In Apple: The First 50 Years, David Pogue revisits a well-worn anecdote about Steve Jobs and the iPod that captures the company’s perfectionism — and its mythology. Engineers allegedly told Jobs a prototype was as small as it could be; he dropped it in a fish tank, watched bubbles rise, and ordered it made smaller. Pogue tells NPR the story is appealing but apocryphal, one of many legends that surround Apple.
Introduced in 2001, the iPod was a turning point, signaling Apple’s emergence from niche computer maker to mass-market cultural force. Over five decades the company built an almost mythic identity: irreverent, design-driven and intent on changing how people live. That persona was crystallized by the 1997 “Think Different” campaign, which framed Apple as an ally of misfits and creators — a legacy Tim Cook invoked in Apple’s 50th-anniversary statement.
There is truth behind some lore. In its early years Apple cultivated a pirate-flag ethos in its first Cupertino offices, and revolutionary products like the 1984 Macintosh pushed computing into personal and creative realms previously dominated by corporate systems. Hansen Hsu, curator at the Computer History Museum, says those early machines stood for individual expression — a theme Apple promoted for years.
The company kept reshaping technology in the 21st century. The iPod redefined portable music; the iPhone upended communication; and the App Store, launched in 2008, created entire new industries. Pogue highlights that the App Store’s platform model helped spawn services such as Uber, DoorDash, Tinder and Airbnb.
These conveniences also carried costs. Pogue notes that since streaming and smartphones became ubiquitous around 2015, devices have become constant companions — camera, computer and entertainment hub all at once — and rising screen time has been linked with increased isolation and mental-health concerns among young people. Apple has acknowledged those issues: Cook has criticized mindless scrolling and said he doesn’t want screens to replace human connection.
Today Apple is also very different from its scrappy origins. It is among the world’s most profitable companies, and critics argue its countercultural image doesn’t always match its behavior. Reports about Cook’s personal political donations — including a $1 million contribution tied to a presidential inauguration event — have prompted questions about whether the company still embodies its once-revolutionary rhetoric; Cook has defended his actions as policy-focused rather than partisan.
Part of Apple’s staying power is cultural. Media critic Roxana Hadadi observes the brand often weathers controversies that topple other firms, and creatives who depend on Apple hardware and software remain loyal. Digital artist Kyt Janae, who uses Apple machines on projects such as Rick and Morty, says she sees Apple as a megacorp but feels “locked in” because of what the platform represents for creativity and risk-taking.
At 50, Apple is a complex mix of myth, design obsession, commercial might and cultural influence. Its history blends tall tales with real innovations that reshaped industries and daily life, and as it marks this milestone the company faces both enduring admiration and intensifying scrutiny over the social effects of the technologies it helped make ubiquitous.