Not an April Fool’s gag: today is the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of Apple Computer, Inc. Joy of Tech has a birthday cake in the shape of the Apple I computer. The Apple I was one of the very first personal computers, a kit intended for customers who were comfortable around a soldering iron. The company’s fortunes really took off with the introduction, in April 1977, of the Apple II, a machine designed for ordinary mortals.

Thirty years is a very long time in this business, and Apple’s fortunes have been up and down. The Apple II’s success brought IBM into the world of personal computing in 1982, with a hastily-designed machine that was deliberately crippled, to avoid competing with IBM’s expensive “big iron” computers.

Apple answered in 1984 with the Macintosh. The Mac sported a mouse-driven graphical user interface with multiple windows, on-screen buttons, pull-down menus, icons representing files and programs, and many other innovations that are universally accepted today as the natural way to interact with computers. Apple built simple networking into every Macintosh in 1985, when some wondered why you would ever want to let two computers talk to each other. Competitors derided the Mac interface while desperately struggling to duplicate it. It took Microsoft more than ten years to come within hailing distance of the Mac interface, with Windows 95.

Ten years ago, many pundits declared that Apple Computer was doomed. Macworld, a magazine for Macintosh users, ran a series of articles to help readers switch to Microsoft Windows. Now Macworld Online has an article about Apple’s impact. Wired Magazine, cNet — even American Heritage — have put together articles and photo galleries in honor of thirty years of Apple.

It’s been no small achievement that Apple has defied the doomsayers to reach this thirtieth anniversary. Time after time, Apple has been daring and innovative when other companies have been timid and conservative. Even if you’ve never touched an Apple computer in your life, if you’re reading this, you’re a beneficiary of Apple’s history of innovation.

Happy birthday, Apple.