Apple 40th Anniversary: Products That Made Apple The World Leader In Tech

Apple’s 40 year history has been littered with products that have either created or re-defined different areas of the technology market. Founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on 1 April 1976, Apple was initially a home computer company before being revamped in 2007 to focus on consumer electronics like the iPhone. A success of ground-breaking products, including the iPod and iPad, saw Apple rise to be the biggest tech company on the planet. Here are some of the products that made Apple the world leader in technology. (PA/Martyn Landi)

Apple I (1976)

The company’s first ever product was little more than a circuit board, but Steve Jobs insisted on Steve Wozniak’s neat placing of all components on the board for a better aesthetic, a trait he continued to push throughout his career. (Ed Uthman/Wikipedia)

Apple II (1977)

Now complete with a keyboard and a screen, the Apple II was arguably the first example of a modern personal computer, with everything housed in one place. (Rama/Wikipedia)

Apple Lisa (1983)

The first Apple computer to offer a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising of windows and icons that would become the universal standard for every device that followed. (Wikipedia)

Macintosh (1984)

The computer designed to bring the technology to the masses for the first time. It came with a keyboard and a mouse and began a range that is still in existence today. (Wikipedia)

Newton MessagePad (1993)

The product that still stands as the best example of getting it wrong, the Newton was Apple’s first attempt at a personal digital assistant. The signature handwriting recognition software was infamously unreliable and the Newton was discontinued in 1998. (Rama/Wikipedia)

iMac (1998)

A watershed moment because it announced Mr Jobs’ return to Apple, as well as the beginning of Jony Ive’s design influence. The bold colours were new for the computer industry, and more than a third of first year sales went to people buying their first computer, introducing many to the internet for the first time. (Nafija.shabani/Wikipedia)

iPod (2001)

Having redefined personal computing, Apple switched to music with the iPod, taking on the WalkMan and other portable music players by launching the iPod, which could hold up to 1,000 songs, substantially more than rival devices. (Fiona Hanson/PA Wire)

iPhone (2007)

The device that helped make Apple the most valuable company in the world combined a phone, the internet and a music player. It essentially created the modern smartphone market and consumers loved it - more than 700 million have now been sold. (Chris Ratcliffe/REX/Shutterstock)

iPad (2010)

The tablet market already existed when the iPad was announced, but it was the iPad that made it relevant to everyday consumers. Several hundred million sales later and though the market is shrinking, Apple still leads it. (Paul Faith/PA Wire)

Apple Watch (2015)

Smartwatches are still to catch on the way smartphones and tablets have, but the Apple Watch looks the most likely to make that happen. A fashion conscious approach has seen it go on-sale in Paris boutiques and even grace the cover of Vogue in China. (Lynne Cameron/PA Wire)