Despite humble beginnings, today Apple, Inc. enjoys unprecedented popularity and prosperity with its products, and is a major innovator in the computing and consumer landscape and, as shown in this retrospective, the history of the Apple II computer plays a large part into the current successes of the company. The 1980s saw the dawn of the Apple II, the company's first hit product and it provided the breathing room for Apple to become self-sustaining, and ultimately blossom into one of the greatest business and technology successes in history. This account provides a unique view of early personal computing and Apple as a company, focusing almost exclusively on the role of the Apple II within that story. It extends outward to the products, publications, and early online services that made up the ecosystem for the platform during its active years, and follows the story to present-day enthusiasts who still find new things to do with a computer that got its start more than 35 years ago.