A podcast about the history of Apple. In each episode, hosts Graham Bower and Charlie Sorrel explore the story behind a different Apple product, and consider what it tells us about where the company may be heading next.
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Apple Maps – the unnecessary apology
Apple Maps launched alongside the original iPhone in 2007. Initially, it relied on map data from Google. But in 2012, when the two companies became smartphone rivals, Apple was forced to find an alternative data source. Opting to build its own map platform in-house,...
Mac OS X – how Steve Jobs saved Apple’s crown jewel
In 1996, Apple was in serious trouble. The Mac was almost obsolete. Its multitasking was flaky, it couldn’t handle multiple processors, and it kept crashing. Sales were tanking as users switched to Windows NT in droves. Apple appointed a new CEO, Gil Amelio, to turn...
NeXT – the secret to Apple’s salvation and success
The iPhone in your pocket, the Mac on your desk, and even the watch on your wrist are all based on NeXTSTEP, an operating system developed by a long forgotten computer maker called NeXT. Steve Jobs founded NeXT in 1985, just months after his humiliating departure from...
Apple Watch – what Tim Cook’s first product launch tells us about the future of Vision Pro
These days, Cupertino describes Apple Watch as “the ultimate device for a healthy life.” But it didn’t start out that way. When Tim Cook originally launched the product in 2014, he positioned it as an “intimate way to connect and communicate.” Over its ten year...
iPhone 4 – Apple’s most painful product launch
When Steve Jobs announced the iPhone 4 at WWDC 2010, it surprised no one. Tech blog Gizmodo had already spilled the tea two months earlier by publishing photographs of a lost prototype. Jobs was furious, but he found a way to turn the situation to his advantage. ...
Safari – how Apple built the engine that powers almost every modern web browser
Safari is one of Apple’s most enduring and popular apps, with versions running on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and even Vision Pro. But it wasn’t always the behemoth we know today. When it launched in 2003, Safari faced fierce competition from Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, a...
Newton MessagePad – the little device that left a huge legacy
Apple launched its first handheld computing device way back in 1993. With no internet access, flaky handwriting recognition, and an eye-watering price tag, the Newton MessagePad never stood much chance of success. But the writing was really on the wall with the...
iWork – Steve Jobs’ secret weapon
Steve Jobs was famous for his keynote presentations, which combined showmanship with beautifully designed slides to generate his trademark ‘reality distortion field.’ But what few people knew at the time was, he didn’t use a Mac to produce those slides. Not until...
Mac OS 8 – A ‘better than nothing’ update that became a best seller
When Steve Jobs returned to the company he founded in 1997, Apple was in disarray. After two failed attempts at a next-generation operating system, the Mac had been stuck on System 7 for years. The acquisition of Jobs' company, NeXT, offered a solution, with its...
Nike+iPod Sport Kit – Apple’s first foray into fitness
Apple’s interest in fitness products goes way back. In 2006, before Apple Watch was even a twinkle in Tim Cook’s eye, Steve Jobs took the stage with Nike CEO Mark Parker at an ultra-exclusive venue in New York City to announce the Nike+iPod Sport Kit. With a sensor...