History of Apple (2001)
Through the second half of 2000 sales became slower both for Apple and the computer industry as a whole. But the things changed since Steve Jobs announced, in May 2001, that Apple would be opening retail stores across America, selling not only Apple computers, but mp3 players, video cameras, games and more. Apple also announced a major update to the iBook line. Later, in July 2001, Apple refreshed iMacs and G4, and terminated the G4 Cube, ending months of speculation as to how Apple would deal with the Cube’s resounding failure. iBook sold extremely well during the summer. In late October 2001, Apple announced the iPod, which was the first non-computer Apple product in several years and Apple’s first hardware addition to its digital hub strategy.
History of the Apple Computer Corporation
Apple History 2001
January 2001: Paul Somerson, vice president of Ziff Davis Development, predicts in the January 2001 issue of Ziff Davis Smart Business for the new Economy that Apple Computer will cease to exist in 2004.
January 9, 2001: The MacWorld exposition and conference is held in San Francisco. Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs unveils Mac OS X operating system, and a new line of G4 computers with Nvidia Geforce 2 MX graphics processors.
January 9, 2001: At the Macworld Expo, Apple Computer announces the Titanium PowerBook G4 notebook. It features titanium case, 15.2-in 1152 x 768 pixel display, 8 MB ATI Rage Mobility 128 graphics processor, DVD drive, modem and network ports, USB and FireWire ports, 802.11 wireless networking, 128 or 256 MB RAM, 10 or 20 GB hard drive, and 400 or 500 MHz G4 processor. Size is 13.4 x 9.5 x 1 inches; weight is 5.3 pounds; price is US$2599-$3499.
February 19, 2001: Apple Computer begins shipping the 733 MHz Power Mac with CD/DVD writer.
February 21, 2001: At the Macworld Expo in Tokyo, Japan, Apple Computer introduces the iMac Special Edition, available in Flower Power, Dalmatian Blue, or Graphite designs. It features 500 or 600 MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 64 or 128 MB RAM, 256 kB Level 2 cache, 8x/4x/24x CD-RW drive, 15-inch monitor. Price is US$1199-1499.
February 21, 2001: At the Macworld Expo in Tokyo, Japan, Apple Computer introduces the new Nvidia GeForce3TM graphics processor for Macintosh computers.
February 22, 2001: At the Macworld Expo trade show, Steve Jobs and John Carmack debut Doom III.
March 11, 2001: The Fox Broadcasting Company airs the Futurama TV show. In the year 3000, a computer accesses the Internet, and loads and displays a video clip in a window looking very much like the Apple Computer Mac OS.
March 23, 2001: Apple issues firmware updates to make many of its Macintosh systems compatible with the Mac OS X operating system.
March 24, 2001: Apple begins selling the Mac OS X 10.0 operating system, for US$129. Code-name during development was Cheetah.
April 13, 2001: Apple Computer stops sales of the Power Mac G4 667 computer.
May 2001: Steve Jobs announces that Apple would be opening a number of retail stores across America, selling not only Apple computers, but various third-party digital lifestyle products, such as mp3 players, digital still and video cameras, as well as Personal Digital Assistants. Today, computer hardware purchased from the Apple Store online can also be configured-to-order with options that often include faster or larger hard drives and faster processors. User can find there refurbished Hardware, including lower cost, yet completely up to date (in terms of software), variants of the MacBooks, iMacs, Mac minis, iPods and other products. Also available are Apple Instant Loans, as well as gift certificates to both the Apple Store and the iTunes Store. Besides, it can sell products with automatic online discounts to “educational” users who include both faculty and students of higher education, and faculty of K-12 schools in addition to discounts for business buyers internationally and United States government employees. iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad come pre-loaded with apps from Apple. Among the most popular of these apps are the App Store, the Safari web browser, iTunes Store, Camera, and FaceTime.
May 2001: Apple Computer unveils a new iBook laptop computer. It features 500 MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 1024×768 resolution 12-inch screen, 64-128 MB RAM, 10-20 GB hard drive, FireWire and USB ports, and CD/DVD drive. Weight is 4.9 pounds; thickness is 1.3 inches. Prices range from US$1299 to US$2099.
