Apple Inc.

Apple Computer is one of the pioneers of the technology industry. Headquartered in Cupertino, CA, with development facilities and retail locations worldwide, Apple has over 10,000 employees. Apple was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak whose first computer was manufactured in the Jobs family's garage. The Apple II (1977), with its plastic case and colour graphics, launched the company to success, earning Apple over $100 million by 1980, the year the company first offered stock to the public. The 1981 introduction of IBM's PC, running a Microsoft Corp. operating system, marked the beginning of long-term competition for Apple in the personal-computer market. The Macintosh, introduced in 1984, was the first personal computer to use a graphical user interface and a mouse. The "Mac" initially sold poorly, and Jobs left the company in 1985, but eventually it found its niche in the desktop publishing market. Meanwhile, Microsoft's Windows operating system eroded Apple's market share. Apple recalled Jobs in 1997. He returned the company to profitability by introducing more innovative products, such as the iMac. Apple introduced iTunes, software for playing music that has been converted to the MP3 format, and the iPod portable MP3 music player in 2001; in 2003 the company began selling downloadable copies of major record company songs in MP3 format over the Internet.

The original Apple product line consisted of computer hardware, mostly Macintosh Computers and accessories. Since then, Apple has crafted an image of itself as the ultimate in “cool”, with a focus not only on powerful computer hardware and software but also on entertainment media as well. The iPod line of MP3 players is the world leader, and the iTunes music store provides an easy shopping interface for legal music downloads.