IDENTIFIED THE OPPORTUNITY FOR APPLE
How Steve Jobs Identified the Opportunity for Apple
Apple, Inc. was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak (Bellis 2012) in 1977 (Anon., Apple Computer, Inc. n.d. ). The two had been friends for a long time, and even before they met, Wozniak already had a passion for computers and electronics (Livingston 2007). He badly wanted a computer of his own, but his family was poor and computers were very expensive at the time. He knew that the only way he could a get one was if he built it.
Wozniak then taught himself about chips and computers and given the limited resources he had, he had to figure out a way to build a computer as cheaply as possible. He later met Jobs and they became best friends.
They became members of the Homebrew Computer Club, a club of young people who were all technology enthusiasts. Unlike Wozniak, however, who was more into hardware, most of the members of the club were into software. As Wozniak’s interest was just to build a computer of his own and not really to do business, his only reward was the opportunity to show off his discoveries and inventions to the club members. He also wanted to share his knowledge with them so that they, too, could build their own computers. However, being software folks, building their own computers would be a difficult and tedious task for them.
This was what gave Jobs the idea of starting their own company. He realized that many of the club members were interested in building their own computers and that they could purchase the chips but that they didn’t want to do the soldering. He then suggested to Wozniak that they make a printed circuit board, which could be easily soldered and where the chips could easily be inserted as there would be no wires involved.
Wozniak and Jobs then created PC boards, which they sold for a $20-profit. This was the start of their company, and the rest, as they say, is history.
References
Apple Computer, Inc. [online] Available at: <http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-
histories/Apple-Computer-Inc-Company-History.html> [Accessed 14 Mar. 2012]
Bellis, M., 2012. The History of Apple Computers: Biographies of Apple Computer Founders Steve Jobs and Steven Wozniak. [online] Available at: http://inventors.about.com/
od/cstartinventions/a/Apple_Computers_2.htm> [Accessed 14 Mar. 2012]
Livingston, J., 2007. Founders at work: Stories of startups' early days. New York: Apress
