Apple Inc.

     In 1976 Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne founded a small company named Apple Computer.  For its first 35 years, Apple was the underdog to its rival Microsoft.  In his article on Mashable.com, “35 Years & $317 Billion Later, Apple Intends To Dominate a Post-PC World,” Ben Parr shares some little-known facts about Apple, “now the most valuable computer company in the world:”

  • Apple’s market capitalization exceeds $317 billion, $100 billion more than Microsoft;
  • Wayne, one of the co-founders, got cold feet and sold his 10% stake in less than two weeks;
  • 1985 — CEO John Sculley forced Jobs out of the company; and
  • 1997 — Jobs was brought back when Apple “was on the brink of destruction.”

     Apple’s golden years followed with wildly successful products such as the iPod, iMac, MacBook, iPhone and the iPad. 

     So, what’s in store for Apple in the next 35 years?  Parr believes Apple will dominate a post-PC “world of mobile devices … for decades to come” by competing “on design and user experience”  instead of hardware specs.

     Someday Jobs will leave some big shoes to fill.  Parr wonders “whether anybody can provide the design and product vision” Jobs brought to the company in his “quest to redefine technology.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *