True Story about Calculator Program sold to Apple
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There isn’t a widely documented or verified true story about a calculator program being sold to Apple as a major event in the company’s history. However, there are a few stories involving calculator software and Apple that might be what you're referring to. Here's one that comes up often and is partially true, partially mythologized:
✅ Story: The Calculator App and Steve Wozniak
In the early days of Apple, Steve Wozniak—Apple's co-founder—developed a calculator program for the Apple I and Apple II computers. These early machines didn’t have a built-in GUI like modern systems, so simple programs like calculators were quite useful.
Wozniak famously loved calculators. In fact, one of the inspirations behind building the Apple I was his love for HP calculators, especially the HP-65. He wanted to create a computer that was affordable and programmable like those high-end calculators.
Some versions of the story say Wozniak created a calculator program and showed it to Apple or sold it as part of early software bundles. Others claim he gave a calculator demo to help sell the Apple I. But this wasn’t a separate app sold to Apple, more like a functional example to show off the computer's abilities.
✅ Another True Story: Apple Paid for the Mac Calculator App
During the development of the original Macintosh in the 1980s, Apple did contract third-party developers to write some of the applications that would ship with the computer. One of these was the calculator app. Chris Espinosa, Apple’s youngest early employee (he joined at age 14), worked on several early applications for the Macintosh, including the calculator.
In this case, Apple paid developers to write standard utility apps, which included things like:
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Calculator
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Alarm clock
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Notepad
These were not "apps sold to Apple" in the way that an external company pitched a program—more like internal or contracted work paid for by Apple during development.
🚫 Urban Legend: Student Sells Calculator App to Apple for Millions
There have been internet rumors and urban legends about a student or programmer who wrote a calculator app (usually for iOS), submitted it to Apple, and sold it to them for a huge sum. As of now, there is no verified, credible source for such a story involving Apple purchasing a third-party calculator app outright.
Summary
| Story | True? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Wozniak's calculator demo on Apple I | ✅ True | Used to show off the Apple I |
| Apple paid for calculator app on Mac | ✅ True | Part of software development |
| Student sold calculator app to Apple | ❌ Myth | No evidence or record exists |
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