Apple Inc. (Corporations That Changed the World)

201 Pages·2008·1.93 MB·English

by  Jason D. O'Grady

Apple Inc.
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Apple Inc.
Jason D. O’Grady

Corporations That Changed the World
GREENWOOD PRESS
Westport, Connecticut • London
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
O’Grady, Jason D.
Apple Inc. / Jason D. O’Grady.
p. cm. — (Corporations that changed the world, ISSN 1939–2486)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978 – 0 – 313 – 36244 – 6 (alk. paper)
1. Apple Computer, Inc. 2. Computer industry—United States. I. Title.
HD9696.2.U64O676 2009
338.4'70040973— dc22 2008038757
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 2009 by Jason D. O’Grady
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2008038757

ISBN: 978 – 0 –313 –36244 – 6
ISSN: 1939–2486
First published in 2009
Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.greenwood.com
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated to my wife Elizabeth, my daughter Ginger,
and my family for their unwavering support.
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Contents
Preface ix
Introduction xi
Chapter 1 Origins and History 1
Chapter 2 Founders and Key Players 17
Chapter 3 Historical Context 33
Chapter 4 Strategies and Innovations 42
Chapter 5 Impact on Society 67
Chapter 6 Technology Timeline 69
Chapter 7 Macworld Expo 143
Chapter 8 Apple Leadership 146
Chapter 9 Competition 153
Chapter 10 Finances 159
Chapter 11 Future Prospects 163
Glossary 167
Notes 171
Bibliography 177
Index 179
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Preface
Few companies can claim the successes that Apple Inc. can, from
practically inventing the personal computer to creating an entirely
new market for portable media players to re-inventing how we pur-
chase and enjoy music. A case can be made that Apple took personal
electronics to an entirely new level, surpassing even Sony, largely
considered to be the original pioneer of consumer electronics. Apple
is the little company that could. Starting out as the minority player in
an industry crowded with larger and better-capitalized competitors,
Apple turned the industry on its ear.
Two guys named Steve, working in a garage in 1976, created a
prototype computer designed to be different in a way no one thought
possible: It would be easy to use. Those two Steves not only succeeded
with that product, but they also broke ground in the business world
in a new and different way: They proved you could not only have fun
at work, but that pursuing a capitalist dream could be hip.
Starting with the Macintosh—a niche machine at best—the com-
pany slowly built upon its successes; from the iMac to the iPod to the
iPhone, there’s no denying the impact of the Cupertino company on
the computer indust ry and the larger consumer electronic world as a
whole. Apple began by revolutionizing once-complex machines into
easy-to-use “personal” computers by pioneering technologies like the
Graphical User Interface (GUI) and the mouse and taking them into
the mainstream. The Apple II put the concept of personal computers
into the consciousness of the average consumer. Computers were no
longer relegated to scientists and PhDs; they had become accessible
to the average consumer.
The second coming began with the return of Steve Jobs to Apple
in 1997. Jobs ushered in the next generation of Apple with the iPod
media player and then the iPhone—two devices so revolutionary
that Apple dropped the “Computer” from its name, changing the
official corporate name to Apple Inc. Apple metamorphosed from a