Technology

Infographic: The Many Products Launched by Apple Inc.

By Nicholas Jackson
Saved Stories

Steve Jobs hasn't always been in charge of the company that he co-founded with Steve Wozniak back in the late 1970s, but his influence has been apparent since the beginning, from the first personal computer that inspired the rest to the most recent product launch. Here, the day after Jobs announced his resignation from the company he has overseen as chief executive for the past 14 years, an infographic built by Techking shows the many launches in the history of Apple.

Infographics are always a bit of a hodgepodge of statistics culled from a variety of sources. Here, we sort through the clutter and pull out some of our favorite facts and figures:

  • The very first Apple Computer logo, drawn by Ronald Wayne, depicted Isaac Newton under an apple tree.
  • The Apple I, the first product designed and hand-built by Steve Wozniak, was released in 1976. It was followed just a year later by the Apple II, an 8-bit home computer and one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. The Apple III, released in the 1980s, was designed to take on the IBM PC in the business environment.
  • On December 12, 1980, Apple launched the Initial Public Offering of its stock to the investing public.
  • The Macintosh 128K machine, the original Apple Macintosh personal computer, was released in 1984 and followed just three years later by the Macintosh II, the most powerful model in the Apple II series of personal computers. The GS in the name stands for Graphics and Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities.
  • Apple went portable in 1989 with the Mac Portable, the company's first attempt at making a battery-powered Macintosh personal computer. That device was followed by a string of non-traditional products for a computer company: the Newton and the Macintosh TV in 1993 and Apple EWorld in 1994. EWorld was a package of services that included email, news, and a bulletin board system.
  • The iMac debuted in 1998. A range of all-in-one Macintosh desktop computers, the iMac was the first Macintosh to have a USB port and not to have a floppy drive. A USB mouse known as the hockey puck came out at the same time.

Check out more Infographics on the Technology Channel.

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