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Here’s a look at how Apple has evolved, in photos, since its founding 50 years ago.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Apple is entering a new era: one to be shaped by John Ternus.<\/p>\n
The hardware engineering exec is set to become Apple’s new CEO in September.<\/p>\n
The tech giant, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in April, is one of the world’s most valuable companies, known for innovative products like the iMac, iPhone, and iPod. Its storied past is one of incredible highs, including a $4 trillion market cap, and alarming lows, like its series of stumbles in the 1990s.<\/p>\n
It’s had many leaders over the years \u2014 most notably Steve Jobs, who put the company on the map with his lofty ideas and unique leadership style. After Jobs stepped down from the position to focus on his health, Tim Cook took over as CEO and has guided the company through much success and turbulent times.<\/p>\n
Cook’s tenure has launched new products like the Apple Watch, Vision Pro, and AirPods. The company has also launched its own artificial intelligence software, Apple Intelligence.<\/p>\n
As Apple’s next CEO, Ternus will be tasked with solidifying the tech giant as a leader in AI.<\/p>\n
Here’s a look at Apple’s history in photos, from its inception through its hard times to the triumphant return of Jobs and beyond.<\/p>\n
Matt Weinberger, Aaron Mok, and Avery Hartmans contributed to earlier versions of this story.<\/em><\/p>\nApple was cofounded on April 1, 1976, by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in Los Altos, California.<\/p>\n\n\nKimberly White\/Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nApple’s first “office” was the garage at Jobs’ parents’ house. There was a third cofounder, too: Ronald Wayne. Jobs brought Wayne on board to provide business guidance for the two young cofounders.<\/p>\n
Wayne sketched the first Apple logo by hand.<\/p>\n
The cofounder left the company before it was officially incorporated. He took an $800 check for his shares in the company. Apple would officially incorporate in 1977.<\/p>\n
The company’s first product was the Apple I.<\/p>\n\n\nAn Apple-1 computer, built in 1976, is displayed during the First Bytes: Iconic Technology From the Twentieth Century, an online auction featuring vintage tech products at the Computer History Museum on June 24, 2013 in Mountain View, California.Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIt was just a motherboard with a processor and some memory, intended for hobbyists. Customers had to build their own case and add their own keyboard and monitor, as seen in the picture above.<\/p>\n
The Apple I was invented by Wozniak, who also hand-built every kit.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Jobs handled the business end, mainly trying to convince would-be investors that the personal computer market was primed to explode.<\/p>\n
The Apple II was introduced in 1977.<\/p>\n\n\nEric Risberg\/AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe personal computer was designed by Wozniak, and it would go on to take the world by storm. The Apple II’s killer app was VisiCalc, a groundbreaking spreadsheet software that propelled the computer ahead of market leaders Tandy and Commodore, according to the National Museum of American History.<\/p>\n
With VisiCalc, Apple could sell the Apple II to the business customer. By 1978, Apple would actually have a real office, with employees and an Apple II production line.<\/p>\n
Xerox PARC convinced Jobs that the future of computing was with a graphical user interface (GUI).<\/p>\n\n\nSteve Jobs with the Lisa computer in 1983.Ted Thai\/The LIFE Picture Collection\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIn 1979, Apple engineers were allowed to visit the Xerox PARC campus for three days, in exchange for the option to buy 100,000 shares of Apple for $10 a share, according to Newsweek.<\/p>\n
A year later, Apple released the Apple III, a business-focused computer intended to counter the growing threat from IBM and Microsoft.<\/p>\n
But the Apple III was only a stopgap, and Xerox PARC had led the young Jobs to think in a different direction.<\/p>\n
Jobs\u00a0spearheaded the effort to equip Apple’s next-generation Lisa computer with a GUI, but was bumped from the project thanks to infighting.<\/p>\n
Lisa was released in 1983 to much fanfare, but disastrous\u00a0sales \u2014 it was too expensive and didn’t have enough software support, CNBC reported.<\/p>\n
Jobs led the next project, the Apple Macintosh.<\/p>\n\n\nSteve Jobs, chairman of the board of Apple Computer, leans on the new Macintosh personal computer following a shareholder’s meeting in Cupertino, Ca. Apple Inc. on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011 said Jobs is resigning as CEO, effective immediately. He will be replaced by Tim Cook, who was the company’s chief operating officer. It said Jobs has been elected as Apple’s chairman.AP Photo\/Paul Sakuma<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIt was billed as the most user-friendly computer to date. It would go on to become popular with graphic-design professionals, who liked its visual chops (even though it was in black and white).<\/p>\n
