Apple is a household name that is synonymous with innovation, quality, and style. Over the years, the brand has become an iconic symbol of excellence, and its logo is instantly recognizable to millions of people around the world. But have you ever wondered why the Apple logo features a bite? In this article, we will delve into the history and story behind this iconic logo and explain why there’s a bite in the Apple logo.
The Birth of the Apple Logo
In 1977, Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, turned to an advertising agency to design a simple logo that could be printed on their computers. At the time, the original hand-drawn logo of Issac Newton under an apple tree was considered too complicated. Rob Janoff was assigned to the project, and Jobs gave him just one request: “Don’t make it cute.”
Janoff decided to focus on the imagery of an Apple instead of the typography, which was a different approach than other computer companies like IBM and Hewlett Packard, whose logos were primarily text-based. Janoff started with a simple silhouette of an apple with a leaf on top, but this imagery was ambiguous and could be mistaken for a cherry, since there was no clear context for how large or small the fruit might be.
Adding the Bite
To solve this problem, Janoff added a bite to the apple silhouette, allowing people to immediately identify the logo as an apple while still retaining a simplistic design. Six colorful stripes were added to symbolize the Apple computer’s ability to display color images, something no other machine could do at the time.
When Janoff presented the logo to Jobs, he simply said, “Okay, that’s nice,” and made it the official logo of the company. The bite in the Apple logo has since become one of the most recognizable and memorable logos in the world.
The Byte Myth
There’s a persistent myth that the bite taken out of the Apple logo was a play on words, since the term byte is used in the tech industry as a unit of memory size. Although Janoff himself admitted that the rumor wasn’t true and that it was just a small happy coincidence.
Conclusion
The Apple logo is a symbol of innovation, quality, and style, and its bite is an integral part of the logo’s design. The story behind the logo is a testament to the creative and innovative spirit of Apple and its founders, Steve Jobs and Rob Janoff. The Apple logo is a classic example of how a simple design can convey a powerful message and make a lasting impact on the world.
Actually The Bite at the side of the apple signifies Apple “bitting away” the quality of their products. You still have to pay a lot of money to own one… only difference is that at this point you’re funding apple to remove things that were once seen as vital. Can’t even repair the thing without apple taking a bite of the profits. At this point I’m just saying what everyone is thinking 🙂
I always thought the logo was correlated with Alan Turing, the founding father of AI, computer science and a WW2 hero. The reason the apple is relevant with Turing is because he committed suicide by biting into an apple laced with cyanide. The rainbow-like pattern in the Apple Logo could also be explained in this context; The reason Turing committed suicide is because he was issued a sentence with 2 choices; 2 years in prison or Hormonal Therapy. (Chemical Castration) Turing chose hormonal therapy because if he were in prison he wouldn’t be able to work on his innovations and foundations concerning AI and computer science. The reason the sentence that was issued to him was because he had homosexual predilections (he was gay) which was illegal at the time. As most of us know, the pride flag representing homosexuality is a rainbow pattern, much like the one on the Apple logo! In my humble opinion, this is an extraordinary coincidence!
One could also perceive it as an allusion to the Adam and Eve story, with an apple with a bite taken out of it essentially symbolizing something similar to “going down the rabbit hole” or “taking the red pill.” Apple means choosing to increase knowledge, and by doing so, entering a world that isn’t as safe, but is potentially much more rewarding.
I thought it was a nod to Alan Turing, widely considered the father of modern computing, who committed suicide by eating an apple he had laced with cyanide, due to his horrendous treatment by the British judiciary and government.
“Not cute”, it’s super cute! I love the apple with the rainbow colors.
The first apple logo was a picture with Issac Newton under an apple tree(which sucked). The second logo designed by Rob features the bitten apple which most say it symbolizes the poison apple Alan Turing, father of computer, bit off. No one, not even Steve Jobs, has ever officially admitted on why the apple logo but considering their computer profession many assume it to be the Alan Turing one.