As Apple gets stuck into its fourth decade of operation, we're taking a look back at some of the biggest tech rivals the firm has duked it out with over the years. Given the global reach and gargantuan profits it enjoys today, it's easy to forget that Apple started life as two people in a garage back in the 1970s. And just like any business that has survived a few decades, Apple has been on the ropes more than a few times over the years.
From surviving the dominance of IBM in the 1980s and fruitless legal battles with Microsoft in the 1990s, all the way up to today's intermittent Apple/Samsung beefing, the history of the company has been fraught with tension, rivalry and competition. Here, we're looking at all the key competitive players in the Apple story – how the rivalries played out, how they shaped and influenced the Apple story, and how they've made Apple into the company as we know it today.
