Summary

The invention of the Apple computer can be traced back to a toy whistle included in Cap'n Crunch cereal, which led to the creation of blue boxes used for phone phreaking by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs.

Abstract

The article details the unexpected connection between Cap'n Crunch cereal and the inception of Apple Computers. It begins by explaining how the Bo'sun whistle, a toy included in Cap'n Crunch cereal boxes, produced a 2600hz tone that was instrumental in the early days of phone phreaking. This whistle caught the attention of John Draper, who used it to make free long-distance calls, earning him the nickname Cap'n Crunch. The story of phone phreaking reached a wider audience through an Esquire magazine article, which in turn inspired a young Steve Wozniak. Wozniak, along with his neighbor Steve Jobs, built their own blue box to mimic telephone company tones, marking their first joint venture. This collaboration not only sparked their interest in technology and entrepreneurship but also laid the groundwork for what would become Apple, a company that has revolutionized the tech industry and grown into a multi-trillion-dollar empire.

Opinions

The author suggests that the inclusion of the Bo'sun whistle in Cap'n Crunch cereal was a serendipitous event that had a significant impact on the development of modern technology.
The article implies that the phreakers' use of the whistle was a form of rebellion against corporate structures and a way to satisfy youthful curiosity and boredom.
Steve Jobs is quoted as being certain that without the experience of building blue boxes, Apple would not exist, indicating the foundational importance of this early venture in the history of the company.
The partnership between Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs is highlighted as a perfect match of technical genius and entrepreneurial vision, which became the cornerstone of Apple's success.
The author seems to marvel at the fact that such a simple toy could have far-reaching consequences, leading to the creation of one of the world's most influential tech companies.

How Cap’n Crunch Cereal Helped Give Rise to Apple Computers

The story of a toy, two teen geniuses, and a multi-trillion-dollar empire

The Cap’n Crunch Bo’sun whistle. Image courtesy of atlasobscura.com

It may seem ridiculous, but if it weren’t for Cap’n Crunch cereal adding a toy whistle as a prize for kids, the two trillion dollar tech company known as Apple probably wouldn’t exist.

Cereal, toys, and sugar

The sugar-laden cereals of my youth used to contain all kinds of wonderful plastic treasures. One such example is the Bo’sun whistle that used to be found in boxes of Cap’n Crunch.

Ship’s captains would traditionally use a Bo’sun whistle to signal various maritime commands and meal times.

The cereal company version was just a small plastic toy, but it helped change the world forever.

One curious quality of the Cap’n Crunch Bo’sun whistle is that the tone it gives off is exactly 2600hz. That brings us to the next part of the story.

Revenge of the phreakers

Phreakers were a group of underground hackers. Specifically, phone hackers. The timeframe we are looking at here is somewhere between the mid-60s and early 70s, so computer hacking wasn’t exactly an activity for your average joe.

Phone systems in those days worked utilizing a series of tones working on numerous frequencies. A list of these tones was published periodically in the Bell System Technical Journal, which could be found in every library. In later years, Bell would get smart and not make these tones available to the public for reasons that will soon become evident.

Using the right frequency, one could play a tone through your phone to bypass Ma Bell and make free long-distance phone calls. For those who might not remember, long-distance calls used to be fairly expensive (think cell phone roaming charges).

The phreakers might have used their whistles for practical reasons to save a bit of money on calls or stick it to the man (or woman, in this case) and bypass a major corporate structured system. In most cases, it was a case of youthful mischief. Kids were innovative and bored.

Enter Jon Draper

Draper was one of the founding fathers of early phone hacking. He wasn’t the first phreaker, but he was the one who discovered that the 2600hz frequency of the Bo’sun whistle could be used to make free long-distance calls. People began to call him Cap’n Crunch.

Draper created what came to be known as a “blue box.” Simply stated, this was an electronic device used to replicate tones used by the telephone company.

Over time, enough people caught wind of phone phreaking that it became big enough for Esquire magazine to write an article about it. The story, “Secrets of the Little Blue Box” was published in a 1971 issue of the magazine. It told the story of the phreakers, the tones used by the phone company, and the creation and use of the little blue box.

A mother in Berkley, California was thumbing through that particular issue of Esquire when she ran across the story. She thought that it was just the kind of thing that would interest her electronics obsessed son.

His name was Steve. Steve Wozniak.

From Blue Boxes to Apple

Woz, as his friends liked to call him, hung out with another kid from the neighborhood named Steve. Steve Jobs. Mom was right about her son enjoying the article. He liked it so much that he barely made it halfway through the piece before he was on the phone to Jobs reading the whole thing to him.

The article ignited their youthful enthusiasm, and thoughts of what they could do with their newfound knowledge ran wild. As soon as they could, the pair went to their local library, copied the information on the tones used by the phone company, and bought parts to make their analog tone generator.

At first, they used a handheld tape recorder to replicate the necessary series of tones. This didn’t work perfectly, so Woz began working on a digital version of the Blue Box.

To the best of his knowledge, this had never been attempted before. Woz made it work. He has said repeatedly that he has never been prouder of anything that he designed.

Even though the two Steves called a wrong number on their first attempt, their device worked, and they were elated. If you’ve ever seen interviews of Woz and Jobs talking about this first venture they seem genuinely happy in a youthful and carefree way. They were just two young guys pulling a little mischief and having a great time.

The next level

“If it hadn’t been for the Blue Boxes, there would have been no Apple. I’m 100% sure of that.” — Steve Jobs

The Wozniak designed and built Blue Box. Image courtesy of bonhams.com.

Of the two Steves, Jobs was the “big picture” guy and Woz was the technical genius. It was Jobs who came up with the idea that this device was something the two could sell.

The young Jobs began to source all of the materials they would need and started thinking of how they could market and price their device. He didn’t know it, but the seeds of what is now a $2 trillion business had just been sown.

The pair realized that they had the ideal partnership. Woz stayed largely (and happily) behind the scenes and became the innovator, creator, and builder. Jobs used his energy, foresight, and dynamic personality to determine how the device would be packaged, marketed, and sold.

Young Steve Jobs had a vision. Even in his most wild dreams, he never thought that the fruits of their labors (no pun intended) would result in one of the world's largest companies.

And it all started with a plastic, throw-away toy whistle.