Apple’s logo was a tribute to Alan Turing, an English mathematician, cryptoanalyst, computer scientist, philosopher, logician and theoretical biologists, who is often called the father of modern computers. During world war II he worked with government breaking enemies’ codes. It is said that the war was shortened by two years and millions of lives were saved due to his work. Alan Turing who has been acknowledged as one of the most innovative thinker, died in 1954, as a criminal because he was a homosexual and it was a crime in those days in Britain. A half-eaten apple (laced with cyanide) was found by his side. Apple logo with a bite out of it was a tribute to Turing. In fact, the rainbow color stripes in the logo further strengthened this theory.

Its an interesting and believable story but unfortunately, this is Not true. In fact, the story and connect with Apple logo is so strong that anyone would believe the story instantly. But like many more such theories, this was also just another story.

Though there have been interesting, complicated stories behind Apple logo but in reality, Simplicity was the key behind choosing the Apple with a bite.

In a press conference in 1981, Steve Jobs had said “I love apples and like to eat them. But the main idea behind Apple is to bring simplicity to the public in the most sophisticated way possible, and that’s it, nothing else.” “The fruit of creation, Apple. It was simple but strong.” 

Let’s walk through the evolution of Apple logo over years.

The first logo back in1976 was a complicated one in representation as well as thoughts. It had Isaac Newton sitting under a tree where apple fell. A quote from William Wordsworth’s poem was written on the frame of this image – “Newton… a mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought.”

But this logo did not last for long as it looked old fashioned and it was difficult to reproduce it on computers.

Rob Janoff was hired to create new logo for Apple computers. The logo created by Janoff was a Rainbow Apple with a bite. The rainbow color stripes were one of the reasons behind strengthening the Turing theory. The bite was believed to symbolise knowledge and a reference to the computer term byte. But in reality, the rainbow spectrum was a nod towards Apple’s computer Apple II which was the world’s first computer with color display. Originally the logo had rainbow colors, but Jobs wanted green color at the top because the leaf was there, that’s why the sequence of colors is not as per rainbow. As Janoff describes, he created the “bite” in the logo so that people would know that it represented an apple, and not a cherry tomato. Again, what simple thoughts which have been overthought and made complicated.

When Jean Louis Gassée (former apple executive) was asked about his thoughts on the Apple logo he answered: “One of the deep mysteries to me is our logo, the symbol of lust and knowledge, bitten into, all crossed with the colors of the rainbow in the wrong order. You couldn’t dream of a more appropriate logo: lust,knowledge, hope, and anarchy.”

The rainbow Apple logo was used on various Apple products for more than 20 years until Jobs decided to change the logo again within first year of his return to Apple in 1997. The multi-colored Apple logo was replaced with a more modern monochromatic look which has been used in many sizes and colors since then.

In the monochromatic looks the logo first took metallic look then glass and now it’s become flat. The evolution of Apple logo from a complicated hand drawn image to a modernized flat “minimal” logo is a great example of how the company changed not only its products but in same line the company logo too. Today Apple doesn’t have to write anything in its logo, the logo itself tells it all.