20 Facts about Apple on the Apple II's 40th AnniversaryLooking back on how the company has grown in the years since the launch of its flagship product.
ByNina Zipkin•
June 10 marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the Apple II computer.
The tech giant's first offering, the Apple I, was sold in DIY kit form, but the Apple II, released in 1977, was designed to be used by the everyday consumer -- with features such as color graphics, sound and even a built-in video game -- right out of the box.
The modern era of personal computers and the fortunes of the tech giant's flagship product are inextricably tied together. The Apple II wasdiscontinuedin 1990, but it was a bestseller for more than a decade. By 1984, more than2 millionof the computers had been sold.
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In hisintroductionof the Apple II inBYTE Magazinein 1977, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak shared his vision of the future: "To me, a personal computer should be small, reliable, convenient to use and inexpensive." That vision seems to have paid off.
In celebration of the Apple II's 40th birthday, here is a look at some unexpected facts about the company.
Beginnings.
The company was created by Steve Jobs and Wozniak on April Fool's Day -- April 1, 1976.
Dreaming big.
The company's home has always been in Cupertino, Calif., starting from Steve Jobs' family's garage in the 1970s tothe new campusthat is currently being built.
Before the Apple Store.
The first store where Apple computers were sold was calledthe Byte Shop, a retailer launched by a man named Paul Terrell.
Unexpected pricing.
The Apple-1'sretail pricewhen it went on sale in 1976 was $666.66.Apple II arrives on the scene.
The Apple II made its debut at the first everWest Coast Computer Fairein 1977.
Fun and games.
The Apple II was sold with a cassette of the video gameBreakout,which was co-designed Atari founder Nolan Bushnell and Wozniak and Jobs while they worked at the company.
Unlikely inspiration.
As Jobs told it, thenameof the company was inspired by a summer he spent working on an apple orchard in Oregon after he dropped out of Reed College.
Science fiction future.
Apple's iconic 1984 super bowl ad spot -- it's first ever televisioncommercial-- cost $650,000 to make and helmed byAlienandBlade Runnerdirector Ridley Scott.
Then and now.
Forty years ago when theApple IIwent on the market, it cost $1,298. Accounting for inflation, today it would retail for $5,289.87. As a basis of comparison, a 13-inch MacBook Pro costs anywhere from $1,299 to $1,799.
Going public.
The company went public on Dec. 12, 1980, and stocks sold at $22 per share. Apple made more money than any other IPO since Ford Motor Company in 1956.Joining forces again.
Steve Jobs was ousted from the company in 1985, but returned in 1997 after Apple bought his venture NeXT.Innovative design.
Jony Ive has overseen the company's design team since 1996. The first product released with both Ive and Jobs on board was the now iconiciMac.
A time before the iPhone.
Though it seems like theiPhoneis ubiquitous now, it was first introduced in the winter of 2007 at the annual MacWorld expo. The app store officially launched in July of 2008.
Breaking records.
In 2015, Apple became the first company to be valued at more than $700 billion. In May of 2017, Apple broke that record when it was valued at more than$800 billion-- it was also the first company to hit that mark.The road not taken.
Welcome to the Genius Bar.
The first twoApple storesopened on May 19, 2001. They were located in the Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Va., and the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, Calif.
Not every idea will succeed.
Apple hasn't just sold computers over the last four decades. The company madecameras, video game consoles, clothes and evensneakersfor a time in the 1980s and 1990s.Unlikely partners.
In 1997, Apple and Microsoft reached a detente when Microsoftinvested$150 million in the then flailing Apple.A big year.
2003 saw the release of two technologicalmainstaysfrom Apple: the Safari browser and the iTunes Music store.Money in the bank.
In 2014, it was revealed that Apple had moremoneyat its disposal than was on hand in the U.S. Treasury -- $160 billion compared to $49 billion.