- [Narrator] Apple is
one of the largest brands
in the world, and you don't
get to be a tech giant
without gaining a few conspiracy
theories along the way.
In this episode, we're
gonna look at all the myths
surrounding the logo's
origins and meanings,
and separate fact from fiction.
This is why Apple is iconic.
You've probably heard at
least one story or two
about how Apple got
it's name back in 1976.
Some say it was because
cofounder Steve Jobs
wanted it to appear before
Atari in the phone book.
Others think it was a
tribute to Apple Records,
the music label of the Beatles.
Some believe it refers to the
forbidden fruit of knowledge,
from the Bible's story of creation.
But most think that it refers to the apple
that fell on Isaac Newton's
head when he discovered gravity,
which makes sense when
you look at the company's
very first logo, designed by
Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne.
It featured a detailed illustration
of Newton sitting under an apple tree.
But the name's origin is
actually not that complex.
Jobs was on a fruitarian diet,
and after leaving an
apple farm, thought that
the word apple was fun,
spirited, and not intimidating.
This logo was only used
in ads and the user manual
for the Apple I, the
company's first computer.
Because cofounder Steve Wozniak
was the only one who could
answer customer questions,
they realized that they needed
a more user-friendly and
all-inclusive product.
So, in 1977 they released the Apple II.
Jobs commissioned Rob Janoff to redesign
the logo to focus more on the apple.
Thus, the infamous symbol that Apple
still uses to this day was born.
Janoff's design was
adorned in rainbow stripes,
as the company name in Motter Tektura font
sat inside of the apple's bite mark.
The rainbow and the
bite made people believe
that it was a tribute to Alan Turing,
who was understood to be the father
of theoretical computer science
and artificial intelligence.
The rainbow referring to the
discrimination he suffered
as a gay man in the mid 20th century,
and the bite referring to the bitten apple
that was on his bedside
table when he was found dead.
Turing didn't receive the
respect and acclaim he deserved
for his accomplishments
during his lifetime,
and this was thought
to be Apple's tribute.
A sweet story, right?
Unfortunately, none of
this was intentional.
The Apple II was the
first personal computer
to have colored screens, so
the rainbow stripes represented
the colored bars of the monitor.
And the bite mark is there to show scale,
otherwise, it might be
confused for a cherry.
Over the years, the apple has
changed color and texture,
but aside from a few geometric tweaks,
the shape has remained the same.
It's ironic that a company
that is so innovative
and constantly evolving
has been using essentially
the same logo for the past 40 years.
But hey, why fix what's not broken?
What do you think of Apple?
Let us know in the comments.
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