It was still very expensive, however.<\/p>\n
Around the time of the launch of the first Macintosh in 1983, Apple got a new CEO: John Sculley.<\/p>\n
Sculley was serving as Pepsi’s youngest-ever CEO, but Jobs, then head of Macintosh development, managed to bring him to Apple with the now-legendary pitch: “Do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life? Or do you want to come with me and change the world?” Forbes reported.<\/p>\n
In 1984, Apple released the TV commercial that made it a household name.<\/p>\n
This ad, appropriately called “1984,” was directed by Ridley Scott and cost the company $1.5 million. It aired during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII, and never again.<\/p>\n
This was also when tensions between Jobs and Bill Gates started to run high.<\/p>\n\n\nKristy MacDonald\/AP; Gary Stewart\/AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOriginally, Microsoft was working hard at making software for the Macintosh. But those plans were scuttled in 1983 when Microsoft revealed that it, too, was working on a graphical user interface called Windows.<\/p>\n
The Macintosh had strong sales, but not enough to break IBM’s dominance.<\/p>\n\n\nSal Veder\/AP Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThis led to a lot of friction between Jobs \u2014 the head of the Macintosh group who liked doing things his own way \u2014 and Sculley, who wanted stricter oversight of future products in light of the Lisa disaster and the Macintosh’s disappointment.<\/p>\n
Things came to a head in 1985 when Jobs tried to stage a coup and oust Sculley \u2014 but Apple’s board of directors took Sculley’s side and removed Jobs from his managerial duties.<\/p>\n
A furious Jobs quit and went on to found NeXT, a computer company making advanced workstations where he had total control.<\/p>\n
Wozniak later left and sold most of his shares around the same time in 1985, saying the company was going in the wrong direction. With Jobs gone, Sculley had a free hand at Apple.<\/p>\n
At first, things seemed great.<\/p>\n\n\nAssociated Press<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nApple introduced its PowerBook laptop and System 7 operating system in 1991. System 7 introduced color to the Macintosh operating system, and would stick around (with updates) until OS X was released in 2001, according to Cult of Mac.<\/p>\n
The 1990s would see Apple enter many new markets, none of which really worked out.<\/p>\n\n\nSSPL\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nPossibly the most famous Apple flop of the ’90s was 1993’s Newton MessagePad, which was Sculley’s brainchild.<\/p>\n
It literally created the market for “personal digital assistants,” but it was $700 and did little more than take notes and keep track of your contacts, according to MacWorld.<\/p>\n
At the same time, Microsoft’s influence was on the rise.<\/p>\n\n\nAP Photo<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nMacs offered an excellent, but limited, software library on expensive computers.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Microsoft was selling Windows 3.0 on cheap, commodity computers.<\/p>\n
Sculley was relieved of his duties in 1993.<\/p>\n\n\nLuc Novovitch\/AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAfter Apple missed on its first-quarter earnings in 1993, Sculley stepped down and was replaced as CEO by Michael Spindler, a German expatriate who had been with Apple since 1980, the Los Angeles Times reported.<\/p>\n
Spindler had the unfortunate job of following through with Sculley’s big PowerPC processor plans, which would prove to be a mistake.<\/p>\n
In 1994, the first Macintosh running on a PowerPC was released.<\/p>\n\n\nAP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nApple’s fortunes continued to sag as Windows took off. After acquisition talks with IBM, Sun Microsystems, and Philips all fell through, Apple’s board replaced Spindler with Gil Amelio in 1996, The New York Times reported.<\/p>\n
Amelio’s tenure was equally troubled.<\/p>\n\n\nDick Drew\/AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nUnder his reign, Apple stock hit a 12-year low (largely because Jobs himself sold 1.5 million Apple shares in a single transaction), according to CNET.<\/p>\n
Amelio decided to purchase Jobs’ NeXT Computer for $429 million in February 1997 to bring him back to Apple.<\/p>\n
On the July 4 weekend that same year, Jobs would stage a boardroom coup.<\/p>\n\n\nLou Dematteis\/Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nJobs convinced Apple’s board to install him as interim CEO. Amelio resigned a week later.<\/p>\n
1997 would also see the introduction of Apple’s famous “Think Different” ad campaign.<\/p>\n\n\nGilles Mingasson\/Liaison\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIt celebrated famous artists, scientists, and musicians. Jobs opposed parts of the original idea for the commercial, such as his narrating it.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Jobs got his way, and the famous ad was narrated by actor Richard Dreyfuss.<\/p>\n
