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Happy Birthday, Apple Inc.!

CALIFORNIA, Jan.3, 2011 - So it may not be their "official" birthday (Apple was established April 1st, 1976. I wonder if Microsoft thought it was an April Fool's Day joke?). BUT.... Apple was incorporated today, Jan. 3rd, in 1977, so today we celebrate 34 years of all things Apple.

From the Apple I, the Macintosh, the PowerBook, right to the MacBook Air, it has had a successful (and sometimes not-so-successful) road. Yet Apple can boast a loyal fan base of millions, and there can be no doubt that Apple has changed, even revolutionized, computing technology, giving their users a superior multimedia experience.

The first Macintosh, released in 1984 (photo courtesy of http://www.allaboutapple.com/)......

......and a Mac now, 2011

"Once you try Mac, you never go back"! Words to live by, and yes, most Apple converts would never go back to a PC. Reading up on Apple's history, here are some things that you might find interesting.

The Apple I was a personal computer kit hand-built by Steve Wozniak (one of the original founders). It sold for $666.66 US in 1976 (approx. $2500 US today).
The Apple II, released in 1977, started the home computer market.
The recall of the Apple III in the early '80's was due to integrated circuit chips disconnecting from the motherboard due to overheating. Steve Jobs wanted heat from the electronics to be cooled through the machine's chassis, not a fan. (oops, fail)
Apple launched the Macintosh on January 22nd, 1984, during the 3rd quarter of Super Bowl XVIII with a commercial titled "1984".
The Macintosh Portable (1989) (a pre-cursor to the modern laptop) weighed 17 lbs.
The iMac made its debut on August 15th, 1998.
The original Apple logo depicted Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree.
Apple was the first laptop maker to remove PVC (toxic vinyl plastic) and BFRs (brominated flame retardants) from its products, and all Apple computers have mercury-free LED backlit displays, are arsenic-free, and PVC-free cables.
Steve Jobs co-founded Pixar (visual effects company famous for some movies about a talking cowboy and space ranger) after he was aked to resign from Apple in 1985.
The "Apple.com" domain name was registered on February 19th, 1987, making Apple one of the first 100 companies to register a .com address on the then emerging Internet.
The Quadra, Centris, and Performa were Apple's answer to the PC emergence. (yes, another fail)
2001 saw the introduction of Apple's operating system, Mac OS X, the first Apple retail store, and the iPod.