Instead, you had to load your apps—er, your programs—from a 5.25-inch floppy disk (yes, they were literally floppy) or a cassette tape.

Or, if you were feeling especially creative, there was another alternative: writing a program from scratch, in a programming language called Integer BASIC.

Short for “Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code,” BASIC was a programming language so simple that even a 10-year-old, math-challenged kid like me (back in 1979, anyway) could parse it.

Developed by Wozniak himself, Integer BASIC was a variation of BASIC that was fused into the ROM (read-only memory) hidden in the Apple II’s soothing, molded-plastic shell.

Once you booted up the Apple II (there was no Apple logo on the initial loading screen, by the way; instead, the text “APPLE ][” would appear centered at the top of the screen), you’d get a square-shaped cursor at the bottom of the display that blinked next to a caret (the “>” symbol).

From there, you could type commands, like “LOAD” (to load a program into memory) or “RUN” (to run a program) … or you could just starting programming.

A BASIC program consisted of lines of numbered code, and to start writing a program, you’d just type “NEW” to clear the Apple II’s memory, then type a number (you’d generally start with “10,” to give yourself a little room in case you wanted to add an earlier line of code), and then enter the first line of your program.

So, here’s the easiest BASIC program I know, and one that I wrote many times on my dad’s Apple II:

10 PRINT “BEN”
20 GOTO 10

Yep, pretty (and appropriately enough) basic—a program that just printed my name over and over, in an endless loop.

(Why is everything in all caps? Because the original Apple II and its immediate successor, the Apple II Plus, couldn’t display lower-case characters; that wouldn’t come until Apple IIe, from 1983.)

Primitive stuff, yes … but amazing, too. For the first time, regular people like me and my dad were writing computer programs, on our own home computers—at a time when the most complicated gadget in the average American household was probably the TV set.

Now, just to be clear, there wouldn’t have been an Apple II without the ingenuity of Steve Wozniak’s elegant, efficient engineering.

But it was Steve Jobs’ marketing savvy, his unerring (well, almost always unerring) sense of what people wanted, and his passion for great, sometimes even delightful products (indeed, “delight” is the word that springs to mind when it comes to Jobs’ masterful product unveilings) that turned the Apple II from a marvel of engineering into a common sight on kitchen tables and in home offices.

And that was the real breakthrough.

Rest in peace, Steve. We’re going to miss you.

(Image credit: Vintage Computing and Gaming)

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Read Apple’s statement here, and my own thoughts about Steve Jobs here.

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Steve Jobs resigns as Apple CEO
After years of battling cancer, Apple’s visionary CEO handed over the reins Wednesday, with Steve Jobs (who had already been on medical leave since January) stepping aside in favor of acting CEO Tim Cook. Read more…

How Steve Jobs changed my life, and yours too
I don’t know any other CEO whose gadgets changed the world—or my world, anyway—at least six times. Read more…

Wireless networks snarled after East Coast quake—but not Facebook or Twitter
The crush of callers following Tuesday’s scary earthquake here on the East Coast soon jammed the airwaves, leading AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile to urge subscribers to text, e-mail, or tweet their friends and family—just please, don’t call. Read more…

A cheat sheet for first-time HDTV buyers
Do you really need 3D on your very first HDTV? What about those new-fangled Internet widgets? And is 240Hz better than 120Hz—whatever that means? Help is here. Read more…

Do I really need a new iPhone? (reader mail)
Nope, you don’t need to give up your old iPhone, but don’t be surprised if you think twice after taking the speedy, eye-popping iPhone 4 for a test drive. Read more…

Facebook gives privacy, sharing controls an overdue makeover
The wide-ranging changes to Facebook’s privacy controls should land on your profile within the next few days—and yes, they’re for the better. Read more…

A fold-up, full-size keyboard for the iPad
Logitech’s new, honest-to-goodness keyboard for the iPad 2 promises the best of both worlds: a full-size physical keyboard that fits into an iPad-size case. Read more…

How to connect your old VCR to a new HDTV
So, want to hook up your old VCR to a new HDTV? Yes, it’s possible, even if your VHS deck doesn’t have an HDMI video output. Read more…

Quick iPhone tip: How to zip back to the top of a web page
Dreading having to flick your way all the way back to the beginning of a web page on your iPhone? Here’s a quick and easy shortcut. Read more…

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Update: Rest in peace, Steve.