Under Jobs’ leadership, the company would make nice with Microsoft.<\/p>\n\n\nJim Bourg\/Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIn August 1997, Jobs took the stage at Apple’s Macworld Expo to announce that Apple had received a $150 million investment from Microsoft.<\/p>\n
“We need all the help we can get,” Jobs said, to boos from the audience, CNBC reported.<\/p>\n
The late 90s were a new era for hardware and software, too.<\/p>\n\n\nMousse Mousse\/Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nJobs\u00a0had Jony Ive\u00a0spearhead the design of the iMac, an all-in-one computer released in 1998.<\/p>\n
In 2000, Jobs introduced Mac OS X, based on the NeXT operating system, finally replacing System 7.<\/p>\n
And in 2006, Apple finally moved to an Intel-based system architecture.<\/p>\n
Apple had two massively influential product releases in the 2000s, beginning with the iPod in 2001.<\/p>\n\n\nJustin Sullivan\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe iPod blew other MP3 players out of the water and radically altered the way we listen to music. It birthed a number of iterations that would span over a decade, including the iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle, and iPod Touch.<\/p>\n
The iPod also launched Apple’s white earbuds as a status symbol.<\/p>\n
But the single biggest victory for Apple was 2007’s introduction of the iPhone.<\/p>\n\n\nAlessia Pierdomenico \/ Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhen the iPhone went on sale, customers lined up outside stores in the US to get their hands on one.<\/p>\n
The iPad came out in 2010.<\/p>\n\n\nBloomberg\/Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nApple positioned the new product as a cross between a smartphone and a laptop. It helped define the modern tablet product category.<\/p>\n
The company expanded into services, helping fuel Apple’s growth as iPhone sales lagged.<\/p>\n\n\nAlberto Rodriguez\/Variety via Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nUnder Cook \u2014 who took over after Jobs’ death in 2011 \u2014 Apple introduced new hardware product lines, including the Apple Watch and AirPods.<\/p>\n
Apple also launched its own music and video streaming services, as well as other subscription offerings, such as news and gaming.<\/p>\n
The Apple Watch was announced in 2014.<\/p>\n\n\nStephen Lam\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe Apple Watch marked the company’s first venture into wearable technology. It quickly became one of the world’s most popular smartwatches.<\/p>\n
Apple’s chief design officer, Jony Ive, left Apple in 2019 and set up his own design shop, LoveFrom.<\/p>\n\n\nJony Ive at the 2016 Met GalaDimitrios Kambouris \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nApple said at the time that it would become one of LoveFrom’s “primary clients.” The two companies’ relationship wound down in 2022, according to The New York Times, which reported there were frustrations on both sides about the arrangement.<\/p>\n
In August 2020, Apple hit a new milestone before other companies.<\/p>\n\n\nAP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIt became a $2 trillion company \u2014 the first company to do so \u2014 just 24 months after reaching the $1 trillion threshold.<\/p>\n
Apple became the first public company to close with a market cap above $3 trillion.<\/p>\n\n\nEduardo Munoz Alvarez\/VIEWpress<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe stock closed at $193.97 in June 2023. Apple’s ecosystem, led by the iPhone, iPad, and Services, has driven consistent growth through booms, downturns, and even a pandemic. Months later, Apple’s valuation dropped to $2.8 trillion ahead of the iPhone 15 launch in September.<\/p>\n
Some Apple fans were disappointed by the new iPhone 15.<\/p>\n\n\nApple<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nFollowing the September launch, some Apple fans said the iPhone 15 looked nearly identical to its predecessors. They claimed it’s a design choice that reflected Apple’s lack of innovation on the smartphone front.<\/p>\n
The biggest change was the shift away from the Lightning charging port to USB-C. The launch reflected Apple’s transition into a more incremental phase rather than era-defining moments.<\/p>\n
Apple has faced regulatory scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\nEuropean Commissioners at a GDPR news conference in BrusselsReuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIn January 2024, Apple was forced to crack open its App Store after the European Commission pushed the company to comply with the Digital Markets Act.<\/p>\n
Under the DMA, third-party app stores would finally be allowed on Apple’s iOS operating system in the EU. That would allow developers to distribute their apps beyond the App Store, which takes a cut from app sales.<\/p>\n
The law aims to prevent Big Tech, which the EU calls “gatekeepers,” from dominating the digital marketplace. It forced Apple to open up parts of its digital walled garden in Europe.<\/p>\n
Apple also saw iPhone sales slump in China, a major market, at the start of 2024, losing its rank as the top smartphone provider in the country.<\/p>\n