The raw vegan origins of Apple Computer Co

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 Though the iPod has to be one of the yuppiest inventions of the 21st century, Steve Jobs was quite a big hippy during the 1970s. Indeed, the zen-like activities of Mr. Jobs undoubtedly shaped his thought process in the creation of the Apple Co. Some gaps exist in the story (since I doubt Jobs is necessarily eager to promote his hippy days), but here’s what can be pieced together of the Apple origins.

For starters, his summer job wasn’t like teen summer jobs today. Instead of slinging popcorn over at the Harkins, Jobs worked in an apple orchard during his summers in college. Outdoor air probably did him well, considering the late night hours he had to endure later while working on various electronic devices. In the early 1970s, he wasn’t seen sporting the casual-yet-dignified look of jeans and a black turtle neck yet. Like many in search of enlightenment, he actually packed his bags in 1974, shaved his head, and hit the trails in India. As a side note, given the high degree of computer literacy and engineering in the bustling parts of India, perhaps some common thread exists between spiritual enlightenment and computer genius? That would be pretty cool, but not likely. Anyway, back to the story of Steve Jobs. It was during this time he is believed to be a fruitarian. Fruitarianism was probably more common in the 70s than it is today, but in sum, fruitarianism is what it sounds like: eating nothing but fruit.

You know all those communes you hear about that sound a little… different? Like, in Patagonia Arizona where Gabriel Cousins and his crew reside? Before you relegate those communes as being primitive and remote, Steve Jobs lived among one for a little while before ultimately returning home. Unfortunately, the subject of his meditative thought remains a mystery… but surely something was going through his head that enhanced his brilliance: one year later in 1975, Jobs and Wozniak developed microprocessor chips and circuit board.

At this point in the story, amidst apple-eating and developing circuitry, Jobs realized in his fruitarian haze that he might be on to something and needed a name for his growing company. I’ll pause here to note that much lore exists over the true origin of the Apple name. The name of the company carries great enigma: some say a Beatles album tribute had to do with the name (and in fact, a one-time royalty payment was paid and many legal battles are still fought today), and others say the name had everything to do with the purity of the fruit itself. Perhaps something to do with eating the fruit of knowledge from Biblical times. Others believe the origin is linked to Sir Isaac Newton’s own epiphany he had while sitting under an apple tree. The last reason circulated for the name is Steve Jobs wanting to distance the company from the growing snobbery and elitist nature of the computer industry. IBM, after all, was largely considered to be complicated and relegated to working professionals. Regardless of how Steve Jobs came up with the initial name (be it just one reason above or an amalgamation of many), one thing is for certain: he told his colleagues early one morning that Apple would be the name that sticks unless someone else came up with a better name by 5 pm that day. Hoping to inspire creativity, the colleagues kept their brains to developing hardware and lo and behold: Apple was born.

At some point unbeknownst to all, Jobs stopped eating nothing but fruit and, in his words, became “a garbage can like everyone else.” Aw, say it ain’t so, Steve… I need to write him a vegan’s letter and explain to him how much has changed in the raw world since he subsisted on apples. Plus, he clearly no longer has to live off of the money he exchanged from plastic bottles he turned in to recycle when he first dropped out of Reed College in Portland. I often think that if I were a billionaire, I think I’d hire my own raw chef. But anyway, with any luck, Steve Jobs might return to his raw vegan days instead of being the pescatarian he is now.