Apple II Bits

Apple’s logo has had many variations through the years: while always the same shape, it’s gone from multicolored to monochromatic, 2D to 3D and back to 2D. But Rob Janoff‘s original rainbow scheme remains in the hearts of old-school Apple enthusiasts, with its appearance instantly striking a nostalgic chord.

Apple occasionally bandies that classic logo when it suits them, especially if playing to that nostalgia can bring commercial success — behold last year’s proposal for rainbow shirts and hats. But sometimes, Apple can be as nostalgic as its fans, using the logo to acknowledge its history and pay tribute to its founders.

Apple’s new campus, Apple Park, celebrated its formal opening on May 17, and as a tribute to Steve Jobs, the rainbow logo was on display in full force, as seen in these photos from MacRumors.

Jony Ive told Cult of Mac: "There is the resonance with the rainbow logo that’s been part of our identity for many years. The rainbow is also a positive and joyful expression of some of our inclusion values… The rainbow’s presence and optimism is keenly felt in many places and at the end of the day — it’s hard to find somebody that doesn’t love a rainbow."

It sometimes feels like Apple wants to forget its history with the Apple II. But when our retrocomputer’s logo inspires this modern décor, it gives me hope that we’ve earned a place not only in the history books, but in the hearts of Apple.

In the latest episode of Open Apple, I pointed listeners to an article outlining Apple’s ten worst products ever. Such lists aren’t original — Computerworld blogger Jonny Evans had his own take last year — but it can be entertaining to see what other people interpret to be Apple’s successes and failures.

Back in January, a pair of sites produced more upbeat lists of Apple successes: Computerworld and Complex. The latter’s list of the fifty greatest moments in Apple history is comprehensive — how many of us can name any fifty moments in one company’s history? To list so many points, Complex couldn’t exclude our favorite computer. Many items in Complex’s gallery, which is not in chronological order, revolve around our favorite computer and its creator:

• • Apple-1 is released
• • Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak awarded National Medal of Technology
• • Apple logo is designed by Rob Janoff
• • VisiCalc comes to the Apple II

Technically, the Apple-1 was not a product of Apple Computer Inc., though it certainly laid the groundwork for the company’s eventual founding and success. The machine that launched the corporation was the Apple II, the release of which is noticeably absent from the list. And some of the moments aren’t exactly what I’d call the "greatest" — such as Microsoft invests 150 million into Apple, or Pirates of Silicon Valley hits theaters.

What would you consider key moments in the life of Apple Inc.?