The original Apple was not much more than a board; only 200 were made. With only one expansion 'slot', you had to supply your own keyboard, monitor and case. It sold for $666.66, but now they are worth many thousand dollars apiece as a collector's item.

In 1972, Steve Jobs, after finishing high school attends lectures at Hewlett-Packard. He is hired by Hewlett-Packard as a summer employee. He meets Steve Wozniak a brilliant engineer who sells illegal self-made devices that allow the user to make free long-distance calls. Steve Jobs helps Woz to sell a few of these devices to customers. In 1974 Jobs gets a job at Atari, Inc. as a video game designer. While Woz just loves creating electronic devices Jobs has an eye for the marketability of personal computers.

Jobs persuades Wozniak to build a personal computer with him.

In 1983, John Sculley, former president of PepsiCo becomes president and Chief Executive Officer of Apple Computer, Inc. Problems between Jobs and Sculley appear. Jobs thinks that Sculley knows nothing about computers and Sculley thinks that Jobs is out of control and dangerous for the company. Jobs tries to force Sculley out by forming a coup. He wants to take over the control of Apple when Sculley is at a meeting in China. His plans are revealed to Sculley at the last moment by someone...

on May 24th, 1985, Sculley and Jobs have a hard argument that day. Sculley asks the executives to choose sides between Jobs and himself. Sculley wins and strips Jobs off all operational responsibilities. Jobs remains chairman of Apple but has no influence on decisions any more. On half a year later, Steve Jobs officially resigns from Apple. He reveals his plans to found a new company to the Apple executives.

In 1986, NeXT, Inc. is founded by Steve Jobs. The NeXT computer is released After 7 years in business Steve Jobs has to lay off half of the NeXT employees. He drops the Hardware section of NeXT and announces that from now on the NeXT Computer, Inc. wants to focus on operating systems. At the last NeXT co-founder resigns on April 1993 leaving Steve Jobs alone as head of NeXT Computer, Inc.

June 1993, Michael Spindler replaces Sculley as CEO - Sculley remains as chairman of Apple a half year later Sculley resigns from Apple and becomes chairman and CEO of Spectrum. Apple Computer Inc. takes over NeXT Computer, Inc. for $430 million. On January 26th, 1997 Steve Jobs returns to Apple due to the NeXT deal. (consolidated from www.theapplecomputer.com)