03-08-2012, 02:30 PM
Apple Inc.
How Apple Inc Changed the World.pdf (Size: 1.07 MB / Downloads: 116)
Introduction
Apple Inc. is one of the most influential companies in technology today,
but it wasn’t always that way. What started out as a one-off hobby machine
that a talented electronics wiz built for himself (and to show off to
friends) became the core of one of the largest and most successful computer
companies of all time. Apple turned the hobbyist’s tool of choice—
the computer—into an essential life tool that we can’t live without today.
When the computer became personal and within the reach of the
average consumer, worlds collided. What was originally intended as a
high-tech device reserved for scientists, mathematicians, and intellectuals
suddenly became the domain of an average person with an average
salary. Suddenly, computing power that was previously reserved for elite
members of the aerospace and defense industry was within the reach of
you and me. Processing power never before imaginable was now not only
within reach but fit neatly on the top of a desk.
But what could you do with a tool like that? When Steve Wozniak
and Steve Jobs created the Apple I, there was no software available for
it. Everything had to be hand coded into the machine. Later the Apple II
ushered in the era of the cassette drive for saving and loading programs,
which opened all kinds of doors. What they built was more than simply
a tool; it was a platform for others to build upon. Soon hundreds of programs
followed. Apple had started a cottage industry in software to go
along with its amazing personal computer.
Fast forward a few years and computers are starting to crop up everywhere.
A market for software applications thrives, as do sales of ancillary
equipment like peripherals, upgrades, and accessories. All the while a
community of like-minded individuals congregate to discuss their successes,
exploits, failures, and questions. People are attracted to more than
just technology; they enjoy the social and community aspects that are associated
with it. Being close to a particular technology, like computers,
puts you in contact with others that share your interests. This type of community
fosters learning and intellectual discussion and slowly develops
into a unique culture unto itself.
Apple had an amazing impact on technology, society, and the world.
And it continues to innovate to this day. Using the personal computer as
a foundation, Apple has turned technology into an essential tool of our
daily lives. Today computers provide information, communication, and
entertainment in ways that we never could have imagined back in 1976.
Thanks to the Internet and the graphical user interface, a person with a
computer today has access to more information at his or her fingertips
than rulers of the land had only a century ago.
Now information is getting faster and the devices are getting smaller.
It once took a large bulky computer and a slow dial-up modem to access
the Internet. Now it can be called up with a few taps and pinches of a finger
on a touch screen that fits into your pants pocket.
Apple is a revolutionary company in many ways. This book will examine
several ways that Apple changed the world:
1. Inventing the personal computer (PC)—Apple started the personal
computer revolution with the Apple II in the 1970s and
made computers even more easy to use in the 1980s with the
Macintosh.
2. Making the computer easy to use—Innovations such as the
mouse, the GUI, trackpad, and click wheel gave us easy, intuitive
ways to access our digital content.
3. Developing software that was extremely user-friendly—Apple
created a low barrier to entry by creating software that is usable
and intuitive so users can begin without reading the manual.
A consistent and predictable user interface across applications,
interoperability, and a built-in help system make us productive
right out of the box.
4. Making the Internet easy—The iMac and iBook allowed customers
to get online within 15 minutes of opening the box and set a
new standard for Internet access that is still the envy of the industry.
Apple then made it equally easy to post movies and photo
galleries on the Web. AirPort wireless access cut the cords.
5. Introducing digital media management—iTunes, iPhoto, and
iMovie spearheaded the digital media revolution and made it
easy to manage all of our digital content.
6. Introducing digital media playback—iPod, iTunes, and iPhone
set the standard for listening to music, watching television and
movies, and making phone calls too.
7. Saving digital media commerce—Apple single-handedly rescued
the music industry from the perils of peer-to-peer filesharing
networks. Digital entertainment that was headed for
certain death thanks to pirates thrives today on iTunes.
8. Helping advance computer technology—Apple popularized
technology, like FireWire for high-speed data access and Wi-Fi for
xii Introduction
wireless Internet access, making data move faster and without the
clutter of wires.
9. Making communication easier—iPhone revolutionized mobile
phones and iChat AV made it easy to videoconference with
family and colleagues across the globe.
In the first chapter we’ll take a fun and historical look at how Apple
came to be and delve into the background of one of the world’s most interesting
companies.
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Chapter One
Origins and History
There’s a certain romance about the history of Apple; people often refer to
it as being founded in a garage and while it sounds great—everyone loves
the story of the underdog making it—it’s not entirely true. The two Steves
started out building Apple computers in Steve Jobs’s parents’ living room
and they later moved their production operation into the garage when
they ran out of room.
HP’s Garage Roots
Apple wasn’t the only company to have roots in a garage. Hewlett-
Packard founders William R. Hewlett and David Packard got their
start by developing an audio oscillator in a garage at 367 Addison
Avenue in Palo Alto—not far from where Steve Jobs grew up in Los
Altos. The HP Garage was registered as California Historical Landmark
#976 on August 13, 1987.a
a California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP), “Birthplace of Silicon Valley, Historical
Apple began in the Santa Clara Valley vicinity of California—known
for its fruit orchards—when Stephen Gary Wozniak (Woz) was introduced
to Steven Paul Jobs by Woz’s neighbor Bill Fernandez. Woz and Fernandez
built their first computer out of parts that were discarded by local companies
for cosmetic reasons. They called it the “cream soda computer” after
the beverage they loved to drink while building computers in the Fernandez
family garage.
The problem with computers of the time was that components were
prohibitively expensive. Woz was relegated to designing computers on
paper where he focused on trying to minimize the amount of components
required—which would keep the electronics as clean as possible. In June
1971, after withdrawing from college, the 16-year-old Jobs was introduced
Apple Inc.
to 21-year-old Wozniak by Fernandez. Jobs eventually convinced Wozniak
to mass produce and sell his computer design. The synergy between
the two was undeniable. Woz was the engineer and Jobs was a marketing
maven; between them they had the skills to build and promote computers
in a way that no one had discovered yet.
When Jobs needed computer parts for a class project, he looked up
Bill Hewlett (of Hewlett-Packard fame) in the telephone book and called
him at home. Hewlett gave Jobs the parts that he needed and, because
he showed such initiative, a summer job at HP assembling frequency
counters.
In the fall of 1971 Woz returned to academics, enrolling at the University
of California at Berkeley, and got into business with Jobs shortly
thereafter. Wozniak was skeptical at first but was later convinced by Jobs
to do it because, regardless of what happened, they could tell their grandchildren
that they started their own company.
Wozniak built “blue boxes” (see the sidebar) from instructions his
mom showed him in a 1971 issue of Esquire. Jobs purchased the parts and
sold the devices in the dorms for $150 each under the alias Oaf Tobark
and split the profit with Woz (a.k.a. Berkeley Blue), whose main job was
building the devices.1
Anatomy of a Blue Box
A blue box is an early phone-hacking tool that emulated phone company
tones and signals. By placing the speaker of the blue plastic box
(hence the name) up to a standard telephone receiver, the owner
could essentially route his or her own calls, circumventing the phone
company’s billing system. At the time, long-distance calling could
be very expensive, and it was very desirable to be able to make free
calls—especially for someone with family and loved ones on the
other side of the country.