The 50 Greatest Moments in Apple History

Image via Complex Original

Year: 2012

When Tim Cook shed his patina of solemness and did a quick media blitz, that in of itself was a big moment for Apple. However, the bigger moment lay ahead when he told Bloomberg BusinessWeek that Apple was was planning to invest $100 million into American manufacturing in 2014. "This doesn't mean that Apple will do it ourselves, but we'll be working with people, and we'll be investing our money," said Cook.

Year: 2011

When Tim Cook and Co. took the wraps off the all-new iPhone 5, analysts frowned and said it wouldn't sell. Some said it wasn't different enough from the outgoing iPhone 4S to make an impact or impress consumers. Others said, it wasn't enough to compete with the ever-growing and ever-improving competitors running Android. Turns out they were wrong. The iPhone 5, with its larger display, faster processor, and thinner profile was a hit, selling 5 million in three days.

Year: 2000

Looking to the future at the 2000 MacWorld conference, Steve Jobs announced a set of new tools that would allow Apple users to bring their Mac experience to the web. From this we got the Mac.com email service, online storage utility iDisk, and webpage builder HomePage. All of which was turned into the MobileMe cloud service in 2009, and then iCloud two years later.

Year: 1977

After securing a new wave of funding, Apple got its Jeffersons on and moved into a deluxe campus in Cupertino, Calif. Dubbed 1 Infinite Loop, the super-secret hub is seen as a promised land for Apple and tech geeks in general.

Year: 2004

It only lasted for a year, but the iPod Mini proved that people wanted a smaller iPod. When Apple replaced the Mini with the Nano in 2005, it sold out in 17 days and brought in billion-dollar profits.

Year: 2010

To many, the arrival of the Beatles was anticlimactic. "So, what?" many asked, wondering what was so significant about the boys from Britain coming to the world's largest digital music store front. Well, considering the fact that the Beatles are the most technology averse band in history-it was one of the last groups to have its music transferred to compact disc-it was a big deal. Then take in mind that the Beatles is the best-selling musical group in history and combine it with the fact that you can only legally buy its music from one online store-iTunes-and you'll see why it was such an enormous get. If you still don't get it, just know it was one of Steve Jobs's favorite bands.

Year: 1998

When Apple did away with the floppy-disk drive on its iMac G3, many said it was making a huge mistake, as a hell of a lot of people still used floppy disks to transport files. They were right. But Steve didn't let up, instead choosing to look to the future. Guess who turned out to be right in the end?

Year: 2008

When The Simpsons took aim at Apple and the company's cult-like following, it resonated in a "it's funny 'cause it's true" sort of way. But the fact that Matt Groening and co. even decided to focus on how big Apple had become over the years is a testament to, well, how big Apple had become over the years. It made us want to shout, "If they hate, then let 'em hate and watch the money pile up!"

Year: 2011

In 1997, when Steve Jobs returned to Apple, the company was struggling to stay in business. Since the release of the iPhone and iPad, however, Apple's financials have looked like that of a blossoming start-up. Profits have soared every quarter. Example: In April of 2011, Apple announced a 95% increase in profits with second-quarter earnings of $5.99 billion. In that quarter the company sold 18.65 million iPhones, 113% more than it did the same time last year! Crazy. It was no surprise then that in August of that year, Apple, with a market valuation of $337.11 billion, beat out Exxon to become the world's most valuable company.

Year: 2001

Apple has always been about creativity. To put power in the hands of those who were only creative for fun, Apple released iLife-a software suite that includes iPhoto, iMovie, and iWeb. It allowed anyone to stitch together a movie, build a website, or take the red eye out of an image. We like to think you couldn't have YouTube without iLife, but that's just us.

Year: 1997

The Mac OS was never meant to be licensed. Steve Jobs wanted to control the hardware and software; it was the only way to make the experience whole, he thought. When he left, Apple decided to veer away from that mandate and license out the OS to third-party vendors. When Steve came back he promptly shut down the program, refusing to renew contracts to allow companies to build computers with its System 8 software. No free lunches around here.

Year: 1994

Positioned as Apple's top-of-the-line offering, the all-new PowerMac line, starting with a re-cased G3 model, ushered in a new wave of computing for the company. They were powerful, stylish, and expensive. In that sense, they completely embodied the Apple ethos. Adored by creative professionals, they grew to become the de facto choice for creative houses around the world.

