How did the name Apple come about, and why was Steven Jobs fired from Apple all those years ago?
Below is a transcript of the audio file.
Host: Now, we are looking at the information technology hall of fame over the next few weeks. Today, who have we got?
Jonar Nader: Well I thought Steven Jobs. He is a lovely old chap of the industry. Steven was around 21 when he started Apple Computer and he started it in his backyard with a friend of his called Steven Wozniak, way back in 1976. Now, he was an employee of Atari and Wozniak was from Hewlett Packard. They got together and realised that they could make a fancy little computer, which at the time cost them $1 500 and had to sell a few of their personal effects to create it. They finally bumped into a chap called Mike McKoola who is a multi-millionaire by now I am sure. Now Mike put together $90,000 to launch Apple. Now the saddest story about Wozniak was that he went around looking for a genius to help him, he realised that the Chief of Pepsi Co. John Scully would know how to sell computers and Steven Jobs wanted everybody to have a computer and the best person to do so is the person who made Pepsi what it was. So John Scully after two years of courting agreed to go along and was given what was at the time the world’s biggest salary and all sorts of executive package. But the sad story there after is that once John Scully joined the board of Apple, he finally sacked the man who employed him, so John Scully turned around one day and convinced the Board to sack Steven Jobs who have to go out and start up his own company called Next. Jobs is a young fellow, he was born in 1955.
Host: So he is quite happy. The word Apple, where do they get that from? From the record?
Jonar Nader: No actually, he and Wozniak were driving down the street one day in California and I think there were many trees, not that there were apple trees and the chap thought they should call it Apple because the tree inspired him and they looked at each other and thought why not. Which I thought was a very brave move. It is like you and I looking at each other and saying lets call the company onion or banana or something, but then the apricot company came on board a while after so fruit became the next big thing.
Host: Alright Jonar thanks for that, and we will talk to you next Monday.
Jonar Nader: Thanks
Host: Jonar Nader looking inside the world of information technologies.
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