Apple Computer, Inc. Specimen Common Stock Certificate - Printed Signature of Michael M. Scott - Extremely Popular

Specimen Stock Certificate. Incorporated on Jan. 3, 1977. Printed signature of Michael M. Scott. These Specimens have become very sought after.

Apple Inc. is a multinational technology corporation based in Cupertino, California, that specializes in the design, development, and sale of consumer electronics, software, and online services. It is recognized as one of the Big Five technology firms, alongside Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Facebook. The company was established on April 1, 1976, by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne as a partnership. The initial product was the Apple I, a computer that Wozniak designed and built by hand. To fund its development, Jobs sold his Volkswagen Bus, while Wozniak sold his HP-65 calculator. Wozniak introduced the first prototype of the Apple I at the Homebrew Computer Club in July 1976. The Apple I was marketed as a motherboard equipped with a CPU, RAM, and basic textual-video chips—a foundational kit concept that had not yet been promoted as a complete personal computer. It was released shortly after its debut for US$666.66 (which is equivalent to $3,175 in 2021). Wozniak later mentioned that he was not aware of the coincidental association of the number 666 with the mark of the beast, and that he chose the price because he favored "repeating digits�.

Apple Computer, Inc. was officially established on January 3, 1977, without Wayne, who had departed and sold his stake in the company back to Jobs and Wozniak for $800 just twelve days after co-founding Apple. Multimillionaire Mike Markkula contributed vital business knowledge and funding amounting to US$250,000 (which is equivalent to $1,117,930 in 2021) to Jobs and Wozniak during the formation of Apple. In the initial five years of operation, revenues surged dramatically, doubling approximately every four months. From September 1977 to September 1980, annual sales increased from $775,000 to $118 million, reflecting an average annual growth rate of 533%.

Michael "Scotty" Scott (born February 11, 1945) is a notable American entrepreneur who served as the inaugural CEO of Apple Computer from February 1977 until March 1981. Previously the director of manufacturing at National Semiconductor, Scott was convinced by Mike Markkula to assume the CEO role at Apple, as the co-founders—Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak—were perceived to lack the necessary experience for the position at that time.

After completing his education at the California Institute of Technology, Scott was employed at Fairchild Semiconductor, where he shared a cubicle with Mike Markkula and Gene Carter; the three would eventually collaborate at Apple.

In an effort to set a precedent for all businesses, Scott announced in 1979 that Apple would not utilize typewriters. During 1979 and 1980, Jef Raskin's Macintosh project was a small four-person research initiative. It was not regarded as significant within Apple and faced cancellation on several occasions. When Apple underwent another significant reorganization in the fall of 1980, the project was once again terminated, but Raskin appealed to Scott and Markkula for additional time and was granted three more months to demonstrate the project's potential.

On February 25, 1981, a day referred to as "Black Wednesday" within the company, Scott took the drastic step of firing forty Apple employees, including half of the Apple II team, believing them to be redundant. Later that day, he gathered the remaining staff with a keg of beer and justified the firings by stating, "I used to say that when being CEO at Apple wasn't enjoyable anymore, I would resign. However, I have since altered my perspective—when it ceases to be enjoyable, I will dismiss employees until it becomes enjoyable again."

In the aftermath of this sudden incident, he was reassigned to the position of vice chairman, a role with limited authority, and Markkula, the individual who had appointed Scott, succeeded him.

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