We didn’t have a modem or even a disk drive for loading programs, although my dad would eventually spring for the $600 Apple Disk II floppy drive, designed by a scrappy young fellow named Steve Wozniak. Instead, we used cassette tapes, which we played on a standard cassette player plugged into the Apple II’s green circuit board.

Primitive? You bet, but mesmerizing, especially once we’d managed (after painstakingly adjusting the tape player’s volume and pitch dials) to load a text-only game called “Apple Trek.” My dad, meanwhile, was thrilled by a new business program for the Apple II called VisiCalc—the very first spreadsheet program, as it turned out.

I remember long, glorious summers at home, split more or less evenly between doing cannonballs into the pool and darting back into my dad’s office, swimsuit still damp, to tinker on the Apple II’s keyboard. Yeah, it was life-changing, all right.

Now, keep in mind that in the pre-Apple days, most people were still afraid of computers. Remember the murderous HAL 9000 and his piercing red eye from the movie “2001”? That was the prevailing image of computers, even in the late 1970s.

But the soothing, molded-plastic Apple II was friendly and inviting; heck, you could even pop off the lid and look inside, no screwdriver required. By thinking about users rather than focusing on, say, market share or bulleted lists of features, Apple managed to push those frightening images of HAL and his malevolent red eye into history. For the first time, it felt like we owned the computers, rather than the computers owning us.

Steve Jobs, who resigned as CEO of Apple on Wednesday, didn’t build the Apple II alone, of course; his co-founder Steve Wozniak, among dozens of other engineers, toiled night and day to make the Apple II a reality.

But while he presided over Apple, Jobs managed to unveil a remarkable string of hits—some that changed categories, and others that created new ones. The Macintosh. The iPod. iTunes. The iPhone. The iPad.

Yes, there had been, say, MP3 players before the iPod came around. But the first crude MP3 players—like the first so-called “kit” computers before them—felt like they’d been made for engineers. The friendly, ice-white iPod with its spinning wheel was made for people. Same with the iPhone, and its jaw-dropping touchscreen—made for your finger, not a stylus.

Jobs doesn’t just have an unmatched sense of design. He’s also a master showman. “Look at that—isn’t that cool?” he’ll say over and over during product demos, and even jaded, hardened tech reporters (including, yes, this one) find themselves nodding in approval.

Jobs is also known as an obsessive, sometimes pitiless taskmaster, building up his troops with cult-like zeal one minute only to tear them to pieces the next.

His powers of persuasion—and derision—are the stuff of legend. He lured the high-flying CEO of Pepsi, John Sculley, to Apple with the famous line, “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life or come with me and change the world?” Then he’d plop his bare feet on a desk while grilling nervous job candidates, only to dismiss them after firing off a vague question or two. Or so the stories go.

And yes, Jobs saw his fair share of failures. Remember the Apple III? Probably not. Same goes for the Lisa, the Cube, the iPod HiFi.

But I don’t know any other CEO whose gadgets changed the world—or my world, anyway—at least six times, or who managed to turn product demos into thrilling theater, or who inspired such adoration … and jet-black hatred.

Jobs is one of a kind. Apple will go on without him, as will the rest of the tech world. But it’ll never be the same as when he manned the bridge.

P.S: If you haven’t already, check out the wildly entertaining “Pirates of Silicon Valley,” a 1999 made-for-TV movie about the early rivalry between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Great stuff (and yes, it’s on YouTube).

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEyrivrjAuU&w=550]

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Jobs had been on medical leave from Apple—his third—since January, although he took the stage as recently as June to unveil Mac OS X “Lion,” the latest version of the Mac operating system.

Acting CEO Tim Cook, who held the reins at Apple during Jobs’s latest absence, will take over. Jobs, meanwhile, will become chairman of Apple’s board of directors, where he “will continue to serve Apple with his unique insights, creativity and inspiration,” Apple board member and Genentech Chairman Art Levinson said.

Related: How Steve Jobs changed my life, and yours too

In a statement, Apple said that Jobs submitted his letter of resignation Wednesday and “strongly recommended” that Cook take the mantle of CEO.

Apple remained silent on exactly why Jobs resigned, although his health struggles over the years have been no secret.

