These are 10 products created under Steve Jobs direction - some changed our lives, all of them defined his.
Apple I (1976) - Apple's first product was
a computer designed by Steve Wozniak, while Steve Jobs orchestrated the funding and handled the marketing.
Apple II (1977) - One of the
first successful personal computers, designed as a mass-market
product rather than something for engineers or enthusiasts.
Lisa (1983) - Jobs' visit to Xerox
Corp.'s research center in Palo Alto inspired him to start work on the first
commercial computer with a graphical user interface, with icons, windows and a
cursor controlled by a mouse. It was the foundation for today's computer interfaces,
but the Lisa was too expensive to be a commercial success.
Macintosh (1984) - Macintosh had a graphical user interface and was also cheaper and
faster and had the backing of a large advertising campaign behind it. People
soon realized how useful the graphical interface was for design. That led
"desktop publishing," accomplished with a Mac coupled to a laser
printer, to soon become a sales driver.
NeXT Computer (1989) - After being forced out of
Apple, Jobs started a company that built a powerful workstation computer. The
company was never able to sell large numbers, but the computer was influential:
The world's first Web browser was created on one. Its software also lives on as
the basis for today's Macintosh and iPhone operating system.
iMac (1998) - When Jobs returned to
Apple in 1996, the company was foundering, with an ever shrinking share of the
PC market. The radical iMac was the first step in reversing the slide. It was
strikingly designed as a bubble of blue plastic that enclosed both the monitor
and the computer. Easy to set up, it captured the imagination just as people
across the world were having their eyes opened to the benefits of the Internet
and considering getting their first home computer.
iPod (2001) - It wasn't the first
digital music player with a hard drive, but it was the first successful one.
Apple's expansion into portable electronics has had vast ramifications. The
iPod's success prepared the way for the iTunes music store and the iPhone.
iTunes Store (2003) - Before the iTunes store,
buying digital music was a hassle, making piracy the more popular option. The
store simplified the process and brought together tracks from all the major
labels. The store became the largest music retailer in the U.S. in 2008
iPhone (2007) - The iPhone did for the
phone experience what the Macintosh did for personal computing - it made the
power of a smartphone easy to harness. Apple is now the world's most profitable
maker of phones, and the influence of the iPhone is evident in all smartphones.
iPad (2010) - Dozens of companies,
including Apple, had created tablet computers before the iPad, but none caught
on. The iPad finally cracked the code, creating a whole new category of
computer practically by itself.
