See Apple’s major product announcements through history

Apple has a long history of designing products that are not the first to be introduced in a particular category, but redefine the market nonetheless. With the company unveiling a headset equipped with virtual and augmented reality technology already available in other devices, here’s a look at some of Apple’s other successful products:

The Macintosh computer, unveiled January 1984

announced by most famous tv commercials of all time, The Macintosh computer lived up to the revolutionary promise made by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs during its 1984 unveiling. Among other things, the Mac ushered in the era of graphical user interfaces (known in tech parlance as “GUIs”) and the navigational mouse. In many ways, this was the first realization of Jobs’ vision for the computer to replace “Bicycle of the Mind”.

iPod, unveiled in October 2001

Although it was not the first of its kind, the iPod changed the way people thought about digital music players like Jimi Hendrix changed the way they thought about guitars. The iPod was compact, stylish, initially capable of storing up to 1,000 songs (a capacity far exceeding that of the first model in 2001). This gave rise to the iTunes story which provided a legal way to buy and download music at a time of rampant piracy. The device also indicated that Apple could evolve into much more than a computer maker.

The iPhone, unveiled in January 2007

It’s hard to say how much the iPhone has changed the world. In technical terms, it introduced a touchscreen when Jobs first ditched the all-in-one computer, camera, and music player then trending on the best-selling smartphone—the Blackberry—with a physical keyboard. out of his pocket in 2007. A year later, Apple would open a store that would make it normal to think there should be an app for almost everything, rendering the Blackberry obsolete and the smartphone indispensable.

iPad, unveiled January 2010

The iPad created a middle ground between the laptop and the smartphone. Tablets offered people a faster, more convenient way to browse the web, check email, and read books than laptops on screens larger than smartphones—a benefit that became even more important as the video streaming craze took hold. Done. The success of the iPad pressured Microsoft to start building in more touchscreen options and adding other tablet-like features to its Windows operating system, which powers most laptop and desktop computers.

Apple Watch, unveiled September 2014

The Apple Watch created a device that made it possible to wear something like a smartphone on your wrist because it included cellular capability. It also introduced some similar apps that people use on their smartphones. Apple initially marketed its smartwatch almost like a fashion accessory, before pivoting once it realized that its fitness and health tracking features were the devices people found most valuable.

AIRPODS, Unveiled September 2016

AirPods helped popularize wireless headphones with the Apple chip, which provides a more reliable and stable connection with devices, making it easier to move from one gadget to another. The product also served another important purpose for Apple: AirPods quickly quelled initial outrage over the company’s decision to remove the headphone jack from iPhones in 2016, creating a more lucrative sales channel.

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