entertainment;
Winter 1994: IBM and Motorola release the PowerPC 603 and PowerPC 604;
February 1995: PowerPC 603e released;
May 1995: First Mac compatibles flood the market; Disney releases Pixar's first movie, "Toy Story";
April 1, 1996: Apple's 20th anniversary; 20th Anniversary Edition of the Macintosh released;
April 1, 1996: Apple's 20th anniversary; 20th Anniversary Edition of the Macintosh released Macintosh is released;
October 1996: System 7.5.5, the operating system, is released;
December 1996: Apple acquires NeXT Computer for $430 million;
January 24, 1997: MacOS 7.7.6 is released;
January 26, 1997: Steve Jobs returns to Apple as a result of the NeXT acquisition. At the MacWorld conference, the new MacOS strategy is launched (MacOS 8, Rhapsody);
March 1997: Bandai launches the Pippin Atmark in Japan;
April 1997: Motorola releases the 300MHz PowerPC 603e;
June 1997: Gil Amelio announces a $740 million loss for Apple's fiscal second quarter;
July 1, 1997: the twentieth-anniversary edition of the Macintosh is released, which is a bit different from previous models. It was clocked at 250MHz and came with an integrated BOSE sound system. The Macintosh was released in limited quantities, and its unique design style made it a collector's item;
July 1997: Gil Amelio resigned as Apple's President and CEO;
July 22, 1997: MacOS 8 was released. It was the first system that was truly different from the Mac OS 1.0 desktop. The new generation of MacOS 8 runs more stably than its predecessor;
August 6, 1997: Steven Jobs becomes the de facto leader of Apple, announcing that Apple has formed an alliance with Microsoft. Microsoft buys $150 million in Apple stock. Apple integrates Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser into the Apple operating system;
September 1997: Motorola releases the PowerPC750 (G3) processor. Apple buys back licenses from Mac compatibles makers;
September 16, 1997: Steven Jobs becomes Apple's iCEO (Interim CEO);
November 1997: Bandai introduces the Pippin@World in the U.S., where it sells for $600;
November 10, 1997 November 10, 1997: The Power Macintosh G3 and the Apple Store are introduced at the "Apple Event", both of which are an immediate success;
January 7, 1998: Apple officially declares a return to profitability, with Steve Jobs announcing earnings of $47 million for the first quarter of 1998 million;
February 4, 1998: IBM releases the 1.1 GHz G3 processor;
February 27, 1998: The Newton project is discontinued. Largely due to the huge losses of the project (Apple had invested over $500 million from the start of the Newton project***) and cutbacks in Apple's product line. All unimportant and unprofitable product lines (e.g., printers and accessories) are discontinued;
May 1998: iMac and laptop PowerBook G3 are released;
July 1998: Apple announces a profit of $101 million for the third fiscal quarter of 1998;
July 30, 1998: Motorola releases the 333MHz, 366MHz, and 400MHz PowerPC G3 processors;
August 1998: iMac orders exceed 150,000 units;
August 15, 1998: The iMac goes on sale and becomes the fastest selling personal computer in history;
October 15, 1998 October 15, 1998: MacOS 8.5 is released;
January 5, 1999: At the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco, Apple introduces the Power Macintosh G3 Yosemite and the 266MHz iMac in five different colors. Mac OS X Server was released, but it didn't actually finally ship until March;
April 14, 1999: The 333MHz third version of the iMac (Revision D) was released;
April 1999: QuickTime 4 Beta was released. The QuickTime 4 movie trailer for "Episode One / The Phantom Menace" is available for download on Apple's Web site, setting a record for the most downloads in the history of the Internet, with more than 25 million people downloading the movie;
June 1999: New laptop, PowerBook G, is released;
June 1999: New laptop, PowerBook G, is released;
The PowerBook G, is released: The PowerBook G3 Lombard, a new laptop computer, is released. It is lighter and smaller than previous laptops; the 300MHz Power Macintosh G3 Yosemite is discontinued and a new 450MHz Yosemite is introduced; Final Cut Pro, professional video editing software, is released, optimized for the PowerMac's new FireWire interface;
July 1999 21: The iBook is introduced at the MacWorld Expo in New York;
August 31, 1999: More than 140,000 iBooks are ordered. Steven Jobs demonstrates the supercomputer Power Macintosh G4 at the Seybold Conference in San Francisco. The 500MHz G4 processor can run more than one billion floating-point operations per second, and as a result it is classified by the U.S. government as an embargoed weapons-type technology.
