- Apple has accumulated unique anecdotes since its founding in 1976, with a third co-founder who sold his shares for $800 and an initial logo based on Isaac Newton.
- The names and designs of products like Macintosh, iMac, iPod, iPhone or iPad hide nods to apple varieties, the Internet and the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey".
- The company has experienced great successes and resounding failures such as Lisa, Newton, Pippin or its clothing line, always maintaining a strong obsession with design and small details.
- Tim Cook has brought his own style of leadership, with extreme routines, a taste for the simple life and a key role in the recent evolution of Apple and Apple Park.
If there is a technology company surrounded by myths, anecdotes and amazing little storiesThat's Apple. Behind the iPhone, the Mac, or the iPad are decades of strange decisions, strokes of luck, blunders, and also strokes of genius that have shaped the way we use technology every day.
In this article we're going to give you a good overview of the The most striking and geeky facts about Apple, its founders, and Tim CookMixing historical data, design decisions, projects that went horribly wrong, and others that changed the world. Get ready, because many of these things don't usually come up in keynotes.
The origins of Apple and its founders
Apple was born on April 1, 1976 in California with Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald WayneAlthough almost everyone knows the names of Jobs and Wozniak by heart, the truth is that the company had a third co-founder whose story is one of the greatest economic misfortunes of all time.
Ronald Wayne was the one who took charge of draft the Apple creation contract and design the company's first logoHowever, he only lasted 12 days in the project: he decided to sell his stake to Jobs and Wozniak for about $800 because he was afraid of going into debt if things went wrong.
Over the years, that package of shares that Wayne sold off cheaply would have become a fortune of tens of billions of dollarsTo top it all off, he also sold the original contract he himself had signed to a collector for $500, a document that was later auctioned for around $1,6 million. Clearly, as an investment, it wasn't exactly brilliant.
The idea for Apple arose from Wozniak's determination to build your own personal computer in the mid-70sAfter designing his first computer, he joined Jobs, who was just over 20 years old at the time. They literally set up the company in the Jobs family garage, financing the start of the project with the sale of Steve's minibus and a scientific calculator belonging to Wozniak.
Over the years, that little garage adventure transformed into one of the companies with the highest market capitalization in the worldto the point that a single share bought in Apple's IPO in 1980 for $22 could be worth almost $10.000 today after splits and revaluations.
The name Apple, the apple, and the most famous logo in the world
The company name was not chosen at random. One of the reasons for choosing “Apple” was as simple as appearing before Atari in the pages of telephone directorieswhich were arranged alphabetically. Atari was one of the major video game companies where Jobs himself had worked, and putting Apple ahead had a strategic point and a touch of revenge.
As for the logo, the brand's first emblem has little to do with today's iconic bitten apple. Ronald Wayne designed a a very elaborate logo featuring Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree...right at the moment the fruit falls on his head, giving rise to the theory of gravity. It was an almost Victorian drawing, full of detail, very beautiful... but not at all practical for a technology company.
Steve Jobs considered that emblem to be too outdated and complicated to reproduce in cases, advertisements, and products. That's why he commissioned a much more minimalist design from Rob Janoff, who in 1977 created the famous apple with colored stripes, a direct nod to the Apple II, the first mass-market computer with a color screen.
All sorts of theories have circulated about the bite of the apple. One of the most popular interpretations is that it is a a play on words between “bite” and “byte”, the basic unit of computer memory. It was also useful so that the icon wouldn't be confused with a cherry or a simple round ball when reduced in size.
Over time, the rainbow logo gave way to monochrome and metallic versions, but the The bitten apple has remained one of the most recognizable symbols on the planetto the point that many people directly associate the icon with a certain status or lifestyle.
Macintosh, iMac and the color craze
The legendary Macintosh not only ushered in a new era in personal computing, but also has a curious story behind its name. The term comes from a apple variety called McIntosh which Jef Raskin, one of the key employees on the project, loved.
To avoid legal problems with pre-existing trademarks, they slightly changed the spelling to “Macintosh”, which would later naturally be shortened to “Mac”Steve Jobs even considered completely different names, such as "Bicycle," because he saw the computer as "the bicycle of the mind," but the fruity name ended up winning out.
The first commercially successful Macintosh was introduced on January 24, 1984 and it became one of the most influential personal computers in history thanks to its graphical interface and the use of the mouse, something totally groundbreaking at the time.
Years later, the iMac picked up the baton with another resounding success, especially in its design. To create the striking translucent colors of the iMacDesigner Jonathan Ive and his team spent months studying how pigments worked in a candy factory. Yes, they literally drew inspiration from sweets to create that distinctive late-90s aesthetic.
