Apple at 50: Three products that changed how we live - and three that really didn't

 To mark Apple's 50th anniversary on April 1, 2026, the BBC article by Laura Cress reflects on how a "scrappy startup" became a $4 trillion tech titan. While Apple is often defined by its massive hits, the article highlights that its journey involved several high-profile failures that shaped its strategy.

Major Successes ("Hits")

The article identifies three pivotal products that defined Apple’s dominance:

• The iPod (2001): It wasn't the first MP3 player, but it revolutionized digital music by introducing a sleek interface and the iTunes library. It provided the financial strength for Apple to later enter the smartphone market.
• The iPhone (2007): Described as the "Hotel California of smartphones," its "gorgeous marketing" and seamless ecosystem make users unlikely to ever leave. Apple now sells roughly 200 million iPhones every year.
• Apple Watch (2015): The first major product of the Tim Cook era. It is now the world's best-selling smartwatch, generating approximately $15 billion in revenue and outselling the entire Swiss watch industry.

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Notable Failures ("Misses")

Even as a giant, Apple has had missteps where it prioritized design over practicality or misjudged the market:

• Apple Lisa (1983): Though it pioneered the graphical user interface and the mouse, it was a commercial flop due to its staggering $10,000 price tag.
• Butterfly Keyboards (2015–2019): A "rare misstep in reliability," these laptop keyboards were criticized for failing easily as Apple prioritized thinness over durability.
• Vision Pro (2024): The article labels this a recent "notable miss." Despite the hype, the headset's $3,500 price, "cumbersome" weight, and lack of content led Apple to scale back production just months after launch.

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Apple at 50: The Modern Era

Under CEO Tim Cook, who took over in 2011, Apple has moved away from the "feverish creativity" of Steve Jobs toward a phase of refining existing technology and maximizing profitability. While some "purists" miss the Jobs era, experts note that Cook has done an "amazing job" keeping the company relevant and highly profitable, with a focus on services (like Apple Music and iCloud) and user privacy.

Would you like to see a comparison of how Apple's market value has grown compared to other tech giants over these 50 years?