Some curiosities about one of the most iconic brands in the world: let’s discover them together by retracing the history of Apple from the beginning.
Apple , one of the most iconic brands in the world , never ceases to amaze with its technological innovation and unmistakable design.
But what is behind the most famous products, which have revolutionized the way we live and work? Especially going back to the beginning of Apple’s history , we come across many curiosities and lesser-known anecdotes surrounding the Cupertino company. From its foundation in a garage to the story behind its logo, Apple has accumulated a series of interesting stories that not everyone knows, not even the most loyal fans.
In this article, we discover some of the most interesting curiosities about Apple, from its founding to today.
1- The Apple logo wasn’t always an apple
It may seem impossible, given the name the company bears, but the very first Apple logo did not depict an apple. Or rather, not just an apple. In 1976, Ronald Wayne created a black and white drawing depicting Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree : the idea was to pay homage to the legendary moment that inspired the theory of gravity, so the apple was already the protagonist. Around the drawing, a drape on which appeared the words “Apple Computers and Co.”.
It was a very elaborate logo and, just a year later, Steve Jobs decided to simplify it. And so the stylized apple with the iconic bite was born, about which there have been several theories: according to some it represents the bite that Eve gave to the forbidden fruit, according to others it is linked to the Beatles’ record company, “Apple” precisely, while according to still others it is simply a tribute to Steve Jobs’ favorite fruit. In reality, the designer who created the logo, Rob Janoff, stated that the bite has a purely graphic motivation: it was used to prevent the apple from being mistaken for a cherry.
Since then, the style of the apple has changed many times, especially in colors, but its iconic shape has remained unchanged.
2- An associate of Steve Jobs received $800 for his Apple shares
The incredible story of Apple begins in 1976, in a garage in Los Altos, California, at 2066 Crist Drive: it was here that Steve Jobs founded Apple Computer. However, not everyone knows that Jobs was not alone in working in that garage: with him were Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne , who became his partners when the company was founded.
Ronald Wayne (yes, the same one who designed the very first Apple logo we just talked about), became famous a few years later for having made one of the most unfortunate decisions in the history of business. Just 12 days after founding the company, he decided to leave the company and sold his shares, equal to 10%, for only 800 dollars . According to estimates, if he had kept them, today he could have resold them for about 270 billion dollars . But why leave Apple so soon? The reason lies in the clause according to which all the partners would have to pay for any debts. And since Jobs had a rather reckless spirit in business and had already started to advance money, Wayne decided it was better not to risk following a visionary kid in his enterprise. And it is probably a decision he still regrets.
3-29 June 2007, 9.41am: The first iPhone is released
There is a date that every Apple fan should have in mind on their calendar: June 29, 2007 is the day of the launch of the very first iPhone . But there is also a time that Apple has somehow tied to its history: 9:41. Steve Jobs began the presentation at 9 in the morning, calculating about 40 minutes for the introduction. At the end of the speech, with an ironic “there is one last thing…”, he unveiled the first iPhone to the entire world. The time in the photos was programmed to mark exactly 9:41 , precisely the moment planned for the announcement.
From that moment on, any marketing, advertising or promotional material that features an iPhone, an iPad or any other Apple object is set to 9:41. And we also find that exact time on the screens of Apple devices that appear during the official presentations of new products. A detail that may seem insignificant but which by now represents a distinctive and significant trait of the brand’s identity.
4- The “i” in front of device names: the meaning yesterday and today
Apple devices have become so popular not only for their technological heart, innovative features and unmistakable design. Even the name has made the difference. In 1998, Ken Segall, one of the creatives of Steve Jobs’ team, proposed the name iMac for the revolutionary computer that for the first time opened the doors to the web: the meaning of the “i” was precisely linked to the ability to easily connect to the network and stood for “internet”. There is no philosophy or mysterious history therefore, only the reference that a certain device was compatible with the internet. The success of the iMac was so exaggerated that the “i” remained as a distinctive sign of Apple products: we had the iPhone, the iPad, the iPod and even the iBook.
Then, something changed. In 2007, Apple TV was launched , then Apple Watch , and so on.
The reason is easy to say: today the opposition between online and offline no longer exists, everything is connected and, according to Segall himself, “ it is time for the “i” to disappear. Today it no longer has any meaning ”. It is difficult to think of an Apple phone with a name other than iPhone, but that seems to be the path taken. For the moment, however, the big step has not yet been taken and we can buy the new iPhone 16 with its iconic name.
5- The first Apple product cost $666.66
It seems strange to think about it today, when Apple is a true global economic and financial empire (in first place in terms of revenue according to the Interbrand 2023 ranking ), with a market value that exceeds the GDP of several countries in the world and more money at the disposal of the United States government. And yet, the very first computer of the brand and launched in 1976 cost ‘only’ 666.66 dollars: it was the Apple I, practically just a motherboard, but with such potential that it would change the world. The price may seem strange, to some even diabolical, but Steve Wozniack, one of the founders of Apple, declared that the reason was simply that he liked repeated numbers.
The fact is that approximately 200 Apple I computers were produced and sold , and that price is now well out of the market: at some auctions, the very first Apple computers have sold for several hundred thousand dollars.