Apple Inc. timeline
Discover Apple’s journey over the years with the help of our downloadable free Apple history timeline.
Last updated on March 13, 2024
Dive into the rich heritage of Apple Inc. with our detailed Apple history timeline, carefully crafted using Office Timeline, an intuitive PowerPoint add-in designed for creating visually impactful timelines. This blog post will guide you through the pivotal moments that have shaped Apple’s innovative journey, offering a glimpse into the milestones that have defined the tech giant’s path to success.
Apple Inc. was born on the 1st of April 1976 and was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. The company’s first product was the Apple I, a personal computer designed and hand-built entirely by Wozniak.
Gradually expanding its range of products to consumer electronics and online services, it took the pioneering venture less than half a century to become the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer.
Apple history timeline: key milestones
The Apple Inc. Timeline overviews the important events in the history of the business, including releases of their main products and services. Let’s retrace the major milestones of their journey since establishment until the present day:
- 1976: Apple Computer Company is founded
- 1976: Apple I
- 1977: Apple II
- 1980: Apple III
- 1980: Company goes public for $22 per share
- 1984: The Macintosh
- 1985: S. Jobs leaves the company
- 1989: The Macintosh Portable
- 1990: 3 new Macintosh models
- 1991: The PowerBook
- 1997: S. Jobs regains position as CEO
- 1997: Apple Online Store
- 1998: The iMac
- 2001: First retail stores
- 2001: The iPod
- 2003: iTune Store
- 2007: Launches the iPhone & Apple TV under new name: Apple Inc.
- 2008: App Store
- 2010: The iPad
- 2010: The iPhone 4
- 2010: Apple shares reach an all-time high
- 2011: Jobs resigns (health problems)
- 2012: The iPhone 5
- 2017: Clips app
- 2015: Apple Watch
- 2016: AirPods
- 2018: Apple’s value reaches $1 trillion
- 2023: Apple Vision Pro
- 2026: 50th anniversary
An in-depth look at the milestones in Apple's history
Let’s take a closer look at how Apple became creator of game-changing devices like the Mac, iPhone and iPod:
1976: Apple Computer Company is founded, and Apple I is born
The identity behind one of the world’s most profitable brands emerged in the garage of Steve Jobs’ childhood home, after he came up with the idea of selling Steve Wozniak’s hand-built computer Apple I. To finance the creation of the device, Jobs sold his VW Kombi van and Wozniak his HP-65 calculator. The prototype was released on the 11th of April 1976, demonstrated 4 months later at the Homebrew Computer Club, and sold at the introductory price of $666 (the equivalent of $2,867 in 2017).
1977: Apple II
Apple II (stylized in the logo as “apple ][“)was a pioneering 8-bit home computer introduced in 1977, featuring color graphics, innovative design by Steve Wozniak, and a redesigned Apple logo. It revolutionized the personal computer industry, opening doors to consumer software. Apple II earned acclaim as the greatest PC of all time by PC World in 2006.
1980: Apple III
The Apple III (stylized as “apple ///”) was the first system designed by Apple as a company. It was a business-focused PC released by Apple in 1980 as a successor to the Apple II series. It was designed to provide business users with features such as a true typewriter-style upper/lowercase keyboard and an 80-column display.
The product incurred massive expenses in research, development, and promotion. Unfortunately, because of significant design flaws, it became Apple’s first major market failure. Despite a year-long effort to rectify issues such as chip dislodging, malfunctioning clocks, and overheating, solutions came too late.
1980: Company goes public for $22 per share
Four years after its foundation, Apple Computer Inc. went public at $22 per share, which generated the greatest capital that any IPO had done since Ford Motor Company in 1956, making 300 people millionaires overnight.
1984: The Macintosh
The original Apple Macintosh personal computer, later rebranded as the Macintosh 128K, was introduced in 1984. With a graphical user interface, built-in screen, and mouse, this computer helped popularize desktop publishing due to its ability to handle graphics. The new machine included the powerful 68k microprocessor from the Apple Lisa. Despite initial hurdles, the Macintosh achieved loyal fans and solid sales figures.
