Apple Canada Inc

Apple Canada Inc

Apple Inc, formerly Apple Computer Inc. is a multinational corporation specializing in electronics, software and personal computers. Its distinctive apple logo is recognized worldwide, as is the company's addition to the world's lexicon of the lower case "i" preceding many of its products - iPhone, iPad, iPod and iTunes.

Apple Canada Inc is headquartered in Markham, Ontario, and employs more than 100 people at that location. The company was rated top retailer in Canada in 2011, with 22 Apple retail stores across the country. Apple Canada has more than $700 million in assets.

Company History

Apple Computers Inc was established on 1 April 1976 by Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne and Steve Wozniak in California. The company was incorporated in January 1977; the word "computer" was removed from its name in January 2007 to better reflect the diversity of company products.

Apple is considered a leader in consumer technology, with a variety of media players, computers, software, and application suites.

Apple's first product was the Apple I personal computer, which was hand-built by Wozniak. The machine went on sale in July 1976 for USD $666.66. Apple II was introduced in April 1977, complete with colour graphics and a 5 ¼ inch floppy disk drive. Also in 1977, Apple sold 4.6 million shares at USD $22 each during its initial public offering (IPO). This would be the largest IPO in US history since Ford Motor Co in 1956. At the time, Apple had a dealer network of 800 distributors in the US and Canada and 1000 distributors overseas, which meant the company had the farthest reach of anyone in the computer industry.

The 1984 debut of the Macintosh computer was announced by a famous Ridley Scott directed commercial during Super Bowl XVIII. Although the Macintosh initially sold well, follow-up sales lagged until the introduction of the LaserWriter (a laser printer) and PageMaker, an early affordable desktop publishing package. Macintosh quickly became the preferred machine for graphic design. In 1998, Apple introduced the iMac - an all-in-one design that sold nearly 800 000 units in its first five months. In October 2001, Apple introduced the now ubiquitous iPod digital audio player.

By 2006, Apple had begun producing Intel-based Mac computers, including the MacBook Pro laptop computer. In 2007, coinciding with its name change from Apple Computers to the more inclusive Apple Inc, the company announced the iPhone and Apple TV. In January 2010, Apple introduced the iPad media tablet.

Apple Stores

The first official Apple Retail Store was opened in 2001. The first Canadian Apple store opened in May 2005. Apple stores are designed with distinctive architectural features that have a high-tech look; many have won architectural awards. All Apple stores feature a "Genius Bar" where customers are able to get technical advice, have service set up or arrange hardware repairs.

Apple's iTunes Store was opened in 2003, offering music downloads. iTunes quickly became the largest online music store, with over 5 billion downloads by June 2008.

Apple Canada and Corporate Citizenship

Apple Canada has been a sponsor of various community and scientific non-profit organizations in Canada, mostly through the "Apple in Education" program. Apple Canada supports learning institutions across the country by providing low-cost or free access to Apple products. Apple Canada also offers education pricing on its products to K-12 and post-secondary students and staff. Since 2000, Apple Canada has donated computer equipment and software to a non-profit organization that supports the protection of a marine ecological reserve off the coast of British Columbia (RaceRocks.com). Additionally, Apple is a founding corporate sponsor of the "Mind, Media and the Message Festival" (formerly known as the "McLuhan Multimedia Festival"), which aims to create opportunities for future new media artists in Canada. Apple Canada is a sponsor of "Skills Canada - Ontario," an organization that is focused on stimulating the development of world-class technological skills in Ontario youth.

Apple and the Environment

Apple Canada encourages responsible disposal and recycling of Apple products by accepting used products in-store. According to the company, up to 90% of the original product can be recovered through recycling. All electronic waste collected by Apple in-store is processed in the region in which it was collected according to pertinent environmental and waste legislation.

In 2009, Apple estimated that it was responsible for 9.6 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. Calculations were made using a life cycle analysis that included emissions generated from the manufacturing, transport, use and recycling of products, and the emissions generated by company facilities.