The 2008 commercial featured actor Justin Long (“Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story”) and prompted the question that altered our outlook on technology: are you a Mac or a PC?
The tech powerhouse, founded in 1976 as Apple Computers Inc. by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, started with the Apple I personal computer kit. The Apple I sold for $2,723, and the Apple legacy began.
In 2001, Apple released the first iPod. Similar to the Sony Walkman portable CD players that were popular at the time, the iPod had a significant advantage: it was designed to put “1,000 songs in your pocket” as Jobs said. Although the first iPod wasn’t so easy to put in your pocket, it was still very portable and could easily be held in one hand. What’s more, they were wildly successful; over 100 million iPods were sold within six years.
From that point the company started to produce more revolutionary products like the iPod Mini and the Apple iTunes Store, a software “store” that allowed users to easily download songs for $.99 onto their iPods instead of using (now illegal) programs like Napster. By 2008, iTunes was the leader in online music services with over five billion downloads.
When Apple released the revolutionary iPhone, the world of technology was forever changed. This product combined the portability of the iPod with the cellphone. It also introduced bonus capabilities, such as the ability to use the internet when connected wirelessly. The sleek rectangular design, with the small circular home button at the bottom of the glass touch screen, also made the device incredibly user friendly.
From that point Apple continued to produce innovative products like the smaller iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle, iPod Touch, and the MacBook, a significantly more portable and usable laptop than previous models.
Unfortunately for the company (and arguably the world), Jobs, who was considered the face of Apple with his black turtleneck shirt and slightly bald head, had to resign as chairman of the company in 2011. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the early 2000s, but it came back with a vengeance, and he passed away on October 5, 2011, leaving behind a wife and four children. However, his legacy will never be forgotten, and neither will his continuous contributions to charity throughout his lifetime.
Today, you can’t walk anywhere without seeing some kind of Apple product. Many New Trier students (and teachers) can be seen typing away on their iPhones in the hallways between classes, as well as looking up diagrams or finishing a project for class with their iPads that were provided by the iPad Initiative program that was put in place this past year.