Open Door I Electronics

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Souric

An Apple A Day

Neal Check { Contributing Writer

here would we be without Apple?
The Mac was the next big hit, introduced
Imagine the Passover Seder
in a 1984 Super Bowl commercial. The
without apple in the charoset? We
Mac defined compact personal computing
would all need a side of motor oil to choke
and was adopted by a very hip crowd of
down the remaining mixture!
followers.
Of course, I am not talking about the
Surprisingly, iTunes was launched before
"apple a day keeps the doctor away" fruit;
the iPod in 2001. The free download site
I am talking about Apple the company, that
helped Apple establish an almost unlimited
continually amazing company. What started
database of users and their credit card
as a computer company has now turned
numbers. The iPod, with its ubiquitous white
into a consumer electronics powerhouse,
headphones, made Apple a must-have brand,
and within five years, one in every three
pumping out products loved and clamored
for by the masses,
people in the country had one. With this kind
year after year after
of following, it was easy for Apple to sweep
year.
people up into the current iPhone and iPad
Apple was
craze.
founded by Steve
Jobs, Steve Wozniak,
Apple TV
and Ronald Wayne
OK, enough Apple
Neal Check is
in 1976, 37 years
history. Let's talk about
ago this month.
the owner of
some cool reasons to
The Apple I was
jump into your car right
SoundCheck LLC
introduced that year,
now and go visit your
4 in Southfield,
but it was the Apple
local Apple Store. How
which
specializes
II, one year later, that
about the incredible
in custom home
started Apple on its
$99 Apple TV? This
present journey. It was a huge hit
theater, audio, lighting
device has been out
with its color graphics and gaming
for a few years, but
and automation. www.
paddles, generating $79 million
I am amazed at how
soundcheckllc.com .
in sales in Apple's third year in
many people don't
business.
know what it can do.

W

For starters, how about a simple way to
bring online streaming content like Netflix,
Hulu and You Tube to non-smart TV sets
you already own. If you have boatloads of
pictures and music stored on a computer
somewhere, you can access them all on your
Apple TV.
One of its hands-down best features is
Apple AirPlay and Mirroring. AirPlay lets you
wirelessly stream music stored or available
on your iPhone and iPad to your TV or
stereo. Mirroring will display whatever you
are viewing on your iPad/phone/touch or
Mac and send it to the TV wirelessly. This is a
great way to show photos, websites or work
documents to everyone in the room. We are
always installing them in conference rooms
for clients, and the installation and setup
could not be easier.
So let's say happy 37th birthday to our
ingenious friends at Apple.
By the way, Ronald Wayne, one of the
original founders mentioned previously,
decided the financial risk was too great in
1976 and sold his 10 percent stake back
to Jobs and Wozniak two weeks into the
formation of Apple for $800. Today his 10
percent stake would have been worth more
than $35 billion.
Get that man some charoset ... just hold
off on the Apple. ❑

May 2013 •

OPEN DOOR Magazine 29