Apple introduced the Macintosh computer in 1984 and later became one of the world’s largest companies by market capitalization.
The Macintosh launched on January 24, 1984, after a famous Super Bowl advertisement directed by Ridley Scott. Its graphical user interface and mouse helped distinguish it from many command-line personal computers of the period.
Apple was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. The company later expanded from computers into music players, smartphones, tablets, services, and wearable devices. The iPhone, introduced in 2007, became its most important product line.
Apple is sometimes confused with Apple Records, the music company established by the Beatles. They are separate organizations; Apple Inc. used the name Apple Computer until 2007.