1976: Founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded the company on April 1, 1976, with the goal of selling computer kits to hobbyists, all of which were built by Wozniak.
The first product was the Apple I.
1977: Apple released the Apple II, the first mass-market personal computer, in June.
Steve Jobs unveils Apple Computer Corporation’s new Macintosh on February 6, 1984 in California.
1981: Jobs became chairman.
1984: The Macintosh was introduced during a commercial break before the Super Bowl and later officially unveiled at a launch event. Production ceased a year later and Jobs left the company.
1987: Apple released the Macintosh II, the first color Mac.
1997: Apple announces it will acquire NeXT Software in a $400 million deal, with Jobs returning to Apple as interim CEO. He officially assumed the role in 2000.
Then-CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs, with the iPhone
2001: Apple introduced iTunes, OS X, and the first generation iPod.
The first iPod MP3 music player was launched on October 23, 2001 at an event in Cupertino and could hold up to 1,000 songs.
2007: Apple unveils the iPhone.
2010: The first iPad was unveiled.
2011: Jobs resigned in 2011 due to illness and gave the CEO title to Tim Cook. Jobs died in October of pancreatic cancer.
2014: Apple unveiled the Apple Watch. It also unveiled its first larger iPhones – the 6 and 6 Plus.
2015: After Apple acquired Beats from Dr. Dre, the company launched Apple Music to compete with Spotify and other music streaming services.
2016: Apple returned to its roots and announced the 4-inch iPhone SE. Meanwhile, the company has been embroiled in a legal battle with the FBI, with the agency demanding access to the locked phone used by Syed Farook, who died in a shootout after a fatal attack in December in San Bernardino, California, with his wife. The court order was lifted on March 28 after the FBI said a third party was able to unlock the device.
2017: Apple introduces the iPhone X, ditching the Home button to make way for a futuristic edge-to-edge display design and a new FaceID system that uses advanced sensors and lasers to unlock phones using just the owner’s face.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaks during an Apple event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California.
2018: For the first time, Apple is introducing new features in its latest operating system, iOS 12, that encourage users to manage their devices and spend less time on them. The move was prompted by a strongly worded letter from shareholders urging the company to address the growing problem of smartphone addiction among children and teens.
2019: In January, Apple reports its first decline in revenue and profit in a decade. CEO Tim Cook blamed the decline in revenue from China in part.
2020:In March, Apple closed all of its physical stores outside of China in response to the coronavirus.
2021: During an online virtual event in April, CEO Tim Cook announced Apple’s goal of becoming carbon neutral for Earth Day. Later in the year, the iPhone 13 was announced.
2022: In September, the iPhone 14 was announced. Among the new features was a new sensor to detect if a user had been involved in a car accident and an improved camera system.
2023: Apple brought back its ‘Home Pod’ after the first generation was discontinued. The ‘Home Pod’ can be seen as an alternative to Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home, as it is controlled by voice commands.