September 30, 1999: Pixar's second film, "Toy Story 2," is released, cementing Pixar's position as the world's number one computer-animated video film studio." Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and A Bug's Life grossed nearly $1.2 billion worldwide;
October 5, 1999: 350MHz and 400MHz iMacs were introduced, some of which were equipped with DVD drives. The iMac DV and iMac DV Special Edition, bundled with iMove (a shortened version of Final Cut Pro), hit the market;
November 5, 1999: macOS 9 is released. It brings many new features such as Sherlock 2, an enhanced version of Sherlock 1.
2000-2002
January 6, 2000: At the San Francisco MacWorld Expo, Apple demonstrates its latest operating system, Mac OS X, a new operating system based on the Rhapsody strategy. Like the NeXT operating system it is also a UNIX system. Apple introduced the new "Aqua" desktop in Mac OS X. A beta version of Mac OS X was to be released in the late summer of 2000, with a full release scheduled for January 2001; Stephen Jobs was once again Apple's CEO (no longer interim, though his title was still "iCEO"). "iCEO"). Office software AppleWorks 6 is released. New features such as iTools, a free Web space service from Apple for Mac users and iReview, are introduced on Apple's Web site.
February 16, 2000: The PowerBook G3 Pismo, iBook Special Edition, and 500 MHz Power Macintosh G4 are announced at the MacWorld exhibition in Tokyo. The 400 MHz and 500 MHz PowerBook G3, configured with AirPort wireless networking, is also announced at the same time. iBook Special Edition follows the color scheme of the iMac DV Special Edition, and has a main clock frequency of 366 MHz;
April 19, 2000: Apple reports earnings of $233 million for the third fiscal quarter of 2000;
July 19, 2000: At the MacWorld Expo in New York, Apple demonstrates the new color iMac line (iMac, iMac DV, iMac DV+, iMac DV SE), the new PowerMac G4 Cube, and the dual-processor PowerMac G4 configured with a Gigabit Ethernet card (dual 500MHz PPC G4 processors);
September 12, 2000: At Apple Expo 2000 in Paris, Apple unveils the new iBook. The new iBook is available in two different color models (grey and cyan) with either 366MHz or 466MHz mainframe frequencies. In addition, a beta version of the Mac OS X public **** is released, and is available in the UK, Germany and France at the Apple Store goes on sale for $30; Microsoft releases Office 2001 for Apple, which is considered better than the Windows version of MS Office 2000.
September 29, 2000: Apple announces a revised valuation of its fourth-quarter 2000 earnings. Earlier fourth-quarter earnings were expected to be $165 million; the revised fourth-quarter earnings estimate is $110 million. As a result of the announcement, Apple's stock plummeted a wild 45 points overnight, jumping from $53.50 to $29.13 per share.
December 5, 2000: Apple expects a loss of $259 million for the first fiscal quarter of 2001 (which ends December 30, 2000). This is Apple's first loss in three years.
January 9, 2001: At the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco, Steven Jobs shows off a range of new Apple products. On the hardware side, Apple unveils the new PowerMac G4 computer. The new G4 is made of pure titanium and is equipped with a faster G4 processor and a built-in CD-RW or DVD-RW optical drive. Apple also obtained a DVD license, releasing DVD studio Pro and iDVD. in addition, Apple offered a free download of iTools, a utility software for playing, encoding, and converting MP3 files, on its official website; Apple also released MacOS 9.1, an upgraded version of MacOS 9.0.4. Steve Jobs also announced that the release date of Mac OS X would be March 24, 2001;
February 22, 2001: Apple demonstrates the new iMac lineup, equipped with a built-in CD-RW drive, at the MacWorld exhibition in Tokyo. The new line of iMacs*** comes in four colors: "indigo", "Blue Dalmatian", "Flower Power" and Graphite In addition, Apple introduced an updated version of the G4 Cube. Since the G4 Cube was released in July 2000, it has not been selling well. Apple tried to increase sales of the G4 Cube line by adding a built-in CD-RW and lowering the price.
March 14, 2001: Apple acquires PowerSchool, a company that provides data management software for schools, for $62 million worth of Apple stock.PowerSchool Server is developed on the Internet, so it can be accessed through a Web browser. By acquiring PowerSchool, Apple had the ability to provide complete systems integration for schools: iMacs for students, Power Macintosh computers for teachers, and Power Macintosh G4 Server to serve as a platform for PowerSchool software and AirPort wireless networks;
March 24, 2001: Apple releases Mac OS X 10.0 as scheduled, a quieter release because Apple wants to have a big Mac OS X 10.1 launch at the MacWorld Expo in July. During the same period, a large amount of third-party software for Mac OS X was released.