1985: Steve Jobs leaves the company
Throughout its activity, the company has seen numerous executive job shuffles, with all three co-founders leaving the board in the early stages and only Jobs returning in 1997 to oversee the rebuilding and consolidation of Apple’s status.
1989: The Macintosh Portable
The Macintosh Portable, Apple’s first battery-powered Mac, was sold from 1989 to 1991. It featured a sharp monochrome LCD screen that was housed in a unique clamshell design, allowing the screen to fold shut against the keyboard. This innovative laptop also included an integrated trackball for navigation and came in an array of technical configurations to satisfy various user needs.
While critics acknowledged the vivid quality of its display, many found the bulky machine to be quite heavy and pricey. Sales failed to meet projections, leading Apple to pull the plug on the Portable in 1991 when they launched their new PowerBook line-up of portable Macs that addressed earlier complaints.
1990: 3 new Macintosh models
In 1990, Apple rolled out a trio of new Macintosh computers, each tailored for a distinct slice of the personal computer marketplace. First came the Macintosh LC (Low Cost), a relatively inexpensive option designed for mainstream consumers seeking colorful graphical capabilities on a budget. While affordable and attractive visually, its functionality was constrained.
By contrast, the high-powered Macintosh IIfx workstation aimed higher, with blazing speeds and extensive customization choices to satisfy professional power users handling data-intensive tasks.
Between these extremes lay the Macintosh Classic, a no-frills machine delivering basic computing skills for essential word processing and spreadsheet duties without fancy flourishes. These three models catered to different segments of the market, providing a range of options for users with varying needs and budgets.
1991: The PowerBook
The PowerBook 100 was designed by Sony for Apple Computer. It was unveiled at the 1991 COMDEX computer expo. Despite its small marketing budget, the PowerBook line was a success, generating over $1 billion in revenue for Apple in its debut year alone. It was praised for its unique design, with the PowerBook 100 being named the tenth-greatest PC of all time in 2006.
1997: Steve Jobs regains position as CEO
In 1997, Steve Jobs returned as CEO of Apple, reviving the company’s fortunes after years of struggle. His comeback followed Apple’s acquisition of NeXT, the company he founded during his time away.
With Jobs back at the helm, Apple underwent a dramatic transformation, introducing ground-breaking products like the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Jobs’ relentless pursuit of innovation brought Apple to new heights, solidifying its position as a global tech powerhouse. His return marked the beginning of a new era of creativity and dominance for the company.
1997: Apple Online Store
Once more, 1997 proved a landmark year for Apple. The online Apple Store officially opened on November 10, 1997, and has been online since, offering worldwide buyers direct access to coveted gadgets. The online Apple Store played a crucial role in Apple’s survival and resurgence alongside the return of Steve Jobs and the launch of the iMac and iPod.
1998: The iMac
The iMac G3, sold by Apple from 1998 to 2003, released under Steve Jobs’ reorganized Apple, proved a landmark in Apple’s history. It featured a distinctive all-in-one design with innovative use of translucent plastic, replacing legacy technologies with CD-ROMs and USB ports.
Despite mixed critical response, the iMac achieved remarkable commercial success, becoming Apple’s fastest-selling computer with over 5 million units sold.
2001: First retail stores
The opening of Apple stores in 2001 had a strong impact on technology retailing. With innovative architectural designs, the stores quickly became destinations known for exhibiting Apple’s cutting-edge devices.
As more places launched worldwide, they gained praise for establishing new standards in visual appeal and utility. By combining art and engineering, Apple Stores have transformed business spaces into brand experiences.
2001: The iPod
The iPod, released by Apple in 2001, changed the way people listened to music. It enabled users to carry thousands of songs in a pocket-sized player and to download straight from the internet. It transformed the way music was accessed and experienced. Hewlett-Packard briefly distributed private labeled iPods for a short time, but conflicts over contractual terms brought that partnership to a halt in 2005.
Apple teamed up with U2 in 2006 to deliver a special edition iPod that let fans securely store the band’s entire catalog locally. Both the Nano and Shuffle lines were retired by Apple in July 2017, signaling the end of those product families. On May 10, 2022 the iPod Touch was discontinued, definitively ending the iPod era.
