Apple launches its first attempt at making a personal computer

folarin okunola

April 25, 2017 9:31 AM

It became the computer that would pave the path for Apple to dive further into its aspirations of dominating the PC market.

Apple Co-founders Steve Jobs (left) and Steve Wozniack (far right) at the Apple IIc launch on April 24, 1984.

Computers are a cemented part of history — a part of the human journey that has affected too many lives and influenced too many aspects of existence as we know it, to be ignored.

In the history of computers, there will also be one name that will always come up in conversations. In the last decade, very few companies have been as innovative and influential as Apple in the tech space.

From the Macintosh PC (the first successful mass-market mouse-driven computer with a graphical user interface) to the iPhone (the most successful smartphone of all time), the company’s legacy is firmly entrenched in the tech world forever.

On April 25, 1984, while it was still while it was still working its way to the Macintosh, Apple announced sales number for the Mac line, launched the Apple IIc computer (its first attempt at a personal computer) and discontinued the Apple III line, in one fell swoop.

The Apple IIc was an instant hit. Dealers placed orders for more than 52,000 units on the first day alone. It became the computer that would pave the path for Apple to dive further into its aspirations of dominating the PC market.

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Ironically, the Apple III computer — which Apple discontinued on the same day it launched the Apple II — only managed to ship 120,000 units in its first four years. Apple lost over $60 million in that time.

The story here is one of ups, down, struggle and persistence. Apple tried it hands at all kinds of things (Do you know Apple once had its own clothing line?), failed at some, won at some, but — and perhaps most importantly — kept going at it till it got it right.

That’s how Nigerian founders, makers, tech enthusiasts, regular citizens and innovators should approach our ecosystem, in my opinion. We may not get it right the first time (we all know that Yabacon Valley think is terrible) but we can keep going at it, collectively, till we get it right.

Share data, work with one another, optimize and update your business/service to be the best it can be, provide real value, solves real problems … that’s how we can become even greater than we already are. Don’t try to copy Apple [because una no dey smile ( ‘_’)], but learn from it’s journey.

Share with everyone you know and let’s do this again tomorrow. Peez out.

folarin okunola