The growth of Apple Computer, Inc. provides one of the greatest success stories of recent times. The organization was established in 1975 by electronics wizard Steve Wozniak and entrepreneur Steve Jobs. Wozniak and Jobs started their business on a shoestring. Together, they barely had $1,000 to invest, and their first computers were built in the garage of Jobs' home. Their first model, the Apple I, sold only a couple of hundred units. However, the improved Apple II quickly sold in the tens of thousands. By 1980, Apple Computer was worth $117 million (Depke and Brandt, 1991, p. 61). In 1984, the year that Apple introduced its popular Macintosh model, the company attained more than $1 billion in sales. In 1990, Apple Computer's annual revenues were worth well over $5 billion (McCarroll, 1991, p. 46). In 1985, Apple underwent dramatic changes when John Sculley took over control of the organization. At that time, the computer industry as a whole was experiencing a decline in sales. Although both Wozniak and Jobs left Apple Computer as a result of conflicts with the new president, Sculley was able to regain the company's place in the market by the year 1987. In 1991, a surprise announcement was made in which it was revealed that Apple Computer was planning a cooperative alliance with its traditional enemy, Internal Business Machines (IBM). This alliance, if successful, will open new markets for both Apple and IBM, and will thus increase the profitability of both firms.
The inventor of the first Apple computer was Steve Wozniak. He was a young electronics genius who worked as an engineer at Hewlett-Packard. In his spare time, Wozniak developed a small personal computer which was much simpler to use than the huge machines which existed at that time. At first, Wozniak wanted Hewlett-Packard to manufacture and market his new computer design. However, the company turned down the idea as being impractical. By contrast, a ...