Today in History: Apple Was Founded, 1976

[G+_Kevin Spitzer (JaguarXT]

Originally shared by Brad Acker

 

Today in History: Apple Was Founded, 1976

On April 1, 1976 — 39 years ago today — Apple was founded as a personal computer manufacturer by Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, and Ronald Wayne. Wozniak and Jobs had met 5 years earlier, and they both shared an interest in technology that empowered individuals (and a joy of playing pranks on people). Jobs recognized that Wozniak had the skills required to build a personal computer and persuaded Wozniak to partner in an effort to develop and market such computers. Showing early signs of business ingenuity, Jobs convinced a local computer store to place an order for 50 personal computers, payable upon delivery. Next, Jobs went to a national electronic parts supplier; and, using the purchase order as a form of verifiable credit, Jobs ordered the components needed for Wozniak to assemble the personal computers. Without any money, without any investors, Jobs had effectively launched Apple. However, Jobs was only 21; Wozniak was 25. So Jobs asked Ronald Wayne, an older, more experienced, business friend (with whom Jobs had worked at Atari while Jobs was in high school), to help them set up a partnership agreement and operate a business. 

 

After helping with the initial start-up materials — writing the manual for the personal computer, the partnership agreement (Wayne set up ownership as Wozniak 45%-Jobs 45%-Wayne 10%), and drawing the original logo, Wayne decided to leave the team. Wayne was the chief draftsman and product development engineer at Atari, and he also understood that all members of a partnership were legally responsible for any debts incurred by any partner. Because Wayne had substantially more assets than the young Jobs and Wozniak, Wayne exited the partnership; he says that he never regretted his decision, because his aim was only two help two young entrepreneurs get their business off the ground. 

 

YouTube videos:

•Apple Founders Steve Wozniak and Ron Wayne talk about Apple’s early years (length: xx:xx).

•The History of Apple in under 10 minutes (length: 09:06).

•Steve Jobs: How Apple got its name (bad quality but informative; length: 02:56). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzzOwRx3D1E

•Steve Wozniak: How Apple got its name (length: 01:28). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfFsjEtiV_A

•Steve Wozniak from 1984 talking about computing, joining Apple, and the Mac.

•Steve Wozniak on the Early Days of Apple—Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley (length 01:06:55).

 

Web sources:

•http://www.loc.gov/rr/business/businesshistory/April/apple.html

•http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-12-04/apple-steve-wozniak-on-the-early-years-with-steve-jobs

•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.

•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Apple_Inc.

•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Wayne

 

Book sources:

• Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W2UBYW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004W2UBYW&linkCode=as2&tag=historyknowledge-20&linkId=CG6HTMZXSQBGQTMM

• iWoz, Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I invented the personal computer, co-founded Apple, and had fun doing it by Steve Wozniak with Gina Smith. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VUCIZO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000VUCIZO&linkCode=as2&tag=historyknowledge-20&linkId=ZFRBSS2TEHZ5S5Z4

• Adventures of an Apple Founder by Ronald G. Wayne. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615517420/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0615517420&linkCode=as2&tag=historyknowledge-20&linkId=3D25Q2YP6J5IPM4G

• Founders at Work: Stories of Startups’ Early Days by Jessica Livingston. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009IXMK4O/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009IXMK4O&linkCode=as2&tag=historyknowledge-20&linkId=ANBMLG26VW3OJQHJ

 

Image credits:

•Left: Steve Jobs (left) and Steve Wozniak (right). http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/features/apple/3240934/apple-z-everything-you-need-know-about-apple/

•Right Top: Apple “Spaceship” Campus (currently under construction). http://www.bandwidthblog.com/2014/09/09/aerial-shots-of-first-stages-of-apples-spaceship-campus/

•Right Middle: Steve Jobs’s house in Los Altos, CA, and the garage where Apple began. http://stumptownblogger.typepad.com/.a/6a010536b86d36970c0147e36f18ff970b-pi

•Right Bottom: Ronald Wayne, the 10% partner of the original Apple team. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2388674/The-unluckiest-man-world-Meet-Ron-Wayne-Apple-Incs-forgotten-founder.html