The iMac was also the first product that popularized the famous “i” before the nameIn its presentation, it was explained that the letter referred to several concepts: internet, individual, instruct, inform, and inspire. Later, it would be extended to other devices such as the iPod, iPhone, and iPad.
Peculiar prices, resounding failures, and strange experiments
The brand's first computer, the Apple I, was sold for a price that did not go unnoticed: $666,66Many thought of devilish numbers, but Steve Wozniak explained that he did it simply because he liked repeated numbers and because it was easy to type and remember.
Although there are very few units in circulation today, those that remain are collector's items that fetch astronomical prices at auctionsSome Apple I units have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars and even approaching a million dollars at North American auction houses.
Apple also has its fair share of missteps. One of the most notable was the Apple Lisa, a personal computer released in the early 80s It featured technologies that were very advanced for its time: a graphical interface, a mouse, and an integrated screen. Its official name was "Logical Integrated Software Architecture," although everyone assumed it was a nod to Steve Jobs' daughter.
The problem: the price was exorbitant, close to $ 10.000 at the timeAnd only a few tens of thousands of units were sold. The Lisa ended up being a commercial failure, although today it is a highly sought-after item among collectors, especially if it still works.
It wasn't the only slip-up. Newton, the PDA that Apple developed over 11 yearsIt didn't succeed either. It was an early attempt to create an electronic organizer with handwriting recognition, but the technology wasn't mature enough and it ended up being considered one of the company's biggest fiascos.
As if that weren't enough, in the mid-90s Apple decided to enter the world of video games with a console called PippinIt was expensive, offered poor graphics, had a meager game library, and to top it all off, cost roughly twice as much as a PlayStation. The console was a complete flop and today is practically a museum piece.
In 1989 the brand also tried its luck with its the first “portable”, the Macintosh PortableIn quotes, because it weighed almost eight kilos and needed to be constantly plugged in to function properly. Let's just say the concept of portable at that time was quite flexible.
iPod, iPhone, iPad and the shift towards devices
With the iPod, launched in 2001, Apple made the definitive leap from being a computer company to becoming a consumer electronics giantThe first model had 5 GB of storage, a small LCD screen and a physical wheel for navigating menus, and was initially intended only for Mac.
The name “iPod” didn’t come out of nowhere: it was inspired by the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey”Advertising creative Vinnie Chieco remembered the phrase "Open the pod bay doors, HAL" and connected the idea of a "pod" (capsule) with a portable player that would accompany the user everywhere, adding the now classic "i" of Apple.
The iPod even hid an Easter egg: in the information menu, if you held down the center button for a few seconds, you could play a game Breakout, a classic game originally developed by Jobs and Wozniak during their time at AtariA nod to the company's origins, tucked into the pockets of millions of users.
In 2007 the The first iPhone, which literally reinvented the concept of a mobile phoneInterestingly, in that first version, Apple didn't allow the installation of third-party applications: Jobs relied on web apps as a substitute. Pressure from developers and users themselves led the company to launch the SDK and the App Store in 2008, forever changing the mobile software business.
Over the years, the ecosystem has gradually opened up. Starting with iOS 17.4, for example, Apple allows, on a limited basis, the installation of apps from other app stores in certain regions., a move unthinkable in the early days of the iPhone.
The iPad, for its part, also has connections to Kubrick's film. Its design is very reminiscent of the tablets that appear in “2001: A Space Odyssey” And indeed, names like iSlate or iTablet were considered before the final name was chosen. Ultimately, the iPad became the standard for modern tablets.
Tim Cook: habits, quirks and life at the helm of Apple
After Steve Jobs' era, Tim Cook took over as CEO and has brought his own style to the company. Beyond the grand presentations, Cook hides a lot of... curious routines both in his personal life and in his way of running Apple.
The current CEO describes himself as an extremely early riser: He gets up before 5 a.m. To catch up on email and start working while the rest of the world is still asleep. There are days when she can receive more than 600 emails, and she takes advantage of the quiet of the early morning to respond to the most important ones.
His relationship with work goes way back. At 11 he was already delivering newspapers, and at 14 He worked in a hamburger restaurantThat discipline has been maintained during his time at the helm of Apple: he usually spends four days a week at Apple Park and reserves Fridays to work from home, because he considers it depressing to be in the office when there is hardly anyone there.
Personally, Cook is quite frugal. He doesn't like to cook and He often eats at Caffé Macs, the Apple Park cafeteriaThere's something for everyone: Chinese, Indian, sushi, pizzas, hamburgers, soups, and salads for a staff of thousands from very different backgrounds. Dinner is usually taken home from there.
As for tastes, He loves fish, octopus, and dark chocolateHe often mentions branzino as his ideal main course, accompanied by broccoli, and he never says no to a good Chardonnay, especially from the Kistler winery. His typical breakfast includes protein-rich cashew cereal and unsweetened almond milk.
In his free time, Tim Cook is a fan of hiking and visiting national parksHe has occasionally mentioned recent trips to Europe, such as his visit to Slovenia. In addition to leading Apple, he also serves as an independent advisor to Nike, thus combining two of the world's most powerful brands.
One of the most striking anecdotes he has shared in interviews has to do with his family: the Apple Watch helped save his father's life by detecting a severe fall and sending an alert to both emergency services and family members. Examples like this are often used to illustrate the impact of the company's health technology.
Apple Park, Caffé Macs and the small details
The company's current headquarters in Cupertino, Apple Park, is practically a technology city. Designed by Norman Foster's studio, It houses about 12.000 people and cost more than $5.000 billionThe main building, shaped like a giant ring, has become another symbol of the brand.
The complex has everything: from laboratories and testing rooms to an on-site pizzeria. Apple even dedicated an entire team to design your own pizza box to take the slices around campusAnd, of course, the box is round, because at Apple even the cardboard containers have to have personality.
There are numerous fruit trees surrounding Apple Park. Tim Cook has said that the company She harvests the fruit from those trees and uses it to make jams. that are consumed within the campus itself, another of those details that seem minor but help to build the narrative of a company obsessed with the environment and well-being.
Apple's clothing line and other unexpected products
Long before Big Tech companies were selling merchandise everywhere, Apple took the plunge with its own fashion line. In 1986, it launched “The Apple Collection”, a line of sportswear and accessories such as sweatshirts, t-shirts, caps, belts, watches, canteens, lunchboxes and even a nautical candle, all decorated with the rainbow apple logo.
The idea was to leverage the brand to generate revenue at a time when the company was not experiencing its best financial period. However, the The collection failed to convince the general public and ended up being a commercial failureToday, though, anyone would kill for one of those eighties sweatshirts, highly sought after by collectors.
In fact, it is still possible to find any official Apple clothing at their headquarters store in CupertinoAlthough there is no longer a mass-market clothing line as such, they are very limited products that serve almost more as souvenirs than as a business.
Between 1997 and 1998 there was also flirtation with the “Apple Café” conceptIt was envisioned as a hybrid space, somewhere between a café and a showroom, where customers could try out products while having a drink—similar to the internet cafes that later became popular. The idea never materialized as planned, but many of these concepts were eventually incorporated into the current Apple Stores.
Surreal sounds, music, and clauses
Apple has always paid special attention to the sound of its products. famous Mac startup toneFor example, it was created by a company employee named Jim Reekes. It's based on a chord inspired by the one heard at the end of The Beatles' song "A Day in the Life," and it has become one of the brand's signature sounds.
It was precisely with the Beatles that Apple had to dealing with a legal dispute over the “Apple” trademarkThe group's record label, Apple Records, held prior rights to the name in the music industry. To avoid a protracted battle, the Cupertino company ended up paying significant sums of money in several settlements over the years.
The eccentricities don't stop there. In iTunes' interminable terms and conditions, which almost no one reads, there's a rather striking clause: the user Apple pledges not to use any Apple product to manufacture nuclear weaponsThis is not a joke; it's written down, in case anyone gets the idea to build a homemade nuclear power plant with a Mac.
Hidden details in products and advertising
One of the curiosities that most often catches the attention of fans is the time displayed on the devices in the ads. If you look closely, you'll see that the The vast majority of promotional images for iPhone and iPad show the 9:41It's no coincidence: it's the approximate time the first iPad was presented, and before that, 9:42 was used, the time Jobs announced the first iPhone in 2007.
There are other curious little stories related to hardware. For example, there's the case of a Brazilian user whose MacBook Pro stopped a bullet during a robberyprobably saving his life. The bullet hit the laptop's battery and, surprisingly, the computer continued to power on after the incident.
Among its most recent projects, Apple has been working on its own autonomous carIn California, there have been reports of a fleet of dozens of test vehicles connected to the company's self-driving program. What remains unknown is whether they are using Apple Maps for navigation or have opted for something more reliable to avoid ending up in the middle of the ocean.
Given all these anecdotes, it's easier to understand why Apple generates so much fascination: Its history combines visionary successes, resounding failures, design manias, and highly unconventional business decisions.From a co-founder who sold what would be worth billions for $800, to a CEO who eats cashew cereal at 5 a.m., and from forgotten consoles and 80s-era clothing to Newton-inspired logos and life-saving watches, all of this has built a unique brand culture that goes far beyond the simple gadgets we carry in our pockets.