The increasingly gaunt-looking tech visionary was treated for pancreatic cancer in 2004 and underwent a liver transplant in 2009, with Jobs returning to work later that year after a six-month medical leave.

But in January, Jobs again announced that he was taking a leave of absence to “focus on my health,” although he briefly emerged to unveil the iPad 2 in March and Mac OS X “Lion” in June.

While Apple didn’t detail Jobs’ reasons for stepping down as CEO, it did post his resignation letter:

To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Sad news, no doubt. And while as a tech blogger, I can’t help but wonder what this means for Apple, I also hope as a person that Jobs remains happy and healthy.

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It’s huge news in the business of tech, of course—but what about for the rest of us? Is the Motorola brand name going away? Will Google become the only company making Android phones? And when will all the changes begin to happen?

Now, hold on a minute. I thought Google already made smartphones!
Well, yes and no. Google makes the Android mobile operating system—that is, the software that powers each and every Android smartphone on the market. Google then licenses its Android platform to third-party manufacturers (think Motorola, Samsung, LG, and HTC) that build the actual phones.

So, did Google just jump into the smartphone manufacturing business now that it’s buying Motorola?
Yes indeed—for a cool $12.5 billion in cash.

Does this mean the end of Motorola?
Apparently not, with Google CEO Larry Page promising that Google will run Motorola as a separate business that will continue to license the Android operating system. That being said, I’m sure Google will be taking a direct hand in the development of Motorola’s upcoming Android smartphones.

But what happens to those of us who like the Android phones built by other companies, like HTC and Samsung?
Google says that even with its planned acquisition of Motorola, the Android platform will remain “open”—meaning that LG, HTC, and Samsung (among other manufacturers) will continue to make their own Android phones.

When is all this going to happen? Today?
Nope. This morning, we’ve only seen the first step—that is, Google announcing that it’s reached an agreement to acquire Motorola (or Motorola Mobility, to be precise) for a set price ($40 a share, a 60 percent premium over Motorola’s stock price at the end of business Friday). The deal must still win the approval of Motorola’s shareholders and federal antitrust regulators, a process that will take months. Google says it hopes the acquisition will be finalized by the end of this year or early next.

What’s all this business about Google, Motorola, and patents—and do I care?
When they’re not building phones, the big players in the smartphone business—including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nokia, HTC, you name it—are busy filing lawsuits, with each accusing the others of stealing their best smartphone ideas. By buying Motorola, Google is getting more than just a portfolio of phones: it’s also getting all of Moto’s patents, bolstering its case against Apple and any other … hey, still listening?

Sorry—I was taking a mini-nap. Too inside-baseball for me.
Yep, I don’t blame you. If you’re really curious about the whole smartphone patent battle, you can read all about it here.

Last question: Is the the Google-Motorola deal good for those of us just looking for the best phones?
Too early to tell, if you ask me. On the one hand, it will surely ratchet up its competition with Apple—and more competition usually means more innovation, and thus better smartphones.

On the other hand, one of the best qualities of the Android platform is that there’s more than one company making Android phones. The Google-Motorola deal will almost certainly shift the balance of power in the Android handset market—and a dominant, Google-owned Motorola might not be the best thing for us consumers, at least as far as competition goes.

For now, though, it’s wait-and-see time.

Have more questions about the Google-Motorola news? Ask me anything!

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That’s because your MacBook’s hard drive is probably packed with loads of personal information. Just think of all the email stored on your system, or the names and phone numbers in your address book. Ever do any online banking on your Mac? There’s a good chance your banking password is stored in your browser—along with a road map of all the sites you’ve visited recently. And let’s not forget any sensitive Word, Excel, or Quicken files sitting on your hard drive.

The good news? Mac OS X Lion, the just-released update to the Mac operating system, boasts a new-and-improved version of File Vault—an essential tool that will lock even the most determined thieves out of your Mac’s hard drive. Sure, they might have your MacBook in their greedy little hands, but they won’t be able to dig through all your files.

The new File Vault 2 utility cloaks your entire hard drive using what’s called 128-bit XTS-AES encryption—a cipher that’s devilishly difficult to crack.

