Apple Computers

Overview The Apple Computer Company (usually referred to simply as Apple) began designing and marketing personal computers more than 25 years ago. Apple originally focused on do-it-yourself computer kits aimed at computer hobbyists, but with the introduction of the Apple II in 1977 the company became known for its powerful and easy-to-use computers. Apple computers differed from IBM's first x86 machines as much back then as they do now. Today, Apple computers are considered some of the most stable, innovative, and user-friendly computers available. Visit this website for additional detailed information about the Apple Computer company. History and Development of Apple Computers With the release of the Apple 1 in 1976 by Steven Jobs and Steven Wozniak, Apple was born. This computer was designed for computer hobbyists, and originally sold for $666.66. Subsequent releases of the Apple computer (Apple II series and Apple III) added such technologies as floppy drives for storage and the first color display on a personal computer. With the release of the Lisa 2 in the early part of the 1980s and the original Macintosh on January 24, 1984, Apple began building its reputation as the manufacturer of the most user-friendly computers on the market. The Macintosh series of computers revolutionized the personal computer by introducing what-you-see-iswhat-you-get (WYSIWYG) displays, and the mouse. The Mac OS was the first widely used graphical user interface on the market. In the early 1990s, Apple began to lose its market share to Intel-based Windows computers. For more detailed information about the development of Apple computers and their GUI (graphical user interface) visit www.theapplemuseum.com. The Web site www.apple-history.com also provides the history of Apple--from its humble beginnings to its high-end G5 models. Today, the Apple manufactures and sells some of the most powerful, modern-looking computers on the market in their "iMac" and "PowerPC" lines. More information about Apple's current line of computers can be found by going to www.apple.com (or www.apple.com/ca/, the Apple Canada site). Difference between Apple Computers and PCs Apple pioneered the personal PC industry in the 1970s, and popularized the first GUI (graphical user interface) with the introduction of the Mac. The company has gone on to develop both hardware and software independently of IBM and Microsoft. Microsoft began work on Windows 1.0 in the early 1980s, but it was not until the release of Windows 3.1 that Microsoft began to seriously compete with the Mac OS. The Windows operating system and Apples Mac OS have competed for market share since their inception. Both technological advances, and available features from one camp, affected the development of the other as they tried to match each other's capabilities. Visit the Intel.com PC vs. Mac page which provides a good comparison of Mac OS and Windows platforms. Read the article History of Microsoft Windows found at the Wikipedia encyclopedia site about early versions of Windows and Windows history. Mac OS X Apples newest operating system, Mac OS X, was first released in March 2001. The main difference of OS X, when compared with older OS versions, is that OS X is built on a UNIX-like file system and kernel. It also has an advanced graphical user interface similar to older versions of Mac OS. The main advantage of this entirely new OS is that it gains the stability of UNIX while still offering the easy-to-use Apple interface. Detailed information about OS X can be found at www.apple.com/macosx/. Shopping for Apple Computers and Accessories Apple has links to their Apple Store from their home page www.apple.com/. This site offers product information and sales. The site www.macobserver.com/ is a daily updated newsletter containing recent Apple Computer developments, sales, and product announcements.

Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington that develops, manufactures, licenses and supports a wide range of products and services related to computing. The company was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on April 4, 1975. Microsoft is the world's largest software maker measured by revenues.[3] It is also one of the world's most valuable companies.[4] Microsoft was established to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800. It rose to dominate the personal computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. The company's 1986 initial public offering, and subsequent rise in its share price, created an estimated three billionaires and 12,000 millionaires from Microsoft employees. Since the 1990s, it has increasingly diversified from the operating system market and has made a number of corporate acquisitions. In May 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype Technologies for $8.5 billion in its largest acquisition to date.[5] As of 2012, Microsoft is market dominant in both the PC operating system and office suite markets (the latter with Microsoft Office). The company also produces a wide range of other software for desktops and servers, and is active in areas including internet search (with Bing), the video game industry (with the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles), the digital services market (through MSN), and mobile phones (via the Windows Phone OS). In June 2012, Microsoft announced that it would be entering the PC vendor market for the first time, with the launch of the Microsoft Surface tablet computer. In the 1990s, critics began to contend that Microsoft used monopolistic business practices and anti-competitive strategies including refusal to deal and tying, put unreasonable restrictions in the use of its software, and used misrepresentative marketing tactics; both the U.S. Department of Justice and European Commission found the company in violation of antitrust laws.
Early history

Paul Allen and Bill Gates, childhood friends with a passion in computer programming, were seeking to make a successful business utilizing their shared skills. The January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics featured Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems's (MITS) Altair 8800 microcomputer. Allen noticed that they could program a BASIC interpreter for the device; after a call from Gates claiming to have a working interpreter, MITS requested a demonstration. Since they didn't actually have one, Allen worked on a simulator for the Altair while Gates developed the interpreter. Although they developed the interpreter on a simulator and not the actual device, the interpreter worked flawlessly when they demonstrated the interpreter to MITS in Albuquerque, New Mexico in March 1975; MITS agreed to distribute it, marketing it as Altair BASIC.[6]:108, 112114 They officially established Microsoft on April 4, 1975, with Gates as the CEO.[8] Allen came up with the original name of "Micro-Soft," as recounted in a 1995 Fortune magazine article. In August 1977 the company formed an agreement with ASCII Magazine in Japan, resulting in its first international office, "ASCII Microsoft".[9] The company moved to a new home in Bellevue, Washington in January 1979.[8]