4 Apple II
Designed almost entirely by Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak, the Apple II is regarded by fans and experts as “the PC that started it all.”
While it wasn’t the company’s first computer, the Apple II (released in 1979) was, for its time, Apple’s most successful and fastest selling machine. It ultimately pushed over 300,000 units (creating over $79 million in revenue) during its first year on the market.
Apple’s success with the Apple II can be attributed in part to the machine’s lower, introductory price point of just $1,298. And while that might seem steep for 1979, it’s worth pointing out that the Apple III — introduced just one year later in 1980 — came to market with a whopping $4,300 sticker price.
Despite its lower, more appealing price point, the Apple II was a stellar performer. It was also one of the first PCs to boast color graphics, inherently advanced gaming features, and customization/expandability courtesy of its eight inbuilt slots, which allowed users to plug in anything from extra graphics, more memory, a printer, floppy disk drive, or more.
Interestingly, the Apple II was so successful that the company went on to expand the model into a whole line of computers, which included subsequent releases like the Apple IIgs and, ultimately, the Apple IIe, which ceased production in November of 1993.