Year: 1999

You know how you know you're famous? When someone makes a movie about you. Before Mark Zuckerberg was vilified in The Social Network, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were the subject of this made-for-TV look at the rise of two of the most powerful men in the computer business. Was it a good movie? Nah, not particularly, but that didn't stop us from watching it over and over and over again.

Year: 1999

Playing off its newly released iMac, Apple turned its sights to the laptop market with a notebook for casual users. The iBook came in a multitude of colors and was an instant best seller, finding a home with a younger generation and the education market. Power to the people.

Year: 2010

You know what's cooler than selling one billion songs? Selling 10 billion. Count this as another one of Steve Jobs's "I told you so" moments.

Year: 2002

Although it's been increasingly absent from recent Apple offerings, when FireWire-a high-speed data transfer port-was developed by Apple in the mid-'90s, it was the best thing to hit digital-video creators since the MiniDV tape. It became so widely adopted by the video industry that Apple won a Primetime Emmy for the technology.

Year: 1982

It's ironic that VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet program available for personal computers, is the software that made the Apple II-and, by extension, Apple itself-a serious PC competitor, when PCs when on to dominate the business sector. Without this number-crunching software, many say, Apple's desktop division wouldn't have popped off.

Year: 2002

It was a sad day for some. (We're not sure who exactly, but we remember some gripes and groans.) But when Apple finally pulled the plug on its last legacy operating system, System 9, it was a sign that the company was pushing full steam ahead into the future.

Year: 2011

It's been called magical and unbelievable. Apple calls it Siri. Dubbed a digital personal assistant, Siri is able to execute a wide range of voice commands. That's not what makes it amazing, though, as a lot of products can do the same. Based on a company called Siri that Apple purchased last year, Siri can dial or send text messages to your contacts or set reminders and alarms. However, the wonder comes in its ability to understand you when you speak regularly into the phone. There's no need to speak like a droid. Siri also uses the iPhone's location services to help you find exactly what you're looking for, ask Siri for a good Indian restaurant and it'll scour the 'Net for locations near you.

Year: 1991

Yeah, the Macintosh Portable was technically the first Apple laptop, but if you were carrying that brick around, you lost. We consider the PowerBook the first laptop to be made by the Cupertino company. Originally launched with three models, the PowerBook sported features that would come to define the laptop market: built in trackball, palm rests, and an active matrix display.

Year: 2004

As much as it would like to think otherwise, Apple needed Microsoft to make the iPod a resounding success. Looking at the stats, more Windows users had iPods than Mac users did. So it only made sense for Apple to port its iTunes software over to Windows. Check out the iPod's sales figures-this is when they spiked.

Year: 2010

On October 2, 2008, after that year's infamous stock market crash, Apple's market cap dropped precipitously to $88.68 billion, while its archrival, Microsoft, was chilling at a comfy $228.35 billion. To the outside world, it wasn't too surprising: Microsoft was the world's largest computer company, and Apple was still the scrappy upstart gunning for the throne. Two years later that all changed. Amid reports that "the Windows era was over," and Apple's consumer gadget dominance, Steve Jobs's company crept past Bill Gates's behemoth. Market value is a tricky figure, but for all intents and purposes, David had finally taken down Goliath.

Year: 1977

While silent partner Ron Wayne designed the original Apple logo, it was Rob Janoff, an Apple designer, who created the logo that's come to represent the iconic company. As legend goes, the rainbow-color pattern went through numerous redesigns as per Steve Jobs's request before going to press.

Year: 1991

To go up against the Windows–Intel partnership that had the computer industry in a headlock, Apple teamed up with IBM to produce processors built around the PowerPC architecture. For nearly a decade, Apple sought to prove that its chips were superior to Intel's offerings with ads, benchmarks, and more ads. But in the end, dissatisfied with IBM's direction in the mobile space, Apple jumped ship and teamed up with Intel. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Year: 2005

After years of deriding Intel and its processors for being slower than the PowerPC chips that powered all Macs, Apple sided with the world's largest chipmaker. Many thought Apple would design an all-new chip with Intel. Nope-we got the same, off-the-shelf processors. The switch firmly put Apple in the same game as its PC counterparts, allowing Microsoft Windows to run on Mac computers.

Year: 1997

In 1997 Apple was in the pits. Close to bankruptcy, the house that Jobs built needed a lifeline. In a move that no one expected, Bill Gates, considered to be Jobs's main rival, threw it a buoy in the form of $150 million. But the money didn't come without strings. For that infusion of dough, Apple would have to ship every Mac with Internet Explorer, furthering Microsoft's quest to dominate the Internet. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Year: 2009

The iPhone was already awesome, but the App Store turned Apple's next-gen smartphone into a full-fledged mobile computer. Users were able to download programs for almost anything, shifting the true value of the phone away from the hardware and back to the software.

