The history of Apple
NEWS.COM takes a look Apple's tumultuous two decades.
More upheaval hits Apple as CEO Gil Amelio and Executive Vice President of Technology Ellen Hancock quit the company and original founder
Steve Jobs plans to take "an expanded role." As the latest drama unfolds, CNET's NEWS.COM takes a look back through the last two decades to trace the twists and turns of Apple's fate.
Steve Jobs plans to take "an expanded role." As the latest drama unfolds, CNET's NEWS.COM takes a look back through the last two decades to trace the twists and turns of Apple's fate.
| April 1976 to July 1997 | ||
| April 1976 | 
Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs form Apple and show off the Apple I at the Homebrew Computer Club, Stanford University. | |
| Jan 1977 | Apple is incorporated. Mike Markkula becomes chairman. Headquarters moves from Steve Jobs's garage to Cupertino, California. | |
| June 1977 | Apple II becomes available to general public for $1298. It has 4K of memory; users must supply own TV monitor. | |
| Dec 1980 |  Apple goes public, sells 4.6 million shares at $22 each. | |
| Mar 1981 | First big shake-up: Markkula replaces Mike Scott as president. Jobs becomes chairman; Scott becomes vice chairman. | |
| Aug 1981 | IBM announces the IBM PC. The race is on. | |
| Dec 1982 | Apple hits $1 billion in annual sales. | |
| April 1983 | John Sculley joins as president and CEO. | |
| Jan 1984 | 
"1984" commercial airs during the Super Bowl; first Macintosh unveiled with $2495 price tag.
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| Feb 1985 | Wozniak resigns to pursue his own interests, including teaching and music festivals. | |
| Sept 1985 | 
Jobs resigns to start Next. | |
| July 1991 | Apple and IBM sign letter of intent to cooperate on technologies; alliance will eventually result in PowerPC processors and OpenDoc. | |
| Oct 1991 | Company's biggest product launch ever; includes the first PowerBooks. | |
| Feb 1993 | Mac ships 10 millionth machine. | |
| June 1993 | Michael Spindler becomes CEO; Sculley remains chairman. | |
| July 1993 | Company announces 2,500 layoffs. | |
| Aug 1993 |  Newton MessagePad introduced at Macworld Boston. | |
| Oct 1993 |  Sculley resigns; Markkula (left) becomes chairman. | |
| Nov 1993 | After 16 years, the Apple II product line is discontinued. | |
| Mar 1994 | The first Power Mac machines are unveiled. | |
| June 1994 | Apple launches its ill-fated online service, eWorld. | |
| Oct 1995 | Apple board of directors reaffirms support for Spindler. | |
| Feb 1996 |  Spindler gets the ax, Dr. Gil Amelio (right) is in as new CEO; company predicts its worst quarter ever; licenses the Mac OS to Motorola. | |
| April 1996 | $740 million loss announced for first quarter of 1996; Apple licenses Java. | |
| July 1996 | Ellen Hancock joins company as chief technology officer; third quarter results in $32 million loss. | |
| Aug 1996 | Power Macs hit 200 Mhz; Copland bites the dust (increments are the new plan). | |
| Oct 1996 | Fourth quarter results in $25 million profit. | |
| Dec 1996 |  Apple buys Next Software for $400 million; Steve Jobs returns as "consultant." | |
| Jan 1997 | Apple posts an unexpected $120 million loss for the first quarter as sales plummet. Amelio tells investors that Apple will be in the red until September despite earlier promises that the company would recover by March.
Market researcher Dataquest reports that Apple's market share fell to 5.2 percent in 1996 from 7.2 percent in 1995. | |
| Mar 1997 |  Oracle CEO Larry Ellison says he is considering buying Apple, the third time he floated the idea of a takeover. | |
| Apr 1997 | Ellison decides not to buy Apple, but says he will keep his eye on the company. | |
| Jul 1997 |
Apple posts smaller-than-expected first-quarter loss of $56 million.
Apple releases Mac OS 8 on time. Rumors swirl about whether Steve Jobs will take over as CEO and chairman. In the end, Jobs reportedly sends an email to employees at Pixar, where he is currently chairman, that he would not accept the offer. Jobs asserts that he is only interested in getting Apple back on track, not running the company. | |
| Aug 1997 | At his keynote speech at Macworld Boston, Jobs announces that he will join
Apple's board of directors along with Oracle chairman and CEO Larry
Ellison, Jerry York, former CFO of IBM and Chrysler, and Bill Campbell, CEO of Intuit.
Bill Gates announces a $150 million investment in the company as well as increased technology collaboration between the two companies. | |
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First Apple logo and photos of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Apple I, "1984" commercial, Steve Jobs, Mike Markkula, and Dr. Gil Amelio courtesy of Apple Computer Newton photo courtesy of John Greenleigh | ||