-
microsoft
1975: Microsoft is founded -
apple
1976 : Founds Apple Computer Company with Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. -
APPLE1
1976 -- Jobs and Wozniak launch Apple I for $666.66, the first single-board computer with a video interface and an onboard Read Only Memory (ROM) -
microsoft
l1976: Gates and Allen register the trademark “Microsoft.” Gates writes an open letter to computer hobbyists, condemning the early adopters for sharing, rather than paying for, software. Gates’ “Open Letter. -
apple
1977 -- Apple is incorporated as Apple Computer Inc. and the new company buys out the original -
microsoft
1977: Gates takes a second leave of absence from Harvard and sets up Microsoft in Albuquerque, N.M., where MITS is headquartered. -
apple
1977 -- Apple launches Apple II, the world's first widely used personal computer -
microsoft
1978: Microsoft’s year-end sales exceed $1 million. Gates gains a reputation for being tough, but focused. -
apple
1978: At Apple, work starts on the Apple III and the Lisa, while Jef Raskin begins The Book of Macintosh -
microsoft
1979: Microsoft headquarters are relocated to Bellevue, Wash., a suburb of Gates’ hometown, Seattle -
apple
1979:Steve Jobs is shown the first working graphical user interface at Xerox PARX -
apple
1980: Apple goes public, raising $110 million in one of the biggest initial public offerings to date. -
microsoft
1981: Microsoft incorporates and buys the rights to the operating system “DOS” from Seattle Computer Products. The system is modified and renamed MS-DOS, and the company licenses it to IBM for the company’s new personal computer. -
apple
1983: The Lisa computer goes on sale with much fanfare, only to be pulled two years later. Steve Jobs lures John Sculley away from Pepsico Inc. to serve as Apple's CEO. -
microsoft
1983: Allen leaves Microsoft after developing Hodgkin’s disease. Microsoft announces Windows as an extension of its MS-DOS operating system. -
apple
1984: Iconic "1984" Macintosh commercial directed by Ridley Scott shows during the Super Bowl. The Macintosh computer goes on sale. -
apple
1985: Jobs and Sculley clash, leading to Jobs' resignation. Wozniak also resigns from Apple. -
microsoft
1986: Microsoft headquarters move again, this time to nearby Redmond, Wash. Shortly after, the company goes public. -
apple
1986: Jobs founds Next Inc., a new computer company making high-end machines for universities. He also buys Pixar from "Star Wars" creator George Lucas for $10 million. -
microsoft
1989: Gates founds Corbis
1990 Microsoft launches Windows 3.0 -
apple
1991: Apple and IBM Corp. announce an alliance to develop new PC microprocessors and software. Apple unveils PowerBook portable Macintoshes.
1993: Apple introduces the Newton, a hand-held, pen-based computer. The company reports quarterly loss of $188 million in July, and CEO Sculley is replaced by Apple president Michael Spindler. -
apple
Apple decides to license its operating software, allowing other companies to clone the Mac.
1995: The first Mac clones go on sale. -
microsoft
1995 Microsoft launches Windows 95 internet by launching internet explorer as web browser. -
apple
1996: Apple buys Next
1997: Steve Jobs returns to Apple as an adviser, Amelio is pushed out. Jobs puts an end to Mac clones. -
apple
1998: Apple returns to profitability and unveils the iMac, -
microsoft
1998 Microsoft launches Windows 98 -
microsoft
Steve Ballmer named president and chief executive officer for Microsoft
2000 Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer outline Microsoft's .NET strategy for Web services -
microsoft and apple
Feb. 27, 2008 Microsoft launches Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008
June 27, 2008 Bill Gates transitions from his day-to-day role at Microsoft to spend more time on his work at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation -
microsoft and apple
June 15, 2010 Microsoft launches general availability of Office 2010
Nov. 4, 2010 Microsoft launches Kinect for Xbox 360
Nov. 10, 2010 Microsoft launches Windows Phone 7
Nov. 17, 2010 Microsoft announces availability of Microsoft Lync