![\"Apple](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775053753_676_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nFifty years ago, Steve Wozniak knew he built a great personal computer, but the young engineer couldn\u2019t convince his employer, Hewlett-Packard, to buy into the big idea. <\/p>\n
\u201cFive times they turned me down for the personal computer. I wanted Hewlett-Packard to do it. I loved my company, but now Steve Jobs and I had to go into business,\u201d Wozniak told The Times.<\/p>\n
Wozniak and Jobs, both in their 20s, co-founded Apple with Ron Wayne on April 1, 1976. <\/p>\n
Back then, personal computers were very expensive and rare. Apple would go on to revolutionize the tech industry, creating innovative, intuitive and beautiful gadgets billions of people would buy again and again. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Apple Inc.\u2019s then-CEO Steve Jobs speaks in front of an early image of himself and Steve Wozniak during an Apple event on Jan. 27, 2010, in San Francisco. <\/p>\n
(Justin Sullivan \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Apple, now one of the world\u2019s most valuable and powerful companies, turned 50 on Wednesday. <\/p>\n
From its humble beginnings when the founders worked out of Jobs\u2019 family garage, Apple has ballooned over the last five decades, opening a sprawling ring-shaped headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., and employing roughly 166,000 workers.<\/p>\n
Its market value has surpassed $3.5 trillion, making it the second-largest company in the world after Nvidia. In the fiscal year ending in September, Apple reported revenue of $416 billion and a net income of $112 billion. The company has attracted a large loyal fan base with more than 2.5 billion active Apple devices worldwide.<\/p>\n
\u201cApple is more than just a technology company. It\u2019s really a cultural icon,\u201d said Jacob Bourne, a technology analyst at eMarketer.<\/p>\n
By creating well-designed products that blur the lines between work and enjoyment, Apple helped foster an emotional connection to the brand, he said. The company\u2019s strong stance on privacy and security has cultivated trust among legions of its fans who line up at Apple\u2019s retail stores to buy its latest products.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery company claims to strive for excellence. It\u2019s just a trope. But, man, you go inside Apple and talk to these people, and it\u2019s almost a mania. It\u2019s intense to work at Apple. A lot is expected of you,\u201d said David Pogue, a journalist and author of \u201cApple: The First 50 Years.\u201d<\/p>\n
This attention to detail is apparent in Apple\u2019s products. <\/p>\n
When Apple built a way for people to unlock their devices with their faces, the company tested the technology at Harley-Davidson motorcycle rallies and even hired Hollywood special effects artists to ensure life-like masks couldn\u2019t spoof its facial recognition system, Pogue said.<\/p>\n
Pogue\u2019s book, released ahead of Apple\u2019s anniversary, goes through Apple\u2019s long history, chronicling the company\u2019s key players \u2014 including Jobs\u2019 leadership style and temper \u2014 and the challenges it faced as it rose to the top.<\/p>\n
\u201cApple\u2019s story is an epic tale of frenetic all-nighters and creative rebellion,\u201d he wrote in his book. \u201cOf titanic successes (iPods, iPhones, iPads) and instructive failures (Lisa, Apple III, MobileMe). Of funny, idealistic, scary-smart workaholics \u2014 coming up on three generations of them \u2014 who want to make things better by making things better. It\u2019s about management, marketing, and strategy \u2014 and also about creativity, drive, and obsession.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Steve](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775053753_947_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Jobs shows an Apple iPhone at the MacWorld Conference in San Francisco on Jan. 9, 2007. <\/p>\n
(Paul Sakuma \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n
Apple went through periods of financial trouble and uncertainty. <\/p>\n
In the 1990s, the company laid off a third of its workforce and was days away from bankruptcy before the return of Jobs, who left the company in 1985 after clashing with the board and then-Chief Executive John Sculley.<\/p>\n
In 2011, Jobs died<\/a> of pancreatic cancer at 56, fueling more uncertainty around the company\u2019s future. Apple has faced scrutiny over working conditions at Chinese factories where Apple devices and other electronics are produced.<\/p>\n The company had massive breakout moments of success, including the release of the iPhone in 2007, outpacing rivals such as BlackBerry and sparking the shift to smartphones.<\/p>\n \u201cApple kept up with it all. Apple was always flexible,\u201d Wozniak said. \u201cNow we\u2019ve got so many different avenues, from the surfaces to other machines and AirPods and all that.\u201d <\/p>\n The secret to the company\u2019s success was it managed its brand well and didn\u2019t make \u201clousy junk\u201d that breaks down, he said. <\/p>\n The tech giant \u2014 which is building a new office complex in Culver City<\/a> \u2014 also expanded its footprint into Hollywood in 2019 with the launch of Apple TV+, the streaming service known for such TV shows as \u201cSeverance,<\/a>\u201d \u201cThe Morning Show\u201d and the comedy \u201cTed Lasso.\u201d In 2022, it became the first streamer <\/a>to win an Academy Award for best picture for family drama \u201cCODA.\u201d<\/p>\n Apple, known for looking forward, took time to reflect and celebrate its half-century.<\/p>\n Earlier in March, Apple held a surprise concert featuring artist and producer Alicia Keys, who performed at its Grand Central Store in New York. <\/p>\n The company has held celebrations in different parts of the world, showcasing artists in China, Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Mexico as well. <\/p>\n Apple worked with artists to light up the Sydney Opera House in Australia with art designed on the iPad.<\/p>\n Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook with Alicia Keys at a 50th anniversary celebration at Apple Grand Central in New York on March 13. <\/p>\n (Theo Wargo \/ Getty Images for Apple)<\/p>\n \u201cThrough every breakthrough, one idea has guided us \u2014 that the world is moved forward by people who think different,\u201d wrote Tim Cook, Apple\u2019s chief executive, in a public letter<\/a> about the milestone.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just Apple that\u2019s been celebrating. <\/p>\n In January, RR Auction held an auction to celebrate the anniversary that included rare items such as Jobs\u2019 bedroom desk and bow ties. A 1976 check signed by Jobs and Wozniak before the founding of Apple and an Apple I computer prototype board each sold for more than $2 million, according to the auction\u2019s website<\/a>. <\/p>\n The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif., has been hosting events and opened a new exhibit to celebrate Apple\u2019s anniversary.<\/p>\n Inside the museum, rare prototypes of Apple products, including its personal computers and smartphones, were on display to showcase the Silicon Valley powerhouse\u2019s long journey. A wooden Apple I case, a clear acrylic Macintosh, a large iPod prototype and other items from Apple\u2019s past fill the room.<\/p>\n![\"Tim](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775053753_378_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n