On today’s Upgrade, Jason Snell suggested that I should post annotations based on Apple’s “40 Years in 40 Seconds” video. So here we go:
- April 1, 1976: Apple Computer, Inc. is founded.
- Apple I: Selling for $666.66, this is the garage-built computer that started it all. It lacked the switches and lights of computers that came before it.
- “Bicycle for the mind:” A reference to an amazing Steve Jobs clip.
- Apple II: Apple’s first commercial success led to a whole series of computers sold from 1977 to 1993.
- Lisa: A personal computer designed and sold by Apple leading up the Macintosh that introduced a lot of elements the Mac would popularize. Was done in by its price and lack of software.
- Macintosh: The 128k machine with a GUI and a mouse that changed the world.
- 1984: The Super Bowl ad that introduced the Macintosh to the world.
- One click: The Mouse is easier than you’d think. Take a Macintosh out for a test drive.
- Three steps: There is no step 3! THERE’S NO STEP 3!
- The Happy Mac used to greet you as your machine booted up. It got replaced way back in 2002.
- MacPaint and MacWrite showed what the original Macintosh was capable of, even with its limited resources and lack of multitasking.
- Think different: Here’s to the crazy ones.
- iMac: The computer that saved Apple.
- Tangerine, Lime, Strawberry, Blueberry, Grape, Yum!
- Kill the floppy: Where we’re going, we don’t need floppies.
- QuickTime: powering multimedia on the Mac and beyond since 1991.
- Chic, not Geek
- Don’t get John Siracusa started on the Finder.
- The PowerMac and PowerBook let Mac users get their work done with grace and in style for years.
- MacBook: One of these computers. Seriously, Apple.
- The cost of a song? Just 99 cents.
- 1,000 songs in your pocket
- Apple Store: Serving customers since 2001.
- App Store: Serving customers since 2008.
- Genius: That kid that who fixed your iPhone last year.
- OS X: The desktop operating of choice for nerds who care since March 2001.
- iOS: The mobile operating of choice for the masses since 2007.
- While Apple tried deleting the Newton, it lives on in the hearts of enthusiasts.
- Macs come with the Trash, as opposed to the Recycling Bin found on Windows, which is ironic.
- The F-sharp chime is what you hear when you power on your Mac or when Wall-E reaches full charge.
- MagSafe: The best way to charge a laptop, ever.
- RIP, iPod classic.
- The iPod mini made music fashionable and the iPod nano made it colorful.
- iPod shuffle: Life should be random. (Also, uh, don’t eat it.)
- The iPod touch: it’s like an iPhone, but for kids!
- iPhone: “So, three things: a widescreen iPod with touch controls; a revolutionary mobile phone; and a breakthrough Internet communications device. An iPod, a phone, and an Internet communicator. An iPod, a phone … are you getting it?
- iPad: What Steve Jobs called a “magical and revolutionary device.”
- Basically, iSight is another name Apple has used over and over.
- iLife and iWork: Create and work on your Mac.
- iPhoto: One part of the Digital Hub strategy.
- Photo Booth: Say cheese!
- MacBook Air: OS X, in a thin and light package.
- iTunes: I’d say something clever, but my Mac is locked up at the moment.
- iMovie: Making home videos more fun since 1999!
- I’m a PC. I’m a Mac.
- FaceTime: Video conferencing in the palm of your hand.
- AirPort: Wireless networking with the best tech demo ever.
- Spinning Beachball: [See iTunes.]
- Time Machine & Time Capsule: Backups for everyone.
- GarageBand turns your Mac or iOS device into a music or podcast studio.
- Keynote: Kicking PowerPoint’s ass for over a decade.
- Hey Siri: Did your iPhone just go off? Mine just went off.
- There’s an App for that, and it’s probably free with in-app purchase.
- Two finger scrolling made PowerBook owners feel like gods.
- Multi-Touch: If you see a stylus, they blew it!
- Magic Mouse & Magic TrackPad: Giving gestures to all Mac users.
- Apple’s input methods have evolved over time: Point-and-click, Swipe-and-tap, Drag-and-drop & Pinch-to-zoom.
- Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah: Unix — and Aqua — on the Mac.
- Mac OS X 10.1 Puma: A free update bringing speed and stability to OS X.
- Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar: Rendezvous, more robust QuickTime playback and SMB support.
- Mac OS X 10.3 Panther: Brushed Metal, Fast User Switching, Safari and iChat AV.
- Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger: Spotlight, QuickTime 7 and Dashboard widgets.
- Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard: A unified appearance, Time Machine, Quick Look and Spaces.
- Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: “No new features,” but 64-bit support, Grand Central Dispatch and more were under the hood.
- OS X Lion: AirDrop, iOS-like UI changes and Auto-Save.
- OS X Mountain Lion: Notification Center, Game Center and Messages.
- OS X Mavericks: Banishing of leather and linen, and some other stuff that’s way less exciting to talk about like timer coalescing and compressed memory.
- OS X Yosemite: Aqua gets a makeover.
- OS X El Capitan: Subtle refinements.
- Earbuds: Everyone can party in the style of the dancing iPod people.
- Dock: Still better than Windows’ taskbar.
- Xcode: Where all the apps are born.
- Safari: Like Chrome, but kinda worse.
- When you can’t see the pixels, you can call it Retina.
- Smart Cover: Brighten up your iPad, unless you have a 12.9-inch Pro.
- iMessage: Your texts, mostly synced across devices.
- iChat: How you used AIM after you rage-quit Adium for the last time.
- iBooks: Something some people apparently use.
- Touch ID: Unlock your device with just your fingerprint.
- Find my iPhone: For finding stolen phones and those lost in the cushions.
- AirPlay and AirDrop: slinging video or files between devices, if you’re lucky.
- Apple Watch: Apple’s most personal device yet.
- Apple Music: Stream and connect with artists you love.
- Apple TV: The future is apps.
- April 1, 2016: Apple, Inc will turn 40.
This is a fun way to take a trip down memory lane. I find it notable that the only mid-90s, Jobs-less Apple items that made the list besides the PowerMacs and PowerBooks were the QuickTime and Newton. Rough day for you Performa fans.