And from a practical standpoint, File Vault is a cinch to activate and use. Just make sure not to lose your password and the last-ditch recovery code—if you do, and you haven’t asked Apple to keep your recovery key for you (more on that in a moment), you’ll be locked out of your hard drive forever.

Ready to get started? Then here we go:

1. First things first: back up your Mac before you proceed.

2. Next, you’ll need to have the administrator password for your Mac handy. The “administrator” is the main user of your system—most likely you—and the password you’ll need is the one you created when you first set up your Mac. Can’t remember your password? Follow these instructions to reset it.

3. Got your password? Then open the Security and Privacy preferences settings; click the Apple menu, select System Preferences, and click Security & Privacy.

4. Click the FileVault tab, then click the “Turn On FileVault” button. Is the button grayed out? If so, click the locked padlock in the bottom-left corner of the window, and enter your administrator password.

5. Have any other user accounts on your Mac—for, say, a friend or a loved one? If so, you’ll be prompted to enter their user passwords.

6. Now, your Mac will give you a 24-character “safety net” recovery code, which you can use to unlock your Mac if you ever lose your password. Make sure to write down, copy, or otherwise save the recovery passcode and put it in a safe place—because once you lock your Mac with FileVault, it’ll be impossible to pry it open without your user password or the “safety net” code. (Tip: Don’t save the “safety net” passcode on the Mac you’ve locked with FileVault.) Once you’ve written your code down, click Continue.

7. You’ll now get the option of letting Apple keep an encrypted copy of your “safety net” code for you; if you say yes, you’ll be prompted to choose three security questions that you’d have to answer—precisely—before Apple gives you your passcode back. Choose (and answer) wisely.

8. Done? Click the “restart” button; FileVault will restart your Mac and begin encrypting your hard drive, a process that could take several hours.

The good news is that you’ll be able to keep using your Mac while FileVault is doing its thing, and you can even put your Mac to sleep or shut it down altogether; when you turn your Mac back on, File Vault will simply pick up where it left off.

Once File Vault is activated, any files you edit, create or transfer to your Mac will be automatically encrypted, on the fly.

9. File Vault will turn password protection for all your Mac’s user accounts—and by default, you’ll need to enter your password the moment after your wake your Mac from its “sleep” mode. If you want a little more time, go back to Security & Privacy in the System Preferences, click the General tab, and select an option from the drop-down menu (anywhere from five seconds to an hour). Remember, though—the shorter the time period you select, the more secure your Mac will be.

Have more questions about File Vault, or Mac OS X Lion? Let me know!

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Slated to go live in the fall, Apple’s new service promises to keep you personal data and media on a bank of remote servers, accessible wherever there’s an Internet connection.

Very nice, and it’s all free—well, mostly free. While you’ll be able to store a relatively generous portion of data and media in iCloud for the low price of zilch, additional space (not to mention a key music “matching” service) will cost you extra.

What will iCloud users get for free?

For starters, you’ll get 5 GB of storage for your Address Book contacts, iCal calendars, email, and documents (such as text, presentation, and spreadsheet files from Apple’s iWork software suite), which you’ll be able to share with your various iDevices—including your Macs, iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches.

(Related: How big is a GB?)

You’ll also be able to store up to 30 days worth of photos snapped on your iPhone or iPad, with your “Photo Stream” automatically uploaded to iCloud and then “pushed” to all your other Macs and devices. (While photos stored in iCloud will be deleted after 30 days, you can—of course—keep your snapshots forever on your Mac’s hard drive or in an album on your iPhone).

Another key iCloud feature is already live: namely, the ability to re-download any previously purchased song, application, TV shows, or e-book from Apple’s iBookstore to any of your Macs, iPhones, or iPads.

What’s not free in iCloud?

If you have a truckload of email, contacts, calendar events, and documents you’d like to store in iCloud—or more than 5 GB’s worth, at least—get ready to pay extra.

(Related: Apple’s new “iCloud”: Your questions answered)

Apple just revealed its pricing scheme for additional iCloud storage (MacRumors had the early scoop Monday), and it breaks down like this:

• 10 GB of extra storage for $20 a year (for a total of 15 GB);
• 20 GB more for $40 a year (total of 25 GB);
• or 50 GB extra for $100 a year (total of 55 GB)

By the way—your 30-day Photo Stream and purchased music, TV shows, apps, and e-books won’t count against your free 5 GB of iCloud storage, Apple notes.

