Fifty years ago today, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne signed their names to a founding agreement for a small computer company started in a Los Altos garage. The world of personal computing—and thus, the world in general—was never the same.
Today, everyone here at OWC wants to take a moment to say something we’ve felt for nearly four decades: thank you, Apple.
OWC was founded in Woodstock, Illinois in 1988 and from day one, our purpose was simple: help Mac users get more out of their machines. Back when Macs came with upgradeable RAM slots and swappable hard drives, OWC was the company you called when you wanted to push your system further. We built our reputation, and our company, on the belief that your Apple hardware deserved to be treated as an investment, not a disposable commodity.
That belief is one we share with Apple itself. The company that once challenged the world to “Think Different” has always designed products meant to matter. Products that last in your memory, if not always on your desk.
But that hasn’t stopped us from doing everything we can for the last 38 years to make sure they last as long as possible on your desk, too.
Still helping you get the most of your Mac
As Apple evolved its hardware philosophy, so did we. The era of user-upgradeable Mac internals eventually gave way to tightly integrated, Apple Silicon-powered systems built for performance and longevity out of the box. Rather than lament that shift, OWC has leaned into it.
Today, Apple’s commitment to Thunderbolt connectivity has become the bridge between Mac users and the expanded capabilities they need. And OWC has been right there to build upon that bridge. Our Thunderbolt docks and hubs transform a single port into a full-featured workstation, keeping Macs at the center of serious creative and professional workflows.
For the creative professionals Apple has championed for decades—video editors, musicians, photographers, and filmmakers—we make products designed with the same mindset Apple brings to its own hardware: the technology should last and work so well it fades into the background.
The OWC StudioStack is a great example. Built for demanding creative workflows, the StudioStack is a modular, Thunderbolt-connected hybrid storage solution that grows with your needs. Whether you’re editing 4K or 8K video, managing massive RAW photo libraries, or archiving years of audio sessions, StudioStack delivers fast, reliable, DIY-expandable storage alongside Thunderbolt expansion through extra Thunderbolt, USB, and SD card ports. And it all comes in a package that perfectly fits the Mac Studio footprint for easy stacking. That’s a tool that lets you stay focused on the work—not the tech.
To quote Jobs, “Technology is nothing. What’s important is that you have faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart—and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them,” he said. “Tools are just tools. They either work, or they don’t work.”
And when your Mac reaches the end of its journey with you, MacSales.com is here for that transition too. Our used Mac marketplace lets you sell your current system and put that value toward your next one, or find a high-quality, certified pre-owned Mac that’s new to you.
Here’s to the Next 50
Apple at 50 is still one of the most creative, ambitious, and design-forward companies on the planet. And OWC is still the company that believes your Apple hardware—new or not-so-new—deserves every chance to perform at its best.
The garage where it all started is a landmark now. But the spirit of tinkering, of pushing limits, of asking what if this could do more that started it all is still alive and well—in both Cupertino and in Woodstock, Illinois.
Happy 50th, Apple. Here’s to the next half-century of creating the “insanely great.”
