Apple

Company Profile

Apple Incorporated is a U.S. company that manufactures computers, consumer electronics, operating systems, and application software. The company is headquartered in Cupertino, California. Apple is a pioneer in computer technology. In the 1970s, the company was instrumental in the proliferation of the personal computer and pioneered the graphical user interface (GUI) and the computer mouse. With the release of the iPod, iPhone and iPad, a new boom emerged around the company. Apple is considered one of the most valuable brands in the world. The company has a value of around $148 billion and recorded a revenue of $180 billion in 2013.

Company history

On 01.04.1976 Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Stephen Wozniak and Ronal Wayne. The latter left the fledgling company only a few days after. Still in the same month Apple presented its first personal computer, the Apple I. A total of 200 units were produced and sold at a price of $666.66 each. In 1977 the Apple II followed. The Apple "Lisa" from 1983 comes very close to the PC of today. It was equipped with a mouse, operating system and graphical user interface. Because of the very high price, Apple released an economy version called Macintosh with GUI the following year. Jobs left the company in 1985, without the visionary Apple suffered a lean period, but with the return of Jobs in 1996, it went uphill again under the motto "Think Different". With the release of the iMacs, Apple ushered in a new era. Home computers as well as mobile computers were now available for professionals and beginners, and Apple's fan base began to grow. Apple's next coup came with the release of the iPod. This portable digital media player revolutionized music listening. The iPhone, released in 2007, marked Apple's entry into the mobile phone industry. Apple sold around 14 million first-generation iPhones by the end of 2008, a sensational success for the company that continues into the present. In 2010, Apple revolutionized the market again, releasing the iPad, a hybrid of laptop and smartphone. This product also became a success with more than 100 million sales. Steve Jobs died in 2011 and the company lost its creative mind. Tim Cook now leads the fortunes of Apple.

Apple and Steve Jobs

Jobs is considered a visionary around the world. Under his leadership, Apple made it from a budding bankrupt to the world's leading technology company. Since Steve Jobs returned to the company in1996, Apple's stock rose thirtyfold. Especially the products of the 21st century made Jobs and Apple a legend. iPod, iPhone and iPad developed into cult products. Jobs was born in San Francisco on Feb. 24, 1955. After Apple launched the Apple II in 1977, the company went public in 1981, and Jobs and Wozniak became millionaires. With the beginning of the 21st century, Apple turned several technology industries around within a few years. MP3 players, smartphones and tablets were not reinvented by Apple, but the company made these products suitable for everyday use. Jobs had been suffering from pancreatic cancer since 2004 and succumbed to this ailment on 5.10.2011. Direct competitors such as Bill Gates of Microsoft and the chairmen of the electronics company Samsung praised him after his passing as a brilliant person, a visionary and an inspiring personality.

Products

• Desktop PCs (iMac)
• Notebooks (MacBook)
• Portable Player (iPod)
• Tablets (iPad)
• Smartphones (iPhone)
• AppleTV

Weblinks

• Apple.de - German Homepage
• Apple.com - English Homepage
• iHelpStore.de - Apple Repair Service
• Mobilcom Debitel - Iphone with contract -> Tip: directly with voucher from the portal.

Sources

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple
• www.was-war-wann.de/geschichte/apple.html
• www.taz.de/!79423/
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs