Image: Apple
It emerged as the radical new kid. It matured into the head-turning challenger. Now, it’s the market leader that keeps pushing the boundaries of personal technology. Apple is about to reach the big 5-0 and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.
While anniversary concerts pop up across the world, Tim Cook has reflected on ‘50 Years of Thinking Different’ in an open letter published on the Apple website. It’s a glimpse into his romantic side as he pours praise on the past and celebrates “The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently.”
It’s this kind of retrospection that we really connect with on a human level…
Remembering the good old days
Speaking from experience, turning 50 gets you thinking about the past and the future in a kind of bilateral way. You can’t help but look back at the youthful, carefree enthusiasm of your 20s and 30s with rose-tinted glasses. Nostalgia is powerful, but those experiences and the lessons you’ve learned shape who you are today. They helped you create a more refined, intelligent and upgraded version of yourself that’s still improving.
So, what do we see through those same glasses when we look back at Apple’s life?
The company was just eight years old when it first launched the Macintosh – unveiled via a Super Bowl commercial and directed by some guy called Ridley Scott! This set the tone for a series of ‘stunts’ that Steve Jobs just loved being the centre of.
The decade that changed it all
The 2000s were huge. Elegant designs and grand in-person reveals forced us all to sit up, take notice and form an orderly queue the next day outside our nearest Apple stores.
In 2001, we were introduced to the first iPod, which set the tone for an era where looks were equally important as performance. Everything was getting thinner and sleeker, demonstrated perfectly by Steve’s unforgettable 2005 iPod Nano reveal where he slid the music player into his tiny jeans pocket.
The same decade gave us the first MacBook in 2006, closely followed by the first iPhone in 2007, and the iPad in 2010 as the cherry on top. Apple piled on the wow-factor and the world lapped it up, creating customers for life who never left the ecosystem.
From mavericks to the mainstream
The world changed a lot as Apple transitioned through its 30s and into its 40s. Visually stunning hardware became the norm, and the advancement of e-commerce meant online convenience replaced the excitement of in-person store queues. Apple also turned its attention to efficiency, upgrades, power and performance.
Apple devices became tools for success. We got iPhones with cameras good enough to shoot films, and Macs fast enough to elevate business productivity to new heights. There were no more groundbreaking design changes, just higher functioning products with ever-advancing capabilities.
That’s a bit like life at 50, too. You’ve tried every hairstyle and taken all your risks. You’ve learnt a lot and levelled up for the better – but you still look back fondly on the golden years.
What’s next?
Most 50-year-olds in good health can see themselves at 60, and probably 70 as well. Eighty? You can believe it, but it gets harder to visualise. The same applies to Apple in a world that is developing technology at a hair-raising pace.
It’s difficult to know what its life expectancy is, but one thing is true: the way Apple continues to thrive following the loss of Steve jobs in 2011 is testament to the strength of the legacy he left behind. Here’s to another 50 years, then?