Year: 1997

Created by TBWA\Chiat\Day, the "Think Different" campaign became a rally cry for all Mac evangelists. Using images of some of history's most iconic personalities, like Rosa Parks, Jim Henson, and Albert Einstein, the ads sought to show that Macs weren't for "regular" people.

Year: 1990

From years of watching his show, we know there are three things Jerry Seinfeld really likes: European sports cars (preferably Porsches), New Balances, and Apple computers. From the first episode to the last, you could always catch an Apple computer chillin' on his corner desk. We rarely saw him use it, but whatever.

Year: 1985

With the success of the first Macintosh came a wealth of awards and accolades, including one of our country's highest honors: the National Technology Medal. Presented to Woz and Jobs by Reagan, it cemented the duo as two of the tech industry's most important people. Though neither of them voted for Reagan, we're still sure it was an honor.

Year: 1991

Considered to be the most important Mac OS release at the time, System 7 sported a bevy of next-gen features like virtual memory and QuickTime. It was so good Apple rocked with it for seven years. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Year: 1986

Nowadays you can't throw a rock in a publishing company without hitting a Mac. All that started with the Mac Plus and the LaserWriter. The latter was one of the first laser printers affordable enough for the masses, and the first one available for the Mac platform. Thanks to tight Macintosh Office integration, people were able to get their Rupert Murdoch on for a small fraction of the price.

Year: 2002

When it comes to video, image, or sound production, the bigger the screen the better. Apple realized that and in '02 the company dropped the world's first laptop with a 17-inch screen. The screen wasn't the only thing beastly about the PowerBook 17-it was also the fastest laptop on the market for a short while. Turns out good things come also come in large packages.

Year: 1997

After being ousted from the company he helped create, Jobs went on to buy Pixar and start another computer company called NeXT. As he was out rebuilding the Steve Jobs brand, Apple had a precipitous fall from grace. Money was lost, people were fired, and products from its over-saturated lineup were not selling. To help fix that, newly hired CEO Gil Amelio decided to buy NeXT and its NeXT Step operating system, bringing Jobs in to oversee the transition. Amelio was then given the boot, and Jobs was once again king of the hill.

Year: 2001

You want to move a ton of product? Hit the block. That's what Apple did when it opened its first brick-and-mortar shop in 2001. Seen as a questionable move at first, it's now seen as genius-Apple has since opened over 300 stores in 11 countries.

Year: 1992

Besides Steve Jobs, the one man who has helped transform Apple into a consumer-electronic behemoth is Jonathan Ive. The British designer moved from England to take up shop with Apple and went on to design some of its most desired, groundbreaking products, like the iMac and iPod. He was thought so highly of, many thought Ive would be the one to take over Apple when Jobs stepped down. Respect this man.

Year: 2009

After battling pancreatic cancer for the better part of a decade, Apple's co-founder and CEO stepped out of the public eye after undergoing a liver transplant at a hospital in Tennessee. On Wednesday, September 9, Jobs reemerged at an Apple news conference to introduce new iPod Nanos and a new version of iTunes. He looked frail, but told the audience that he felt great though he may need to "gain about 30 pounds." Unfortunately, two years later, Jobs would step down as CEO of Apple due to complications from cancer. Six weeks later he would pass away at his Palo Alto, Calif. home.

Year: 1980

In what was, at the time, the largest IPO since a little company called Ford went public in 1956, Apple hit the market with a stock price of $22 and sold all 4.6 million shares in minutes, ending the day with a market valuation of $1.78 billion. Big money talk.

Year: 2003

With the music industry taking a nosedive, the iTunes Store, then called the iTunes Music Store, gave a new generation of consumers who weren't buying CDs an easy way to legally purchase music. Music labels balked at having its songs sold for pennies, but they eventually came around when they saw the value in a music store tied so heavily to the most popular digital music player.

Year: 2012

One of the biggest setbacks faced by Apple over the past years was undoubtedly the Foxconn debacle. When it came out that employees were being subjected to poor health conditions, low wages, and long hours-forcing some to contemplate or commit suicide, Apple decided to attack the problem, at least publicly, head-on. It sanctioned a report by the Fair Labor Association on the work conditions of Foxconn's factories. Once the report came back and revealed harrowing findings, Apple worked up a new deal with Foxconn to overhaul employee conditions: including safety, overtime wages, and better work areas. It showed that companies could turn negatives into positives.

