Apple wasn’t always the behemoth that it is today. Just like any other company, it too has humble beginnings. Consisting of only a few employees back then, the company had to convince investors to take a chance on it, it had to convince computers shops to sell its products. One of the first companies to do so was Minneapolis based Team Electronics, which later changed its name to FirstTech. It shipped the first batch of Apple computers in the late 1970’s, and holds the distinction of being the first Apple reseller in the world. After 37 years of selling Apple’s products, its closing shop for good.
FirstTech product manage Fred Evans says the reason why they’re shutting down is quite simple: shrinking margins. Business has taken a hit from national distributors that offer better prices. Even Apple operates five retail stores in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. Despite that, Evans claims that there was a “friendly and productive” relationship between Apple and FirstTech, and that Apple store staff would refer customers to FirstTech if they wanted to get older Mac models repaired.
The Cupertino based tech giant has come a long way since then. Apple’s worth at the time can be gauged by how haphazard its workings used to be back in the day. Evans recalls the very first contract they signed with Apple back in the 1970s. Back then, Apple didn’t even have its own paperwork so FirstTech simply took one of its older contracts and replaced the name on it with Apple’s.
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