2003: iTune Store
In 2003, Apple launched the iTunes Store, an online digital media store where users could electronically purchase and download music, TV shows, movies, and other media. It was a new concept at the time that proved highly successful.
2007: Launches the iPhone & Apple TV under new name Apple Inc.
The year 2007 marked important changes for Apple Computers Inc., which became Apple Inc.
The corporation introduced the iPhone showing that phones could be so much more than just for calls and texts. It was a multifunctional handheld device that allowed users to communicate, access multimedia, and browse the internet from the palm of their hand.
In the same year, Apple launched Apple TV, bringing internet video and photos to the family television in a sleek, WIFI-connected package.
2008: App Store
In 2008, Apple changed the mobile landscape introducing the App Store which allowed iPhone users to directly download a diverse array of applications from a digital marketplace curated by Apple.
This original concept enabled third-party developers to create and distribute applications from simple games and social media tools to complex productivity apps. Smartphones become personalized multi-functional devices.
2010: The iPad
Two years later, in 2010, Apple unveiled the iPad, a device similar to the iPhone but with a larger screen, optimized for media consumption and digital content creation.
With its expansive touchscreen display, the iPad provided users with an immersive experience for watching videos, reading electronically published books and periodicals, and playing games. Its larger screen made it easier to use applications for high-level designing, photo editing, video conferencing, and other work or fun activities.
2010: The iPhone 4
In 2010, Apple marked another milestone on the iPhone timeline by launching the iPhone 4, a smartphone that featured a sleek design with glass front and rear panels, high-resolution Retina display and enhanced camera system. The device’s debut caused a frenzy, with over 600,000 pre-orders – the largest number of pre-orders Apple has ever taken in a single day, far higher than anticipated. The iPhone 4 attracted widespread acclaim for its cutting-edge aesthetics and capabilities. 2010 was a great year for Apple: they were leading the way in the world of mobile technology.
2010: Apple shares reach an all-time high
On Wall Street, Apple stock rocketed to an unprecedented $275 per share. This record was achieved as a result of staggering iPhone 4 sales that had prompted the early order process to be briefly suspended due to being overwhelmed by consumer enthusiasm.
Also, investor optimism was boosted on anticipation of forthcoming products combined with strong sales and financial reports from existing blockbusters.
2011: Jobs resigns (health problems)
In 2011, Steve Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple due to health issues. Tim Cook took over as Apple CEO in 2011, following Steve Jobs’ death. That same year, Cook introduced the Apple Watch, a new product category for Apple. During the announcement, Cook paid tribute to Jobs by using his famous catchphrase, “one more thing.”
2012: The iPhone 5
The iPhone 5 was launched on September 12, 2012. It had a new aluminium design, a taller 4-inch screen, a faster processor, high-speed 4G LTE connectivity, and a retooled 8-megapixel iSight camera. It got over two million pre-orders in a day.
Yet, early adopters encountered some hardware glitches, and the newly adapted Lightning charging port drew polarized opinions and lingering complaints. Apple stopped selling the iPhone 5 on September 10, 2013, when they introduced the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C, which replaced it.
2017: Clips app
Apple introduces Clips, a new app for iPhone and iPad. The app was aimed at empowering everyone with creative expression, allowing easy creation of expressive videos on iPhone and iPad.
The video editing app allowed users to liven up short capture with effects, stickers, filters and more through an intuitive interface. Clips became a playground for casual content creators of all ages to craft and share moments with just a few taps.
2015: Apple Watch
The year 2015 marked a major shift in personal technology as Apple launched the Apple Watch, their first wearable. While sleek and stylish in design, the true innovation of the Apple Watch consisted in multiple health and fitness tracking functions.
It allowed users to monitor vitals, exercise routines, and stay connected through notifications and apps from their wrist.
2016: AirPods
Apple caused a stir by announcing in 2016 plans to remove the traditional headphone jack from iPhones. In its place, they launched AirPods, completely wireless earbuds that offered unimpeded music and call experience and became a must-have accessory. Their impressive battery life and seamless pairing made AirPods an instant success story.