Year: 2008

Take a poll asking what's the best computer Apple currently makes, we're sure the MacBook Air (MBA) would rise to the top of the heap. Introduced in 2008 at the Macworld Conference, the MBA came out right before Intel and every computer maker began producing what is now known as Ultrabooks. Light, impossibly thin, and powerful enough to run any application short of After Effects, the MBA has proven to be the model of what a portable computer should be. It's no surprise then that when it was launched, Jobs said every laptop in the company's lineup would follow suit. Hence the recently introduced MacBook Pro with Retina Display that ditched a traditional hard drive and CD drive for flash memory.

Year: 1976

It wasn't the first personal computer, but it's gone down in history as one of the most important. Steve Wozniak built the wood-enclosed machine, which featured a 1-MHz processor and had 4 KB of memory, but it was Steve Jobs who decided the two should sell it. It went on sale four months after the founding of Apple Computer, Inc. and sold for $666.66, reportedly because the Woz liked repeating digits. Makes sense, as he saw the digits in his bank account repeat like crazy over the next couple decades.

Year: 2010

We all knew it was coming-but none of us knew how awesome it would be. The iPad, like the iMac, iPod, and iPhone, changed the personal computer market, forcing every consumer-electronics company to switch up its game plan and follow suit.

Year: 2001

When Apple purchased NeXT Computer company, its main intention was to leverage the NeXT Step OS into a next-gen operating system. Four years later, the fruits of that labor came to light with Mac OS X. A completely revamped, next-generation operating system, Mac OS X boasted an awesome new graphical user interface called Aqua, which made everything else look completely dated by comparison.

Year: 1984

Named the "Greatest Super Bowl Spot of All Time" by United Press International, the "Number One Greatest Commercial of All Time" by TV Guide, and "The Greatest Commercial" by Ad Age, Apple's "1984" commercial was a moving mission statement. What was the mission? To eradicate all wack PCs. The Ridley Scott–directed spot cost an unprecedented $900,000 and set Apple apart from all its other computer companies.

Year: 1998

This is the computer that changed everything. Released in 1998 while Apple was trying to reorganize its product lineup, the Jonathan Ive–designed all-in-one computer represented a completely new direction for Apple. Originally offered in "Bondi Blue" and powered by a PowerPC G3 chip, the iMac gave consumers a reasonably powerful machine that could handle all the tasks an average user would need to complete. Particularly notable was its out-of-box experience-it only required the user to plug in a few cables. It looked better than every other computer on the market, and became the must-have item for the rest of the decade. It turned other consumer-electronics companies into biters and put Apple back into the mainstream conversation.

Year: 2007

When Apple first teamed up with Motorola for the ROKR, many laughed it off as a horrible mistake. Steve Jobs was one of those people. Looking to take another crack at developing an Apple phone, his team took to the lab and created the phone that would leave every handset maker scrambling to keep up. With quick, intuitive software, beautiful industrial design, and never-before-seen touchscreen gestures, the iPhone changed completely changed the mobile phone game.

Year: 1984

It may not look like much now, but when it dropped in the mid '80s, the Apple Macintosh 128k, as it was first called, was a revolution in personal computing. The small team worked tirelessly to create the machine Steve Jobs wanted to created: Something super simple to use and set-up, but something that delivered the same graphical performance of much larger and much more expensive machines. What we got was a beautiful computer that helped introduced the idea of a graphical interface and a "mouse" to the world, as well as the idea that computers could be for everyone. Sure, it wasn't very upgradeable, but for the people it was aimed towards, that didn't matter a bit. 

Year: 1976

We love to hear the story, again and again, about two young dudes from Cali-one a tried-and-true engineer, the other a keen creative with an acute business sense-who started a computer company in a garage. After working at Atari, Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, and Ronald Wayne come together to market and sell the Apple I computer kit that Wozniak built. Was there anything behind the decision to start the company on April Fool's Day? Probably not, but we like to think Jobs knew he'd get the last laugh.

Year: 2001

The iMac proved that Apple could reinvent itself and that it wouldn't fade off into the silicon sunset like many other computer marquees, but the iPod made it a cultural staple. If you want to look for a product that single-handedly changed Apple's fortunes, this is it. Jonathan Ive's second hit, the iPod swept through a market populated by poorly designed devices with nonintuitive controls and confusing software. With its iTunes jukebox software in tow, Apple gave users an easy way to carry around all their music. The iPod became an icon.