Apple Inc.

Apple Inc. is a corporation based out of Cupertino, California, that deals primarily in computer hardware, software, and their line of MP3 players, iPods. Founded on April 1st, 1976, by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, it was originally named Apple Computer Incorporated until a name change on January 9th, 2007. It's first sale was the Apple I, which was a failure.

The Apple II

In 1977, however, Apple released the Apple II, which was one of the original computers that came completely contained within a plastic case, motioning towards user-friendliness. The main difference, however, was the screen display. Instead of just being able to display text, it would display graphics, charts, and eventually, color. Many small companies were buying these for use in their offices, but Steve Jobs had ambitions to expand, which some consider to have been unrealistic. He was doing well so far, however, as with the revenue of the Apple II, Apple Computer Inc. was now a

Apple's Initial Public Offering

The largest since the Ford Motor Company had an IPO in 1956, more than 300 people were made millionares from the stock instantly.

The Apple III

The Apple III was created in reponse to Steve Job's wanting to move ahead with new innovations. He wanted to innovate, and as such, provided some questionable designs to the employees, such as it being shipped without a cooling fan. This particular defect caused the computer to break down, usually before it had reached it's destination. Thousands were recalled, and the press had a "field day" with it. The Apple III most definitely hurt Apple Computer's reputation, as it was a complete failure.