3.4 Poverty – not a vice, is the reason of mental activity

     In January 1975, Community geeks excited by the long-awaited news - the Altair 8800 was released. Wozniak, as any keen person, because polubezrazlichnogo relationship to money and obsession with technology has never been very rich. The money for the purchase of "Altair" he would have scraped up, but to bring it to a fitting form - is unlikely. So he decided to build your own computer. He found the cheapest chip - for $ 20 (originally wanted $ 400) at an output of 1 MHz. More precisely, it processed 1 million operations per second, but not instructions. The processing of one instruction took two and sometimes three cycles. This was due to the fact that the processor has not been programmed. The most expensive was a new computer keyboard, it cost $ 60. Most of the components were provided by Jobs. And they, in turn, is "borrowed" in the company of Atari. Receive details of what you want ways was a tradition of the first computer fans. Methods - any, from hiking to the city dump to outright theft, burglary. So Atari increased staff security guards when they discovered that the company diverted circuit boards and chips to $ 800 daily.

     Wozniak has programmed his computer at work - while HP employees take turns to work at the computer, about 80 people for one car. It is worth noting that before Wozniak did not know what a microprocessor, not programming. Created specifically for Apple, he delved into the mountains of technical documentation, learned the "Basic" and even wrote his own version of the programming language - without floating point disturb him.

3.5 Apples, first grade

     He collected the computer for themselves, but Jobs, by the time even to visit Tibet in search of spiritual enlightenment, he lived under the slogan «Money. Get rich or die trying ». And Jobs took the promotion of your computer on the market - and Atari, and Hewlett-Packard had already abandoned the brainchild of Wozniak. Wozniak, Jobs suggested to create their own computer company. In the early 70's Jobs, working at Atari, met and became friends with the new senior developer of this company by Ron Wayne. Jobs invited him to the company and offered 10%. All this was very serious, but Wayne has accepted the invitation.

     The idea of ​​the name also belongs to Jobs - sentimental memories of the commune and the simple peasant life in Oregon gave him no peace. More sane, but less persistent Wozniak suggested names like "Ekzekyutek" or "Matrix Electronics» (Executek, Matrix Electronics). However, in the name of Steve Jobs was another plus - one of the first places in the phone book.

     The official agreement on the establishment of Addiction they signed April 1, 1976. Wozniak worked for Hewlett-Packard, Jobs and Wayne - at Atari, and at night they were going in the garage of Jobs and continued creation of Apple I - Wayne wrote technical documentation, and developed the very first trademark of the company.

     To create the first copies of Apple I Jobs sold his van Volkswagen, and Wozniak - programmable calculator Hewlett-Packard. The proceeds amounted to 1350 dollars. Evil tongues say that Jobs by that time had a very considerable sum in the account, but did not give their material success, so selling the property.

     Jobs was looking for potential customers. He turned his gaze to the computer club, who visited Wozniak. And almost got a new computer in order to present to members of the club. With trembling hands, Wozniak was holding circuit boards and modestly downcast eyes to the floor, said something softly. Not surprisingly, it was a little bit interested. However, Steve and Veen lucky owner of the first urban network computer stores Byte Shop Paul Terrell ordered 50 vehicles, offering $ 500 each. And as a good businessman, he insisted, that computers were the finished product, because I knew how uncomfortable buyers to collect them in parts.