6 facts about Apple you probably didn’t know

Apple is one of the most obsessively chronicled companies on the planet. We’ve all heard the garage origin story, the keynote theatrics, the glowing Apple logo in dim lecture halls. But behind the polished glass and brushed aluminium are stranger, lesser-known moments that shaped the brand we know today.

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Here are six facts about Apple you probably didn’t know; proof that even the world’s most valuable company has a delightfully chaotic backstory.

1. The aquarium test

Before the iPod became a cultural icon, Steve Jobs tested its size in the most Jobs-ian way possible. He dropped an early prototype into an aquarium. When bubbles floated up, he snapped, “There’s still empty space. Make it smaller”. That obsession with minimalism? It’s why the iPod slipped so neatly into your jeans pocket.

2. The original logo was…Newtonian

Before the iconic bitten apple came Apple’s very first logo, and not many even know this exists. Apple’s first logo showed Isaac Newton under a tree, moments before gravity struck. The design was so intricate though, that it looked more like a vintage book cover than a tech logo. Unsurprisingly, it lasted less than a year before getting swapped for the sleek fruit we know today.

3. When Apple tried to be Gucci

In 1986, Apple ventured into fashion with “The Apple Collection”, a clothing line that included items like neon windbreakers, trucker hats, and even an $1,100 (around Rs 96,950) surfboard. The collection was a commercial failure at the time, but these items are now highly sought-after collector’s pieces.

4. The swipe that changed everything

That elegant slide to unlock wasn’t just UI genius, it became part of Apple’s identity. Patented in 2005, it turned the simple act of unlocking your phone into something instantly recognisable, instantly Apple. In fact, it was even part of lawsuits against companies like Samsung.

5. The $250 billion mistake

Apple’s lesser-known co-founder, Ronald Wayne, quit just 12 days after signing the company’s founding documents. He sold his 10 per cent stake for $800 (approximately Rs 70,500). If he had held on? That chunk would be worth around $250 billion (over Rs 20 lakh crores) today. Talk about the world’s most painful case of FOMO.

6. The firing of Steve Jobs

Yes, Steve Jobs was once fired from Apple. In 1985, a power struggle pushed him out of his own company. A decade later, he returned with vengeance, and a blueprint for revolution. The iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad all sprang from his second act. Without that detour, Apple might never have become the Apple it is today.

The bite behind the Apple

What makes Apple fascinating isn’t just its products but its contradictions. A company obsessed with simplicity once had the most convoluted logo. A brand that perfected minimalist design once tried neon fashion. Its genius leader was once thrown out of his own company.

These stories prove that Apple’s magic didn’t come from a spotless history, it came from taking risks, breaking rules, and sometimes, failing spectacularly. And maybe that’s the real reason Apple feels less like a corporation and more like a cultural legend.