apple
Early Life and Education
Steve Jobs was adopted shortly after birth. He attended Reed College in 1972 but withdrew that same year. In 1974, he traveled through India seeking enlightenment and later studied Zen Buddhism.
Founding of Apple
Jobs co-founded Apple in 1976 with Steve Wozniak to further develop and sell Wozniak's Apple I personal computer. The company gained fame and wealth with the Apple II, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputers, which was released in 1977.
Notable Developments in Computer Technology
Jobs recognized the commercial potential of the Xerox Alto in 1979, an innovative computer known for being mouse-driven and featuring a graphical user interface (GUI). He then developed the largely unsuccessful Apple Lisa in 1983, followed by the Macintosh in 1984. The Macintosh notably distinguished itself as the first mass-produced computer with a GUI. In 1985, Jobs launched the desktop publishing industry with the introduction of the Apple LaserWriter, the first laser printer featuring vector graphics and PostScript.
Departure from Apple
In 1985, Steve Jobs left Apple following a power struggle with the board and then-CEO John Sculley.
NeXT and Pixar
After leaving Apple, Jobs founded NeXT in 1985, a company specializing in computer platform development for higher education and business markets. In 1986, he acquired the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm, which he transformed into Pixar. Pixar went on to produce the first computer-animated feature film, Toy Story (1995), and became a leading animation studio recognized for many commercially successful and critically acclaimed films.
Return to Apple and Revival
Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 as CEO after the company acquired NeXT. He was responsible for reviving Apple, which was nearing bankruptcy at the time. Collaborating with designer Jony Ive, he developed influential products and services. Key initiatives under his leadership included the "Think different" advertising campaign and the launch of products such as the iMac, iTunes, Mac OS X, the Apple Store, the iPod, the iTunes Store, the iPhone, the App Store, and the iPad.
Impact of Steve Jobs' Leadership
Under Jobs' leadership, Apple returned to profitability through innovative product offerings like the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. He also created the iTunes Store, initiated the "Think different" campaign, and opened the Apple Store retail chain. Jobs resigned in 2011 citing health reasons and passed away two months later. Tim Cook succeeded him as CEO.
Apple's Product Lineup and Market Position
Apple's current product lineup includes portable hardware such as the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, as well as home hardware like the Mac and Apple TV. The company also develops in-house operating systems including iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, and offers software and services like Apple Pay, iCloud, and multimedia streaming services such as Apple Music and Apple TV. Since 2011, Apple has frequently been the largest company in the world by market capitalization. As of 2024, it stands as the largest manufacturing company by revenue, the fourth-largest personal computer vendor, the largest vendor of tablet computers, and the largest vendor of mobile phones. Apple achieved the milestone of becoming the first publicly traded US company to be valued at over in 2018, and as of October 2025, its value reached just over .
Criticisms Faced by Apple
Apple has faced various criticisms regarding its contractors' labor conditions, its relationship with trade unions, its environmental practices, and its corporate ethics, which include accusations of anti-competitive tactics. The company has also been scrutinized for its materials sourcing and acquisitions of smaller businesses.
Community Efforts and Contributions
The Apple Wiki serves as a communal initiative dedicated to documenting Apple’s devices and software, with the aim of inspiring future generations of hackers. Current statistics for the wiki indicate a total of 3,333 users, 5,994 total articles, and 55,521 key pages. The initiative encourages contributions of notes, fixes for problems, and active engagement in the community, notably through a Discord server. Resources available to contributors include recent article changes, a community portal for requests, and