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It’s the end of an era: On Monday, Tim Cook announces his plans to step down as Apple CEO. By September, John Ternes, the company’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, would replace Cook in the role, giving Apple its second CEO since Steve Jobs’ departure in 2011. Since Tim Cook took over nearly 15 years ago, Apple Inc. A lot has happened in the U.S., but there are some moments that stand out more than others. I’ve highlighted 11 products and decisions announced or made by the company during Cook’s tenure that I think define this chapter.
Apple introduced Siri in 2011
Tim Cook’s first major product announcement actually happened while Steve Jobs was still alive. On October 4, 2011, Apple announced the iPhone 4s, and although the phone was largely identical to the iPhone 4, it introduced a feature that still defines the company today: Siri. This was an innovative concept for iPhone users; Instead of checking the weather app, you can ask Siri what the temperature was outside; Instead of setting your own alarm, you can ask Siri to do it for you; If you were driving, you could ask Siri to read you your messages, or check your calendar for upcoming events.
Of course, Siri has gone from being an iPhone-exclusive to the smart assistant in all of Apple’s products — even if it isn’t the most capable option on the market. The company announced an AI overhaul for Siri at WWDC 2024, but the upgrade has been repeatedly delayed.
Apple Maps first dropped in 2012 (and it didn’t go well)
The default navigation app on iPhones hasn’t always been Apple Maps. In fact, for the first five years of smartphones, Apple relied on the built-in version of Google Maps for directions. But in 2012, the company decided to separate from Google and launch its own maps app.
Although you may or may not like Apple Maps today, it was a very different app in 2012 – and by that, i mean it was a bit of a disaster. Apple Maps was missing cities, landmarks and even depicted a driver in its app icon closing an overpass. The PR nightmare was so bad, Scott Forstall, Apple’s former vice president of iOS, Left company after refusing to sign apology for app. While many of us who have gone through this experience still don’t really trust Apple Maps, many iPhone users now choose it over other options.
Apple acquired Beats by Dre in 2014, in the days before AirPods
Before Apple disrupted the wireless headphone market with AirPods, it sold two types of wired earbuds: standard EarPods, and premium “in-ear headphones,” which strongly resemble the wired AirPods Pro. But the company didn’t make the leap from these earbud options straight to AirPods: Before doing so, the company decided to purchase Beats by Dre. The acquisition was Huge: : Apple paid $3 billion for BeatsAnd decided to keep the branding going. It would take a few years for the company to start offering its own premium Apple-branded headphones, so from 2014 to 2016, the Beats were The “Apple Headphones” of choice.
The company introduced the first Apple Watch in 2014
When Apple first announced the Apple Watch in 2014Its premium “Edition” line really stole the show. (Apple is selling a $10,000 watch made of gold? Who’s going to buy this thing?) But while you could easily mistake it for just a luxury product at the time, it appealed to the mass market thanks to more budget-friendly options that ditched the premium material for aluminum. Apple still offers high-quality Apple Watch models, but it soon abandoned the gold (and the five-figure price tag).
That first watch is in many ways similar to the watches we have today: It pairs with your iPhone, and supports messaging, heart rate tracking, and interchangeable bands. But the Apple Watch has also evolved in many ways. Sure, it’s much faster today, but comes with more features including cellular capabilities, sleep tracking, blood oxygen monitoring, and emergency SOS if you ever need assistance. It seems that Tim Cook is particularly invested in this particular productOften highlights stories of customers who have had their lives changed with the watch, or had their lives saved by it.
Apple becomes the first US company to reach $1 trillion in 2018
On 3 August 2018, Apple becomes the first publicly traded company in the US to be valued at $1 trillion. It was a remarkable moment, especially considering how close Apple had come to financial ruin in the ’90s, and how some had doubted the company’s future following Steve Jobs’ demise. The company continued to achieve financial achievements over the years, and today, Tim Cook resigns from $4 trillion company.
Apple introduced the first wireless AirPods in 2016
Apple launched iPhone 7 without headphone jack. Although you can use an adapter to connect your existing wired headphones to the phone, the company had a solution: buy its wireless earbuds instead. Apple fellow Phil Schiller’s statement that the decision resulted from “courage” is still ridiculed today, but Apple has clearly had the last laugh. AirPods have become wildly popular, and probably have a huge role in popularizing wireless headphones in general. The initial product was relatively expensive — $169 which sounded like a wireless version of the free EarPods that came with every previous iPhone — but the product is out. Apple now offers “entry-level” AirPods, a version with noise cancellation, “Pro” AirPods with interchangeable ear tips, and over-the-ear headphones that cost a lot more. Like the Apple Watch, this is a product you can’t see in public without noticing.
What do you think so far?
The Apple TV streaming service was first announced in 2017
I remember when Apple first announced Apple TV – the streaming service, not the existing streaming device. At the time, it was just another streaming service, and I was tired of subscriptions. Sure, Apple was a huge company, but trying to enter the market with companies like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO was ill-advised. Maybe That’s Why I’m Not Running a Trillion-Dollar Company: Now called Apple TV+, Apple’s streaming service is home to some of the most popular and critically acclaimed shows currently airing, including ted lasso, separation, shrinkAnd for all Mankind.
The iPhone
The iPhone has gone through many design changes and tweaks over its nearly 20-year history, but perhaps none as significant as the iPhone For the product’s 10th anniversary, Apple has completely revamped its look and function. The home button, large top and bottom bezels, and the LCD screen disappeared; In its place, there’s Face ID and an edge-to-edge OLED display (except for the “notch” for the camera, of course). It’s a design that still looks fresh almost 10 years later: If you buy an iPhone today
Apple started manufacturing its own in-house chips in 2020
If I could highlight one moment as the most important out of the group here, it would be Apple Silicon. In 2020, Apple officially abandoned Intel, opting to make its own in-house chips for the Mac. The company already did this for the iPhone, and the same winning formula translated into a product lineup that desperately needed a leg-up. Since then, Apple has had complete control of the Mac: it makes both the hardware and the software, and can customize the experience to its liking. The current Mac lineup is probably the best it’s ever been, but at the same time, many people who bought one of those first M-series Macs five years ago are still using them. I’m writing this on an M1 iMac, I have no intention of upgrading it in the near future.
Apple announces its mixed reality Vision Pro headset in 2024
After years of speculation, Apple finally entered the headset market with the Apple Vision Pro in 2024. Its mixed reality headset combined some impressive hardware with a unique operating system (VisionOS) to deliver an ideal experience for Apple users interested in XR. You can link your MacBook to the headset to pull up a virtual ultra-wide monitor; Take FaceTime calls using virtual personalities; And watch videos shot on your iPhone in spatial reality.
And yet, the Vision Pro is a hard sell to most people. The high starting price ($3,499) costs more than most of the company’s professional Macs, and doesn’t do nearly as much. It may be technically superior to other products on the market, but when you can buy Meta Quest for about 10th the price (with much more software support), there’s no reason to pay that much money for most people. While the Vision Pro is a rare feat for modern Apple, it’s a memorable moment nonetheless.
The new MacBook Neo released this year cuts the price of the basic MacBook Air in half
Apple silicon may be the most important thing in the Mac lineup under Tim Cook, but the MacBook Neo may be the most important mac. Apple took an iPhone chip, put it inside a simple MacBook design, and set the price at $599 ($499 with an education discount). Despite 8GB of RAM and macOS running on an “A-series” chip rather than an M-series, most of At half the price of Apple’s previous entry-level MacBook Air, people can probably do the work they want to do using the Neo. It’s too early to say how impactful this device will be on the personal computing market, but my guess is huge.
