Steve Jobs, born on February 24, 1955, in California, USA, had a unique background. His biological father, Abdulfattah Jandali, was a visiting Syrian student who later became a political science professor.
His mother, Joanne Simpson, had him adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs, who gave him his name. Interestingly, his biological parents later married and had a daughter named Mona Simpson, who became a renowned novelist.
Steve Jobs Attended Middle and High School
Steve Jobs attended middle and high school in Cupertino, California, and had a habit of attending classes at Hewlett Packard Company in Palo Alto, California, after school hours. It’s no surprise that he and Steve Wozniak soon became part-time employees at this company.
In 1972, Jobs graduated from Homestead High School in Cupertino, California, and was accepted into Reed College in Portland, Oregon, but he dropped out after just one semester. However, he soon reenrolled in Reed College, where he explored calligraphy, a subject that later became a vital part of his life.
In the fall of 1974, Steve Jobs returned to California and started attending meetings of the “Homebrew Computer Club” with Steve Wozniak.
Co-Founding Apple Computer
In 1976, at the age of 21, Steve Jobs and 26-year-old Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple Computer Co. in the Jobs family garage. Their first personal computer, the Apple I, was introduced to the world.
It was priced at $666.66, a reference to Wozniak’s Dial-A-Joke machine, whose phone number ended with -6666.
In 1977, Jobs and Wozniak introduced the Apple II, which became a massive success in the consumer market and significantly influenced the young personal computer industry.
Apple Computer went Public
In 1980, Apple Computer went public, and with its successful initial public offering, Jobs’ fame grew. That same year, Apple Computer released the Apple III, although its success was not as significant as its predecessor.
As Apple Computer continued to expand, the company began searching for new leadership to manage its growth.
In 1983, Jobs recruited John Sculley from Pepsi-Cola with the famous challenge, “Do you want to just sell sugared water for the rest of your life, or do you want to change the world?” That year, Apple also released the Apple Lisa, which featured advanced technology for its time but failed to attract buyers in the market.
The Rise of Macintosh and Beyond
The year 1984 marked the introduction of the Macintosh, the first personal computer to successfully enter the market with a graphical user interface.
The development of the Macintosh was initiated by Jef Raskin and his team, utilizing technology not originally created by Apple, but by Xerox’s PARC. Although not commercially viable at the time, the success of the Macintosh led Apple to abandon the Apple II and focus on Mac production, a choice that continues to shape the company’s direction today.
