A trillion has 12 zeros in it – let that sink in for a moment.

Apple’s valuation recently hit the $1 trillion mark, making history as the first business to do so, and they’ve come a long way since being co-founded on April 1, 1976, by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in Los Altos, California.

Is there a picture to mark that momentous occasion? Close enough – that’s the duo up top, with Jobs looking a lot like Ashton Kutcher.

That’s picture one of the eight, in case you were keeping count. The rest via Business Insider:

Apple’s first “offices” was the garage of Jobs’ parents.

The company’s first product was the Apple I, which was just a motherboard with a processor and some memory, intended for hobbyists. Customers had to build their own case and add their own keyboard and monitor, as seen in the picture. It sold for $666.66 — seriously.

Cue hipsters scrambling to get their hands on one. Think I’ll stick with today’s MacBooks, thanks.

The Apple I was invented by Wozniak, who also hand-built every kit. Here, you can see his hand-drawn design diagrams for the Apple I computer.

1977 saw the introduction of the Apple II, the personal computer designed by Wozniak that would go on to take the world by storm.

In 1984, Apple would release the TV commercial that would make it a household name. This ad, appropriately called “1984,” was directed by Ridley Scott and cost the company $1.5 million. It aired during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII, and never again.

In place of an image, allow us to show you the commercial. Don’t worry, it won’t count towards the eight:

Jobs quit in 1985, but returned in 1997. On July 4 weekend that same year, Jobs would stage a boardroom coup and convince Apple’s board to install him as interim CEO.

1997 would also see the introduction of Apple’s famous “Think Different” ad campaign, celebrating famous artists, scientists, and musicians.

But the single biggest victory for Apple — and arguably the world of technology as a whole — was 2007’s introduction of the iPhone. The rest is, as they say, history.

Yeah, they’ve done alright since then. Sure makes those doomsayers back in 1996 look like muppets.

So, who wants to hop on board the iPhone train? Digicape, South Africa’s largest independent Apple retailer, have a range of options, and they’ve also got different finance options to ensure you have the latest tool at your disposal.

Finance your devices with a point of sale loan from FinYou. For those must-have purchases or emergency buys, FinYou promise to process your loan application within five days.

Once approved, they settle the amount directly with Digicape and the goods are yours. Here’s the FinYou application form.

There’s also the FinYou Education finance option:

Students qualify for an extra special Education deal through FinYou. The application process is simple; you can choose to pay the loan back over 12/24/36 months. Let Digicape know what device(s) you’re interested in buying, send the required documentation like your salary slip, ID, student enrolment confirmation and bank statements, check that you’re happy with the Terms and Conditions, and your loan application will be reviewed within a week.

You can run through Digicape’s full list of finance options here, including Business, short-term rental, and long-term rental.

Who knows what the future holds for Apple, but you can bet that the iPhone is here to stay.

Join the revolution, man.

[sources:businsider]