Top 10 Groundbreaking Apple Innovations
These innovations prove that thinking different goes a long way. In this video, http://www.WatchMojo.com counts down our picks for the top 10 Apple innovations.
For this list, we're focusing on Apple products that had the biggest cultural impact both upon their release and afterward, rather than products whose popularity fizzled out. Be sure to also check out our list of the Top 10 Business Moguls in Tech.
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Top 10 Apple Innovations
These innovations prove that thinking different goes a long way. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 Apple innovations.
For this list, we’re focusing on Apple products that had the biggest cultural impact both upon their release and afterward, rather than products whose popularity fizzled out.
#10: Apple II
Although it’s the second major series of computers that Apple produced in the late-‘70s, it was also one of the first truly successful home computers when it was released in 1977. Mainly designed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, this product fit into his vision of a “small, reliable, convenient to use and inexpensive” personal computer, as well as an invention consumers could simply buy, plug in and use. Eight-bit, with color graphics capability and originally using audio cassette tapes as storage, sales of the Apple II jumped in 1979 with the release of the VisiCalc spreadsheet program, which made it especially popular with businesspeople and turned it into a legitimate work tool.
#9: MacBook Air
It may not be as high-performance as the high-end MacBook Pro – more on that later – but this entry in the MacBook lineup has become the best-selling computer in Apple’s arsenal. Why? Well, it’s lightweight and fairly powerful. To have a computer this light and thin with a full-sized screen and keyboard, as well as Apple’s signature OS onboard, is pretty impressive. Essentially replacing the old white MacBook when it was retired in 2011 and fitting somewhere in between a smartphone and a regular laptop, the Air may be missing key features like an optical drive, but it more than makes up for its shortcomings with the features it does have.
#8: Mac OS X
It launched back in 2001, and Apple has been consistently updating it ever since: Mac OS X replaced Apple’s previous operating system, Mac OS, which had been used since 1984. And, while Microsoft’s Windows is still more widely used, Mac OS X has received consistent praise above and beyond its competition, in terms of simplicity, style, speed and features like iChat, Spotlight search, and more which make sure all Apple products work together. It’s evolution over the years has been truly remarkable; we can only what the next iteration will be able to do.
#7: MacBook
The MacBook family came to include machines like the Pro and the Air, but from 2006-11 the plain old MacBook made a name for itself as the best-selling Macintosh ever. Found at the low end of the price spectrum compared to other Apple laptops, it was designed as a merge of the PowerBook and iBook targeted to students and average consumers and essentially helped make the desktop obsolete. Though originally offered in black and white, and though it went through several design changes before it was discontinued, the classic white model became probably the best-known incarnation, and from day one compared favorably in terms of speed and performance to the higher-end Pro.
#6: iPad
Criticized by some upon its release as overhyped, unnecessary and “just a big iPhone,” the iPad proved detractors very, very wrong. Basically pioneering the idea of the tablet, the original, 9.7-inch screen iPad was a cross between the iPod Touch and the MacBook, and it could do almost everything you’d ever want it to do. Take pictures and shoot video? Sure. Play games and music? Of course. Browse the internet? Duh. Introduced in 2010 as proof that Steve Jobs and Apple were not done innovating, over 200-million iPads have been sold since it first hit the market, with new editions like the Air and the Mini coming along to fill even more new niches.
#5: iMac
Not only did the colors make them look super-cool and ahead of their time, the 1998 release of the iMac was arguably the defining moment of Steve Jobs’ return to Apple. But they weren’t all style and no substance: brought to fruition by famed Apple designer Jony Ive, the original iMac not only dropped beige plastic as the desktop standard, but also eliminated the floppy disk drive in favor of a little something called the USB. The result was a product that revived Apple’s struggling sales and remains popular as a home computer model. Plus, it was the first Apple product to bear the “i” prefix in its name.
#4: Graphical User Interface
Apple’s always wanted to make their computers as user-friendly and as uncomplicated as possible; but until 1984 computing involved code, command prompts and – for many laymen – confusion. All that changed with the introduction of the Macintosh and its evolved version of the Graphical User Interface – or “gooey.” Rather than having users enter all kinds of coding to navigate their computers, Apple instead let people access their data from a “desktop,” which has been the standard way to use a Mac ever since. Introduced with an equally innovative advertising campaign, this product represented the future of home computing.
#3: iTunes
You may see iTunes as a way to store and buy songs and backup your iPhone. And it certainly does all that. But more importantly, it’s likely that iTunes was the product that introduced you to Apple and proved their products weren’t nearly as scary as you thought. Launched in 2001 a few months before the introduction of the first iPod, iTunes was instrumental not only in enticing PC users over to the Mac side; it also changed the way music was consumed by selling whole albums as well as individual songs digitally. It’s a vital branch of the Apple tree.
#2: iPod
It’s gone through many evolutions over the years, but even the first iteration of the iPod impacted how people listened to music. Introduced in 2001, right around the time when MP3 players, digital music and – gasp – illegal file sharing were first making their mark, the iPod killed portable CD players, CDs and even stereos. With a wheel that allowed you to shuffle through your songs and playlists with ease, and a set of signature white earbuds, the iPod gave purpose to the iTunes music store and pushed digital music even further. It also proved that Apple could do far more than just computers.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Apple Store
- Retina Display
- Apple Newton
- Siri
#1: iPhone
Back in 2007 when the Blackberry was seemingly the only smartphone game in town, a cocky young upstart put out by Apple decided to challenge the status quo. And, those infamous Apple Store lines began with the intro of the first-gen iPhone, even though its camera was subpar and it couldn’t copy-paste text. But, this smartphone combined a cell, MP3 player, camera and essentially a computer with Apple’s intuitive interface and multi-touch technology, and packed it all into a handheld, pocket-friendly package. With the App Store released about a year after the first iPhone hit stores, the possibilities for this phone expanded exponentially. No wonder it’s the world’s best-selling phone.
Do you agree with our list? What do you think is Apple’s greatest ever innovation? With new top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
