Apple 500

Who would have thought that 3 guys in a garage would form a company that would change the way we live? April 1, 1976, marked the founding of Apple Inc, which Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne would use to launch the sale of the Apple I computer. Apple grew competitive in the computer industry, but declined for a decade after Steve Jobs' departure in 1985. Jobs resigned after a long power struggle with CEO John Sculley. From 1986 to 1997, Apple saw its reputation decline under the leadership of three different CEOs (Sculley, Michael Spindler and Gil Amelio). In late 1997 Amelio chose to buy the company NeXT Inc. which Steve Jobs founded in 1985 after his departure. This acquisition brought Jobs back to Apple as an advisor. The board of directors eventually removed Amelio and Jobs became CEO thus reclaiming the company he co-founded. 1998 marked a new beginning for Apple with Jobs promoting English designer Jonathan Ive as Senior Vice President of Industrial Design. Ive transformed the face of Apple computers into what is now known as the iMac. Following the iMac came their line of laptop computers called MacBooks. Apple revolutionized the way the world listens to music single handedly making CD-ROM practically obsolete with the iPod. At the turn of twenty-first century as cell phones became more common in the public, Ive took innovation further combing the iPod with the cell phone for the iPhone. 37 years after its inception, and 27 years since the beginning of its decline, Apple finds joins elite company as the #6 company in the top 10 of the Fortune 500. Almost two years since Jobs passed away it's clear he left his beloved company in good hands.

Apple Cracks Top 10 of Fortune 500