May 13, 2001: The Fox Broadcasting Company airs the Futurama TV show. In the year 3000, a celebrity’s personality is downloaded from the Internet, and stored on a blank robot. The robot comes from a large box shaped like a 3.5-inch diskette box, with label on the box saying 10 BLANK ROBOTS / MAC FORMATTED. Later, a homes computer appears, looking just like the original 1984 Apple Computer Macintosh, with built-in monitor, keyboard, and diskette drive.
May 13, 2001: The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show. A personal computer appears, looking like the Apple Computer iMac.
May 19, 2001: Apple Computer launches its first retail store, in McLean, Virginia.
June 2001: Apple releases the 733 MHz Power Mac G4, with CD-RW/DVD-R drive, 256 kB L2 cache, 1 MB L3 backside cache, 256 MB RAM, 60 GB hard drive, iTunes jukebox software, iMovie video editing software, for US$4649.
July (?) 2001: Steve Jobs reportedly has a meeting with Sony executives. He assures Sony that he is willing to make an exception for Sony VAIO to run OS X. The negotiations later fell through.
July 3, 2001: Apple Computer halts production of its Power Mac G4 Cube, due to slow sales.
July 18, 2001: Apple Computer announces the Power Mac G4/867. It features 867 MHz processor, 133 MHz system bus, 2 MB Level 3 cache, four 33 MHz PCI slots, 4x AGP slot, three DIMM slots, SuperDrive (DVD-R and CD-RW), 60 GB hard drive, Mac OS 9.2, Mac OS X 10.0.4, 128 MB RAM. Price is US$2499.
August 20, 2001: Apple Computer begins shipping a Power Mac G4 computer with dual 800 MHz PowerPC G4 processors, CD-RW/DVD-R SuperDrive, 256 MB RAM, and 80 GB hard drive. Price is US$3499.
September 2001: New revisions to the PowerBook G4 and iBook lines, the latter of which had sold extremely well during the summer.
September 29, 2001: Apple Computer releases the Mac OS X 10.1 operating system. New features include DVD movie playback, ability to burn DVD RW discs from Finder, and faster launch of programs. Upgrade price is US$19.99 from Apple (free until October 31 in stores); full package costs US$129. Code-name during development was Puma.
October 2001: Apple announces its first non-computer product in several years, the iPod. The device was a small hard-drive-based digital music player, and represented Apple’s first hardware addition to its digital hub strategy. At $399, the iPod faced a similar challenge to the woeful G4 Cube: it favored style and form-factor over price. Apple was taking another gamble by charging a premium for the iPod’s superior design and small size.
October 1, 2001: Apple Computer releases a new iMac computer to retail outlets. It features 64 MB memory, and CD-ROM drive. Price is US$799.
December 2, 2001: The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. Two computers appear among stolen items; one appears to be an Apple Computer.
December 2001: Shipments of Apple Computer iMac computers worldwide during the year: 1.2 million.
Bibliography:
- Chronology of Events in the History of Microcomputers: islandnet.com/~kpolsson/comphist.
- Apple History: http://www.apple-history.com.
- Wikipedia.
- iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It. 2007. by Steve Wozniak and Gina Smith.
- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.
Links
- Sell your old Apple computer to iGotOffer.com: Free instant quote, free fully insured shipping, fast payment! Best price online. Sell it now!: Sell my old and used gadget.
Correction: On May 2001, Apple launched an Apple Store, though you mention this historical fact, you don’t use Apple Store term to define it. IMHO, you should say that it was the first reliable Apple Store (in fact, some failed attempts were made in the past).
Thank you, Yokozuna. you are right and we’re adding the name. We’ve decided to go further and add a few details about the today’s Apple Store: possibility to configure computer hardware purchased from the Apple Store online, purchase of refurbished Hardware, availability of Apple Instant Loans, and gift certificates. Just to outline that the store has grown a lot. Stay appled! (meaning, stay tuned).
It seems, Amazon laucnched ist Amazon Gift Card campaign in June 2001. They still use essentially the same method and approach. You could add this fact to the list.
Thank you for your efforts!
Hi, Ms or Mr. Pushkin.
Thank you, you may be right, but Amazon is another great brand, and we try to talk about Apple History here. Anyway, thank you for your interest in our Apple Encyclopedia.