50 years ago, a single keystroke changed Apple and the computing world forever

In 1975, Steve Wozniak invented a technology that ignited the personal computing revolution.

- BY ALEX BLAKE

One of the most consequential developments in the history of computing happened 50 years ago. It set Apple on course to becoming one of the most valuable companies on the planet and changed the face of computing in unfathomable ways. Yet you've probably never even heard of what went down. It's an often-overlooked moment that had incredible consequences for years to come.

Typing on a computer is something we all take for granted today. One of Apple's key philosophies has long been to get the technology out of your way—Steve Jobs and Jony Ive have waxed lyrical on that idea—so day to day, we never really think much about how writing on a computer actually works.

We can debate the pros and cons of various displays and even build our own custom mechanical keyboards to tune the experience to our liking. But the fundamental concept of typing on a keyboard and seeing the characters appear on your screen in front of you is something we rarely question.

The Altair 8800 is credited with being the first personal computer, but its user interface was anything but "personal."

It wasn’t always this way. Back in the early 1970s, the idea that a person could sit down in their own home with an affordable computer that fit on their desk and type characters that were reflected on a connected display felt pretty much incomprehensible to most people.