Speaking of music, another for-pay service will be available once iCloud launches in the fall.

Dubbed “iTunes Match,” the new service will scan all the music files on your hard drive (including any that you ripped from a CD) and “match” them with high-quality versions on iCloud, which you can download to any of your other Macs, iPhones, or iPads.

Nice—but not free, with Apple poised to charge $25 a year for “iTunes Match,” including storage for up to 20,000 “scanned and matched” songs.

Have more questions about iCloud? Let me know!

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Indeed, a single HD episode of, say, “Mad Men” from the iTunes Store weighs in at a whopping 1.5 GB. Multiply that by a dozen episodes, and you’re looking at 12 GB of hard drive space for a single season. Yikes.

But here’s the good news: with little fanfare Monday, Apple switched on a new feature that lets you re-download any TV shows you’ve previously bought from iTunes onto your Mac, PC, iPhone, or iPad.

That means you can now buy as many TV shows as you want, download only the ones you want to watch, and delete them when you’re done—all with the knowledge that the shows you bought are still sitting on Apple’s servers, ready to be downloaded again.

And as an added benefit, Apple TV users can now purchase and stream TV shows directly over their hard drive-less boxes. Before, viewers could only watch purchased TV shows on their Apple TVs by buying and streaming them over the desktop version of the iTunes software.

So, ready to start re-downloading your purchased TV shows? Here’s how to do it.

On iTunes:

1. Open iTunes, click the iTunes Store link in the left-hand column, and click the Purchased link on the right side of the screen.
2. You’ll now jump to a page labeled “Purchased,” with four tabs along the top: Music, TV Shows, Apps, and Books. Click the TV Shows tab, then click the “Not In My Library” button in the upper-right corner of the page.
3. Now, click a selection from the left-hand column; either All TV Seasons or a specific season. A list of the TV episodes you’ve already purchased should appear. You can opt to see your shows grouped by season or laid out by episode by clicking the Seasons or Episodes buttons just below the menu tabs.
4. Found an episode your want to download again? Click the “cloud” icon, and you’re on your way.

On the iPhone or iPod Touch:

1. Tap the iTunes icon, then tap the “Purchased” tab at the bottom of the screen.
2. You’ll now get the choice of two options: Music or TV Shows. Go ahead and tap the TV Shows option.
3. You should see a list of episodes grouped by TV series; you can also search for an episode, see a list of every episode you’ve ever bought, or a sampling of recent purchases.
4. Read to re-download? Tap the cloud icon.

On the iPad:

1. Tap the iTunes icon, then the Purchased tab at the bottom of the screen.
2. You should arrive at a listing of all your previously purchased songs. To see your TV shows, tap the “View: Music” button in the top-left corner of the screen and select “TV Shows.”
3. The process is now pretty much the same as on the iPhone; just select a series or search, then click the cloud icon when you’ve found an episode you’d like to re-download.

Now when you’re finished watching an episode, you can just delete it—and then re-download it when you’re ready to watch again.

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And while there are plenty of shockproof iPhone cases on the market, only a few are truly waterproof, and those that are come in one of two types: either a massive plastic box that hides the iPhone’s touchscreen, or a glorified (and typically overpriced) Ziploc bag.

Enter LifeProof, a company that made a splash—literally—earlier this year by dunking its sleek new iPhone 4 case into a fish tank, leaving the encased iPhone inside no worse for the wear.

Now available for pre-order, the $69 LifeProof case boasts protection from a quartet of known iPhone killers: water, dirt, snow, and hard knocks, all while adding a mere 1.5mm of extra bulk to the iPhone’s slim profile.

Available in white, black, and pink, the case offers complete access to the iPhone’s 3.5-inch touchscreen while sealing all of its various ports and openings, with LifeProof promising that its case will keep your iPhone high and dry even while submerged in up to two meters of water.

I haven’t had a chance to go splashing around the LifeProof myself yet, but TekBeat TV gave it a spin last month and yes, LifeProof’s lofty claims so indeed seem to … well, hold water.

LifeProof says it also has a version of its water-, dust-, snow-, and shockproof case on tap for the iPad, although the company hasn’t settled on a release date or price tag yet.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-nYpFPqkPc&w=550]

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