2018: Apple’s value reaches $1 trillion
On September 12th of 2018, Apple made history by becoming the very first publicly traded company to reach an unprecedented market value of one trillion dollars. This achievement showed the tremendous success and worldwide influence of Apple’s many products and services. It marked its dominant position within the market on a global scale.
2023: Apple Vision Pro
In 2023, during the WWDC event in June, Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the ground-breaking Vision Pro – Apple’s first mixed-reality headset and the company’s most important product launch since the revolutionary Apple Watch. It was released on February 2, 2024, and carries a hefty price tag of $3,499.
Frequently asked questions about Apple Inc.
We’ve gone further and researched more about Apple’s history. Here are the answers to frequent questions that people ask about lesser-known, interesting facts regarding the company.
Apple Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets a diverse portfolio of electronic goods, including smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories; the company also provides a variety of related support services. Its product categories include iPhone, Mac, iPad as well as items in the Wearables, Home, and Accessories segments.
During his keynote presentation at Macworld Expo 2007 on January 9th, Steve Jobs announced that Apple Computer, Inc. was adopting the shortened name Apple Inc. to symbolize its evolution beyond computers alone. Apple would no longer focus only on building PCs; rather, it aimed to develop a variety of consumer electronics. The rebranding coincided with unveiling the iPhone and Apple TV. This represented a landmark, when Apple diversified its portfolio to transform how people connect, communicate, and are entertained.
Apple’s slogan is “Think Different”. After its initial airing on television in 1997, Apple’s “Think Different” slogan remains linked to the corporation today and continues glowing beside their innovative line of products. These words stand for the potential and progressiveness that drive the company forward.
The name “Apple” was chosen due to Steve Jobs’ liking of apples. In Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs, Jobs reveals that he came up with the name “Apple” while on one of his fruitarian diets.
After visiting an apple farm, Steve thought of the name Apple because “it sounded fun, spirited and not intimidating…plus, it would get us ahead of Atari in the phone book.” As Steve Wozniak remembered, he drove Steve from the airport down Highway 85. Steve had been to Oregon to visit a place he called an “apple orchard”. During their ride, Steve Jobs suggested the name “Apple Computer” for their fledgling business.
Another hypothesis links the name of the company to Isaac Newton since the original logo featured Isaac Newton under an apple tree. Jobs even included a quote from a poem indicating a connection to Newton.
Jobs wanted a logo that would represent the importance of design in modern computers, harmonizing it with the “Apple” brand. The result was a two-dimensional rainbow-colored apple image. This new design highlighted Apple’s groundbreaking Apple II – the world’s first colored-display computer.
Rob Janoff, the graphic designer who created the logo in 1977, stated that the bite was primarily added to avoid mistaking the apple for a cherry. The colorful, friendly logo was designed to make computers feel more approachable and less intimidating to newcomers.
For over three decades, Apple Computer mainly manufactured personal computers for everyday use, such as the highly successful Apple II, Macintosh, and Power Mac lines. They strived to craft intuitive devices that non-experts could easily operate in homes and workplaces. However, the company faced difficulties throughout the 1990s, such as fluctuating sales and diminished market share.
Jobs and co-founder Wozniak dreamt of designing compact computers for mass adoption. The computers would have been user-friendly enough for everyday use in homes and offices. They aspired to make computing more accessible to all.
At only 21 years old, Jobs embarked on his pioneering journey with Wozniak in his family garage. To fund their ambitious startup, Jobs sold his trusty Volkswagen bus, while Wozniak parted with his beloved scientific calculator.
About the Apple history timeline
The Apple Inc. chronology was built with Office Timeline, an easy-to-use PowerPoint add-in that creates professional timelines, visual plans, Gantt charts and other similar graphics with only a few clicks. You can modify our timeline or use the diverse templates library to quickly make new timelines with the free 14-day trial version of Office Timeline.
Tim is Co-Founder & CEO of Office Timeline, a Seattle-based start-up that aims to rid the world of boring, uninspiring meetings.
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