April 18, 2001: Apple announces earnings of $43 million for the quarter, with Mac OS X sales contributing $9 million. Apple's 5 million iMacs roll off the assembly line, an achievement that makes the iMac by far the most successful personal computer to date;
May 1, 2001: The new iBook is released. The new iBook features a white plastic enclosure, a 500MHz G3 processor, a display resolution of up to 1024x768 pixels, and a CD-RW option;
May 19, 2001: Apple opens its first retail stores. They are located near Los Angeles and Washington, DC. Apple offers hardware and Macintosh software in its stores, as well as special areas for Apple enthusiasts to share experiences, learn, and demonstrate Apple hardware and software; Apple seeks to double its current 5% market share by opening its own stores, and by the end of 2001 opens another 25 stores across the United States;
May 21, 2001: Apple opens its first retail stores at WWDC 2001, offering a CD-RW option;
May 19, 2001: Apple opens its first retail stores at WWDC 2001, offering a CD-RW option;
Apple opens its first retail stores in Los Angeles and Washington, DC. May 21, 2001: At WWDC 2001 Apple announces that Mac OS X will come with randomized shipping. In addition Apple announces WebObject 5 and a new 17-inch flat-panel Studio display, as well as upgrading the PowerMac G4 Server to dual 533MHz G4 processors; WebObject 5 is a beginner's tool for creating Web applications;
July 3, 2001: Apple officially discontinues the Power Macintosh G4 Cube series line;
July 17, 2001: Apple reports $61 million in earnings for the third fiscal quarter of 2001;
July 18, 2001: At the MacWorld Expo in New York City, Apple introduces the new G4 computer. Clocking in at up to 867MHz, the dual 800MHz processors have 12 billion floating point operations per second. Apple announces that Mac OS X 10.1 (Puma) will be released in September;
September 7, 2001: Apple releases the 733MHz Power Macintosh G4 Server. the seventh Apple retail store opens in Ohio;
September 25, 2001: The long wait is finally over, as Apple releases an updated version of Mac OS X, Mac OS X, and the new G4 computer. OS X upgrade Mac OS X 10.1, which runs faster than Mac OS X and supports CD burning, DVD playback, and a new interface (Aqua); Mac OS X Server v10.1 is also released;
October 16, 2001: The faster 550MHz and 667MHz PowerBook G4, 600MHz iBook, and the PowerMac G4 Server with dual 800MHz G4 processors;
October 17, 2001: Apple reports a fourth-quarter 2001 profit of $66 million;
October 23, 2001: Steve Jobs introduces the public to the portable MP3 player, the iPod, which is equipped with a 5GB internal FireWire hard drive (holding up to 1,000 MP3 songs), a 2-inch backlit LCD display, a built-in digital amplifier and headphones. In addition Apple releases iTunes 2, a tool for transferring MP3 files from a Mac to an iPod;
November 2, 2001: "Monsters Inc." opens in theaters nationwide. "Monsters Inc." is Pixar's fourth animated feature. The film earned $63.48 million at the box office in its first week of release;
November 10, 2001: The iPod is released;
November 13, 2001: The AirPort 2 is released, with his newly added support for Windows PCs, up to 50 connections and the use of 128-bit compression. In addition, the AirPort 2 base station is configured with a WAN Ethernet card to be used as a DSL route;
December 4, 2001: Final Cut Pro 3 and MacOS 9.2.2 are released;
January 7, 2002: Apple demonstrates the new LCD iMac at MacWorld, along with a 14-inch iBook and a free iBook. 14-inch iBook and the free photo editing software iPhoto;
January 16, 2002: Apple reports first-quarter 2002 earnings of $38 million. During the quarter, Apple*** sold 746,000 Macs;
January 28, 2002: the new PowerMac G4 is announced, with the new G4 clocked at up to 1GHz and featuring a 2MB DDR L3 cache. The dual 1GHz G4 is 72% faster than the 2GHz Pentium 4;
February 12, 2002: Apple, Sun, and Ericsson announce that they will be using QuickTime linear technology*** to co-develop multimedia systems for cellular telephony;
March 14, 2002: Apple Remote Desktop for Mac OS X is released. Apple Remote Desktop is a Mac OS network-based management tool software;
March 21, 2002: iPod upgrades and 23-inch Cinema displays are announced at the MacWorld exhibition in Tokyo; Apple announces Bluetooth support for Mac OS X in April.